Page 32 of Keegan's Promise

“You will be,” I promise.

Chapter Ten

Landry

Thenextfewdaysare a whirlwind of activity and new faces. Everyone I meet is kind and welcoming, but being around so many people after being isolated for so long is overwhelming in a way I should have expected. I can’t seem to get my bearings between one round of introductions and the next.

Between the MC, their wives, and kids, and everyone in town they’ve enlisted to help protect our daughter, I’ve seen more faces than I can remember. And every single one of them is kind and sympathetic…they make me want to stay here, to believe I can have this life.

But after dredging up my whole life story for Keegan and then for Dillon, I feel wispy and insubstantial, like vital parts of my soul have been shredded into pieces. I can’t shake the feeling.

It doesn’t help that no one is really talking to me about what’s happening. The MC and Dillon are working on something, but every time I ask, they just tell me to let them handle it. I know I should be grateful for that, but not knowing makes me anxious as hell.

Keegan sticks close to my side through every moment, carefully watching over me and Lily. Watching him get to know and care for our daughter is the best part of every day. He’s already wrapped around her tiny fingers.

So are the MC brothers and their wives. She isn’t the only baby at the clubhouse, but every day brings a flurry of new gifts, as if the guys are competing to bring our daughter the most presents.

Samara told me that I might as well get used to it since they do it every time there’s a new baby. And they have a whole army of babies and little kids around here. Thinking about how much that must cost them stresses me out. But they don’t even bat a lash.

Regardless, the few belongings we arrived with quickly spiraled out of control. Lily has enough toys to last for five years. Their wives bring her clothes, shoes, blankets, and hairbows—some new, some passed down from their babies.

I don’t escape the gift-giving unscathed, either. Before I know it, the closet overflows with clothes and shoes…more than I’ve ever had in my life. They mean well, but it makes me feel guilty. What have I ever done to deserve all of this?

When Keegan strolls through the door on day five with his arms full of shopping bags, I finally snap.

“They can’t keep giving me things!” I cry, pressing my palms to my cheeks as I stare in shock. “It’s too much. How am I ever going to repay all of this?”

“Who said you need to repay it, sweetness?” he asks, dropping the bags on the chaise before immediately crossing to Lily, who is situated in a bouncy seat, babbling to herself. He squats in front of her, his expression soft. “Hey, baby girl.”

She stares up at him and coos softly.

“I said,” I grumble, trying to stand firm. It’s hard to do when he’s already pulling her out of her seat, whispering how she’s the sweetest baby alive. He’s too damn good with her. I melt like a Popsicle every time I see them together.

How do you stand firm when your panties are drenched, your nipples are hard, and all you can think about is how much you want him all over you again?

He hasn’t been since that first day. It’s my own fault, but it’s driving me crazy. I want him just as desperately as ever, but I’ve been dodging him, trying to avoid falling any deeper.

It isn’t working.

As soon as I see him with Lily, I fall anyway. As soon as he says that I’m his, I fall deeper. My walls crumble a little more as soon as he does something kind. He holds me every night, soothes me when I wake up from nightmares, guards me like I’m the most precious thing in the world…and I tumble a little bit deeper down the rabbit hole.

Resisting him is too damn hard when I don’t even want to do it. But I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to do here. I’m terrified that all of this will be plucked away at any moment. Garrick will find me, and I’ll lose him and Lily both.

How am I supposed to survive that?

I’ve spent days searching for that answer, and I still don’t have it.

How do you love someone when doing it may destroy them? When it feels like the only thing capable of destroying you? Losing Lily is going to rip me apart at the seams. If I fall any deeper for Keegan and then have to spend my life without both of them…I can’t survive that. Just the thought feels like it’s squeezing the air from my lungs.

“Baby,” Keegan says through a chuckle, standing upright. “You don’t owe anyone anything. Half of these guys have more money than they know what to do with. Buying her a few toys isn’t going to hurt their accounts at all. And I paid for everything else.”

I gape at him, stunned. “You paid for it?”

“Of course.” He brushes his nose along Lily’s head, turning those gorgeous eyes on me. “You’re both mine to take care of.”

I shift from foot to foot, avoiding his gaze. He’s been saying that a lot over the last few days. That I’m his. Every time he says it, I want to burrow into his arms and never come up for air again. But…

“It’s not your job to buy me stuff, Keegan,” I whisper. “You didn’t sign up for that.”

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