I knew Richard was an asshole, but to leave his wife and baby while they were both in such a state was a new low, even for him.
“Yeah, he left about a week ago.” She swiped at the wetness under her eyes with another wipe. “He said he couldn’t take her crying anymore and said I’d gotten fat and lazy since she was born.”
Hate for him, raw and vibrant, burned in my gut.
“I’ll fucking kill him!” I gritted out. “Where is he? At work?”
He had no idea who he just messed with. NO one got away with speaking to my friend like that, especially not Rick the prick.
“I don’t even care though, Quinn. I’m glad he left. I hated him anyway, and he was so fucking useless with her.” She looked over at the cot. “I’m not even sure that she’s his,” she said on a whisper.
We sat in silence while Bonny slept and I wondered what the hell I was going to do to help them. Gracie didn’t have any savings. No education and no backup plan. If it was true and Bonny wasn’t Richard’s, then he would screw her out of every cent.
I reached out and took her hand in mine, and she leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder.
“We’ll sort it out,” I whispered against her hair.
Gracie took a shaky breath. “Okay.”
“I’m here for you, no matter what.”
“Promise?”
I looked down at her. “I promise.”
Gracie sniffled and nodded. “I’ve missed you.”
I kissed her head again. “I’ve missed you too.”
*
I sent Gracie to bed to get some sleep since it looked like she hadn’t slept in days, and then while both of my two favorite girls in the world slept, I made a quick call to the clubhouse and asked for Battle when one of the club girls answered. He came to the phone quickly, like he’d been waiting for me to call all day.
“Where are you?” he asked right away, like he sensed how much I needed him right then.
“I’m at Gracie’s,” I replied almost hesitantly as my stomach tightened at the sound of his voice. “I need a favor.”
“Anything,” he replied immediately.
I smiled as I looked around Gracie’s kitchen. I loved how I could call and he was automatically on board with whatever I was going to ask without needing to know the details. He was so unlike Ripped, who was always up in my business and asking questions—but not out of concern, no; it was always out of jealousy or to see what he could gain from it. It was always about him and his needs. Plus, I could never have called Ripped for help with Gracie. He was a good man, but he had never liked Gracie, and I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d do anything to help her.
“Gracie, my friend—”
“Gauge’s girl?” he cut in bluntly.
My smile grew bigger at the term. “Well, she’s actually Richard’s wife, but yeah, I guess that too.” Gauge and Gracie had hooked up a couple of times through the years, and I’d always expected them to get together at some point, but then Gracie had met Richard and wanted the security that he could give her, unlike Gauge.
“What about her? She okay? Need me to take that man of hers out to the desert?”
I snorted out a laugh, “To the desert? No!” Though it wasn’t exactly a bad idea. “Because if anyone was going to kill him, it was going to be me.” I realized that I meant it too, and I should have been frightened by the strength of my own conviction and yet I wasn’t.
He whistled through his teeth. “Little badass, aren’t ya’,” he said, though I could hear the humor in his voice. “So what do you need?”
“Gracie’s going through a rough patch and she could do with some help. The house is a mess, there’s no food in the fridge, and”—I sighed—“Richard’s left her. She’s falling apart here, and I can’t leave her. I think…” I turned around and checked behind me, making sure she wasn’t in earshot of what I was about to say next. “I think she’s struggling after having Bonny.”
I felt awful for saying the words out loud, but she needed help, and the only way to get help was to be there for her, help her through it, and get her to admit that there was a problem.
“Like that baby depression shit or something?” he grunted out, surprising me.
