“Done.” He doesn’t hesitate.
“I hate cheaters,” I admit.
“We have that in common, beautiful.” He leans down to kiss my forehead. “You’ll hear from me soon.”
And just like that, Torque walks out my door. As I sink into my chair, I know I’m not going to be able to resist him. I’ll try. It’ll be my best effort.
But. . . I’ll totally fail.
I’M STILL SEATED ATthe table when the front door opens, and my sister enters.
“Hey, girls!”
Ainsley jumps up from the couch and runs toward Amy. “Mommy!”
It’s uncanny how she can go from a deep sleep to being wide awake within a few heartbeats. I’m almost envious of how quickly she can fall asleep and then bounce back. I wish I could.
“I got lots today,” Ainsley tells my sister.
Oops.
I forgot to text Amy. In my defense, I had a hell of a distraction since it happened.
“What?” Amy asks. “Noelle?”
I push away from the table and walk into the living room. “Yeah. We had a little incident at the mall today, but she’s fine,” I rush to explain. “I threw away our trash, and Ainsley didn’t wait for me.”
Amy looks at her daughter. “What have I said about staying close to Auntie Noelle?”
Ainsley pouts. “But I wanted to see Santa.”
“You always wait for an adult.” She smooths her hand over Ainsley’s hair. “You’re precious to me. I love you so much. I don’t want any bad guys to hurt you.”
Ainsley flashes a bright smile. “A biker helped Auntie Noah. He’s got big muscles.” She curves her palm over her arm to show Amy. “And lots of pictures on his skin.”
Amy blinks. “Pictures?”
“Tattoos,” I explain.
“Oh.” She frowns. “Wait. You said a biker helped you?”
“Torque and a few of his club members. Summit Hill Vipers.” I shrug. “They were nice.”
“Uh, okay.” She glances at her daughter. “Do you need to go potty before we leave?”
Ainsley nods.
“Go on, babygirl. I’ll wait for you.”
Ainsley runs toward the bathroom, and I hear her struggle with the toilet lid and the princess-themed toilet seat I bought her for when she comes over. It prevents her from falling in and making messes. Amy has a similar one at her place.
“Tell me about this biker.”
Her tone surprises me. “He gave up his table for us at the food court, and then I ran into him when I lost Ainsley for a few minutes. He helped find her.”
Her gaze lands on my kitchen table. “Did he come here?”
“Yes. He followed us because of the weather.”
