“What? Ew, gross, hell no. I mean if he’s an idiot to everyone. You can tell me about Ugly Beast, Elijah, Hunter, you know, if you want. Have you ever been with any of them?”
Raven wasn’t a fool. Something was going on with Harlow. “Do you have a crush?” Raven asked.
“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Harlow’s face was red, so Raven deducted she had a crush on one of the three men she mentioned. Ugly Beast was out of the picture, Harlow was a loyal woman and wouldn’t do that to Abriana. That left Elijah and Hunter.
She knew Hunter had been the one to take Harlow to the hospital when she had gotten stabbed.
“You’ve got a crush on Hunter,” Raven said.
Harlow’s mouth opened just a little and she shook her head. “No, that is … so wrong.”
“He’s older than you, by like, a lot. Not to mention the fact Big Dick is there, and you’re not club pussy,” Raven said.
Harlow’s hands went to her hips. “It’s a stupid crush. Ignore me.”
Raven closed her eyes and held her hand up. “Wait. I’m sorry. I was, er, I was thinking like the club.”
“You are still club,” Harlow said.
“No, I’m not. I’m not a member anymore. I’m carrying around another man’s child, and well, my life is complicated enough. No, I never slept with any of the guys in the club, ever. Hunter is a great guy, but he’s a club guy. His loyalty will always be to the club and with Big Dick, I mean, George. Crap, I’m sorry.”
“No, there’s no need to be sorry,” Harlow said, holding her hand up. “You’re right, totally right. Hunter is completely off-limits.”
It didn’t stop Raven from feeling bad. She didn’t want to see the other woman get hurt. “Would you like me to leave?” Raven asked.
“Why would I like you to leave?”
“I’m the deliverer of bad news.”
Harlow laughed. “No, you’re not. You’re the voice of reason, but not bad news. I am not going to waste my time, and you have just made sure of that. Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Why do you always walk away?” Harlow asked.
“I’m not a coward.”
“No, I didn’t say you were. It’s just, this is just an observation, but the shit with Ava, I get it. You made sure she didn’t have to even see you. I’ve noticed that when you think someone has an issue with you, or you’ve upset someone, you walk away. You hide. You make yourself invisible.”
Raven stared at her.
“Why?” Harlow asked.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“You’re not hurting me.”
Raven’s hands clenched at her sides. “I gave you bad news.”
“I needed to hear it. I can sometimes wander into fairy land. Having a crush on Hunter is stupid. It’s all the drama and blood. Thank you.”
Raven didn’t want to be thanked.
As she stared at Harlow, the other woman didn’t show it, but Raven knew she had to be crushed. “I’m sorry,” Raven said.
Harlow surprised her even more by walking over to her, wrapping her arms around her, and hugging her. Of all the emotions Raven expected, the comfort of a hug wasn’t one of them.
“Please, stop worrying. There is nothing going on with Hunter and me,” Harlow said. “And there never will be.”
Raven hugged the other woman back, and she couldn’t help but think about Carlos. Pulling away, she offered the other woman a smile and went back to carefully organizing the baking trays with cookies, buns, and whatever else Harlow had to offer.
Harlow continued to talk about everything and nothing. She listened, taking it all in but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel … alone. She was pregnant. Stuff was happening to her body. She had left the Hell’s Bastards MC. Everything was changing, and she didn’t know how to keep up with it all.
****
Sebastian was pissed at him, but Carlos refused to leave Fort Clover.
Standing outside of the bakery, he watched Raven. He didn’t go inside. He’d already sent her some lunch, and with them near to closing, he was going to make sure she got dinner. Larissa, the sweet woman living with Raven, had told him that she was struggling to eat. Also, the other woman had dropped the bombshell that she believed Raven was sad and lonely.
He hated that.
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he waited. He never had to wait for anyone. Not like this.
He needed to come back with a plan to win Raven back. To finally make her see sense.
The light flickered off, and suddenly the two women were there. Harlow glared at him but moved out of the way to allow Raven to pass.
He couldn’t help but be a little surprised to see Raven. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a dress. Another one.
Carlos had considered it a tiny miracle to have gotten her into dresses, and now it seemed she was always in them.