Page 105 of Legacy

“Just let me do this, Reagan.” He looks at me over his shoulder. “We’ll talk when it’s over.”

This is the quietest I’ve seen the clubhouse. The few members mulling around are drinking and talking. There are no patch bunnies in sight, and the music is soft through the speakers.

It’s the middle of the night, but Jesse insisted this was important. He touched base with Margaret, and she promised to call him if Bea woke up. Then he dragged me out of the house and brought me here.

Now I’m sitting on a couch beside Luna, waiting for Jesse, who disappeared with the rest of his brothers into the room where they hold church.

Luna looks no more prepared for this than I was. She’s wearing a baggy gamer T-shirt that matches her fuzzy pink slippers. She followed Ghost out of their room before he went into church with the rest of the guys and decided to join me instead of going back to bed.

“What do you think is going on in there?” I ask her.

“Something urgent.”

“Because of what happened today?”

“Maybe. Ghost wouldn’t say.” She shrugs, tugging at her ponytail. “How are you doing after what happened at the store? I heard you were there with Bea.”

“I’ve been better.” I twist my fingers in my lap. “But I’m not worried about myself so much as Bea.”

“I can imagine.” Luna frowns. “She’s a tough kid, but that isn’t easy on anyone. You must be overwhelmedbeing thrown into the deep end like this. The club’s a lot to handle.”

I stare at the door that sits between me and Jesse. “It is. But at the same time, it isn’t. All I could think about today was how all this must impact him when he has Bea to worry about. How he carries it all on his shoulders by himself. I can’t imagine how hard this is on him.”

Especially after crossing paths with Sera when we first stepped into the clubhouse. Her glare was venomous.

“He has you helping him with that.”

Guilt courses through me. “Tonight, I told him I think I should leave. I can’t add myself to the list of people he needs to worry about or protect.”

“Reagan, that’s nothing to these guys.” Luna reaches for my hand. “Especially for Legacy. Did you know that when he got shot, it was because he was taking a bullet for me?”

My eyes widen, and I shake my head.

“Well, he did. Because he would do anything for the people he cares about. You aren’t just another burden. If anything, I’ve seen how he is with you. You bring out a side to him that I’ve heard Ghost mention, but I’ve never seen it myself. He’s happy.”

“Really?”

She nods. “I made the mistake you’re making right now. I got scared, and I thought it was better for the man I loved if I walked away. But I’ll cut to the chase and spare you the bullshit we went through: I was wrong. You can try to resist it. You can try to leave it behind. But it will only hurt everyone more than if you stick around and fight through it together.”

She offers me a smile, and I realize how much I missed having real friendships.

“How did we get here?”

Luna laughs. “Wild coincidence. I still can’t believe you walked into the clubhouse.”

“I still can’t believe you live here. Or that you found someone like Ghost who loves you like you’re his whole world. I’m happy for you.”

And I really mean it after watching what she went through when we were younger.

Luna and I got along in high school because we both felt alone, even if for entirely different reasons. But Luna always had it worse than I did. At least I had a family. Luna hopped from one foster family to the next, never finding anywhere she felt like she belonged.

Until now, apparently.

“If I can be happy, so can you, Reagan. All you have to do is let yourself.”

“You make it sound easier than it is.”

Her eyebrow ticks. “It is if you stop fighting it.”

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