Page 118 of Dozer

“Where’s your old lady?” he asked.

Dozer chuckled. “Taking a shower. Pretty sure she won’t like the label.”

I was his old lady? A little burst of sunshine cracked through the shadow hovering over my feelingsabout Romeo. I hadn’t realized the last time I kissed him would bethe last time I kissed him.

I actually couldn’t remember the last time we’d kissed passionately, as lovers. My pulse jumped because I savored the taste of Dozer on my lips.

The shower was small, and the water pressure was terrible. I washed with a bar of soap. The shampoo and conditioner were definitely Romeo’s. The scent of him filled the steamy shower.

I tipped my face to the spray. If there were tears, I didn’t want to know. If was just hard to trust that we’d still be close. I didn’t have regrets. My heart was Dozer’s.

Twenty minutes later, I’d changed into a pair of jeans. My wet hair soaked the back of the tight T-shirt. My phone pinged. I picked it up.

Gabi:Baby is coming!

Pippa: Pick me up? I’m at the MC.

I slipped my feet into my canvas kicks, grabbed my hobo bag, and rushed to the chapel.

Dozer sat across from Romeo and Rogue. A cigarette burned between those strong fingers and steam rose from a mug of coffee. He smiled when he saw me. In the colored morning light through the stained-glass windows, he was even more breathtaking.

“Claudia is having her baby. I gotta go.”

Dozer stood. “Give me ten minutes.”

“Gabi is picking me up. I’ll get in the car, drive straight to the hospital, and spend all day there waiting for baby girl Pisano. Once thebambinois here, you can come up and meet her. Unless you want to come for the birth?”

Romeo shuddered. “Fuck that. No one wants to see a perfectly good pussy wrecked.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll pass on the delivery,” Dozer said, sitting again.

“I can’t miss the birth. I know you’re worried. I promise we’ll go straight to the hospital. Oh wait,” I said, my lips twisting with concern. “I need to stop at the house to pick up the gift I bought for Claudia. It’s just chocolate and slippers, but I need to get more clothes anyway if I’m going to be here for a while. I swear I can be in and out of the house in five minutes.”

Rogue leaned back in his chair. “Hey Pipsqueak, have Gabi check the cameras first.”

“What the fuck? You have a nickname for her now, too?” Dozer lifted his gaze to mine. “No doubt, you’re a Heller now.”

I leaned over and kissed Dozer. “I’ll text you, but it’s going to be a couple hours.”

Outside, the sun was warm on my face. Gabi pulled into the parking lot, and I hopped into the front seat.

“How long has she been at the hospital?” I asked as I snapped on my seatbelt. I was actually surprised Gabi heard before I did. Claudia wasn’t exactly nice to Gabi considering their shared history with Claudia’s husband. Claudia took perverse pleasure that she was married to Gabi’s ex.

“A couple of hours.” She turned to me. “Elio called me.”

“Ah. Can we stop at the house? I have a gift for Claudia. It can be from both of us.”

Gabi narrowed her gaze. “Are you sure it’s safe? That guy broke into your house.”

“The alarm company would have alerted you if he was there. Just keep the car running. I’ll be in and out in less than five minutes. I just want to grab some clothes and throw them in a bag. Until your boss can get a lead on Quinn, I’m going to stay at the MC.”

Gabi glanced at me then back to the road. “With Dozer or Romeo?” She smiled. “Or both?”

“Dozer. We worked everything out.”

“Good. I can see how much he loves you.” She pulled into the driveway.

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