Page 29 of Smooth As Whiskey

I didn’t know anything about kids.

Fucking nothing.

Plus, what did I know about caring for anything other than my bike and my club?

I wasn’t shown what a home is supposed to be.

I wasn’t told I love you.

Never heard the words directed at me until Sutton said them in her sleep.

And yeah, I’m still kicking my ass for acting like a little pussy ever since that night.

The two of us needed to talk.

I just didn’t know how to start that conversation.

And when I laid out my feelings... well... what I thought were my feelings, I knew that Sutton would leave and wouldn’t look back.

Now, it’s hard to remember my life before Sutton came into it.

I heard a saying one time, ‘The ones that come into your life and are meant to be there will leave a lasting impact on your life.’

That was so true. It wasn’t even funny how true it was.

But in the next instant, it was almost as if she could feel me in the house, her head lifted, her eyes opened, and they came to me.

And no, I didn’t miss the way she pulled Maisie closer to her body as her eyes adjusted.

And when she saw that it was me, her grip loosened.

She mouthed, “Hey.”

I jerked my chin.

Then I moved to the couch, carefully gathered Maisie in my arms, and carried her to her new bedroom that the women...mainly Sutton, had created a room that any princess would adore.

Right down to the white netting shit that was like a canopy over her bed.

Once I laid Maisie down and covered her up, I did something that felt natural. As natural as breathing.

I lowered my head and pressed a kiss on her temple.

She snuggled into the covers.

Carefully, I backed out of her room, went to the fridge, and tagged a beer for myself and a bottle of sweet tea for Sutton, then I looked at her.

She was pulling her shoes on, so I called out softly, “Wanna stay and have a drink with me?”

She looked at me, then at the beer in my hand and the sweet tea in my other one, then back at me, and nodded.

I led her to the front porch and settled into one of the white rocking chairs that Priest had dropped off.

We rocked in silence as we took sips from our bottles, and then I opened my mouth and said, “How the fuck do I do this?”

She was silent, and then she whispered, “You just do it. She’s yours, Irish. And from what I can tell, she hasn’t had the greatest life. What child doesn’t know what candy is?”

“See, you're still pissed off about that,” I told her.

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