“Because she was your mom, babe. Good relationship or bad, she was still the one who gave birth to you. You grew inside her. That’s a bond that doesn’t fade.” Lifting her chin with my free hand, I met her damp eyes. “It hurt like hell when I lost my mom, but I was just a kid so I didn’t understand what it meant when she died. Not until later. But it still stings when I think about her.”
“I have no one now,” she whispered, fresh tears flooding down her cheeks. “I’m all alone.”
My heart burst with pain for her, but I only shook my head at her words. “No, babe. You’re not alone. You’ve got Quinn and Raven and Flick and everyone else in my family. Because you’re mine. My family is your family. You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Her breath hitched and she rested her head back on my shoulder, but she was tense now, as if she didn’t trust what I’d just told her. Holding her close so she couldn’t escape, I turned us so that she was on her back and I was leaning over her. I pushed back a few damp locks of hair that were stuck to her face and traced my thumb over her jaw.
“Kell, baby, I love you. I’m not going anywhere, ever. You can push me away and act like you don’t care now, but it’s not going to work. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.” Her lashes started to lower, blocking me out, but I tipped her chin back up, forcing her gaze to stay locked with mine. “I know I hurt you, and I’m not going to make excuses for what I did. It was wrong, and I’m so fucking sorry.”
“I really don’t want to talk about this right now.”
I could hear how fast her heart was beating, and because I knew she was hurting, I didn’t argue with her. It was out there now, though. Those three words I’d said plenty of times to the people who mattered to me. But this was the first time I’d ever told a woman I was in love with her. The woman who was an intricate part of my soul now. I hadn’t put up much of a fight when I started falling in love with her, but when I thought she’d betrayed me, I told myself I was mistaken. I couldn’t love her.
But even then, I knew I was wrong. I loved Kelli more than anything or anyone. She was mine, and I was fucking hers. Nothing and no one could change that.
Rolling onto my back again, I tucked her close. Kissing the top of her head, I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of her shampoo. “Sleep, Kell.”
“Don’t…leave me, Colt,” she whispered.
I kissed the top of her head. “Never, babe.”
Chapter 18
Quinn
Sometimes, doing nothing was more exhausting than doing a million different things in a single day. That was exactly how I was feeling today. Cabin fever was starting to set in, and if I had to stay behind the compound walls another hour, I was going to murder someone.
Preferably, my baby’s daddy, but any one of my three sisters would make me all too happy.
There was a reason why we hadn’t shared a house in the last few years. One, they were lazy bitches who mooched off everyone and spread their legs for anyone with a cock. Two, they were spiteful cows who hated me for actually wanting to make my life better. For the last week, Whitney had been keeping her distance, something I was more than happy to reciprocate. But Heather and Amanda seemed to be there every time I turned around. It only made me wonder if Whitney was putting them up to annoying the hell out of me because she was in deep crap with the MC.
And if I had to trip over either of them again, I was going to grab them by their hair and throw them out of my way.
“All right, sweetheart, I’m off to the diner,” Aggie informed me as she grabbed her to-go cup of coffee and her purse off the kitchen counter. “I’ll be back later tonight.”
“Wait!” I called as I pushed away from the sink where I’d been trying to distract myself by hand-washing the last of the dishes. “Let me come with you, Ag. You know you need the extra help.”
Immediately, I could see that she wanted me to come with her. I was her best waitress; she needed me just as much as I needed to get out of this place for a few hours. But I could also see the argument already forming on her lips. “Raider will kill me if I let you come with me.”
“Fuck Raider!” I growled, pissed. He put his foot down repeatedly about me staying here where it was safe and I could rest. I was pregnant, not sick. Meanwhile, he was off taking care of MC business for Bash, leaving me alone more often than not. Which would have been fine if I actually had something to do while he was away doing whatever. “He’s off doing God knows what, and I’m stuck here going stir-crazy. I need to work, Ag. I need to get out of here and talk to people who aren’t the same sixty people I’ve seen every single hour for the last few weeks.”
“I don’t know…” she mumbled hesitantly, no doubt trying to think of an excuse not to let me tag along.
Little John came through the kitchen door, dressed for work. He gave me a kind smile, and I latched on to it. “If Little John is there, I’ll have protection if anything happens. Not that it will. Even the cops hang out at the diner for lunch. No one will touch the place.”
“If Bash says you can come, then fine,” Aggie finally relented. “Lord knows I could use all the help I can get today.”
I nearly groaned but nodded in accession. “Give me five minutes,” I called over my shoulder as I practically sprinted through the clubhouse in search of Bash.
Seeing the door to his office open upstairs, I flew up the stairs and knocked before sticking my head in. He had a dark expression on his face, and I nearly hesitated. His head lifted when he saw me in the doorway, his brows rising skyward.
“What’s up, Quinn?” he asked in a tired voice.
“Aggie needs some extra help at the diner. I’m going to head out with her. Let Raider know, okay?”
He frowned but nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
Smiling, I practically danced back to the kitchen where Aggie was still waiting. Seeing my happiness had her smiling with relief. “Okay then, let’s go. Little John is already waiting in the car.”