Page 44 of Smooth As Whiskey

They nodded in unison.

“What I didn’t tell you was that I hate, and I mean I hate, fucking sweet peas. They look like puke when they are overcooked. And one night, in one of the foster homes, I refused to eat them. The man didn’t like that. Cynnamin covered my body when the man started to beat me. She took the beating thatwas meant for me. Had she not done that, I would have been seriously injured, I was seven at the time and she was thirteen.”

None of them reacted, even though looks of shock marveled all their faces.

“Not once have I ever touched Cynnamin like that. And she has never touched me like that. I swear that on my kutte, my club, my life, that of my daughter’s, and on Sutton’s.”

It was Stoney who exploded, “You let us give you so much shit, boy. What the fuck for?”

I simply said, “I promised her. I gave her my word.”

“Fuck. I gave you so much shit,” Pipe said.

I lifted my chin, “Don’t mention it. Had I really been doing what you all thought I had been doing, I would have expected nothing less.”

Rome held up his thumb and middle finger, “I was this close to putting a bullet in you.”

“If I had done that, I would have deserved it. She’s the last one I ever want to hurt.”

“We got your back. Whatever you need.” Asher said.

I nodded.

Once I shared everything, I went to Adeline and Coal’s house, and when Maisie came skipping out, I dropped to my haunches and said, “I’m going to go talk to Mommy. I’ll be gone a few days, a week at most. You’ll be okay with Adeline and Uncle Coal?”

My little girl put her hands on her hips and said, “You’ll be gone however long it takes to bring Mommy home.”

I smiled at my girl, “I’ll do my best, but I gotta grovel to your Mommy. Okay?”

She sighed then, “I want to ask, but I’ll wait to find out what grovel means.”

Adeline laughed, then offered Maisie her hand, “I’ll tell you what it means, okay?”

Maisie nodded, then pressed a kiss on my cheek and walked with Adeline into their house.

Coal spoke then, “You need me to go with you?”

I shook my head, “You're guarding the other half of my heart. So, I know she’s safe. I gotta fight for the other part of my heart. Rather not have y’all see me get my ass kicked and ride with me with my tail tucked between my legs.”

“It’ll be hard,” he said, then looked in the direction of the house where his own world had just walked into, then looked back at me, “but so fucking worth it.”

I nodded, knowing he was right.

Then, I climbed on my bike and headed to Texas. Bradford Valley, to be exact.

Where one of the charters of Wrath MC was located.

I was grateful, honestly, that she had gone there.

Yes, every club of Wrath MC was safe, as were all our allied clubs... but for a group of active Special Forces, there was only one safer place for her to be, other than my arms.

This was going to be a long ride, almost eleven hours, but if I needed to drive to Alaska to grovel, then I would.

If I needed to travel through the Bermuda Triangle to get to her, then I would do that, too.

***

I made the drive to Austin, Texas, in eleven hours.

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