Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons MC #4)(16)

“Your hair is getting so long,” I tell her as I gently brush it.

“I know,” she beams. “I like it. It’s like yours, almost.”

I smile at that. “It is. Maybe it will get even longer than mine.”

A knock at the door has me standing up and putting the brush down. “That will be them. Perfect timing.”

I walk to the front door with Cara next to me. Unlocking the door, I open it to see the beautiful faces of Anna and Lana, one of them carrying a bottle of wine, the other a wrapped gift.

“Hello,” I say, smiling and opening the door wider. They step inside, each giving me a warm hug and a hello before turning their attention to Cara.

“Aren’t you beautiful? I’m Anna, and this is for you,” Anna says, giving Cara the gift. Cara, with wide eyes, thanks them, then turns to me for approval.

“You can open it if you like,” I tell her, trying to hide a smile. “You guys didn’t have to do that.”

“We wanted to,” Lana says, holding up the bottle of wine. “We bought red wine too.”

“I can see that.” I laugh. “Come on, let’s go sit down. Do you want something to eat now? Or do you want to wait until later?”

“What did you make?” Anna asks curiously, checking out the inside of my house.

“I made your favorite,” I tell her, smiling and nodding my head toward the kitchen.

Her perfectly arched eyebrows lift. “No way. You made sushi?”

I grin but don’t say anything, so she runs into the kitchen to find out for herself. I hear her cheering, which makes me laugh and Lana shake her head in amusement.

“Look, Mom! A new doll! She’s so pretty!” Cara calls out from the floor, surrounded by a pile of ripped wrapping paper. “Thank you, I love her!”

“You’re welcome, Cara,” Lana says, sitting down on the couch. “She’s gorgeous, Bailey, looks just like you. Rake said as much.”

“He did?” I ask, getting caught off guard at her bringing him up so soon.

“Yeah,” Anna says, walking into the living room with a plateful of sushi. “He couldn’t stop raving about her. And holy shit, this sushi is amazing.” She pauses and cringes. “I mean, holy crap.”

“Make yourself at home Anna,” Lana says, sarcasm lacing her tone.

I laugh. “My home is your home, as always.”

Anna sits down and picks up a piece from her plate. “This place is great, Bailey.”

I look around at my white walls and cream furniture. “Thank you. How have you guys been? Adam said you were giving him a hard time.”

Anna smirks, a devilish look taking over her expression. “He can’t choose who we’re friends with. You’re not just some random chick; you’re an old friend, and he’s just going to have to get used to the fact that you’re going to be a permanent fixture in our lives now.”

“You guys . . .” I say softly, a rush of emotions hitting me.

“Oh, don’t get all mushy on me,” Anna says, smiling. “Lana, I think we need some wine.”

I stand up. “I’ll get some glasses.”

I head into the kitchen and return with three wineglasses, a corkscrew, and a juice box for Cara. I turn the radio on for some background music, then return to my seat.

Lana pours the wine. “To not letting men win!”

We clink glasses, then each take a gulp.

*

After Cara falls asleep and I carry her to bed, the interrogation begins.

“Why didn’t you tell us you had a daughter?”

“Who is the father?”

“How long were you with him for?”

“Is there any chance she’s Rake’s?”

I hold my hands up. “Calm down, both of you. I didn’t tell you because I knew I’d have to answer a million questions about who her father is, and to be honest I wasn’t ready for Rake to find out.”

Lana looks a little contrite, but Anna simply says, “Tell us!”

I put my glass down on the table. “After Adam and I broke up, I moved away from home and did a little traveling. Worked in bars, or whatever I could find at the time.”

Really, I’d been f*cked-up. I was in so much emotional pain. I would do anything to get rid of it, anything to distract myself. Usually, I found my distraction with other men.

“I ended up in a town called Channon. It’s a country town about ten hours from here. Anyway, I met this guy, Wade. We ended up sleeping together a couple of times, and I got pregnant with Cara. Things didn’t work out, so I moved back here. That’s it. There’s no big story, and she isn’t Adam’s child.”

Anna looks slightly disappointed, like she expected a better story.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Anna,” I tell her, laughing quietly.

“Where is Wade now?” Lana asks, studying me curiously.

“In Channon,” I explain. “He doesn’t have any contact with Cara. Just another deadbeat dad.”

Lana and Anna both nod in understanding. I know neither of them had their fathers in their lives when they were growing up either, just like Cara won’t. I had my dad with me all the time, up until I was thirteen, when he and my mom divorced. After that, he visited every weekend until he passed away from a heart attack when I was sixteen.