Page 35 of Hawk

Tears welled in her gorgeous brown orbs, but she nodded slowly.

“Thank you, baby,” I murmured before I kissed her. It was dark and intense as I poured every violent promise and aching need into that one point of contact. When I finally pulled back, I wrapped my hand gently around the back of her neck and pressed my forehead to hers.

“He’s not going to win.”

Her throat bobbed. “But what if he already?—”

“He won’t, Gemma.”

I kissed her forehead, then rested my lips on her temple.

“We’ll end it. All of it.”

Her lips trembled. “Come back to me.”

“Always, baby.”

13

GEMMA

“Staring at the door isn’t going to make him get back any faster.”

I swiveled my head to flash Molly a sheepish grin. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only because I’ve done this more times than I can count.” Molly scooped Luna into her arms. “And I grew up in the life.”

“Really?” I had gotten to know Maverick’s wife during my time at the clubhouse, but I had no idea she and her sister, Dahlia—who was married to the Iron Rogue president—had been raised in an MC.

“Yeah, Dahlia and I are club princesses.” She tickled Luna, her sweet giggles filling the empty space of the large lounge area. “Just like this little one, except our dad was the prez and hers is the VP.”

“Which club?” I asked.

“The Silver Saints.”

I nodded, as though the name meant something to me even though this was the first time I’d heard it. “Cool.”

“So you can trust me when I tell you to find a good distraction because it’s gonna be a long night,” she recommended with a soft laugh as Luna’s fingers wiggled under her chin.

Chase crawled across the black leather couch to get in on the tickling action, and inspiration struck. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”

I raced up to Callum’s room and stood in the doorway for a moment, taking in the space we’d shared the night before. It didn’t make me miss him any less, but it helped me breathe a little easier.

I spotted my camera bag on the corner of his desk and crossed the room to grab it. The thought of pointing my lens at something innocent and full of life made me feel a little more like myself. I took one last glance around the space that had our things mixed. It wasn’t nearly as tidy as it’d been the day Callum brought me here. And it definitely wasn’t stark anymore. I liked that I’d brought some life into the room where he spent so much time.

With my camera secure in my hands and a quiet determination building in my chest, I headed back downstairs. I couldn’t be out there helping Callum and his club brothers, but I could capture the little moments worth protecting. Reminders of what they were fighting for while they were out saving Ellen.

By the time I made it back to the lounge, Molly was on the floor with Luna and Chase, their giggles echoing through the area like sunlight. Luna wore a sparkly tutu and mismatched socks, and Chase happily gnawed on the end of a spoon like it was the best teether in the world.

“Perfect,” I whispered, slipping my camera out of the bag.

After removing the lens cap, I raised it to my eye and started snapping. Molly glanced up and beamed when she noticed me. Then she lifted Luna’s chin with two fingers and whispered something that made the little girl tilt her head just so.

Her joy was effortless. And more beautiful than anything I had ever seen before.

Click.

Chase squealed and flopped forward onto his belly, kicking his legs like a swimmer while Luna jumped to her feet to twirl in a slow circle around him.

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