Page 103 of Riding the Edge

“That, I would pay to see,” Lauren quips.

“We went for a ride last night,” Maria shares, smiling sheepishly at me.

“I bet you did,” Riggs mutters, causing Lauren to elbow him as she stares wide-eyed at her mother.

“Did you love it?”

Turning to me, she winks and the tension that filled the room only minutes ago dissolves.

You and me.

“I loved every second,” she declares.

Reaching over, I cup the back of her neck and drag her closer to me, pressing a chaste kiss to her swollen lips. Riggs grunts in disgust like a five-year-old while Lauren whistles. If there was ever two people made for one another it’s them.

“Grandma and Uncle Wolf sitting in a tree,” Eric singsongs, forcing me to release my hold on Maria.

Clearing her throat, I watch as a blush spreads up her neck and flames her cheeks. It’s sexy as fuck and reminds me of how flushed her cheeks were when I told her I loved her. I never thought I’d be the man who gets all this. For some this might be an ordinary morning, for me, it’s a fucking dream come true.

The doorbell sounds, pulling me back to the scene in front of me.

“Are we expecting anyone else?” I ask Maria, pushing back my chair.

“To be fair, you weren’t expecting us,” Riggs points out.

“No shit,” I mutter. Placing a hand on Maria’s shoulder, I stop her from getting up. “Eat, I’ll get it.”

As I start to make my way out of the kitchen, I hear Lauren gush to her mother about her finally taking a ride on the wild side. Leaving them to cajole in front of Riggs, I make my way to the front door with a shit-eating grin firmly planted on my face. A man in my position doesn’t have much to smile about and still, I feel like I’m on top of the world. I guess that’s what happens to a person when they find their heart.

Pulling the door open, the smile falls from my face as I stare at Nico and Jack.

“What’s this?” I question, taking in the leather vest draped over Nico’s forearm.

“I went to see Uncle Jack like we discussed,” Nico replies. “But before he gave me the prospect patch he thought we should talk to you.”

“I see,” I say, diverting my eyes to the ragged man standing next to him. Silently, my eyes work him over. I can see why Reina didn’t want anyone to visit him. Aside from looking like he dropped ten pounds overnight, there are dark circles under his eyes and an inch of scruff lines his jaw.

“Well, are we going to do this out here?” Nico asks, lifting an eyebrow.

Tearing my gaze away from Jack, I move out of the way and let them inside.

“Lauren and Riggs are here with the kids,” I tell them. “Everyone is in the kitchen having breakfast.” At the mention of food, Nico tosses the cut onto the back of the couch and heads for the kitchen. Jack’s gaze darts around Maria’s living room before finally landing on me.

“Reina told me you stopped by,” he starts, crossing his arms against his chest. “I gather she told you I was out of it before she sent you away.”

“Something like that,” I reply, cocking my head to the side. “You don’t look good, Parrish.”

He forces a wicked grin and gives me a shake of his head.

“I’m good, brother,” he insists.

“You can’t do that,” I tell him. “You can’t bullshit me. I know you better than that and it’s time you and I had a conversation.”

“Yeah, it is,” he agrees, looking away. “The question is, are we going to have this conversation on your woman’s couch?”

Ideally, a conversation like this would take place in the chapel but we don’t have that privilege. Still, Maria’s living room isn’t the place to do it, especially not with her grandchildren in the next room.

“Let me just tell Maria and we’ll go outside,” I say. “You want a cup of coffee or something?”

---