“Yeah, as my kid’s mum.”
“Things aren’t solved then?”
“If you mean has she forgiven me, no. Are we back together, also no. But are we existing together, absolutely. Am I being supportive and trying to repair all the damage I’ve done, yes.”
“And how long are you gonna do that for?” he asks.
His words irritate me. “As long as I need to, D.”
“You’re giving up your entire life,” he cries impatiently.
“No, I’m changing it. I get to be here and watch my child grow. I get to have weekends and maybe even some nights. I get to do days out or school runs. If I’m back in Nottingham, none of that is possible.”
“Bullshit. You’d still have contact.”
“I wanna be hands-on, and that means being where Eden is.”
“Brother, I told you before, the club is where you are. We can uproot. We can expand.”
I shake my head. “That life isn’t for me anymore.”
“No?” he asks, his brow arched. “The road ain’t calling you? The rush of need to inflict carnage and pain not keeping you awake at night? Damn, Kade, it’s who you are.”
“It’s who I was.”
“And this is who you are now?” he asks, picking at my shirt in disgust. “Is this pink?”
“Salmon,” I mutter.
“Jesus,” he huffs. “Next, you’ll be drinking decaf.” My eyes reach his, and he groans. “Shit. Really?”
He scrubs his hands over his face. “I’m just making sure this is exactly what you want, Kade.”
“It is.”
“And to say if you ever change your mind, the patch is yours. It belongs to you.”
Diesel’s words haunt me all afternoon.
It’s who you are.
The rain’s coming down hard by the time I pull into the farmyard, fat drops hammering the roof of the truck, turning the yard into brown mud puddles. Pete’s Land Rover isn’t here. He’d texted earlier—lambing shed ran long, might crash there—so the place is quiet. Too quiet.
I drop my keys on the counter and stand there for a second, staring at nothing.
Maybe Diesel’s right. Maybe one day, I’ll wake up craving the road again. The noise. The violence. The chaos.
But right now, all I can think about is Eden’s laugh earlier. The way her hand had rested on her bump, protective, loving. The way my patience is paying off and she doesn’t look at me like she hates me anymore.
Thunder rolls overhead, and then a loud knock brings me back into the room.
I frown, glancing at the clock. It’s too late for anyone local.
There’s another knock. Harder. Urgent.
I move to the door, my gut tightening with something I can’t name, and pull it open.
Eden.
