“Oh, I’m so sorry about your mom.” Amelia sounds mortified, and I sit there with my polite mask in place as Ty releases my fingers and picks up his coffee. “I didn’t mean to, um…” Her voice trails away, and she shoots Ty a desperate glance, but he doesn’t come to her rescue.
“It’s fine.” I give her a tight smile, hating myself for spoiling the moment. Except, what was I supposed to do? “You weren’t to know. Ty and I are”—playing with fire—“friends, that’s all.”
Beneath the cover of the table, he slides his boot along my calf, belying my words, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Sure.” Amelia nods more forcefully than necessary. “Anyway, I’m really sorry for, um, everything.”
After she disappears behind the counter, I frown at Ty, who’s digging into his burger like there’s nothing wrong. “Well?” I demand, when it becomes clear he’s not going to respond to my silent message. “What was I supposed to tell her?”
He shrugs, unconcerned. “Whatever, babe.”
What the hell does that mean? “Would you rather let her think we were seeing each other?”
“Jas, I don’t give a fuck what she thinks.”
I seethe for a few seconds, not entirely sure why I’m getting so worked up. “You don’t care if it gets back to your family?”To your mom?
“Who the hell’s going to tell my family?” For the first time, there’s a hint of irritation in his voice.
With dignified restraint, I pick up my fork. For all I know he holds hands and eats out with every girl he hooks up with, and this is nothing special at all.
I know what this is.
My head does, at least. It’s my heart that’s having a hard time reconciling it all. If I didn’t still care so much, I wouldn’t have minded what Amelia thought was going on between us. Ty wasn’t being a jerk. I was being oversensitive.
I shove a forkful of omelet into my mouth, but even when I was a timid mouse, I never liked humble pie, and it’s hard swallowing something that tastes like ashes.
I take a sip of coffee and glance at him. It’s crazy to spoil the few days we have together because of a couple of wounded feelings.
“Amelia seems nice.” I use the word deliberately and give him a faint smile when he looks at me.
“She’s all right.” He regards me as though he’s assessing whether to continue, and I take another bite of omelet, just to show him I don’t care that now, unlike before, he feels the need to screen everything he says to me.Except I do care.“She grew up with the Wolves.”
My omelet sticks in my throat, and I choke. Tears well in my eyes, and I grab my napkin and press it to my mouth. Is he jerking around?
“The Silver Wolves?” I double check as soon as I can breathe again. “Oh, my God. And none of the Bastards have an issue with that?”
The Bastards and Wolves MCs have been enemies forever, and shortly before I left L.A., things came to a head with a double murder that rocked the Bastards. It came close to full out war between the two MCs, but I had my own problems and left before anything was resolved.
“A lot of things have changed since you left.”
Not enough.I ignore both that thought, and the hint of accusation in his tone. “Obviously. It used to be a capital offense to mention their name in a Bastard’s hearing.”
“We formed an alliance over nine years ago.”
Unbidden, I recall things Ty told me at the time, how the Wolves’ president was crazy and out for blood, not the type to negotiate or even understand the meaning of tact and diplomacy. “I’m guessing their president was voted out before this could happen?”
Ty gives a dry laugh. “Something like that.”
I can imagine the way the Wolves got rid of their unstable president. I don’t need Ty to spell it out for me. “The alliance must be working, to have lasted all these years.”
“We watch each other’s backs.”
Of course they do. The big macho men playing God, ruling their turf and answering to no one. I stifle a sigh and finish my coffee. I never used to think like that when I hovered on the periphery of that world. All I wanted was to be accepted as Ty’s girl and welcomed by his family.
I don’t need validation from anyone for my existence now. I’ve carved out my own place in my own world.
“Guess it cuts down on the territorial battles.” Why did I say that? I sound as though I’m condemning his lifestyle.
