“A little.” I manage a small smile. “But I’ve got bigger things to worry about right now.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Sydney says. “Silver knows what he’s doing.”
I nod, but the knot in my stomach doesn’t loosen.
Finally, the office door opens.
The men stride out, Silver in the front. His expression is unreadable, but I can see the tension in his shoulders and the tightness around his eyes. I’m on my feet before I even realize I’ve moved.
“What’s happened?” I ask.
Silver meets my gaze. “I’ve agreed to the meeting with Tom. Logan’s going to mediate. We’ve got to figure out what happens with the club. Tom’s still the official president, but the club’s divided down the line. Some men on his side. Others on mine. We need to settle this before it tears everything apart.”
“Let me go with you.”
He shakes his head, reaching out to cup my cheek. “It’ll be alright. Mace is gonna drive with me.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” Sydney says, stepping toward Mace.
He pulls her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “No need to worry, Syd.”
Silver leans down and kisses me too. “Stay put. Other guys like Tito are here to hold down the fort. I’ll be back soon.”
His lips linger on mine for a moment longer, then he’s turning away. He walks out of the saloon, Mace at his side.
I watch him go, my heart lodged somewhere in my throat, hoping with everything I have that it’s all going to somehow be okay…
30
SILVER
“So. Kid on the way?”
Mace sneaks me a glance from the driver’s seat, his jaw twitching and hand tightening on the wheel for a second before he returns his gaze to the road.
I chuckle at his non-answer answer, settling back in my seat. “Your poker face needs some work.”
“How long have you known?”
“Suspected for a while,” I admit. “Especially with how Sydney’s been turning down drinks lately. That woman loves her whiskey sours—it’s not like her to pass one up. But I knew for sure yesterday after the brawl. Sydney rushed off to the ladies’ restroom saying she was gonna be sick. I’ve never known her to be the squeamish type, which means…”
Mace exhales slowly through his nose. “She’s four months along. Not really showing yet—it’s winter and she’s been hiding under sweaters—but yeah.” A ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “We’re expecting.”
“Congratulations. You’re gonna be a great father, Mace.”
He’s quiet for a moment, his eyes fixed on the gray strip of road stretching ahead of us. It’s clearly been on his mind the way my relationship with Solana has been on mine; he’s thinking over what a change this is and what it means for the future.
“I’m not the nervous type,” he says finally. “But I’ll admit... I’m a little nervous about this. Even just three years ago, I never imagined I’d be here. Never saw myself getting married, let alone having kids. But now that I’m with Sydney… I don’t regret any of it. Not one second.”
I nod along. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Is that how you felt?” he asks, glancing over at me. “When you were my age, getting married and becoming a father for the first time?”
“There’s a difference between me and Rachel and you and Sydney,” I say slowly. “Me and Rachel... we were younger. More idealistic. We’d never suffered or been through anything difficult together. We were almost kids ourselves. Barely adults playing at grown-up life.”
I look out the window at the winter-bare trees blurring past. “But you and Sydney? You’ve lived. You’ve got experience. You’ve walked into this with your eyes wide open, knowing exactly what you’re signing up for. Everybody’s nervous to become a parent. But the two of you? You’ll be just fine.”
Mace nods, absorbing my words.
