Page 41 of Hammer

“Mom?”Levi appeared in the doorway, his laptop clutched to his chest like a shield.“Where should I set up my computer?”

“Didn’t Hammer say you had a desk in your room?”

Levi nodded, hesitating.“This is weird, right?Like, really weird.”

I forced a smile I didn’t feel.“It’s a new start for us, baby.Something we’ve needed for a while.”

He disappeared down the hall, his footsteps fading.I listened for Hammer’s low rumble, the soft exchange of voices.He’d been almost painfully polite all morning, helping us move our few possessions, showing the boys their rooms, giving me space in his closet and dresser.The perfect gentleman.The perfect stranger who was now my husband.

I scrubbed the bathroom until my fingers were raw, reorganized his kitchen cabinets, and vacuumed every inch of carpet.By noon, I’d almost exhausted myself enough to forget how awkward breakfast had been -- Hammer reading his newspaper, Chase sullen and silent, Levi hunched over his cereal.The only sound had been spoons against bowls and the occasional rustle of paper.

I was elbow-deep in scrubbing the oven when the front door slammed open.Chase’s voice, actually animated for once, followed by female laughter I recognized as Aura’s.I straightened up, wiping my hands on a dishcloth as they tumbled into the kitchen.

“Mom, Aura’s going to show us the garage,” Chase announced.“She says Hammer has everything we need to work on pretty much any vehicle.”

Aura grinned at me, dropping an easy arm around Chase’s shoulders.At sixteen, my son towered over her, but something about Aura’s confidence made her seem larger than life.“Hope you don’t mind,” she said.“Thought the boys could use a proper tour of the house and the compound.”

Before I could respond, Levi appeared, drawn by the commotion.“Can I come too?”

“Hell yeah,” Aura replied, grabbing him in a side hug.“The more the merrier.You ever seen the inside of a Harley engine?”When Levi shook his head, her grin widened.“You’re in for a treat, kid.Dad has been working on one in the garage for a while now.”

They were out the door in a whirlwind of energy, leaving me alone with my rubber gloves and oven cleaner.I sank onto a kitchen chair, suddenly exhausted by the effort of pretending everything was normal.The boys hadn’t smiled like that in ages.Not with me.Not in our old life.

I found them an hour later in Hammer’s garage, a cavernous space that smelled of oil and metal.From the doorway, I watched unseen as Aura demonstrated something on a gleaming motorcycle, her tattoo-covered arm gesturing expressively while Chase and Levi leaned in, completely absorbed.Their faces were smudged with grease, Levi’s glasses slightly askew, but they were happy.

“They’re naturals.”Hammer’s voice came from behind me, making me jump.

I hadn’t heard him approach, hadn’t realized he was home.He stood at my shoulder, his bulk blocking the sunlight, casting me in his shadow.

“Aura’s good with them,” I said, shifting slightly to put space between us.

He nodded, his gaze fixed on the scene in the garage.“She never had brothers.Always wanted some.I guess Sam doesn’t count since he’s nearly twice her age.”

“And now she has two younger siblings,” I replied.

Hammer’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture tightened.“Right.”

That evening, I cooked like my life depended on it.Pot roast, mashed potatoes, fresh rolls, green beans with almonds.I’d used most of my tip money from the diner on groceries, determined to prove my worth.The boys set the table without being asked, still buzzing with excitement from their afternoon with Aura.They chattered about engines and tools, words I barely understood flowing easily between them.

Hammer arrived late, just as I was taking the roast from the oven.He’d been at a club meeting, or so he’d said, though I suspected he was avoiding coming home to the awkward domestic scene I’d created.His eyes widened slightly at the spread on the table, something unreadable flickering across his weathered face.

“Figured everyone would be hungry after working so hard all day,” I said, trying to sound casual.

“Starving,” Chase confirmed, already loading his plate.

Hammer nodded his thanks, taking his seat at the head of the table.I noticed he’d showered at the clubhouse -- his silver hair was still damp, his beard freshly trimmed.He’d changed clothes too, wearing a clean T-shirt instead of the work clothes he’d had on earlier.The effort touched something in me, a flutter of warmth I tried to ignore.

The next evening was the same -- Aura arriving after the boys were out of school to whisk them away to the garage, Hammer finding reasons to stay at the clubhouse, me cooking another elaborate meal that received quiet appreciation but little conversation.By the third day, the pattern was firmly established.Aura had become the pied piper, leading my sons into a world of motorcycles and mechanics that they eagerly embraced, while Hammer and I circled each other like wary animals, careful never to get too close.

I watched him sometimes when he thought I wasn’t looking -- the way his large hands cradled his coffee mug in the morning, how his eyes crinkled at the corners when Aura made him laugh, the silver in his beard catching the light.I’d catch him watching me too, his gaze quickly shifting away when I turned.

On the fourth night, Aura seemed to have caught on to the tension.She’d brought a cake from town, insisting we needed to celebrate our first week as a “family.”The word hung in the air between Hammer and me, loaded with meanings neither of us was ready to examine.

“You should’ve seen Levi today,” she said, passing the potatoes to Chase.“Kid figured out what was wrong with that Softail we’ve been struggling with for days.Has an ear for engines, I swear.”

Levi blushed, ducking his head at the praise.“It was just the timing.Didn’t sound right.”

“Bullshit,” Aura said cheerfully.“It was impressive as hell and you know it.Dad, tell him.”

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