"I—" She blinks. "You came all the way here to give me a ride?"
"We're neighbors. It's on my way." Technically true, even if I came here specifically for her. "Wind's died down but it's still cold. Kid probably doesn't need to walk in it again."
She looks down at her son, then back at me, clearly torn.
"I don't want to impose," she says quietly. "You've already done so much—"
"Ruby." I take a step closer, keeping my voice gentle. "It's a five-minute ride. You're not imposing. I'm offering."
She bites her lip, and I try not to notice how the gesture draws my attention to her mouth. How her lips are full and pink and—
Stop it.
"I've never been on a motorcycle before," she admits. "And Liam—"
"Right. The kid." Fuck, I hadn't thought that through. Can't exactly put a two-year-old on a bike. "I could walk with you? Help carry him?"
"You'd walk with us?"
"Why not?" I shrug like it's no big deal, even though offering to walk when I have a perfectly good bike feels weird as hell. "Got nothing else to do."
That's a lie. I've got a list of things I should be doing. Bike maintenance, checking in with the club, hitting the gym. But standing here looking at Ruby's exhausted eyes and the way Liam's weight is already making her shoulder dip, none of that matters.
"Okay," she says finally, and relief floods through me. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure." I gesture down the street. "Shall we?"
She falls into step beside me, adjusting Liam on her hip. The kid studies me with serious eyes, his thumb in his mouth.
"Hey, little man," I say to him. "Remember me from yesterday?"
Liam doesn't respond, just keeps staring.
"He's shy around new people," Ruby explains. "Especially men."
I don't blame him.
"That's smart," I tell Liam. "Don't trust people until you know they're safe."
Ruby glances at me, "That's a sad way to live."
"It's a realistic way to live."
I've learned that lesson the hard way. Trust the wrong person and you get burned. Trust no one and you stay safe. Except I trusted King. Trusted the club. And they haven't let me down yet.
We walk in silence for a block. Ruby seems to be struggling with something, opening her mouth then closing it again without speaking.
"Just say it," I tell her.
"Say what?"
"Whatever's bouncing around in your head. You keep looking at me like you want to ask something."
"Is it that obvious?"
"Pretty obvious, yeah."
"I just—" She pauses, adjusting Liam again. "I heard your motorcycle last night. Late. Past midnight. I was wondering... where were you?"
