“He told me,” I said slowly. “About your dad’s death.”
“Did he.” It sounded like a statement and not a question. “Well, that only confirms my suspicions. You got through his wall. Somehow, you did. In a short time, too. I’ve already seen him smile more, laugh more in two days than he has in years. And I know that’s because ofyou.”
Her words made me uncomfortable.
“I’ve never seen him behave this way around a woman.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered by that?” I asked, trying to stem the flow of panic.
“Yeah, you should be flattered. Because Colt has the biggest heart in the world, but he’s kept himself shut away.”
“It’s only been a few days, Joni. You know that, right? I don’t think you can assume I’m responsible for Colt’s change.”
“He told you about our dad’s death. Did he tell you about our parents? And how they met?”
I nodded.
“My dad knew my mother was the one the moment he laid eyes on her. And she had no qualms getting on the back of his bike and riding off into the sunset with him. Westons justknow.”
“Weston,” I repeated. “That’s your family name?”
“Yes.”
“What’s Colt’s real name?”
“James.”
James.
“What about you?” I asked.
“What about me what?”
I smiled. “Who do you want to keep?”
She sighed. “Zip.”
“No.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh man. It all makes sense now. When I said he offered to let me stay in his home, you went all…”
“Yeah, I went all…” She shook her head. “I knew he was doing it to get Colt’s goat and to make Colt stand up and say he wanted you to stay with him, but it still hit me hard.”
“Why is there no you and Zip?”
“Because he sees me as Colt’s younger sister.”
“YouareColt’s younger sister.”
She shook her head. “You don’t mess around with a club member’s family. Like, you don’t fuck their sisters or cousins or anything. Plus, Zip’s kind of a whore.”
“Excuse me?”
“A man whore. A big, fat, man whore. No, not a big fat one. A big, hot, tatted one.”
“So he sleeps around,” I stated.