“No,” I told Skylar who was still eyeing my stomach. “Are you going to play with my baby once he’s born?”
“No, I have to go to school.”
“You can play with him when you get home.”
“No, I have to take care of the dogs. I’m busy.”
“You ungrateful little hellion,” I growled. “When your uncle ditched you for a hot lawyer, who scared away the monster living in your closet?”
“You did it wrong!” Lyric yelled. “You didn’t do it right!”
“Bullshit, kid. I scared the thing away. You just like drama.”
“No, you failed,” Skylar insisted while Lyric nodded.
“Okay, let’s just agree to disagree,” Nova said and herded her troublemaking daughters away from me.
As they joined Elle in the kitchen, I frowned at Lyric who was still shaking her little head.
“Your natural ease with kids is impressive,” Ford said and grinned at Clint.
Though I nearly defended my skills, Exile shook his head as if to warn me that I was walking into a trap.
So, rather than poke at Ford, I admired Elle in the kitchen. She was trying to convince the girls that a baby was inside her body. But Lyric and Skyler gave her as much shit about her pregnancy as they did with me about their fucking boogeyman.
ELLE
Zodiac repeatedly caught me checking him out. I couldn’t fight my urge to look in his direction. The sexy bastard had haunted my thoughts for months. I even imagined I heard his voice sometimes. One time, I thought he had shown up at Lula’s place two houses down. I immediately ran outside to catch a glimpse. I nearly cried when I realized I’d imagined the entire thing.
I was losing my fucking mind with this silly crush on a devious man!
Why Zodiac? Yes, he was painfully handsome. I also liked how he was a smartass. My dad rarely edited himself while Clint kept his thoughts closer to the vest. I preferred a man who didn’t hide because I was too lazy to figure things out.
Yet, despite Zodiac’s big mouth, I couldn’t tell if anything he said was true. He claimed he wanted to take the baby from me. That seemed like a lie meant to give him leverage in custody. He also talked about getting in my pants again.That definitely seemed true.
What would happen if we fucked again? Would I get over my crush? Would he check out emotionally once he got what he wanted?
I wasn’t even certain what I wanted from Zodiac. He felt like my guy, as if we were destined to be together. But there was no future with Zodiac. He lived and breathed his role as the Black Rainbow’s club president. Giving it up for me was never going to happen.
I had zero interest in moving to Baton Rouge. My life was perfect right now. I loved living with my parents. Sutter liked his routine. Nothing about our life needed changing.
Even if I was willing to start over in Baton Rouge, Zodiac could never be the man I needed him to be. A lot of club wives were willing to look the other way when their men cheated.
But my dad stayed loyal to my mom. Ford and Shay were constantly fooling around or flirting with each other. I wanted the same kind of commitment, but Zodiac always put himself first.
Rather than swoon over an unattainable man, I needed to put my drama in neutral and get on good terms with Zodiac. I’d never shared my kid with his father before. I wanted Wilbur to enjoy the same tranquil childhood that his older brother had.
“Would you like drinks?” I asked my dad, Zodiac, and Exile.
“Are you the waitress now?” Ford asked, frowning at me. “What is this?”
“I’m being a good hostess.”
“Because this fucker is here,” Ford muttered and jutted his thumb at Zodiac.
“Yes, so don’t expect me to serve you later when he’s gone.”
Refusing to let the topic drop, my dad demanded, “Why do it for him but not me?”
