Page 66 of Truck Stop Titan

“Never mind. We’re just going around the block. Be back before the movers get here.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Her head bobbed. “If you head south”—she pointed beyond the yard— “there’s a nice park about two blocks down.”

Mim bounced again, her legs kicking under my palms.

“They got swings?” I asked. Mim loved the tree swing at the mansion, and although Rocky was the only person she’d allowed to give her a push, I thought maybe, considering her chipper mood, there was a slight chance she’d allow me the honor of pushing her “high as the sky,” as Rocky liked to say.

“Yes. All kinds of good stuff.”

“Guess we’re heading south, then.”

“Have fun.” Not a lick of sentiment backed her words. Unfortunately, she pushed the door closed, ending the exchange. And as Mim and I walked away, I could swear she’d been trying to get rid of us.

# # #

“That the last of it?” I stood at the door, admiring Moriah’s backside while she watched the movers lift her ex’s things into the van.

She gave a silent nod, then mumbled, “Think so.”

Eye contact had been a no-go since Mim and I had returned from the park. Three hours of cold shoulder. I would’ve taken a knee to the balls if it meant she’d get over being angry. “Wanna do one last run through before they go?”

“No. I’ve done three so far,” she threw over her shoulder.

“Don’t want to give Matthew any excuse to come back.”

The beefier of the three movers slammed the door shut, gave me the thumbs up, then climbed into the cab with his buddies and waved. The truck rumbled to life, then rolled away.

“He won’t come back,” she snapped. “You made sure of that.” Finally. Finally, she turned to shoot me a glare, meeting me eye to eye, a brief and stormy exchange.

A victory short lived, however, because the little firecracker pushed past me and headed into the house.

Club bitches could be brutal when scorned. Never bothered me. They’d never mattered. But this lady, hell. She had my nuts in a vice. One false move, and bye bye baby makers. Funny thing was, she had no clue the power she wielded.

I gave her a good lead, then followed. Mim lay on the couch, one leg jacked against the back, the other kicked out straight. Her mouth hung open, long lashes dusted her freckled cheekbones, and a soft snore escaped her lips. Moriah stood at her side, staring down at the little beauty, one hand spread across her stomach, the other raised to her face, wiping a tear.

Shit. Crying again.

“Moriah.”

“Do you want kids, Dane?” Venom laced her voice.

“What?”

“Do you want to be a daddy?”

“No. Hell no,” came my knee-jerk reaction.

“You say you want me, want to keep us safe? Well, newsflash.” Her arms flew out to her sides. “You stick around, that’s what you’re gonna have to be. A father.” She stabbed a finger in Mim’s direction. “To that little girl.” She turned to face me, cheeks red, eyes blazing something fierce. “Insta-daddy. You get that, right?”

“I’ll ruin a kid.”

“So, there we have it. We’ve had our talk. Nothing more to say. Have a nice life.”

“Wait. What the hell just happened?”

“Don’t you see? I’m a mom now. I have a child to raise. I can’t do the casual dating thing. I can’t do the meaningless sex thing, no matter how good that sex may be. I have to put my niece first. I have to think long-term. And I can’t… I absolutely cannot allow a criminal into our lives. Especially a man who gets off on beating people to a bloody pulp.”

“Finally, she gets to the point.”

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