Page 107 of Mace

“Come on, Mace. Do you have any idea how much trouble I got into last time?”

“I don’t care,” I say, not bothering to temper my words. “You tell Julie to talk to me if she has a problem with me being here.”

I give Maylie’s hand a tug to get her walking, and we head down the corridor that leads to Maggie’s room.

Once we’re out of earshot of the nurses’ station, she turns to me. “What was that about?”

“My sister, Julie, uses Maggie as a weapon to punish me. She thinks she can stop me from seeing her, but I don’t give a fuck. Ain’t nothin’ that could keep me from visiting.”

Maylie’s footsteps falter, and I stop walking so she doesn’t fall over. “She does what?”

I expect to see the horror or dismay in her expression, but her face is a myriad of emotions.

“It’s fine. She’s just making a stand. It’s an empty gesture.”

“It’s not fine. It’s downright cruel.”

“Julie’s… complicated. Come on. Come and meet Maggie.”

As we approach the room, I start to get a little nervous. Maggie is such a big part of my past, of the boy I was before I found my strength. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought Maylie here, but when we step into the room and I see Maggie sitting in the chair alone, I know it’s the right choice.

“Maggie?”

She glances around as I say her name, and for a moment, recognition dawns in her eyes. “Mason, I wondered when I’d see you next.”

She knows who I am.Fuck, I didn’t expect that. I can’t remember the last time she had clarity. A lump swells in my throat that I can’t swallow past, and Maylie squeezes my hand, which gives me the strength to sink into a crouch in front of the woman who changed my life. I slip my hands into hers, and she radiates warmth that I’d forgotten existed in those expressive eyes of hers. “Hey.”

She smiles. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I say, my voice cracking.Fuck, get a grip, Mace. “I brought someone to meet you, Maggie.” Her gaze bounces towards Maylie, who is standing to the side of her chair, her eyes soft and brimming with emotion.

“Hey, Maggie,” she says in her sweet voice. “If I’d known we were coming, I would’ve brought some brownies. I can’t really cook very well, but I’m really good at baking, which is kind of weird because baking and cooking are the same thing, except they’re really not. And I know I get funny looks when I say that, but it’s true. And I’m going to stop talking now.” She clamps her mouth shut, a pink flush spreading up her cheeks. “Sorry. I tend to ramble when I’m nervous.”

“Well, Mason, isn’t she just adorable? How do you two know each other?”

“She’s my old lady.”

I don’t look at Maylie as I say this because I’m not entirely sure she’s going to understand what it means. In my world, that’s a title that has relevance. It gives her protection, and it means the club will take care of her if anything happens to me. More than that, in the eyes of the club, it makes her my wife.Mine.

“She is?” Maggie’s jaw hangs open, and I smirk.

“Yeah, she is.”

“Come closer so I can see you properly.”

She holds her hands out to Maylie, who steps forward and takes them. Maggie directs her around the front of the chair, her eyes scanning every inch of her face. I never thought I would have this moment with Maggie and my woman, and I wonder if this is the universe’s way of approving of this life choice.

“Mace has told me so much about you.”

Maggie lets go of her hands, sitting back in the chair as she laughs. “I’m sure he has plenty of stories, but I’m guessing he probably left out the best ones. Did he tell youhe was a little tear-away? I could never get him to behave.”

I roll my eyes. “I was a fucking angel.”

She snorts. “I guess it’s just me remembering the police turning up all the time then, right?” There’s a smile on her face, and she says it as if she doesn’t regret a single moment she had with me. “You’re a good boy, Mason. You always were.”

That damn lump in my throat grows bigger. When I was younger, it pissed me off that I wasn’t born into a family like Maggie’s. I questioned so often what I did wrong to have the life I did, but I’m grateful for even the small amount of time I had with Maggie and the love I felt from her.

“Tell me more about this naughty past of his,” Maylie says, grabbing one of the visitor chairs and pulling it closer.

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