Page 49 of The Keeper

It felt as if the entire shop froze, eyes locked on us like we were some freak show.

Some tried to hide their stares, burying their noses in their phones or suddenly finding the pattern on their paper coffee cups interesting. Others didn’t even bother to be subtle, openly gawking at my kutte and the bandages on Avery’s forehead with pinched expressions.

It was why I’d avoided bringing her anywhere other than the park. People took one look at me and immediately jumped to all the wrong conclusions.

I shoved down the familiar mix of anger and shame and squared my shoulders, refusing to let the judgmental assholes know they’d gotten under my skin. But deep down, an ache bloomed in my chest. This wasn’t solely about me anymore. It was about Avery too.

Would she always be seen as the biker’s kid? The one parents whispered about at PTA meetings and warned their precious angels to stay away from?

“Co-ku,” Avery said, oblivious to the tension around us. Her chubby fingers released my kutte to reach for the display case.

I forced a smile, trying to focus on her and not the whispers spreading through the bakery. “Let’s see,” I said as we approached the case. “They’ve got cupcakes. You want a cupcake?”

She shook her head. “Co-ku.”

“All right. Not a cupcake. What about—” I went down the menu, rattling off anything that sounded remotely close to what she was saying. “Cheesecake? Cake Pops? Ooh, how about a cinnamon roll?”

She pushed her pink lips into a pout and mashed her forehead to mine. “Co-ku,” she repeated, slower this time since I was clearly a moron in her eyes.

“Cookie?” I guessed, bracing myself for a meltdown.

Avery’s mouth lifted in a grin that showcased her little teeth before nodding. “Co-ku!”

“Could we get a chocolate chip cookie and a cinnamon roll?” I asked since they were Piper’s favorite thing to make, and I’d yet to try one.

The guy behind the register was probably the only person in the joint who didn’t look at me like I was a threat. He rattled off my total, giving me a chin tip when I told him to keep the change.

“Where do we want to sit?” I asked, so focused on finding an open table I damn near collided with a delivery guy as he came through the front door. “Sorry, man. I didn’t see you there.”

“Nuh, no, owie!” Avery growled with a furrowed brow that looked almost comical on her small face.

“What’s your deal, sassy pants?” I asked, tickling her side before moving out of his way toward an empty table near the back.

She arched her back and squawked when I tried to put her in a highchair. Not willing to draw even more unwanted attention, I settled her on my lap and broke off a small piece of cookie for her.

“Co-ku.” She snatched the cookie from my hands and crammed it into her mouth like she hadn’t been fed all day.

“Little bites, remember?” I said, cutting off a piece of my cinnamon roll in demonstration. “See? No, that’s Daddy’s.”

I managed to catch her grabby hands before she could snatch my dessert, smacking my lips loudly against her cheek until she was shrieking with giggles.

A clean-cut guy in khakis and a polo shirt emerged from the back, making a beeline for our table.

“Hey, folks,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I was wondering if I could grab a couple of to-go boxes for you.”

“Nope. We’re good. Thanks, man,” I said, keeping my voice level despite the anger bubbling up inside me.

“Nuh-no,” she repeated, wagging her finger sternly before reaching for her cookie.

He glanced at Avery, then to my kutte, and his lips curled in barely disguised disdain before he caught himself. “Listen, I’m cool with y’all being here,” he said before lowering his voice like we were buddies sharing a secret. “But your presence is making some of the other customers uncomfortable. I’m sure you can appreciate the position it puts me in as the owner.”

I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to tell him exactly what position he’d be in by the time I was done with him. But Avery waswatching, her green eyes wide and curious. I couldn’t lose my shit in front of her.

“Look,” I said, leaning in. “Piper wasn’t even scheduled to work today, but here we are. I’m sure you can appreciate the position it puts me in when my girl was supposed to be off a half-hour ago, and my kid missed her naptime because she wasn’t.”

The guy’s eyes widened at the mention of Piper, and his composure slipped. “You—you’re Piper’s boyfriend?”

“Dane,” I said, breaking off another piece of cookie for Avery before extending my hand. I didn’t give a fuck about niceties, but he was Piper’s boss. I wouldn’t disrespect her or set a bad example for our daughter, even if the guy’s face was begging for a fist. “And you are?”

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