Page 22 of Dagger

It wasn’t Abe’s fault. I knew most bikers referred to their spouses as their ol’ ladies and themselves as ol’ men. I’d only ever had one ol’ man, and even though it didn’t work out, I cherished the time we had.

The way John and I imploded broke me for a long time, but we were happy before everything turned sour. I was protective of those memories—they were still the most beautiful ones I possessed—so to assume Robert replaced John irked me, because he may have been my husband in name, but he was never the man of my heart.

John replaced me within months, but I hadn’t come close to replacing him in over thirty years.

Atlas dipped his face to address me. “Will you be cool if I go and hurry Prez up? We gotta lotta ground to cover, and I think you should start from the beginnin’.”

“Go,” I ordered gently. “You don’t need to stick by my side twenty-four seven. I’m used to this; it’s the way my life is. Honestly, I’m more concerned about Sophie and Belle.”

“That’s just it,” he muttered. “It shouldn’t have been your life. You and Soph should’ve been part of this club all along. It wasn’t just you that Henderson took that from; it was my woman, too. Don’t think for one minute I’ll let him get away with it.” He walked over to join Abe, and together, they disappeared down a corridor.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“As you can see, Atlas is protective,” Colt needlessly pointed out.

“He is,” I concurred. “But I never imagined he’d be so protective of me.”

Colt shrugged. “He dotes on his wife. You sacrificed everything for her and went through hell to keep her safe. Most importantly, you never gave up on her. You think he doesn’t respect the shit outta that?”

My chest warmed.

“Not many people would sacrifice what you have for somebody else,” he added. “It’s the biggest compliment he can pay you.”

“Any parent would do the same, Colt.”

“You’d be surprised how many wouldn’t,” he muttered, jerking his chin toward the corridor. “He’ll be in Church, laying down the law and makin’ sure nobody gives you any shit.”

Colt’s words made me cast my mind to John’s kids, and my heart beat a little harder. “Do you think his boys will be mad about Sophie?”

“Doubtful,” he told me honestly. “Breaker’s the closest to Adele, but he lived a long time without Kennedy and the kids. I think he’ll want John to be happy. Cash has grown a lot, so he’ll be okay. I dunno about Bowie. The one I’m most worried about is Freya.”

“Your girlfriend?” I asked.

He nodded. “She’s close with her mom. Not sure she’ll be happy to find out her dad was in love with another woman while he was with Adele. I don’t think she’ll blame you; it’s not like you did anythin’ wrong, but she may have something to say to him when she finds out he’s carried a torch for you all these years. Their relationship’s contentious at the best of times.”

“He’s not in love with me,” I protested.

Brett gave me a disbelieving glance.

Pete’s lips twitched.

“He’s not,” I affirmed.

A knowing grin spread across Colt's face. He sat forward in the same way Atlas had just minutes before, elbows to knees and his hands dangling between his legs. His eyes caught mine, and he studied me intently for a few seconds before crowing, “You really have no fuckin’ idea, do ya?”

“Don’t start,” I snapped. “John hasn’t been in love with me for thirty years. What we had is dead and buried. He moved on.”

Brett and Colt shot each other a look just as soft laughter came from the iPad.

Colt’s expression turned deadpan, and he murmured something that made my chest flutter.

“Hold onto your hats, boys. This is gonna be fun.”

Chapter Five

John

Four golden gazes, scarily similar to mine, studied me, all of them wide-eyed.

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