“I just got her back,” I snap. “I’m not bailing on her again. Not now.”
“You’re not bailing.” Hawk steps closer, voice lowering. “You’re doing your job. Take Colt with you.”
Colt, who had been halfway through a pancake, raises his hand. “I’m flattered, but also, what the hell did I do?”
Ignoring Colt, my eyes go right back to Hope.
Her expression softens with understanding, and affection warms her eyes. “Frost,” she says gently, placing a hand on my chest. “Go.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know.” Her thumb strokes once across my shirt. “You’re not running from me. You’re working. You’ll be back in two days.”
“You sure?” My voice is rougher than I'd like.
She smiles reassuringly. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
Amy leans against the counter. “If I hear about any bunnies coming near him, I’ll set the clubhouse on fire.”
“Amy,” Hope groans.
Colt chokes on his breakfast.
But Hope steps closer, rising on her toes to whisper, “I trust you, Frost.”
The tension inside my body slowly dissipates.
I cup her jaw with my hand, thumb brushing her cheek. “I’ll make it quick.”
“You better.” She winks.
Dad claps me on the back. “Stop making eyes at your woman and go pack. Faster you get out of here and handle business, the faster you get back.”
Hope blushes a deep red, and Amy pretends to gag.
“Whipped,” Colt mutters with a smirk on his face.
I ignore all of them because Hope is still smiling at me like she has all the confidence in the world that I’ll be back.
If she’s willing to stay… Then I’ll move mountains to come back to her.
CHAPTER 22
HOPE
“I’ll see you in a couple of days,” Frost hollers over the rumble of his bike.
Standing outside the clubhouse with Paige, Amy, Chaos, and a few other club members, I hug my arms around myself as the desert wind whips against my skin. The sound of motorcycles fades into the distance long after the actual bikes disappear behind the dusty road. Frost looked back three times before he finally pulled out of the lot. Every time, I felt that little tug in my heart, equal parts hope and fear.
“He’ll be fine,” Paige says gently beside me.
Amy snorts. “He better be. I didn’t bring my bat across state lines for nothing.”
Chaos throws her a side-eye. “You terrify me, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”
“That means it’s working,” she says sweetly.
I finally turn away from the road. “Okay.” I take a deep breath. “We have a lot to do.”
