Page 17 of Royal

“Shane is all I know.”

Terror sits up, eyes widening. “Fuck, Shane and I went to school together. He is a good guy, from what I remember. But I know his mom was shit. Shane took care of his sister and worked at the local diner after school.”

My chest burns in disgust that both her mother and her ex’s family failed her.

“Her ex James Williams’s family practically called her a whore and said that she only wanted their money after he died in a car crash before her son was born.”

Terror growls. “Fuck, I know them too, and they’re uppity pieces of shit. Too much money for their own good.”

“She is not going to struggle a single second more, that is a fucking promise.” I point my beer at Terror.

He smirks at me, and Meghan giggles. “No one can say I’m not a master at matchmaking.”

She looks around and spots Fury at the end of the bar. Her eyes narrow on him and she waves him over.

He looks at all the brothers, and we all look down at the top of the bar. He is her fucking problem now. She bends over the table, pulling him into her huddle. Terror is chuckling behind her, amused.

I stay around until it’s getting close to lunchtime for Naomi and Donovan. Penny’s school doesn’t allow parents to eat lunch with their kids for safety reasons unless it's parents’ day.

All the school shootings have the security ramped up to the extreme. Out of our pocket, we have hired guards to stand at the entrances of the door. It fucking terrifies me that something could happen to Penny at school.

“I got to go and see my girl for lunch.” Gage laughs at hearing me call her my girl, but all these fuckers are worse than me, so they don’t have any room to talk.

I see the ole ladies walking around the clubhouse with their kids. I will have her here with Donovan running around one day.

Fuck, I just saw her a couple of hours ago, and I’m dying to see her again.

Naomi

I have spent hours at work when a man walks in carrying a briefcase. He looks around the space before his eyes settle on me.

Goosebumps break across my skin. Why is he looking at me like that? This is a professional setting.

“Naomi?” he asks me, and my eyes widen because, holy shit, he is here for me.

I look at the clock, realizing it’s lunchtime. Royal is parked in front of the building and easily gets out of his truck, staring at me through the glass.

He opens the door and stops dead in his tracks when he spots the man standing before the counter by me.

“Yes,” I reply, clearing my throat.

“May we sit down somewhere? I have some things that I need to discuss with you.” I swear my insides are shaking. I’m scared. What if my ex’s family is trying to get custody of Donovan after all these years?

Royal walks around behind the man and approaches me, taking my hand. “We can go to the diner across the road?” Royal suggests, hearing our conversation, and I nod.

The man in the suit nods back at me, and we all make our way across the road to the diner. I can see Marie running around inside, waiting on other customers.

Royal holds open the door for the guy in the suit, holding my hand that is shaking horribly because I have so many thoughts running through my head.

The man takes the booth farthest away from other customers, and Royal and I sit before him. Royal places my hand on his lap. The man sets the briefcase on the table. Marie is hovering at the end of the counter, but she hasn’t approached, and I know she is watching.

“I’m assuming you know a man named James Williams?” he asks me, and my mouth opens in shock at the mention of my ex-boyfriend who died before his son was born.

I nod, my heart in my throat. “Yes, he died in a car accident when he was nineteen, and I was eighteen at the time.”

The man smiles. “That young man was my nephew.”

My heart stops in my chest because it’s starting to sink in that maybe he wants custody.

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