Out of the Ashes (Sons of Templar MC #3)(69)

I knew it would be Cade, considering he routinely stared at her in the hour I had been here. He’d come over twice to check on her, rub her belly and chat to me. I ignored the green-eyed monster who had reared its head when I saw that, not to mention the interactions between Brock and Amy.

“You’d have done it,” I told her with certainty, tearing my thoughts away from my own longing. I sipped my drink. It was my second and my last, considering I had to drive. “When you’ve got someone counting on you, someone who is your entire world, you find the strength,” I explained.

“Where’s her dad? If you don’t mind me asking,” Amy said softly.

For some reason, I didn’t. I had lied and skirted past every question people asked me about Lexie’s dad. Steve and Ava knew about him, but that was it. Even Lexie was in the dark about what a monster her father was. I glanced around the table at the women who I considered friends, who I trusted.

“He isn’t a good man,” I started quietly. “The worst, actually. I left when Lexie was a baby. You know what I said about surviving?” I asked Gwen.

She nodded, a sad understanding on her face.

“Well, I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I hadn’t left.”

I didn’t add if I hadn’t run. Hadn’t hidden. No matter how much I trusted these women, I couldn’t tell them the whole truth. For my safety. For Lexie’s.

Amy’s hand covered mine. She gave it a squeeze then released it.

“I think we need more drinks,” she declared to the table, winking at me.

“Yeah, ‘cause then we’d be able to settle in for watching young love unfold.” Rosie nodded behind me and all eyes moved in that direction.

I followed her gaze. Killian had dispersed all of the kids and was talking to Lexie. He had his hand at her wrist and his face was close to hers.

“Lexie had a boyfriend before?” Rosie asked, her eyes not moving.

“Nope,” I replied, my eyes not moving either. “They are officially joined at the hip. I think I need to call his parents and let them know their son does still exist, he’s just been sucked into a black hole of adolescent love,” I joked. He had spent all his time at our place over the last couple of weeks.

Lexie had her eyes downcast and Killian’s other hand went to her chin, directing it so her face lifted to his.

A silence settled over the table and I looked to see all of the women’s faces grim. “Kill doesn’t exactly have parents, Mia,” Rosie explained softly.

Well, excuse me while I extract my giant, cork-clad foot from my mouth.

“His dad was a good man, a good father. He died when Kill was about eleven,” she continued. Her face hardened. “His mom’s a junkie, total bitch to boot. Doesn’t give a shit about him. Club’s pretty much raised him,” she told me with sad eyes.

I felt a pang for this poor kid, the one who looked strong and unflappable from the outside. The one who also looked like a whole lot of bad news, but one who treated my daughter with unbelievable tenderness and me with respect. I had already begun to grudgingly like him. This just cemented it. Plus, I knew exactly what it was like to have parents who didn’t give a shit. It sucked. No wonder he gripped onto a girl like Lexie with both hands. Why he was happy to sit with us and watch movies he no doubt hated while we chattered through them almost half the time.

Lucy, who had been quiet, spoke to me. “Despite that, Killian’s actually a real good kid,” she told me with a small smile. “I’ve known him since he was a baby, and despite appearances he’s respectful. He’ll treat her well,” she promised.

“I already know he will,” I told her with a smile.

“Yeah well, if he doesn’t I know he’d have Cade to answer to,” Gwen interjected. “He’s pretty big on treating women with respect.”

“And Brock,” Amy added.

“And pretty much every guy in the club,” Rosie added.

“And me,” I added. “I may not own a shotgun, but I’m thinking of heading down to Walmart to get myself an arsenal.” I may have liked the kid, definitely felt sorry for him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t in for it if he hurt my baby.

The women laughed. I wasn’t sure why, considering I wasn’t kidding.

Then I felt it. Something that made my eyes move from Lexie and Killian’s intense looking conversation. It was pressure, heat, anger. I could feel him. His stare. My eyes moved until they settled on dark, stormy, beautiful ones. Zane stood in the doorway that led into Rosie’s kitchen. He was wearing all black, as usual, despite the fact it was scorching. I felt like the temperature went up about a thousand degrees with his glower threatening to set me on fire.

“Mia, why is Bull looking at you like you blew up the Harley Davidson headquarters?” Gwen asked. “Did you guys have a fight or something?” The subject of Zane was surprisingly yet to come up in our chat. The women had all asked about what happened in Hope and had seemed sympathetic of me having to give up my favorite vintage haunt, at least temporarily, but no one had grilled me about my relationship with Zane. It was as if these women had a sixth sense about heartbreak, or at least they were waiting for me to bring it up. Zane’s unmistakable glare had them done waiting.

“Umm,” I drew out my response, willing myself to tear my gaze away, or at least to muster up my own glare. He wasn’t the only one who was angry. I may be trying to convince him not to give up on us, but I was still pissed as hell he did in the first place.