Page 160 of Steel

We’re only in my parents’ presence for a short time, but it’s enough for them to pick up that something has happened to put tension between us. The only one who doesn’t pick up on anything is Lyric, which is the way we always want it.

Bailee and Lyric are off in their own world after my parents say goodbye.

I walk them out when Mom stops on the porch and turns to me.

She places a hand on my arm. “Is everything okay between you and Bailee?”

Blowing out a breath, I lean back against the porch railing and fold my arms across my chest. Crossing my ankles, I stare out into the woods surrounding the property, not wanting to see the disappointment in Mom’s eyes when I tell her what’s going on.

“One of the girls at the club tried startin’ shit with Lee.”

“And this was one you’ve been with?” Mom asks.

I just give her a look which she reads perfectly because she shakes her head.

“Oh, Eric,” she says, calling me by the name that only her and Dad refer to me as. “Did you really think something like this couldn’t happen?”

“Have no claim on me.”

Mom shoots me a look that tells me just how dumb she finds my flimsy defense. I’m surprised she hasn’t yanked me by my ear and demand I apologize.

I think it hurts more that she doesn’t.

“How do you feel about her, son?” she asks softly.

“Like nothing I ever felt before. Want to wake up seein’ her face every morning.”

Mom smiles gently at my gruff tone. “You’ll do. Give me a hug then go check on your ladies.”

After telling my parents goodbye, I head back inside to my girls. Bailee continues to focus on Lyric for the rest of the day, not giving me a chance to speak to her as much as I want to.

When bedtime comes around, I let her put Lyric to bed while I clean up the mess around the house. She doesn’t return by thetime I’m finished locking up, and a frustrated growl rumbles up my throat.

After flipping off the hallway light, I stomp up the steps, the carpet muffling my heavy treads.

Not pulling a fucking runner on me tonight, Hummingbird.

Chapter thirty-eight

I lie on thebed in the guest room staring at the ceiling as everything that’s happened today plays through my mind.

It surprised me that Steel was so openly affectionate in front of his club. The last time we were together, we didn’t have anything like that. Steel was always so careful to make sure he didn’t do anything to give me false promises. It didn’t really work because even as he tried not to do things that made it seem like he cared, he did anyway–a word here, a sentence there, touches that conveyed more than what he was saying, eyes that said things he’d never speak aloud. He was never as distant or as casual as he tried to be.

That’s what made it so hard for me to protect my heart against him. It’s also why it hurt so much when he decided to give his relationship with Heather a go for his daughter’s sake.

I understood it, but it didn’t mean it hurt any less.

Things this time around are different between us. We’re closer, more open, more . . . official, but it doesn’t erase the way things were in the past.

Having Rachel throw in my face that even after he and Heather split for good, I didn’t register enough for him hurts. It’s not like I wasn’t around. Sure, it was in an extremely diminished capacity as we barely communicated, but . . . I don’t even know.

My heart is telling me that if he did have feelings for me back then, as I was so sure he did, then he’d have come for me, right?

I groan and toss my arm over my eyes.

This is ridiculous, except I can’t help but feel as I do. I’m sure she’s not the only one there who he’s had sex with either, which means I’m going to take the chance of them being as catty as Rachel was and rubbing it in my face.

My heart clenches when I try to think of what my life would be like without him now. It’s not just him I’m losing if I let this insecurity get to me. I’d also lose the little girl who’s stolen my heart.

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