Op patted me on the back and headed for the staircase.
I knew I should follow. Get back to my baby, hold her close, just to remind myself of what I’d nearly lost. But my body was wound so tightly, I just needed a drink.
Macy could have so easily been killed today—the thought made me shudder.
She was all I had left.
Nothing else mattered if she wasn’t with me.
Not life, not anything.
I promised myself a long time ago that even with Kim gone, I would make sure that Macy grew up strong, with everything in her life that she’d ever need.
Unlike her sister, Kim loved the club, and they adored her. She was strong, focused and passionate about helping others. Reasons why she made the perfect nurse. She didn’t judge people by the way they looked, it didn’t matter to her.
I remembered the day she found out she was pregnant, how her face had lit up and her eyes shone with excitement about bringing a child into the world. She knew Macy would be loved and cherished. Having the brothers behind us didn’t scare her, she wasn’t afraid of Macy getting hurt by our world. Instead, she saw the amount of love and protection that the club offered.
Even today, seeing my baby girl so shaken and upset by what had happened, I knew in my heart Kim would never see it as an excuse to run. She would see it as a reason to fight, let them know that no matter what they threw at us, we were stronger because of the fierce love that flowed through our brotherhood.
No one would hurt our baby and walk away breathing.
I slipped onto a bar stool, and Skylar moved toward me with a soft smile. “You need a beer.” It was a statement, not a question. She’d already started pouring it before I could even answer and slipped it across to me before heading back to where she was stacking the fridge.
“How you feeling?” Kit asked, pulling up a seat next to me.
“Like I could have lost everything today.” I took a few large mouthfuls of the bitter liquid. “Just lucky Hadley was so quick on her feet.”
“Yeah, she’s smart. Gorgeous too. But don’t tell Harm I said that.” He chuckled softly.
I looked over at him. “You’re grew up in the club. How did your parents do it?”
“Club life is dangerous,” he admitted seriously. “When it comes to your family, I think it’s about finding balance.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I never grew up inside the clubhouse like you boys do with the kids here. We had a house, Mom stayed at home with us. The clubhouse wasn’t off limits, but we’d always check with him before we came in to visit. If there was something going down, or any kind of threat or danger, he’d keep us away.”
“And that worked best?”
“It meant he could worry about business without us under his feet or getting caught up in the drama,” Kit explained, tapping his fingers on the bar.
I took another drink of my beer. “You think I should move Macy out of here?”
He held up his hands. “Ain’t telling you anything, bro. Different things work for different people. You don’t have a woman at home to watch her while you work. That makes it harder.”
Kit’s words really did make sense. Maybe it was time I thought about moving Macy out of the clubhouse and into our own place. It would be harder to juggle. The clubhouse more often than not had someone around to watch her if I got called to do something, but if it was safer for her to be out of the danger zone, I would make it work.
Looking up, I saw Skylar shuffle out of the kitchen holding a tray of food.
I patted Kit on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Sorry for keeping Harm from you. You think she’ll be okay for a few more minutes while I check on Hadley?”
Kit laughed. “I’ve got the rest of my life with her man, I’m not worried if she’s busy watching your girl for a bit. Take your time.”
“Thanks, brother.”
I jumped off the stool and headed Skylar off before she walked down the club girls’ hall. “That for Hadley?”
She smiled and held it out for me. “All yours.”
“Thanks.”