“Do you think she’ll react negatively to me being introduced as her father?”
I cupped his cheek. “I think that it’ll take some time for it to sink in. But, once she wraps her head around things like I had a chance to, all she’ll want is to spend every waking moment with you until she learns everything there is to know.”
When he smiled, it lit up my entire world. “Well, as long as you think it’s all right, I’d love to meet Natty.”
“It is. I promise. It’s time she knows the truth just like I do.”
And after he pulled me in for one last kiss, his face settled into one of seriousness.
Which ripped me right back into the panicked reality I had found myself in.
“So, as far as the warehouse goes, I know it’s where you three are going to be safest. That way, I can keep an eye on you guys while you have the protection of the entire crew. That’s where I instructed West to take Chloe and Natty, so they should be there by the time we roll up.”
For the smallest of moments, I had completely forgotten about the issue at hand. About the cartel, and why we packed shit up in the first place. My muscles stiffened as I closed my eyes, but to say I was nervous was an understatement.
“And you’re sure we’ll be safe there?” I asked.
“Lexi, look at me.”
My gaze found him. “Yeah?”
He took my hands in his and threaded our fingers together. “Even with everything I know now, I still believe that you guys living in the warehouse for a spell is the safest option.”
“I don’t know what to do about Natty’s schooling. If she misses so many days, she’ll be held back.”
“Well, you said that they were trying to push her up a couple of grades, right?”
My face fell flat. “That can’t be an excuse for her to miss so much school.”
He pulled me close against him. “We’ll figure something out. Notch used to be a paramedic, so maybe we can get him to write some sort of pseudo doctor’s note that excuses her, or at least provides a reason as to why she needs to homeschool for a little while.”
I shook my head. “I don’t feel good about lying like that.”
“There won’t be anything to lie about if I can’t keep you guys safe. So, let’s focus on that and then I’ll help in whatever way I can with the fallout. Deal?”
I sighed as I nodded softly. “Deal. But, is a place full of big ol’ biker men really safe for a girl who’s almost seven?”
He chuckled. “It’s not just the guys that are there. They’ve got all of their ladies locked up with them, too. Some of them even have kids around her age. There’s a little girl who’s eight, I believe—or she might be seven—named Keva. Stone, our President? His wife, Hayley, is expecting. She’s got to be at least seven months pregnant at this point. I promise you; you guys will be just fine at the warehouse.”
“So, there are other women there, too?”
He grinned. “Oh, yeah. I promise, you three won’t be the only women, nor will Natty be the only child.”
Relief started to fill my chest a bit. “Okay, that makes me feel a bit better.”
He picked me up as he stood from the couch, then placed me on my feet. “As much as I’d like to keep you here all to myself, though, we need to get going. The longer we sit around, the more of a target we become.”
“And you swear on your life we’ll be safe there?”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “On my life, Lexi, I swear you’ll be safe. Just keep reminding yourself that this isn’t permanent. This is just until I know you guys are safe going back home. That’s it. It might take a handful of days, or a couple of weeks. But, once I know for absolute certainty that you guys are safe going back to your apartments, you’ll be done at the warehouse. Okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, my anxiety gets the best of me sometimes.”
He smirked. “It’s a situation to be anxious about, but I’ll do everything within my power to reassure you that things are okay. All right?”
I laid my head on his chest. “Thank you so much. Seriously.”
His phone started ringing and I figured it was someone from the club asking where the hell we were. So, I started gathering my things while Dean stepped off to the side. I gathered up the few things that had spilled out of my dress pockets, like my Chapstick and my cell phone. And when I turned around, I expected Dean to tell me to head to his bike.
