“Grace, this is my brother-in-law, Duncan. And that’s Mac.”
“This is King’s girl, Grace.
I started to protest, then remembered the cut I wore. I really was his girl. I lifted my hand in a wave, afraid to speak. Neither man looked friendly.
The man named Mac stood from his place on the couch and moved to stand by the fireplace. Maureen and Colleen led me over and sat on either side of me. I felt everyone staring at me.
“I’m sorry, I told King I wanted to go upstairs, but he didn’t want me to be alone.”
“What happened, Grace? I know King had some kind of meeting tonight.” I opened my mouth, and the sheriff held up his hand. “I’m not asking what it was about; I don’t want to know. I just want to know what has you so upset.”
“I met my father.” I heard Maureen’s soft inhale. “Well, actually, I already knew him.” I looked up at Maureen. “He’s my uncle Stephen.”
“Oh, Grace.” She pulled me against her and the tears started up again. God, I was so tired of crying. I didn’t know how I wasn’t completely dehydrated after the sheer volume of tears that had left my body over the past week or so.
I’d talked with Maureen a little about my uncle Stephen. About how he used to be there. How much he loved me and spent time with me. And how one day he was just gone. She’d suggested asking Nav to help me find him. But I guess I didn’t need to now.
The sheriff’s phone rang and when he answered it, I knew it was King.
“What for?” he asked as he looked at me. Then he looked at his phone and growled, “The little shit hung up on me.”
“What did he call for?” I asked.
“I need to go back to the clubhouse.”
“Why?” Maureen asked. The sheriff shrugged.
“You want us to come with you?” Mac asked, straightening from his place against the mantel.
“Nah, he told me to come alone.”
“Is that safe?” Duncan asked. “Sal went over there.”
“Well, since King called Dec, and Sal didn’t call you, Dunc, I can only assume King shot the motherfucker.” I gasped, and Mac chuckled. “I’m kidding, sweetheart. King would have called us if he’d killed Sal, not Mr. Upstanding Sheriff over here.”
“Fuck off, Mac,” the sheriff growled. Mac must not have thought there was any real heat behind it because he threw his head back and laughed, startling the baby in Duncan’s arms.
Bennett let his displeasure known and cried. “Someone come get him.”
Colleen huffed and stood up. “Wait until I tell Freyja how you reacted to holding your nephew. Did you act this way when I was a baby too?”
“He didn’t hold you until you could talk.” Maureen laughed.
“I don’t think your wife will let you out of that shit,” Mac informed.
I stared at the door as Colleen and the two men bantered back and forth about Duncan’s upcoming status change,wondering why King called him back so soon. Had something happened to him? To Uncle Stephen?
I might be angry, but seeing Uncle Stephen standing in front of me, pulling me into his arms, fixed something inside me. Something that was broken a long time ago. Something only a father could fix.
There were a lot of questions I needed answers to. Some answers even he might not have. But he was here. And he was happy to see me.
“What happened, Grace? How did you know he was your father?” Maureen asked, pulling my attention from the door.
“King told me.”
“He knew?”
“I don’t think so. At least not before tonight.”
