We all want to wrap her in a bubble, keeping her safe and with us at all times, but everyone but my brother agreed that smothering her isn't healthy. She doesn't know something is wrong. That something is different. We need to try to keep things as normal as they are usually when she comes over to our place. But it's hard when Cass won't leave Rosie's side except to shower and use the bathroom.
We’ve been doing his part of the work here at the club. We don't care, nor does Harlow, and I do have to thank her for that. She's been cool about the whole situation.
Harlow's about five porn stars, which is Roxy’s cocktail specialty, in, when she realizes Dean and I are sitting next to her at the bar.
“Oh look, it’s Captain Kill-Joy,” she cheers, and I frown at her. “You know, you would probably be more fun and have more friends if you took that dildo out of your ass. Or at least use it to give yourself a good fucking.” She starts laughing hysterically at her own joke. Evie takes the drink out of Harlow's hand.
“Q, you're done for the night,” Evie laughs when Harlow pouts at her.
“Fine. I gotta pee anyways. And I’m fucking tired,” she says, hopping down off the stool and wobbling a little. “You know, I'm not as bad as you make me out to be,” she says, putting her hands on her hips. She's a little tipsy, and it looks kind of cute on her.
“You sure about that?” I smirk.
“If you would just open your eyes, you’d see that the only people who face this monster you make me out to be in your head,” she says, tapping my forehead with her pointer finger in between each word, “are those who deserve it. I would never hurt or kill an innocent person,” she finishes with a flourish, throwing her hands out wide for emphasis.
I know that. But that doesn't change the fact that she’s still a serial killer. I just lift my brow and sigh in response to her dramatic gesture, but she only looks at me with a blank expression on her face, as if she’s lost her train of thought, while swaying gently on her feet, before changing the subject.
“Oh. Tell your brother I'm coming by this weekend. He's kept Rosie to himself long enough, and I miss her adorable face. Plus, I owe her another bedtime story. Cause let's face it,” she sighs, leaning forward. “I’m gonna be the girl’s mother from now on. I don't care what any of you think. She’s mine, just as much as she is yours.” With that, she straightens up, turns around, and leaves, and all I can do is watch in silence as the room parts for her like the Red Sea did for Moses.
I can't help but smile at her proclamation. I may not like this new Harlow, mostly because this one still has the body of the one we left behind but without the happiness that we tried to preserve inside her, but at least, I know my niece is in good hands. She has me, her dad, her uncles,andthe most feared woman in the state, possibly even in all of the USA, to protect her. Hell, even the world has her back, it seems.
So, I'll put up with her crazy ass. For Rosie.