Page 105 of All Our Ghosts

“I don’t know yet,” I answer honestly.

Kadence lifts her head to look up at me. Those green eyes I love so much search mine.

“Will it be?” She asks and I know I can’t lie to her. Not that I want to, but sugarcoating things would have been a hell of a lot easier than staring into her eyes and still uttering, “I don’t know yet.”

The next morning everyone gathers back at the Skull’s compound. I glance around at everyone, including my girl. None of them look like they got a lick of sleep. Kadence looks more exhausted than normal and a part of me wants to run away with her. To let Cole and Dex deal with the bullshit here and spend my time burying myself in her but I know I have to wait until tomorrow and a part of me feels like shit for even bringing her on this trip. Even if it’s the safest place for her to be.

“You ready for this?” Cole says as he steps up to the two of us.

“You heard from Trey?” I ask, glancing at Cole.

“Everything is fine, no one’s left the compound even though the girls tried to sneak out.” He sighs. “Fuckin’ Jane and Layla apparently tried to go back to the club. For what reason I have no fucking clue because it’s closed.”

“Probably to do what they do best,” Kadence mutters next to me.

I roll my tongue over my bottom lip before biting it to stifle the laugh that wants to burst out of me. Instead I turn to her and press a chaste kiss to her lips.

She melts into me, just as she always does when I kiss her. I groan before pulling away, eyeing her with a mocking glare. “You’re making it real hard to do my job right now, Sunflower,” I whisper against her lips.

Kadence brushes her lips against mine and sighs. “Well then I suggest you hurry this up so you have me all to yourself.”

With that she kisses me once more, pulling back before I can deepen it and links arms with Blake, a shit-eating grin on her face as she watches just how the kiss affects me as much as it did her.

“I really don’t need to see that shit,” Cole mutters.

“Too fuckin’ bad,” I mumble back. I turn my attention to the girls. “Blake–”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t let her out of my sight, I know, Nash,” She chastises. “Go play with the big dogs, Kadence and I have some shopping to do.”

“You know, for a mechanic, you like to shop a lot.” Cole raises a brow.

“Just cause I’m a mechanic,O’Neildoesn’t mean I don’t enjoy shopping.” Blake bites back. “Besides, these guys give me the fucking heebie jeebies, I’m not sticking around for longer than I have to. Go do your thing, we’ll be back.”

“You have your phone?” I ask, my eyes back on Kadence. She pulls it from her back pocket and waves it at me. “Good, use it if you need anything.”

“Yes, sir.” She mocks a salute and grins.

I roll my eyes and watch as the two of them climb into the van. As soon as they pull through the gate onto the street, I turn to Cole. “She’s going to be the death of me.”

Cole’s gaze is still on the gate while he nods in response. His jaw ticks and though he looks fine, I see something deeper in his eyes.

“You okay, man?” I ask, nudging him.

Finally his eyes meet mine. “Yeah, why?”

“You were miles away just now,” I say, raising a brow.

He frowns. “I’m fine.”

I hold up my hands and shrug. “Just want to make sure your head is clear before we go in there, that's all.”

“It’s fuckin’ clear,” He grinds out before marching toward the clubhouse door.

I know he isn’t just from that, but now isn’t the time to push it. Dex and West are already inside as I follow Cole in. Both nursing black cups of coffee as they eye the men around them.

“Should we do this then?” Havoc’s voice booms through the room as he stands in the doorway of their own version of Church. Another room with a large wooden table in the middle, chairs surrounding it just like back at home.

“Guess we’re skipping the niceties this morning,” Dex grumbles as everyone filters into the room.

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