Page 30 of Hawk

Sasha smiles at me and replies, “Love to, but only if I can contribute to our dinner.”

“Bring whatever you like. By the way, your muffins were a hit. I had to pry them out of Shooter’s hand for him to share with the others.”

Declan jumps in. “You made them? Hell, they were awesome. I was only able to get one away from the rest of the men, though,” he says with sad puppy-dog eyes.

I see her beaming with pride. “I’m glad they went over well.” She brushes her hands over her well-worn, faded, blue jeans. “I’m going to clean up, and I’ll be by in about a half hour.”

I give her two thumbs-up and watch her go inside as Lee comes back out. “All clear,” he says. Declan accompanies me inside, and I drop my purse on the counter.

“I’m going to get changed. Be right back. Help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen,” I say, then go into the bedroom to find a comfortable pair of dark leggings and an oversized white Metallica T-shirt. I pull my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head.

When I come back into the living room, Declan is looking out the front window, at what, I have no clue, and Lee is standing near the back door. These guys are taking this to the extreme.

“Aren’t you guys taking this a little too far?” I ask.

“Hawk tells us to look after his woman, we do it, and we do it right,” Lee answers.

“Okay, but this is silly. You can sit in this chair”—I pat the armchair—“and still see the door.” Then I look at Declan. “And from here, you can see the entire expanse of the front yard and down the street.” I indicate the other chair. “You can even move them around if you want. It’s going to be a long night with you two pacing around.”

Declan and Lee exchange looks before deciding to arrange the chairs the way they like them and taking a seat.

“Is that better?” I giggle. They both crack a smile, barely, but I’ll take it. I go to the kitchen, take out a couple of pops, and hand each of them one. “I would give you beer, but I have a feeling you won’t drink it.”

“Thanks,” Declan says as I hand him his.

“We’ll take one to go once Hawk takes over,” Lee adds, this time with a grin.

It takes a while for the guys to warm up to me, but eventually, they begin to share about how they met Hawk. In Declan’s case, it was Hawk who approached him outside town, hitchhiking. He didn’t say any more, but I know there’s a story there that’ll be interesting to hear. Lee came into the fold through Flex. He and Flex were in the army together.

“I was in a bad way. I couldn’t relate to anyone. I’m used to getting up when I’m told, eating when I’m told, then I come home, and I’m completely lost,” Lee says, shaking his head. “When you’re in the army, all you can think about is going home and getting back to normal, but no one tells you that normal doesn’t exist anymore.”

“How are you doing now?” I ask with genuine concern. I’ve read about veterans returning to their families and not being able to assimilate into civilian life.

“I’m with brothers who understand what I’ve experienced. I can talk about it and not feel guilty for sharing my trauma. My parents are great, but I couldn’t put this on them. They weren’t too happy with me when I told them I needed my space, but they see now that this was the best thing for me. They’ve met Hawk and Flex and know I have good people to lean on,” Lee shares.

I get what he’s saying, although not to the extreme he’s experiencing it. They say you can’t go home, and I know that when I visit my parents, it’s homey and warm, but not my home anymore. “I don’t dare compare my woes to what you’ve seen, but I see what you mean. My mom would hover over me until I suffocated, and my dad would agonize over every little thing. Both my sister and I had to spread our wings. Going to visit is great, but we’re making homes where Kiera and I choose to land.”

The doorknob jiggles, and then we hear Sasha’s voice. “Hey, what’s with the locked door?”

“Coming,” I reply, but before I get to the door, Declan is up and opening it. He escorts Sasha in, then locks it once more. Sasha sees this and gives me a look that screams,What the heck is going on?

Ignoring her expression, I hustle her into my tiny kitchen, and we get started making pizzas. Sasha dices and slices, while I do the rest. When she sees that the guys are engaged in their own conversation, she raises a brow and asks, “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

I grab a couple of wineglasses and pour us each a glass. “Hawk is being careful. We went to Jake’s for lunch and met another club. Their leader, Gunner, had someone watching my place, and Hawk isn’t too happy.”

Sasha’s eyes bug out. “Oh my God. That’s horrible! No wonder you have personal bodyguards.”

“Personally, I think he’s making much more of it than he should, but he insists, and since he has so much on his mind, I don’t want to add to it.” Sasha tenses, biting her lower lip. “I know you like the quiet life, Sasha. If you want me to find another place?—”

“Don’t you even finish that sentence. This is your home. We’ve just met, but I really like you. I consider you a friend.”

“Let me tell you a secret,” I whisper. “I haven’t had many friends in the last few years and the ones I had disappeared over the years. I could use a best friend.”

Sasha’s smile lights up, and she hugs me tight, nearly causing both of us to spill our wine. “Me too,” she murmurs in my ear. “I’ve always wanted a bestie.”

My giggle turns into a laugh, and Sasha joins in. I pull back, stretch out my hand, and hold out my pinky finger. Sasha hooks her pinky with mine. “Pinky swear: besties for life.” Tears well up in her eyes, and she sniffles.

Lee’s voice pulls us apart. “Women. I’ll never understand them.”

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