This is the right choice,I told myself. Hopefully, I’d start to believe it soon enough.
I pulled off the highway when I spotted a diner with flickering neon lights and a row of trucks lined up in the parking lot. My hands trembled as I slid into a booth. The waitress, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, brought coffee before I even asked.
“Refill’s on the house, sweetheart,” she said with a smile.
“Thank you,” I whispered, wrapping my hands around the cup, savoring the heat as it burned my palms. I held the mug tighter, letting the burn sear through to the bone. By killing that Russian I’d probably brought even more trouble to Steel Demons’ front door. I knew running off was the coward’s wayout, but the more distance I put between myself and the club, the less chance that someone else would get hurt. I just hoped that once Falcon and his club brothers had their meeting, Petrov realized that it wasn’t the MC he was after, but me.
I shouldn’t have left.
The doubt crept in, distracting me from what I knew I had to do. Leaving was the right thing to do no matter how much it hurt to be away from them and no matter what my heart told me. Falcon deserved better than someone who dragged chaos into his life, putting his friends’ lives at risk. The MC deserved peace for however long it lasted.
And TJ? Good, my sweet boy deserved to live in a world without fear. A world filled with love and happiness and more joy than he could stand.
Maybe I could stay near Steel City. Just close enough to see him grow up. I could watch from a distance, an outside observer, a ghost in my little boy’s life.
“Hey, hon, you want something to eat?” The waitress waited with a patient smile. Her name tag said ‘Mindy’. She looked towards the kitchen and said, “Greg ain’t much to look at but he’s a magician on the flat top.”
I’d planned to stop at the diner for just a few minutes. Grab a cup of coffee and gather my thoughts before getting on the road, but Mindy’s offer was irresistible. I picked up the menu and scanned it until I found something that made me smile. “Cherry pie with ice cream, please. And a refill, thanks.”
“Got it. Anything else?” Her eyes were full of understanding that instantly made me feel a little bit better about… everything.
“I’m eyeing that chocolate pie but let’s start with the cherry.”
“Sounds good. I’ll save you a piece of chocolate just in case.” Mindy took off, grabbing the coffee pot before she bounced from table to table refilling mugs.
Guilt overwhelmed me to the point of tears and I stood abruptly, rushing to the bathroom before I wasthat womanfalling apart in front of the whole diner. The bathroom was empty, all the stall doors hung open and still. I was completely alone in the stark white, fluorescent light, staring at my haggard reflection.
I looked sad and exhausted, which was exactly how I felt.
Guilt hung around in my eyes and not even cold water could erase it, or the heaviness that hung around my shoulders. The water woke me up, but it did nothing to fix my red eyes or blotchy cheeks. Or the sadness that made my heart beat just slightly off. “You did the right thing,” I assured my reflection.
Wasn’t that adulthood, making the right decision even when it hurts like hell?
That tracked but I wasn’t convinced. Maybe crossing the state line would make it feel right. Maybe a few more hundred miles of distance would make thisfeellike the right thing to do.
Maybe one day TJ would forgive me.
When I came back out to the dining room, I froze mid-step.
Falcon sat in my booth with his long legs stretched out under the table, tattooed arms crossed casually over his chest, eating my damn pie. He didn’t look angry. He looked tired andsure, like a man who’d already decided how this was going to end.
My heart stuttered as I took a step forward before stopping again. “Falcon. What are you doing here?”
He looked up, spoon halfway to his mouth, and smiled. It was that slow, knowing grin that never failed to make my pulse jump. It was proof that I hadn’t put enough distance between us. “You didn’t think you could tell me you loved me and then leave me, did you?” His words were so cocky I couldn’t help but smile.
He’s here.That thought shouldn’t have made me happy, but it made me unbelievably happy. “Yeah. I did, actually.”
Falcon chuckled, the sound low and dark, barely amused. He pointed to the seat across from him, the unspoken command impossible to ignore.
I slid into the booth, heart pounding as his gaze settled on me.
“You thought wrong.”
My hands twisted in my lap as I watched him. Why was he here? Why was he so calm while he devouredmypie?
He chewed and my gaze went to his jaw, so strong and beautiful. Instantly my body remembered the feel of his scruff on my skin. He swallowed, those hazel eyes seared into my soul. “I realized there was something I didn’t get to say to you, so I came after you so I could.”
I shook my head as if that act alone could stop whatever he planned to say because I knew, whatever the words were, they would convince me to do what he wanted. “How did the meeting go?”
