Page 68 of What They Say

Maudie gave a small, nervous smile. “You first.”

Kath took a breath, tightening her grip on the warm mug for courage, the heat grounding her. This is okay. We’re okay. “I’ve been thinking about moving out. With Chase. He hasn’t asked me officially yet, but I know it’s coming. And...I want to. I really do, and I’ve thought about it at length. This isn’t a sudden development. I love him, Maudie. He makes me feel safe in a way I didn’t think was possible. Not just safe from the world, but safe to be myself. I want to build something with him—something real.”

Maudie’s eyes changed, the hard lines that had become so familiar over the last few years easing. She reached across the table and squeezed Kath’s hand, her grip warm and steady, calluses from years of bar work brushing against Kath’s skin.

“I’m happy for you,” she said, and it sounded real—warm, a little wistful, but genuine. “You deserve that. You deserve someone who looks at you the way he does. Like you’re the best part of his day.”

Kath felt her throat tighten, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She squeezed back, the simple touch carrying years of shared survival. We made it. We actually made it through.

Then Maudie laughed softly, almost sheepishly, ducking her head as color rose in her cheeks. “Funny thing is...I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you I want to move out too. With Stewart.”

Kath blinked. “Stewart? The guy who—”

“Yeah.” Maudie’s cheeks went pink. “The one who grabbed me when I tried to jump Chase that night you were taken. He’s been around a lot since then. He’s really good to me. Patient. Doesn’t push. Checks in after my shifts without making it feel like he’s keeping tabs. Listens when I talk about Mom’s mess and doesn’t try to fix it for me. And I think I love him. I want to try living with him, see if we can make it work.”

Kath stared at her sister for a long moment, processing. Then the absurdity of it hit her all at once. She started laughing—genuine, relieved laughter that bubbled up from somewhere deep and made her eyes water. Maudie joined her a second later, the sound bright and free in a way Kath loved to hear. They leaned into it, shoulders shaking, until they were both wiping tears from their eyes.

“We’re both trying to move out at the same time,” Kath gasped, still laughing. “Without even talking about it. God, we’re a mess.”

Maudie nodded, catching her breath. “A beautiful mess, though. One that’s finally figuring shit out. Guess we really are done cleaning up Mom’s messes,” Maudie said, wiping her eyes again. Her voice grew quieter, more serious. “Time to start our own lives. Not just surviving anymore.”

Kath nodded, warmth spreading through her chest like the sunlight across the table. “Yeah. We are.”

They sat there for a long time after that, the coffee cooling between them as the conversation drifted from one small, ordinary thing to the next. Kath traced a finger along a water ring on the tabletop and said softly, “Chase has been talking about a little place near Bear’s garage. Nothing fancy, but it’s got good light for writing.”

Maudie nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Stewart’s got that decent apartment on the east side. Second floor, really nice kitchen. He said there’s room for both of us if...if we wanted.”

Kath shook her head once. “I think we’re both getting the best of everything as it is.”

They divided up the future in quiet, practical pieces—Kath claiming the old quilt their grandmother had made, Maudie insisting she take the mismatched set of coffee mugs they’d collected over the years. “You always steal the blue one anyway,” Maudie teased, and they both laughed when Kath admitted she’d been hiding it in her room for months. They skirted around the heavy armchair in the corner, the one that still carried the faint scent of their mother’s cigarettes, agreeing without words that some pieces of the past were better left behind.

The late-afternoon light stretched longer across the table, warm and golden, as they bickered lightly over who got the good set of pots and pans. Maudie won by claiming she’d actually use them to cook instead of just reheating takeout. Kath rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop smiling.

The future felt like something they were finally allowed to want—messy, hopeful, and entirely their own.

***

Maudie

Maudie stood just inside the main room of the Rebel Wayfarers clubhouse, arms wrapped tight around her middle like she could hold herself together by sheer force of will. The place was bigger than she’d expected—warm wood, worn leather couches, the faint smell of coffee and motor oil that somehow felt comforting instead of threatening. Still, her heart hammered against her ribs as Chase gently guided Kath forwards and the introductions began.

Mason came first. The man was impossible to miss: tall, broad-shouldered, with those same stormy gray eyes as Chase, but carrying the kind of quiet authority that could make the whole room shift when he moved. Beside him stood Willa—smaller, with an easy smile and sharp, intelligent eyes that took in everything at once, and pretty clearly pregnant. She stepped forwards without hesitation and pulled Kath into a quick, genuine hug.

“You okay, honey?” Willa asked softly, brushing a strand of platinum hair back from Kath’s face like they’d known each other for years.

Kath nodded, leaning into the contact with a small, tired smile. “Better now. Thank you. All of you.”

Maudie watched, throat tight and eyes burning. Kath looked...comfortable. Like she belonged here among these people who wore leather and carried guns like it was nothing. How?

Bear was next—massive, bearded, with a presence that should’ve been terrifying but somehow wasn’t when he smiled down at Kath. His wife Eddie stood at his side, compact and no-nonsense, slipping an arm around Kath’s shoulders as she murmured something that made Kath laugh softly.

Then Slate—another mountain of a man with a quiet intensity—and Ruby, who immediately started fussing over both sisters with a warm plate of food and a bottle of water, her voice gentle but firm. “Eat something, both of you. You’ve been through hell lately.”

Kath accepted the plate with easy gratitude, thanking them by name, trading small smiles and even a quick hug with Ruby like they were old friends. She stood tall beside Chase, one hand resting lightly on his arm, speaking to Mason directly when he asked how she was feeling. No shrinking. No fear in her eyes.

Maudie felt dizzy with it all. These weren’t just bikers. They were a wall of muscle and loyalty that had torn the night apart to bring her sister home. The sheer power in the room pressed against her skin, leaving her off-balance and exposed. She kept steeling herself for the crash. For someone to look at her like she was just the messed-up older sister who’d let all this happen. But no one did. They included her in the quiet circle of concern, offering nods and careful words.

Her thoughts drifted briefly to Stewart. The man who had grabbed her that night in the chaos, strong arms pulling her back before she could do something stupid like attack Chase. He’d been gentle even then, voice low and calm as he held her. Since that night, he’d shown up again and again—patient, quiet, never pushing. He made her feel seen in a way no one else had. Safe, even. The idea of building something with him had started to feel real, possible. Standing here now, surrounded by this world he was part of, that possibility felt both closer and more intimidating than ever.