Page 11 of Fastlander Fighter

It actually wasn’t weird at all. He signed those cards regularly. Lots of people collected them, and Moosey’s was a shifter hangout. He probably signed a dozen a week, but Sloane didn’t need to know about the strange parts of his life. He was savoring this very normal-feeling moment. His problems with his Crew and his life hadn’t existed for the last ten minutes, and he wanted to drag it out as long as he could.

“Sure,” he said simply.

With a relieved huff of breath, Sloane dug through her fringe-lined black leather purse and pulled out a pen. She handed it over, and offered him that kind, pretty smile that kept surprising him.

Ruger pulled his card out of his pocket, propped up on the bench seat, and ate a bite of mac and cheese as Captain signed his card. “Do you have a lot of signed ones?” he asked Ruger.

“No. Not any signed ones.”

“Now you do.” He handed it back to Ruger, who stared at the signature for a three-count with a little smile on his face, and then he gently put it back into his pocket. Captain didn’t know why, but he freaking loved that.

He liked that it meant something to the boy.

“Cap!” Corey called, a tinge of desperation in her voice.

Right. They were hitting the rush, and he was distracted.

“Hey…” He frowned, unsure of how to ask for her number in front of Ruger. That was messed up, right? Hitting on his mom right in front of him? Was this against some unspoken rule?

He swallowed his question down and backed up a few steps. “It was really good to see you again, Sloane.”

That smile. God, that soft smile. Whoever the douchebag was that fumbled her? What a dumbass.

“It was good to see you too. This was fun. I just got Ruger back, and we came straight here.”

“This could be our tradition, like you said, Mom,” Ruger said around a mouthful of brisket.

She laughed and nodded at her son. “Maybe so.”

“After I eat, can I play on the slide?” he asked, pointing to the play area near the tree line that Hallie had relentlessly pushed for. There were a couple other kids about Ruger’s age already playing. Captain had thought the amount of money they’d spent on it was so stupid, up until this point. Now he was silently admitting to the value of it.

“If you eat good,” Sloane promised. “What do you tell Mr. Captain?”

“Thank you, Cap,” Ruger chirped out, using Corey’s nickname for him. Okay, this little boy paid attention.

“Captain,” Sloane corrected him.

“Cap works. That’s what friends sometimes call me,” Captain said.

“Really?” Sloane asked. “You used to hate being called Cap.”

Captain shrugged. “Been a long time. People change.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I can see that.”

“Be good for your momma,” Captain told Ruger as he walked away.

“Okay, bye!” Ruger yelled out, and Captain grinned to himself.

For a tiny human, the kid was pretty damn cute.

Chapter Five

What was wrong with her?

Sloane was stalling. She and Ruger had been here for three hours now. As much as she was trying to convince herself it wasn’t because she was waiting around for more glimpses of Captain, and excuses to go inside and see him, it wasn’t working.

Okay, in her defense though, Ruger had made a couple of little friends and had been playing non-stop the entire time. She’d even gone and introduced herself to the families of the kiddos, and had a nice conversation with them. She’d been living in Casper with Ryan for so long, she’d forgotten this part—where everyone either knew everyone, or at the very least they knew someone she knew. One of the moms knew Sabrina. Small world!

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