Page 201 of Come Back to Me

She sniffs.

“How’s Callan? I should have gone to him but?—”

“I’m more emotionally intelligent than you,” she informs me. “When you went underground, I figured you needed space until I got tired of giving it to you, so I managed Callan. Colt has Zee. Your mum has Mrs. Abelman.” Wait,what?“But Callan neededsomeone too, so we fed the dogs who hate our guts and he told me that he’s never wanted to kill anyone before until Clyde.”

“My pacifist brother is broken.” I choke out a curse. “Clyde’s the nightmare that keeps on giving.”

“Baby Cowboy’s all right. Would have been better if our dogs didn’t prefer to be Tramps instead of Ladies, but we can’t have everything. To make up for it, I let him win tonight’s round ofHalo?—”

“You let him?”

“Uh-huh. The sacrifices I make for you.”

“I’m lucky to have you in my life.”

“Sure you are.” She pats my stomach. “But I have to warn you… if you lump me in with your father’s ilk again, I’ll serve you a dog meat sandwich.”

“Copy.” I grimace. “Jesus, I can’t believe I forgot. Where’s Brogan?”

“On the couch over there.”

“He is? I didn’t hear him.”

“He doesn’t snore.”

“You can share him with me until we can make yours like you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She nuzzles her nose against my shoulder and tightens her arm around my waist.

And though everything is all wrong with my world, this moment here, this precise minute feelsright. Enough to sleep. With this woman I love and, despite my flaws and many fuckups, who loves me in turn.

Cody

Callan’s horse was already out of her stall by the time I made it to the stables this morning, and the fact I didn’t get to check in with him is annoying as hell.

To make matters worse, Tee and Callan’s demonic dogs have taken a fancy to the youngest foal in our coterie—Trever.

Not only did I not get to see my brother this AM, I got snarled at by two furious rescue hounds when I tried to make them leave his stall.

Hands by some miracle intact, a sleepy kiss from Tee setting me on my way as I leave her bedroom, I contemplate checking in with Mike, my shrink, on the ride to work. Before I can, I receive a call from an unknown number.

“Cody?”

It takes a second to register the voice, but when I do, my shoulders drop in relief. “Amy. Where the fuck are you? We’ve had an APB out on you?—”

“If I tell you something, you can’t let anyone know I told you,” she bursts out.

I hesitate to offer her that assurance. “I need you to come down to the detachment.”

“No! S-Something bad happened last night?—”

“You know that James Fairweather accused you of supplying him with the drugs he was dealing to his friends, don’t you?”

“Of course I know,” she snaps, but then her anger shifts and she releases a sob. “Why else would I have dropped out of school? God, I was inches away from graduation! Paulie would be so fucking disappointed in me, but I didn’t have a choice, Cody. You don’t get choices in the MC. It was either do as they wanted or?—”

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