I swiped at the damp beneath my eyes. “I just left him there,” I sniffled. “I left him there to deal with Ripped because I was too scared to stick around.”
Gracie smiled calmly. “Oh, baby, if you think you ever had a say in that then you’re clearly more batshit than I thought you were.” She laughed lightly. “That man of yours—Battle”—she smirked—“in case you were still wondering which one that is—he wouldn’t have let you stay even if you would have begged him. He’s doing what any many like him does best: he’s protecting you. And let me tell you, sweetheart, if he would have let you stay and deal with Ripped, he wouldn’t have been the right man for you.”
I swiped at my eyes again and tied to smile.
“You know I’m right.” Gracie smirked. “Now drink your coffee and let me paint those nails of yours. You need to be looking your best when he gets back here to sweep you off your feet!”
I laughed, finally. “Ughh, am I a mess?”
“Yes, you are.” She laughed again. “And I can’t believe that you haven’t slept with him yet and he’s still so obsessed with you, but don’t worry, I’m going to scrub and buff you to perfection.”
I picked up my coffee and grinned before taking a sip. “Is it weird that I’m actually nervous?”
“About screwing him?” She asked with a giggle. “Babe, it’s not like this is your first rodeo or he’s your first bull.” She winked and I burst out laughing. “Well, it’s not! You know exactly what to do with a man like that.”
I felt myself blush and I looked away from her. “It’s different with him though.” I looked up at her through my damp lashes. “I feel like a sixteen-year-old virgin again. Like I’ve never done any of this before. I mean, what do I do with a man like him?”
“Well first, no one’s believing that you were a sixteen-year-old virgin, girl, so you can quit that lie.” She laughed. “And secondly, you do with him the same as you do with any other man, only you’ll be doing it with your heart as well as your body this time.”
Bonny-May let out a small cry from the living room, and Gracie gave my shoulder a small squeeze and headed off to check on her. I looked down into my coffee and sighed as Bonny’s cries echoed through the house.
I didn’t really understand what was going on with Gracie, but just telling someone how she felt about becoming a mom and admitting how much Richard had hurt her was making a difference. Like admitting that there was a problem was making her feel better.
I took a sip of my coffee and looked around the large kitchen. Richard had left everything in the house so far, but Gracie was already worried that he was getting ready to ask her for a divorce, and that would mean a whole different set of problems for her. She didn’t have the money for a lawyer, and if he demanded a paternity on Bonny things were going to get a whole lot worse.
I looked toward the hallway, wondering what Gracie was doing, and I slid off the small stool and headed down the hallway toward the living room.
“How’s the little sleepy-head doing?” I said as I walked. I loved Bonny-May like she was my own daughter, which was strange since I’d never wanted children of my own. Perhaps that was it: I could love her like she was my own without having to worry that I’d screw her up in some way. There was no pressure to be perfect. I could just love her without boundaries and be there for her.
I looked into the lounge with a smile on my face, but it quickly fell when I saw Ripped looking back at me. Bonny was in his arms and Gracie was sitting on the sofa with tears trailing down her face. Two of the Burning Eights sat on either side of her.
My mug slipped from my hand and dropped to the floor, smashing loud enough to startle Bonny and make her cry out. Ripped smiled over at me as he kissed the top of her head.
“Shhh, little one, Auntie Quinn is here now,” he said with a cruel smile.
“Ripped?” I stuttered out his name, fear falling from my lips as my gaze flitted between Gracie and Bonny.
“Hey there, darlin’,” he replied with a dark laugh. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m sorry,” Gracie sobbed from the sofa.
“Shut up!” Lincoln shouted, and backhanded her.
She cried out in pain and put her face in her hands, and Bonny-May started to cry harder, but Ripped seemed oblivious.
I took a step toward him. “Ripped, what’s going on? What are you doing here?”
“Doing? I ain’t doing anything. I’ve just come by to see my girl is all.” He finally looked down at the baby in his arms, his dark features softening a little. “Always wanted kids, you know,” he said, looking up at me.
“I know,” I said, my voice a ghost’s whisper.
“Thought you’d be the one to bring my babies into the world, Quinn. I thought we were solid, and yet now I’m finding out that you and another brother have been hooking up behind my back.”
My heart froze and my hands curled in on themselves, my long nails digging into my palms painfully. If there had ever been any doubt as to what he was doing there, there wasn’t anymore.
He knew.
And if Battle wasn’t there then I could only imagine what Ripped had done to him.
