Page 66 of June 7

She shook her head in amusement. He searched behind each door until he found silverware and returned to the table.

Now that she'd called him out for not using chopsticks, she tore off the paper wrapper and took a pair out. Bane motioned for her to go ahead and eat. She attacked the Chow Mein with gusto. It'd been a long day, and she was hungry.

"Where did you learn to do that?" He pointed his fork at her hand.

Caught by surprise at his question, she finished chewing to allow herself time to think of a short answer. "Growing up, we ate Chinese food every Friday night."

She plucked a fried shrimp from the white carton. That memory had come out of nowhere. Until now, she hadn't realized she'd avoided eating Chinese food since losing her parents, but since meeting Bane, this was her second time indulging in one of her favorite meals.

He had her forgetting her past and had created current memories for her.

She kept chewing, unsure if she could swallow. It wasn't normal for her to talk about the past. But she wouldn't lie to Bane to protect herself. He'd given so much of himself to her, and she owed him the truth. She wanted to give that part of herself to him.

More than anything, she wanted to share her life with him.

"My dad always brought the food home so my mom wouldn't have to cook dinner." She stared at the box full of noodles in front of her. "They used to make it a game to eat with chopsticks. I-I remember sitting across from them. They'd be laughing and trying to feed each other. Rice was everywhere. On the table. On their shirts. They were so tuned into each other I felt like I wasn't there. But I was there. I witnessed their love." She looked up at Bane. "Their love was so strong." She patted her chest. "I remember feeling so full of...I guess it was love. I just knew that watching them together, I was safe and acknowledged. I felt special."

Bane peeled off the tail of a shrimp. "That's how I imagined families were when they were together."

He hadn't judged her for having those feelings about a murderer. To feel loved by someone who could take her mom from her and then himself.

Instead, she'd validated his thoughts about family. Something he was denied growing up. She and Bane were an unlikely couple. Yet, they found a common thread between them with their differences.

"Didn't you have any foster families who showed you what it's like to belong to a family?" she whispered.

"I learned what it was like not to belong." He stroked his beard and leaned back in the chair. "There were two families that had their own kids and took foster kids in for extra money."

"Were they more family-oriented than the others?"

"They drove the point home that their kids belonged to them, and I didn't." He shrugged. "But all kids grow up. I did. And as soon as I turned eighteen years old, I got the hell out from under the control of the state."

She couldn't imagine what it was like for him never to have someone in his corner, cheering, supporting, and loving him. Everyone deserved that much, and to think he hadn't received the bare requirements to grow up in a secure and loved atmosphere broke her heart.

"Babe." He leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table. "What happened to me was a long time ago. Don't be feeling that way."

Food forgotten, she nodded and picked up her chopsticks. If he wanted to push past the unfairness of the world, then so would she.

"We're an interesting pair, huh?" She forced a smile, trying to make light of the depressing conversation.

"You know what I see?" He scooped up a spoonful of rice and fed it to her. "I'm thirty-seven years old. I'm eating dinner with a beautiful young woman who's stubborn enough to continue eating with two sticks, even though you've barely eaten a thing while I've eaten half the food with a spoon."

She smiled, loving this side of him.

"I look around, and I'm safe. I'm wanted here. The guys...they're more than fucking family to me. They're my fucking brothers. They would lay down their life to save mine, and I want to share them with you. I want you to learn no one's going to fucking judge you here. Nobody, not one person, within Havlin MC will ever fucking make you feel like you're not enough."

Her vision blurred. Tears slid down her cheeks unchecked. The more passionate Bane got, the more fucks he threw out.

Afraid to blink in case she'd imagined tonight and it would all go away, she reached across the table and stroked his beautiful face. He'd given her so much.

She thought it was only him in her life, but he was right. The club members treated her with respect and acceptance when the town turned on her.

"Thank you." She stood and leaned over the table to kiss him.

Bane took her hand and scooted back his chair, pulling her onto his lap. She cuddled up against his chest and met his mouth. Sharing their pasts made her more eager to share her life with him.

They came with little but found they had a lot when they were together.

Bane cupped her hip, kneading the swell of her body through the softness of her joggers. She quivered inside. He'd filled her with hope and love. He had her wanting to find out how much more was out there for her.

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