Hadley wasn’t gonna step in and play babysitter just so I could hang out with my boys. I wanted her by my side.
“We’ll watch her,” Bright Eyes offered from behind me, but my eyes never left Hadley’s. “Won’t we, Oz?”
He grunted. “Yeah, I’m gonna need the practice for all the grandbabies I’m gonna be having soon.”
Kit’s laughter floated in from the kitchen, and I turned just in time to see Harmony rolling her eyes. “You sound like a broken record, old man.”
“And I’m gonna keep playing until I get what I want,” he countered with a goofy smile.
You’d never think that this man was dark and ruthless enough to run a motorcycle club. He was comical and laid back. But it was only because of the people here, we were family.
I’d seen him not even flinch as he executed a man who had wronged the wrong family. His eyes held a darkness then that he reserved for the people who’d caused pain to the ones he loved. This, in particular, revenge for hurting our club and killing Optimus’ father.
Bright Eyes moved forward and picked Macy up off the floor, ignoring the battle going on around her. “Shall we do some baking while your daddy is away and set up your room?” she asked, tickling Macy under the chin.
My girl clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Yes, Yes, Yes.”
Hadley’s face softened as she walked over to her. “We won’t be long,” she whispered, kissing her on the cheek. “We’ll be back before bedtime.”
Hadley looked back to me. “I’ll just go change into some jeans.”
“Third door on the left up the stairs,” Bright Eyes told her, but her stunning emerald colored eyes were glued to me. Hadley brushed her hand against mine as she walked past and skipped up the stairs. The room felt strangely silent.
“For the love of God, do not let that woman go,” Bright Eyes said sternly, holding Macy close to her chest. “She will do anything to protect you and this little girl, and that’s not something she has to do. Sometimes it can take a lot to accept someone’s child as your own, and give them your heart as if you would your own baby. But Hadley, she’s already doing that and more.”
I nodded, hearing what she was saying.
Hadley had stepped up, even before I’d claimed her and made her my Old Lady.
She had taken Macy and fallen in love with her, protecting her and caring for her, as if she was her own baby. And for the second time in my life, I think I was falling in love.
I was scared to death, and there were so many things that could go wrong. My heart and mind both ached and bloomed at the same time. My heart still hurt and wondered whether there was room inside for her, and my head ecstatic that both Macy and I will have someone to share our lives with.
But as soon as all the drama was done, we would have plenty of time to figure out what I thought I already knew—I wasn’t letting her go.