Page 40 of Jack

I stand, never letting go of her hand.

“You had a say. You chose to stay.” Dad lifts one eyebrow. “Or have you changed your mind?”

“No, sir,” Lily replies softly.

I gently nudge her toward the door. “I’ll see you in a bit. Worley Bird will take you to Nana.” It’s best we get her out of here now.

She reluctantly follows Worley Bird. The room erupts after the door closes behind them.

“Jacob,” Mom scolds.

“What was that?” I ask at the same time.

Dad stands and places his palms on the desk. “That was me doing my job as club President and the head of this family.”

“The counselor said we have to speak gently to angels.” It’s why I’ve chosen my words carefully and controlled my actions around Lily.

“Well, she kinda stepped a little outside the role of angel, didn’t she?” Dad snaps.

“She’s still under our protection.” It’s never good to argue with him.

“Yeah, she is. But we don’t keep them, Jack. We rescue them. We help them move on. They don’t stay.” Dad doesn’t back down.

“Just because one hasn’t doesn’t mean one can’t.” I don’t back down, either. This won’t end well.

“What are you doing, son? What are your intentions with this woman?” Dad demands.

Mom steps between us to defuse things like the desk wasn’t enough. “Jack, you really like this woman?”

“I do,” I admit. “I just haven’t had a chance to figure things out.”

“She’s attracted to you, too.” Mom sighs. “We’ll get her settled with a temporary job for now and let you get to know her. If it’s more than just attraction, we’ll do even more for her.”

“Where’s she gonna stay?” Dad asks.

“I was hoping she could stay on club property. She can have my room in the clubhouse.” It’s a bad idea, but it’s all I have at the moment.

Mom shakes her head. “She can keep staying in the guest house.”

Dad, Jay, and I snap our heads toward her.

“Are you sure?” Dad’s temper softens for a moment.

“If our son is falling in love with her, she can’t stay in the clubhouse.” Mom shudders at the thought.

“Fine.” Dad snatches his phone off the desk. “Nick, I need a full search on Lily Harmon. Bring me everything you find by the end of the day.” He ends the call and tosses his phone down.

“Are you insane? That’s invading her privacy. You’ve insisted for years that we don’t ask them questions. They only tell us their story if they want to.” I just crossed a line, and there’s no coming back now.

“She’s in our home, Jack. A part of our lives. If she means something to you, great. Figure it out. Claim her, and make her your ole’ lady. For now, I have to do my job and protect everyone.”

“Your job? How’s breaking one of your own rules doing your job?”

He jabs his finger at me. “When you’re President, you’ll have to learn how to protect everyone.”

“I won’t do this.”

“Until you have to make these types of decisions, you can’t say that. This job isn’t as easy as it looks.” Mom has a point.

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