“Shhh, let the doctor concentrate.” I shouldn’t tell her to be quiet, but I was a nervous wreck wondering what Abe was doing to Stein.
“Can I hold you, Nova?” Libby made grabby hands.
She shook her head and put her face in my neck.
“There we go,” Patch said. “You’re a lucky girl. An inch or two would’ve made a huge difference and not in a good way.” He winked.
“Oh gosh, don’t tell Abe that. He’s liable to lose his mind.” I rolled my lips into my mouth when Nova whimpered. I needed to stop mentioning Abe.
“Let’s get some coffee, honey.” Libby escorted me back upstairs.
Thankfully, Nova was able to walk. There was no way I could carry her up a flight of stairs.
Sugar and Art were seated at the kitchen table.
“Any word?” I asked.
“No,” Art replied. “How’s the arm?”
I waved him off. “It’s fine.”
“And how’s?” Sugar flicked her eyes at Nova.
“It’s been a struggle.” I sat in a chair across from Sugar, and Nova climbed onto my lap. For some reason, she seemed a lot bigger tonight—like ten times bigger. It was probably because I was exhausted and injured.
I kept checking my phone for the time every few minutes. Waiting for Abe to get there was driving me insane. Nova had finally passed out in my arms. I’d probably be prone on the floor if it wasn’t for my chair.
“The quiet is too loud,” I muttered. “What are you gonna do about a tattooist?” I asked Art. I felt a little bad for putting him in a bind, but being with Abe was more important to me.
“I’m cutting back the hours. We’ll be open three days a week.”
“Damn, really. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s only temporary until things are stable around here.” He put his arm around Sugar. They were precious and looked ready for bed.
“You don’t need to wait up with me.” I turned toward Libby. “You too. I’m fine. Truly.”
“We’re not leaving you, honey.” Sugar smiled. “You’re family. Speaking of family. What did Lady M say about Nova?”
“She was terrific with her. They were all great.” I drummed my fingers on the table, forcing myself to not check the time again.
The back door opened and my man entered.
“Hey, baby.” He came over to me and kissed my head. “Why isn’t she in bed?” He touched Nova’s head.
“She’s been waiting for you. What happened?” I eyed him, hoping he read my mind and would tell me about Stein.
“Want me to carry her to bed? You look exhausted.” He ran his thumb over the wrapping on my arm. “How many stitches?”
He totally disregarded my question.Club business, I told myself.
“Four.”
We stared at each other for a long second, then the door opened again, and Storm entered.
“You forgot your switchblade.” He passed it to Abe.
“Thanks.” He took it and put it in his pocket. All these men were tight-lipped, shooting each other knowing looks. I guessed that was the brotherhood aspect of being a Knight’s Legion MC member. They had their secrets and each other’s backs.