Page 65 of Trick

“He’s right. Desmond did what he did because that’s who he is. You’re nothing like him, Skye.”

“I hope you two find happiness together, and I mean that sincerely. At least some good can come from this fucking mess.” She stares at me for a beat. “I hope one day we can be friends.”

This could go two ways. I tell her no, refuse to accept the hand of friendship she’s extending, or I stop living in the past and try to build a future here.

I sigh, running a hand over the nape of my neck.

“We’re both part of this club, Skye, which makes us family, not friends.” Her smile is relieved, and I feel bad for what I’m about to do. “But that only extends as long as you accept Trick too.”

Her expression morphs, the smile getting lost. I wait while she mulls this over in her head. “Okay,” she says finally, and I smile.

CHAPTER 19

TRICK

I’m worried how the baby shower will affect Heidi. No one in the club knows about the child she lost, and I’m not going to tell anyone her secret, but I don’t want her to be upset after it.

When I enter the common room, I expect things to be heated, tense even, but instead, the girls are sitting together, laughing and relaxed. My gaze instantly seeks out Heidi, checking for any new scars, visible or otherwise. I don’t see any sign that she is unhappy, and that makes me relax.

When she sees me, our gazes lock together, and I like the way she softens for me. She pushes up from her seat, trailing her fingers over Sophia’s head before she comes to me.

I’m not sure what to expect. I know kissing her in front of everyone earlier made her anxious, so when she rolls to her toes and claims my mouth, I don’t react at first. After a moment, my senses kick in and my hand wraps around the back of her neck, pulling her closer.

She kisses me without any uncertainty, without any embarrassment or concerns about being seen, and I fucking love it.

Eventually, she pulls back and her eyes are heated. “I missed you,” she says and, fuck, if that doesn’t make everything feel right.

“I missed you too.”

“You ready to go home?”

There was a time when she didn’t see the house as her home, so hearing her call it that unlocks any doubts I might have that she is in this with me. “Yeah, babe, I’m ready.”

We wander over to the table, and Heidi says goodbye while I gather my daughter’s things. Sophia is excited to see me, something I never thought would happen. She and I are developing a bond and I fucking love it.

On the drive home, I keep my eyes peeled, danger feeling closer than ever before. I’m not sure if it’s because I have the two most important things in my life sitting in the car with me, but I suddenly feel like the wolves are closing in. The pressure to keep both safe is a constant aching feeling inside me. I can’t lose either of them.

“Was the shower okay?”

She pulls her gaze from the side window to look at me. “Yeah, surprisingly, it was.”

“I was worried about you,” I admit.

Reaching across the centre console, Heidi places her hand on my thigh, and her searing touch is enough to calm any conflicted feelings inside me. “You don’t need to worry about me, Trick. I got through it, and the way those guys are making babies, there will be others that I’ll also get through. Does it hurt to think my child should be here with the other kids? Yeah, it tears me apart every time I think about it, but I have a place to go now to remember Sunshine and that helps.”

This woman… she is amazing, and I don’t think she has any idea how much I respect her.

When we get home, I scan the street as I get my daughter out the car seat and into the safety of the house. “She probably needs a nap,” Heidi says as she drops Sophia’s bag in the hallway.

“I’ll put her down.”

I carry my daughter up the stairs, her eyes barely staying open. She clings to my kutte, her fingers tangling in the soft leather as she tries to fight the pull of sleep. I’m careful as I lay her in the cot, and ideally, I would have changed her into one of her sleep suits, but I don’t want to disturb her.

Leaning over the railing, I press a kiss to her hair, my heart thudding. The love I feel for my child consumes me completely, and I want desperately to make her world a safer place.

Careful not to make any noise, I back out the nursery, slowly pulling the door almost closed before making my way down the landing.

I pause outside the bedroom I once shared with my late wife. I haven’t stepped foot inside since the moment I came home. I know that’s crazy, but there is a finality in opening that door and knowing it will close that chapter of my life for good.

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