“What I have is some guy named Antonio in Vegas asking me where his storage unit full of drugs is. You know anything about that?”
I freeze. My heart is the only thing moving in my body. Nate wraps his arm around me and hugs me closer, squeezing me a small amount, but it doesn’t do enough to release my nerves.
“I don’t know. We don’t get ourselves mixed up in those things. Maybe you should hang out with a better circle of friends.” Ridge takes one step closer.
It’s matched with a step from the other guy, the space between them decreasing with each movement.
“I heard it’s not only drugs you’re keeping in theYou Store Itoutside of town.”
The motorcycle boss rolls his eyes, but it doesn’t quite match his persona. “And what else has big bad Ridge Jefferson heard?”
“One of the men got a lead on a shipment of guns making their way from Columbia up to Canada. You know how I feel about my town as a shipping point.”
The motorcycle leader rears back, surprised by the comment. “I’ve done my best to turn this club around the last five years, but you still stand over there and accuse me of running guns. Unless it’s because you want to have trouble.”
Nate steps forward, dropping his hand from my shoulder and passing Emma off to me. I reach out for him but he doesn’t grab my hand. Instead he walks all the way up next to Ridge’s side. He’s followed by a tall guy who leaves Anessa and then another, the name Crispin etched into the pocket of his polo shirt.
“Now, guys,” Nate says, putting his hands out toward each man. “You can’t expect Ridge not to question the guns if you walk onto his property during a barbecue and accuse him of stealing drugs,” Nate says looking at both men. “Everyone has shit in the past they don’t want getting out, but the important thing is we’ve agreed to work together to bring down our mutual threat.”
No one else says anything, and the silence grows, waiting to see where the cards will fall. Nate looks to Ridge. “Right, boss?”
Ridge nods his head but doesn’t speak.
“Right, Dom?” Nate asks the leader of the pack standing opposite of him.
The guy in the leather vest with Mother Fucker on it nods too. “We don’t want any trouble, but I don’t like you bringing it to my backyard either.”
“I didn’t bring anything here. I’m trying to stop the crews who have run this town for years. If we’re going to reclaim it, we have to reclaim it together.”
Dom nods again. “That we do, brother.”
Nate smiles clapping his hands together. “Perfect, what does everyone want to eat? There’s plenty of food for everyone. Right, Tabitha?” Nate asks, searching Tabitha with his eyes and begging her to say yes.
“Of course,” she says an easy smile on her face.
That’s all it takes before the two men both visibly relax, not to a point they trust each other, but enough that the guys standing behind the motorcycle club leader shuffle in our direction and take up spots at one picnic table the furthest away from the others.
Nate makes his way back to me before I follow Tabitha into the house to get more dishes, and I pull on his arm to get his attention. “What’s all that about?”
He smiles. “I’m also a good negotiator. Part of the training.”
And that’s all he says before he laughs, patting Ridge on the back, and takes Emma over to talk to one of the guys in the motorcycle club with the name Ripper on his chest.
“So,this is what young mothers do on a busy Saturday night?” Nate asks. If he hadn’t been chuckling as he questioned my life choices, I would have thought him serious. As it is, the way he smiles and pops another Oreo in his mouth leads me to believe he’s not so upset about spending our evening inside.
I lean closer to the side, resting my head on his shoulder. “It’s not an exciting life, but someone has to make the sacrifice.”
Nate turns, not taking his eyes off the TV and kisses me in the top of my head. “I’ll gladly sacrifice with you.”
My heart melts. Literally like it just goos out of my chest into a puddle on the ground. What man says the right thing to a woman all the time? And at what point is he going to fade away? I can’t stop feeling like my big fairy godmother granted me a wish, but he’ll turn back into a pumpkin at midnight.
We’ve been together pretty much every day and we’ve fallen into a routine. Breakfast in the morning, seeing Nate off to work, playing with Emma, dinner, and then TV before bed.
I’ve never cuddled with a man on the couch before now.
It’s amazing.
I’m dreading going back to work because my days will get crazier and I’ll have less time to see Emma and Nate.
