Page 58 of Memphis

“In the kitchen!” Weston replied.

Seconds later, one of Weston’s brothers walked in with a young girl by his side. I’d never seen him before. His shaggy hair fell into his dark eyes, giving him a rugged, untamed look, and the young girl next to him was four or five and his spitting image. They had the same freckles on the bridges of their noses and the same dark hair.

Hers was braided into pigtails, and she looked at him like he hung the moon, making me wonder if she was his daughter or his sister. He led her over to the table as he announced, “I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve got a tag-along for therapy today.”

“The more the merrier.” Wes gave the young girl a warm smile. “Hey there, Luna. Where are your mom and Grim?”

She didn’t respond.

She just stared at him with her pretty dark eyes, so Skid answered for her. “Grim’s fridge gave out on him, so they’ve gone to look for a new one.”

“Sounds like loads of fun.”

“Definitely.” Skid glanced over at me and smiled. “I haven’t had the pleasure. I’m Skid.”

“Hi, Skid. I’m Antonia.”

“Nice to meet ya, Antonia.” He looked over to Luna, and his smile widened. “This little number here is Luna, my stepsister.”

“Hi, Luna.” Her little cheeks blushed when I told her, “You sure are a pretty little thing. I bet you have your brother wrapped around your finger.”

She smiled as she looked up at Skid.

“That she does,” Skid chuckled. “She’s managed to convince me to stop at the ice cream shop on our way home from the hospital.”

“Well, that only seems fair.” She seemed shy, so I wasn’t sure if she’d answer when I asked, “What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Chocolate with sprinkles.”

“Oh, chocolate is my favorite, too! And sprinkles are the best!”

Luna was a doll. I could’ve sat there talking with her all morning, but unfortunately, Weston needed to get to his appointment. He sounded a little stressed as he stood and announced, “We better get going. We’re supposed to be there by nine.”

“You got it.” Skid leaned down and picked Luna up, settling her on his hip. Her tiny hands clutched his leather jacket as he asked, “You ready to roll?”

She nodded, then she and Skid headed for the door. It took him some time, but with the help of his cane and a little patience, Weston was able to follow behind. Before walking out, he turned to me, and there was an unmistakable tenderness in his voice when he said, “I’ll be back when I can.”

“Okay. Good luck.”

After a quick wink, he closed the door, and they were on their way, leaving me alone with Preacher. I was thinking that he’d follow them out, but no such luck. Instead, he just sat there across the table from me with a smirk and a knowing look in his eyes. I tried to ignore it, but eventually, it got the best of me. “What?”

“Nothing.” His smirk widened. “I was just thinking that you and Wes looked pretty chummy this morning.”

“We were just having breakfast.”

“You make a habit of wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts when you make breakfast?”

“No, of course not.” I was busted, no doubt about it, but I was too stubborn to admit anything. “But it shouldn’t matter what I’m wearing. Weston’s made huge progress, and that’s all that matters.”

“You’re right. He’s made tremendous progress.” Preacher might’ve been a rough and tough biker club president, but at that moment, he had the look of a proud father. It warmed my heart until he leaned back in his chair and added, “Won’t be long before your job will be done, and you can head home.”

He was goading me, and it worked.

My stomach turned to knots at the thought of packing up and leaving Weston. We’d lived in this quiet little bubble for the past few weeks, and I’d gotten to know him on a whole new level. Myfeelings for him had only grown stronger, and I hated the idea of having to walk away from him.

But I wasn’t ready to let Preacher or anyone else know how I felt, so I feigned a smile and replied, “Yes, probably so, but that would mean Wes can handle things on his own, and that would be a good thing.”

“He will be able to do that because of you.”

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