Mama opened the dishwasher and started loading it. “If you don’t want her to leave, give her a reason to stay.”
I didn’t know how to do that. Hell, I didn’t even know where to start. “You make it sound so damn simple.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Nothing in life is simple, my boy. There’s a lot of pain and hurt in this world, so when you find something that makes you happy, you gotta hold onto it with both hands. Don’t let it go.”
“I met her less than forty-eight hours ago.”
“So? You let her in, Alex. You’ve never done that before. If you’re interested, make a move. You’re not getting any younger, you know, and I wouldn’t mind having another grandbaby or two. Or three.”
Mama was telling me to go for it. Sure, her reasons were selfish, but at least I had her support. “Sasha’s injured. She’s been through a lot. I don’t even know all the details. I’m not even sure how she’d feel about me touching her right now.”
She leveled a stare at me. “Boy, please. You two can’t even keep your hands off each other. If you’re worried about it, make your interest known and let her take the lead.”
Mama and I had always been close enough to speak bluntly, but I wasn’t entirely comfortable with this conversation. “I’ll think about it,” I said as I got to work helping her clean up the kitchen.
When we finished, Mama went up to her room to take a nap while I joined Sasha and Hailey in the living room. Sasha was lying on her side on the sofa, with Hailey out cold and tucked against her. Sasha watched the movie as her fingers absently stroked Hailey’s hair away from her face. They looked peaceful and comfortable together, and I didn’t want to intrude. I leaned against the wall and watched them, marveling at how quickly they’d bonded.
Sasha just seemed to fit in my world. She was like a puzzle piece I hadn’t even known was missing until it changed everything by completing the picture.
“Give her a reason to stay.”
Oh, I intended to.
I just needed a game plan. Trying to come up with one, I pushed off the wall and approached the ladies. Sasha’s gaze lifted and she beamed a smile at me that was so pure and beautiful it made me want to join the two of them on the couch.
“I think she likes me,” Sasha whispered.
I returned her smile. “How could she not? You’re a likable person. Hell, I like you, and I don’t even like people.”
Sasha’s smile was shy. “Thank you.”
“I’m gonna put her to bed, so she’ll stay asleep for a while. She needs her rest.”
I could tell Sasha wanted to object, but she stayed silent as I picked Hailey up and carried her up to her room. When I returned to the living room, Sasha was gone. I looked in the kitchen and bathroom before finally finding her back in the basement. The blanket I’d brought her last night was folded on the edge of the sofa, and her purse was slung over her shoulder as she paced in front of the sofa.
“What are you doing?” I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.
She glanced up at me. “Thinking.”
“About what?”
She stopped moving and finally met my gaze. “Are you sure my presence isn’t putting you guys in danger?”
It wasn’t what I expected her to say, but her concern made sense. “Yes.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m very good at what I do. That’s not me being cocky, it’s me being honest. I know what I’m doing. When I ran into you, I was planting bugs in Buzz’s office. We’re monitoring his conversations.”
“Who?”
“Morse. Buddha’s helping him, along with Bull and Specks. I hop on sometimes and listen to the feeds. Mostly when you’re asleep.”
“And you trust these guys?”
That was a complicated question. Deciding to answer it as honestly as possible, I replied, “They’re good, solid guys. I trust them to do what’s right and to protect the club. I’m part of the club. Besides, if anything got through, Morse would consider it a personal failure, and that motherfucker’s too damn proud to ever let himself fail. He’d work himself into exhaustion first.”
“You don’t trust many people, do you?” Her eyes were so damn gorgeous, they were all I could focus on. Bright green, glassy like she was on the verge of tears, they looked like liquid emeralds.
