Zoya shifted beside me, her eyes going from Eliana back to me.
Eliana noticed instantly. She crouched down so she was eye level with her, her voice softening. “Hey, Z. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to. You can just try one bite. Or none at all. Totally your call.”
Zoya glanced up at me, her eyes wide. It was at times like this I wished my daughter could say what she wanted to say.
“So what’s in it?” I asked.
“Today’s is blueberry and banana with chia seeds, granola, and peanut butter.”
I glanced over at Zoya. “Blueberries? What do you reckon?” I took a blueberry from the bowl and tossed it into my mouth. “Tates pretty good, you gonna give it a try?”
That seemed to be enough.
She picked up the spoon, dipped it cautiously into the bowl, and took a tiny bite.
Then another.
I watched as she kept going. A few minutes later, the bowl was scraped clean. I stared at the empty dish in amazement.
To her credit, Eliana didn’t gloat. But I didn’t miss the triumphant smile tugging at her lips as she turned to rinse the dishes.
“You happy now?” The question came out on a low growl whispered in her ear.
Her shoulders fell but I didn’t miss the shiver she tried to shake off. Was it because of me? My proximity? Did she get a thrill arguing with me the way I did with her? “I’m pleased,” she finally answered, glancing over her shoulder at me in a way that made my balls tighten in my boxers. “We found something she likes and that’s a good start, I think.”
There was something in her tone, and calm, unbothered confidence that did something to me. She irritated me with her fucking distracted way of humming, but I couldn’t look away. Not from the fine line of her jaw, the straight line of her nose. The way the shoulder slipped slightly off one shoulder, showing off smooth golden-brown skin with a freckle on her neck and a scar near her collarbone. Soft, pink lips in the perfect bow. In the few days she’d been in our lives I was starting to get a bit too interested in Zoya’s new babysitter.
Fuck.
I ripped my gaze from her and reached for my keys. “I’m heading out.”
“Club business?” she asked in a tone that made me feel exposed.
“None of your business.”
“Right,” she grumbled under her breath. “Well Zoya and I are going to have some fun today, aren’t we?” Her gaze slid past me to my little girl, a small smile on her full lips.
I looked to Zoya, who nodded and gave me a smile. The smile came more frequently these days, and I wondered what kind of magic spell Eliana had woven around my little girl. “Good. Have all the fun.” I kissed the top of Zoya’s head, intending to leave but I couldn’t because when I straightened and turned away from my daughter, there was Eliana.
She wore a knowing look on her face as if she knew what I was doing. As if she could tell I was fleeing rather than facing the chaos that raged inside of me. With her smile fixed in place, her gaze met me head on, as if she was challenging me. The sun lit her up, or maybe it was just that bright fucking sweater and the humming, which had returned.
This time I still hated it, but it did something odd, intensifying yet calming my racing heart.
I hated it.
Fuck that, I loved it too.
Finally, I got my shit together and stormed out of the kitchen and headed to my garage before I did something stupid like smile back.
I hopped on my bike, looking forward to being at the clubhouse where shit made sense, at least more sense than whatever the fuck was happening inside my house. I was used to MC chaos, to the violence, the crime, the life and death of it all. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, there was a fine line between my work as a SEAL and my work as a biker. I understood it.
I thrived in it.
***
When I arrived at the clubhouse, I was tossed in the thick of the chaos. “Sledge, come with me,” Rocky’s voice called out as soon as I set foot inside. He headed my way, his expression serious and seriously fucking worried.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
