“Right,” he said. “I’ll just give her a water glass.”
Blade was so supportive when I told him about my old Sunday dinner tradition, insisting on helping me in any way that he could, even though he was mostly helpless in the kitchen. So, I had him set the table.
Looking around, I couldn’t believe that this was the same house that had felt so lonely to me just a few months ago. I had redecorated every room, knowing that was what my mom would have wanted. Now it was really my place. No, it wasourplace. Living with Blade made me happy to be home. I liked waking up to his face and falling asleep in his arms every night.
Blade was no longer street fighting. When he told me about it, I was mortified. I knew that there were no rules in the ring at those places, and he could end up seriously hurt or even killed. Luca might have left town, but another one would crop up, eventually. They always did. I didn’t tell Blade that he had to stop, but when he saw how worried I was, he promised not to do it anymore. He said that talking to me about his brother helped. I hoped it was true. He’d done so much to help me, I wanted to be there for him, to help him fight his own demons.
I finished up my meal while Blade swept up the broken glass and finished setting the table. The roasted beef was sliced on a platter, and there were bowls of glazed carrots and mashed potatoes on the stove. I’d followed recipes that I had found written on index cards in my mom’s handwriting in a small metal box. It was a little nerve-wracking to cook such a nice meal by myself for the first time, but it also brought back some of the best memories that I had of my mom. Just the smells wafting through the house seemed to transport me back in time.
“This looks amazing, Kitten,” Blade said, coming up behind me and kissing the side of my neck.
“Thank you,” I said as pride ballooned within me.
He reached around and tried to snag a piece of beef, but I slapped his hand away. “No way, mister. This is for everyone.”
He pouted playfully. “Haven’t you ever heard of quality control? Someone should taste it to make sure it tastes good. I’m willing to take the risk for you.”
I turned around, putting my arms around his neck. “You’re such a hero.”
Blade took my lips in a kiss, but at that moment, the door of the house opened, and Jason called out, “We’re here, guys. Coming into the house. Is the coast clear?”
I chuckled as I pulled my mouth away from Blade’s and called out. “Yeah, come on in.”
Jason used to walk right into my house unannounced all the time, but now he was more cautious since two days after Blade moved in, he’d walked in to find the two of us butt-naked on the couch, in the middle of wild sex.
Now, he claimed to be scarred for life and insisted on announcing his arrival. He still didn’t bother to just knock and wait for us to answer the door, though. I guessed it was just a habit from having grown up here.
He and Lexie came in, Lexie holding a pie. I had requested that they take care of dessert because I was already exceeding my own limits by making the meal. Baking was just out of the question.
“Coconut cream pie,” Lexie said, popping it into the refrigerator for later.
“Yum,” Blade said, and I put a hand on his arm.
“Don’t even think about going near that fridge.”
“What do you think I am, some kind of animal?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Only in the bedroom,” he smirked.
“Hey, not on family dinner day,” Jason said, his nose scrunched up and a look of disgust on his face. “You’ve done enough damage to my fragile psyche.”
I threw the dish towel at him across the table, and he dodged it like it was a bullet.
“Come on, Jason, help me with the drinks,” Blade said.
I watched for a moment as the two most important men in my life worked together to fill up the wine glasses and get Lexie some water. It wasn’t really a two-person job, but I appreciated the effort. The two of them had become fast friends after that night at the Pit, which just showed that belonging to rival motorcycle clubs didn’t really affect much in the grand scheme of things.
Jason’s decision to leave Las Balas was a good one, but it had been poorly received by our father. I hadn’t talked to my dad since the night that I drove him home drunk, and I had no plans to reach out to him anymore. Since Jason had filled me in on the gritty details of Las Balas activities, I couldn’t look at him the same anymore. In fact, knowing that my father had played a part in human trafficking even though he had a daughter of his own made my stomach turn.
I was finally done with the man, after so many years of hoping to connect on some level, somehow. I pushed thoughts of my dad aside and focused on Lexie, who was leaning against the counter, also watching our men.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked.
“I was just thinking that things are so much better since Jason left Las Balas. I feel like I have him back again, you know? It’s not just that he has more time for me, either. When he was a prospect, he seemed troubled, even when wedidspend time together. It was like he was never really away from them.”
“Yeah, I’m just glad that they never made him a full patch.”
