“Let’s leave the Daddy to the bedroom. In there, you have full reign. But out here, I’m just not comfortable with it.”
I raise my brow.
“Yet,” she finishes quickly.
“Well are you just going to hold me in place, or are you going to kiss me already?”
She groans and presses her lips against mine. I hold her tightly to me until we hear the rest of the group start to come from the house, and I let her go so she can make herself presentable.
Charlie bounds from the front door and spots us immediately. She quickly comes to her mother’s side and beams up at me. “Can I ride?” She bounces from heel to heel.
I laugh at her excitement. “Not right now. But I will make a promise with you if you will allow me to?”
She nods.
“When we get home, you’ll be the first person I take for a ride on my bike. How about that?”
Her smile is ear to ear as she shakes her head in agreement.
As the rest of the crew starts to climb onto their bikes and give their farewells, I pull Blake in for another kiss. It’s not rushed. It’s not just a habit. It’s a grounding force—something to hold onto before I ride headfirst into the unknown. My fingers tighten at her waist, reluctant to let go. Just before I release her, I say, “I’ll be back soon, Crash. Try not to drive anywhere while I’m gone.”
She swats my arm, rolling her eyes, but there’s something softer behind it. A hesitation. She steps back, giving me space, but I see it—the way her fingers twitch like she wants to grab onto me again.
I want to stay. More than I should. More than I can. But there’s no room for hesitation on the road. I need to get my head right, focus on the ride, and make damn sure I come back to her in one piece.
With a heavy breath, I turn away and mount my bike, the roar of the engine drowning out the quiet ache in my chest.
We ride as a pack of wolves—tight, controlled, untouchable. I ride in front, our crew rides in between, and Xavier picks up the back to make sure we don’t get any stragglers. The van rides behind him.
As we pull onto the main road, the night stretching out ahead of us, I force my mind into the game. Eighteen hours one way—maybe longer if we stick to the back roads like we need to. No room for mistakes. No room for distractions.
I’ll get through this. I have to. Because no matter how long the road ahead is, every mile is just one step closer to getting back to her.
Chapter 46
Blake
It’s dark outside now, the sky stretching endlessly above us, swallowing the last bits of daylight. The silence feels heavier than usual, thick with something unspoken. We have spent the majority of the day just cleaning the house and the yard and doing anything else to keep our minds busy while the men areaway. But no matter how much I scrub, no matter how much I move, there’s no shaking this weight pressing down on my chest.
Hunter’s absence is like a missing heartbeat. I keep expecting to hear his voice, to feel the warmth of his presence behind me, but all I get is empty space. I hate it. Hate that I’ve let myself get so used to him that his leaving feels like something was ripped out of me. But I can’t fall apart. Not here. Not now.
The way this house works, the way these women move together like parts of a whole, it hits me hard. They don’t just survive here—they thrive. A sisterhood built in this hole-in-the-wall place, where no one is looking, where no one can touch us. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, we aren’t just existing—we’re living. And for the first time in a long time, I get what that actually means.
But still, my heart isn’t here. It’s on the road, riding beside him.
Candace and Naomi said they were going to start a bonfire once it got dark, so they and the kids all went outside with the s'mores supplies. I laugh as Charlie sneaks a marshmallow before handing the bag to Naomi. She leans down to Charlie and says, “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
I fucking love how everyone here has accepted my child with open arms, like she has been here all along. These people’s love of children is overwhelming.
“What’s on your mind?” Sam asks from behind me.
I startle at her voice, forgetting I’m not alone, and I shake my head. “I just really like it here.”
She saunters around me with a plate of burgers in her hand and walks toward the door. “Yeah, this is our little slice of heaven, I like to say.”
I hold the door open for her to make it easier on her and then I follow her outside.
Once the food is eaten and the s'mores are made, the adults all gather around the fire.
