“What do you suggest I do?”Big Dick asked.
“Keep trying.Keep being there.Keep fighting.It is all you can do.”Harlow reached out and put a hand on his thigh.“It’s not for nothing.She’s the mother of your child, George.Don’t lose hope.”
“Since when are you the voice of reason?”Big Dick asked.
Harlow put her hand on her stomach.“Have you not heard?This is like a magic spell.I’m all great and knowing now.Mothers know best and I am going to enjoy every single second of it.”She winked at him.“Just as I know that I’m getting cold and I need to go and warm up.Talk to you soon?”
“Yeah.”She kissed his cheek and he watched as she walked away.
He felt the cold, but right now, he wasn’t interested in making his way inside.He just needed to sit and process everything.Was it possible that Larissa might still love him?Could he even get his hopes up to wish for something as magical as that?He wanted to.
“You all right?”Erick asked, coming toward him.
Now, this did surprise him.Out of all his brothers and even Harlow, Erick rarely came down to the tree house.Most of the time, he figured it was because Erick felt like he was too good for all of them.
“What are you doing here?”Big Dick asked.
Erick held his hand up and then sighed.“I saw you leave and then Harlow, then Harlow come back.”He shrugged.“I figured you needed some air.”
“You actually thought right.”
He watched Erick as his brother looked up toward the tree house.“You know, I always wanted to be part of this.I wanted to try and get inside that damn tree house.”
Big Dick frowned.“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Erick laughed.“I guess you don’t know this, but I’m afraid of heights.”
“Wait?What?”
That laughter turned nervous as Big Dick got to his feet.
“You’re kidding me right now?”he asked.
“No.I tried when no one was around to get up into the tree, but yeah, it scared me.”Erick pressed his hands together and then let them go.
“You never said anything.”
“You were never around and neither was Harlow.There was no way I was going to tell you all that I was shitting myself about climbing up the tree.”
Big Dick looked at Erick, and then felt like a shitty big brother.“You think Harlow wasn’t a little afraid?Nor Jude?Trust me, we were all a little afraid.”
“You weren’t,” Erick said.
“That’s because I was the one to help Dad with the tree house, and besides, look at me.”He snorted.
“Nah, you’re not afraid of anything.”
Usually, Big Dick would have let that slide.“That’s not true.”
Erick raised both of his brows.“Come on, George.You and I both know nothing scares you.”
“Some things scare me.”
“Like what?”
“Like not being there for the club,” Big Dick said.“Being a bad ...father.Not being good enough for Larissa.”
“That scares you?”Erick asked.“I know you’ve faced death.You were there that day at the bakery when someone was shooting the place up.”
