Page 63 of Devil's Queen

“Is this your room?”

“It is,” I offer. “You and Birdie can stay in here. I’ll bunk with Beaux.”

“Rem, you don’t have to give up your room. I can sleep on the couch.”

“You say that now but wait until you sit on it. There’s a bad spring that will make you reconsider that statement. Plus, Cheyenne already called dibs on it for the night. I wouldn’t fight her for it. She doesn’t fight fair.”

Rex’s eyes soften with gratitude as he steps further into the room. He sets the bags down and takes Jellybean from me before he sits her down on the dresser, his gaze lingering on a photograph of Beaux and me hanging on the wall above it.

“You know…” he begins, his voice filled with nostalgia and regret, “I always imagined us having a room like this one day. A place where we could build our lives together.”

I take a deep breath, the weight of unspoken emotions settling in the silence between us. It’s been years since Rex and I were together, years since our paths diverged in ways we never expected. But still, there are remnants of what once was, echoes of dreams that never came to fruition, and dreams that feel more real with our kids playing together in the room next to us.

“I used to imagine that too,” I admit softly. “But life doesn’t always work out the way we plan.”

Rex reaches out to touch my arm gently, sending a jolt of familiarity through me. “No, it doesn’t. But maybe… maybe there’s still time to rewrite our story. Start fresh without all the bullshit between us.”

“There will always be bullshit, Rex. You know that.”

Rex steps closer to me, the smell of his intoxicating cologne overwhelming my senses. “You’re right. There will be bullshit, but unless you’re hiding another kid from me, I think we’ve covered all the big issues between us.”

“I never meant to hurt you when it came to Beaux, Rex. I did what I thought was best.”

Rex raises his hand to stop me. “It’s in the past, Rem. Let’s not dredge that up again until we find Wolff. We’re about to spend a lot of time together under one roof, and I’d rather not spend it fighting with you over decisions we can’t go back and change. Truce?”

“Truce,” I finally whisper, my voice barely audible. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and a door to a new beginning has cracked open. “But only for now. Let’s focus on finding Wolff.”

A faint smile tugs at the corners of Rex’s lips. “Agreed,” he replies softly, his hand still resting gently on my arm. “We’ll deal with the rest later.”

As we stand there in silence, the sound of laughter from next door reaches our ears followed by a crash.

“I better go check on Beaux and Birdie,” I say, breaking the spell between us.

I turn to leave the room but then hesitate at the door. There’s so much left unsaid, so many questions still lingering in the air, but for now, this fragile truce is enough.

REMY

After dinner,Beaux and Birdie headed back upstairs to get ready for bed while I helped Mama clean the kitchen. Rex and Pike had gone into the living room, their muffled conversation out of earshot. I keep staring over at the open doorway, hoping to hear something.

“You’re as bad as the old ladies across the street,” Mama remarks as she hands a newly washed plate to dry.

“Do you think it’s a good idea that he’s here?”

“Rex or Pike, baby?”

“Both.” I shrug. “It’s weird that they’re here, right?”

“It’s certainly different, but I think if Wolff is the one behind all your troubles lately, baby, it’s not a bad thing to have some extra eyes on the place. I may not like that man, but he’s doing what he needs to do to protect his family. I can respect that.” She reaches into the sudsy water, pulling the plug on the sink to let it drain. “It is nice to see Pike again. Lord, the years have been good to him.”

I smack my mama with the moist towel. “He was Daddy’s best friend.”

“Baby, I got eyes, don’t I? There’s no harm in looking.”

I shake my head, shocked at her comment. In all the years since my dad has been gone, Mama has never once gone on a date or even spoken about another man. While I know she and Dad had a hard relationship with the club and all the bullshit that came with it, she’d never shown an iota of interest in another man.

Rex comes back in from the dining room with a quizzical look on his face. “I’m going to head on up to bed. Thank you for a damn good meal, Ameline.”

Mama nods in thanks.

---