Page 55 of Redeem Me

After her first set, Hunter joins us. I immediately walk around to her side of the table and hug her.

“I’m sorry,” I say, still feeling guilty about keeping her in the dark.

“You should be,” Hunter mutters and brushes her thumb across my healing lip. “I could have kept your secret.”

“You wouldn’t have.”

A little smile warms her flushed face. “No, I don’t think I would have. It kills me to think of anyone putting their hands on you like that.”

“A part of me wishes I came home sooner. But I couldn’t be why someone died.”

“You wouldn’t have been. He brought it on himself.”

Exhaling sadly, I know Hunter is right. Andrew was doomed as soon as he brought me home. However, I can’t change how I’m wired.

Andrew hitting me didn’t feel like a good enough reason for his death sentence. I kept the kids safe from him. I even maneuvered Andrew’s mom’s dog away from him when he was in a rough mood. I felt like I could go on like that for a long time. Just play house with my kids until they were old enough to leave with me. Then, Andrew wouldn’t need to die.

“You have a good heart,” Hunter says when I tear up. “You want to save people and make the world better.”

Nodding, I wipe my eyes. “There’s so much pain. People are so sad and hurting, but I can’t save them.”

Hugging me, Hunter knows I mean Ollie. I was going to help him live a long life free from the struggles of others with his problems.

I glance over my shoulder at Bear. Even with my back turned to him, I feel him watching me. Our gazes meet, and his expression shifts. Whatever he sees on my face feeds his unhappiness. He looks guilty before flipping to sullen. Bear’s hangdog expression works its magic on Hunter.

“Throw him some sugar,” she whispers to me.

Nodding, I move around the table and lean down to whisper in his ear. “We need to discuss something.”

Bear turns his head so his lips are near mine. “I won’t beg.”

I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, and laughing is the wrong move. I still giggle at the intensity of his words.

“It’s about my kids,” I say and stare into his eyes.

Bear tugs me onto his lap and mutters, “Our kids. They’re mine now, too.”

“Nope,” Siobhan says and tugs me off his lap. “Just push your chair next to his and talk like a normal couple.”

I settle into the chair she shoves next to Bear’s and smile at my friend. “You’re going to be such an obnoxiously protective mom one day when your girls start dating.”

Siobhan returns my smile. “I want my best friend and my brother to make this marriage work,” she says and pats Bear’s face. “And I feel like he’ll be smarter if you’re not rubbing up against his dick.”

Bear grunts at Siobhan who’s too busy noticing a moderately attractive man entering with his friends. They seem like financial guys, boring yet safe.

“No,” Indigo growls from his spot next to Tack. “Sit your ass down and supervise.”

“No, wait,” Golden says and stands. “Let me talk to these guys and see if one of them is suitable.”

Siobhan gives me a pout. “They ruin everything.”

Hunter frowns at Tack who shrugs. “I can’t control them. Make Bear do it. He’s like our road captain.”

Everyone turns their gazes to Bear who shakes his head. “Leave me alone,” he says and tugs my chair closer until its smashed against his. Once his arm slides around my shoulders, he forces me to see only him.

“Ignore their drama,” Bear insists. “It’s the same shit, just a different day. Now, tell me what you were going to say about our kids.”

Bear radiates a quietly aggressive energy. I don’t know why I’m startled by his mood. He’s always held himself this way. I just never had his angst directed at me.

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