“See? I remembered from last time.” He reaches out to ruffle her curls. “She’s adorable, Sara.”
“Thanks, Kyle.” Sara turns to her daughter. “What do you say, sweetie?”
“Thank you,” she whispers softly, burying her head in her mother’s shoulder.
I study Kyle’s face. It’s lit with a big grin as he watches them walk away. He’s leaning on his elbows. When he straightens, he catches me staring.
“What?”
I shake my head. “You’re good with kids.”
He shrugs. “It’s not hard to be good with kids, is it?”
“For some it is.”
Soon there’s another line, and we work until dark, then clean the equipment until Rafe comes and gets me.
“Thanks for the help,” Kyle says.
“I’m exhausted.” But I’m grinning. “How ‘bout you?”
“Yeah. Oh, wait.” He reaches for the tip jar and holds it out to me. “Here.”
“I can’t do that. You have bills to pay.”
He rolls his eyes, grabs the cash, and shoves it in my hip pocket. Butterfly tingles shoot up my body at his intimate touch.
“You earned it.”
“Thanks.” I search his eyes wondering if that touch affected him as well, but he gives nothing away. I step out of the trailer.
Rafe sticks his head in. “Hey, Kyle, can you give me a hand moving this picnic table?”
“He’s exhausted, Rafe. Find somebody else,” I snap.
“He’s standing right there.”
“He has to shut everything down. He’s worked all day, unlike you, who played poker and enjoyed yourself.”
“What’s the bug up your ass?” Rafe asks.
“Never mind.” I stalk off, and he follows.
“Babe. What’s your problem?” He catches up to me as I head to his bike. In my mind, I’m wondering if we get in a fight in the middle of the clubhouse parking lot, if I can find my own ride. Of course, I still only have his place to go to. It’s times like this that Imiss my girlfriends. I’ve met the other girls here, but it’s not the same.
Rafe catches my hand and spins me around. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“You always do this, Rafe.” I sigh.
“Do what?”
“Ask Kyle to help you with shit. Why? You’re not helpless. Learn to do things for yourself. Or if you need help, you have a dozen MC brothers you can ask. Why is it always Kyle?”
“He’s my brother.”
“That doesn’t mean he always has to drop what he’s doing to come help you.”
“What the hell has gotten into you?”