“Feeling a little neglected?”
“A lot. I’m feeling a lot neglected.”
He grinned, kissing me and stroking my cheek. “Better?”
I nodded. “Yes. Much.”
He kissed my belly, then stepped out of his truck. “Be right back.”
I didn’t have to wait long before Hatch and Maisie walked out behind Sundance. Hatch had his arm around her, and he was obviously still totally besotted with her even after over a decade together. I hoped Sundance and I would be the same way.
Hatch helped Maisie into the truck, and we greeted each other while Hatch and Sundance chatted outside for a second.
“Are they coordinating with the Secret Service, do you think?” I asked.
Maisie chuckled. “Whoever they choose will be armed far more adequately.”
I sighed. “Well, there is that.”
Hatch and Sundance climbed into the truck and we headed to the Bistro, finding Aero and Scrappy already there, along with Scooby and some young kid who wasn’t introduced to us.
The kid waited with the truck while Sundance and Hatch walked us in, kissed us, then left us again, and I couldn’t stop a sigh of relief at the privacy.
“It’s a lot, isn’t it, love?” Maisie asked as we looked at our menus.
“Yes. I mean, it’s…I don’t know how to put it, honestly.” I smoothed my napkin on my lap and grabbed a dinner roll.
“Invigorating, enlightening, terrifying?”
“Oh my god, yes, exactly.”
She chuckled, setting the menu down. “When I met Hatch, I was a widow with a twelve-year-old daughter, a multi-million-dollar company, and a best friend who was trying to kill me.”
“No way.”
“Sadly, it’s true,” she said. “My darling friend was troubled, but no one knew exactly how far she’d fallen, and she had a break. It was devastating and if I hadn’t had Hatch there, I think I would have crumbled from the weight of all of it.”
“Jesus, I would have.”
“In that moment, I realized that people do things for all manner of reasons, and just because Hatch was a biker didn’t make him less than, if that makes sense. He looks rough, but he’s the gentlest human I know…well, unless you threaten me or his children. And Ali was my partner. Lived in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods, her husband’s a detective, and yet, she tried to kill me and my daughter. It put everything into perspective for me.”
My stomach got fluttery. “You just put all my fears to rest with a couple of sentences.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Does he listen to you?”
“Yes.”
“Does he tell you what’s going on?”
I nodded.
“Then you’re a true old lady,” she said with a shrug. “They don’t confide in just anyone.”
“So I understand.” I chuckled. “He was very clear about that.”
She smiled. “If you ever feel out of sorts, you can ring me, love. Never hesitate.”
“Thanks, Maisie, I appreciate it.”
