I grab her chin and tilt her face up toward me. "Why would you ask that?"
She licks her lips and tries to catch her breath. My hand cups her cheek as my thumb runs back and forth over it, trying to give her a little comfort. "Baby?"
"I failed to protect him. I let them hurt him, and then I almost killed him. What if they're looking down on me thinking I'm a failure? What if they think I'm a disappointment?" She closes her eyes and tries to drop her head, but I hold her face tighter.
"Look at me," I demand. She bites her lips and shakes her head. "Dragonfly." Her eyes flick open and she focusses on mine. "You have put yourself in harm’s way, you have taken everything they have thrown at you since you got there, all to protect your brother. You could have left him there, but you didn't, you stayed to make sure that he was okay, and the only reason you got in that car was because you knew it was time. You knew if you stayed it would only get worse."
I pull her tighter to me, making sure her face stays on mine. "I never got to know your parents, but I know that they wouldn't be disappointed in you, they couldn't be. That little boy out there calls you his hero, you have done everything you can for him, and he knows that, he's grateful for it.”
She blinks back the tears that are sitting on the rims of her eyes, no longer falling. "I wish I'd done something sooner, I wish I'd told Andrea, or even ran away. Anything would have been better than staying there, letting them hurt him, hurt me." She takes a deep breath and licks her lips.
"You did everything that you could do, running was never an option, you know that, baby, or you would have done it sooner. You put yourself in harm’s way every day to ensure they never touched your brother. You’re stronger than you realise, you need to remember that." My hand cradles the back of her neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You can't dwell on the past, Dragonfly, the what ifs won't change anything, they'll only serve to drive you crazy." I pull her head to my chest, and she settles into me as I feel her breathing steady. "We should go, baby, we need to get back to the clubhouse." I feel her nod against me, but neither of us make any attempt to move.
***
We stayed there for another thirty minutes before we got back on the road. By the time she got back on my bike, she seemed lighter in herself. But as we draw near the clubhouse, I can feel her beginning to tense up again. I know she'll be worried about being back here, especially now that custody has been transferred back to Andrea. Nova will be more worried about retribution from her uncle. I know there is a restraining order against them, but we all know a piece of paper will do jack shit if he wants to get to them.
Her hands tighten around my stomach as the clubhouse comes into view. "You okay, Dragonfly?" I ask her through the headset.
"Yeah," she responds, but doesn't sound convincing. I don't push her though, there's no point, I know how she's feeling. I grip her thigh and give it a squeeze, giving her a little comfort.
As we ride through the gate and pull up to our spaces, my brothers step out the front door to greet us. Nova climbs off the bike as I shut off the engine and climb off after her. Her hands gently rest on my sides as I unclip her helmet and place it on the back of my bike before removing mine.
"Sweetheart," Nitro greets her with a hug, followed by Wrath. I smile as she reciprocates it and then moves to the car where Andrea is helping Mason out.
"Prez, VP," I greet Nitro and Wrath.
"We have a gift for you in the basement," Wrath tells me with a grin. I raise an eyebrow in question but they both just smirk.
"Later," Nitro tells me. "Let’s go catch up in Church, bring your girl," he says before walking away.
I turn to see my brothers greeting Nova and Mason, and my heart fucking swells. They've only been here a few weeks, but they've already made an impression. And I love that my brothers treat them like family.
I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her to me. "We need to go inside," I say to her and the others. She looks up at me, smiles, and then turns back to Mason.
"Will you be okay, buddy?" she asks him.
He rolls his eyes at her, and I can't help but laugh. She gives me a quick elbow to the ribs before turning back to him. But before she has a chance to say anything to him, he's already wandering off inside with Prospect.
"Come on, baby, let’s go," I say, tugging her in the direction of the clubhouse.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Once again they already had extra chairs brought in here for Nova and Andrea, and there's also one for Arthur too. Outsiders are not allowed in this room, not normally, but those rules are relaxed when anything being discussed directly involves them.
"How was the trip?" Nitro asks us, but his eyes are locked on Nova. I go to answer, when she beats me to it. And I love that she has found a confidence she didn't have before, she no longer has that edge of fear whenever she's in here or around Nitro.
"It was good, thank you, Nitro. I really appreciate you letting us go with some of the guys," she says to him with a smile.
He raises an eyebrow at her. "You don't need to thank me, sweetheart. You needed a break. You're one of us, and we protect our own."He looks to Andrea and Arthur, who both nod at him. Although Andrea looks mad.
"Nova." Prez turns back to my girl. "Andrea is now Mason’s guardian. She wanted to tell him, but we said that falls to you. Nobody will say anything to him until you are ready to let him know."
"Okay. Thank you. I'd like him to know today. He deserves to have some good news, I want to make him happy," she says to him, then glances over to Andrea. "I'm sorry, but I would like to tell him alone. No offence, but I do want to make sure that he's okay with it first."
Andrea doesn't say anything, she just half smiles at her, and her attitude pisses me off. "Do you have an issue with that?" I demand. Nova grabs my leg under the table and gives it a squeeze.
"Andrea is a little pissed we've put some stipulations in place and Arthur agrees with us," Wrath cuts in. She gives him a dirty look and then glares at Nitro before dropping her gaze to the table.
