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He arched a brow. “Keep going. It’s the most entertainment I’ve had in a while.”

I smiled before I could stop myself. Reluctantly, helplessly, the kind of smile that broke free before you had a chance to examine whether or not it was a good idea. “What do you do all day when you’re gone?”

“Depends.”

“On what?” I leaned forward, realizing I was genuinely interested.

He gave me a look that made me uncomfortable. “You don’t know?”

I shook my head. “I mean I grew up around the MC, but not in the thick of it. I was more on the periphery unless Rex needed me for something.”

He watched me again slowly before he accepted my answer with a nod. “It depends on what the MC needs.”

He took a mouthful of his coffee and started explaining. “We have several legit businesses that do well. Iron Works Auto Shop, The Vow, Red Creek Pawn, and our gun shop and range, The Long Range. We have other business interests too, so it depends.”

“So you just go where you’re needed?”

“Pretty much. I’m a team player. I’m good with my hands so I work Iron Works often. I worked there as a kid, before I was old enough to actually run around with the MC.”

I smiled, picturing him as a little boy wanting desperately to run with the big boys. “I guess that’s something we have in common,” I said without thinking. “We both grew up inside an MC.”

He nodded, never taking his eyes off me. It was unnerving, like he was studying me to learn me instead of how to manipulate me. “Guess so.” He picked his fork back up. “You ready to spend some time at the clubhouse?”

My eyes went wide and I shook my head instinctively. “I don’t think that’s wise. Everyone probably hates me because of who my father is, and they definitely won’t trust me. I think it’s better if I just stay here for a while.” A really long while.

Knox shook his head while he finished chewing. “That won’t work, Ivy. You’re my wife. You’re part of this MC, this family now. You’re my family, whether you like it or not. Rex—”

“Rex has nothing to do with this.” I was adamant about that. Yeah, he was the reason this all happened, but this wasn’t about him. It was about me.

He stopped whatever he was about to say and snapped his mouth shut. He nodded once, slowly, like it was a fact to file away for later. “All right, then. You’ll come with me to the clubhouse today and I’ll introduce you to some of the girls.”

I wanted to argue, opened my mouth to argue and then I swallowed it down, along with the lump that had taken up residence in my throat. “Yeah. Okay.” This wasn’t a hill I wanted to die on, so easy agreement worked well enough.

Chapter Seven

Knox

Ivy looked around the clubhouse with a wary gaze as if she was waiting for a boogeyman to jump from the shadows to attack her. From the moment we stepped inside the heavy wooden doors, she held her breath. Her shoulders were bunched up to her ears while her hands twisted together anxiously.

Minx was the first to spot us, and she flew across the room and pulled her into a hug like they hadn’t seen each other in a month instead of a few days. Ivy’s arms came up a second too slow, like she had to remind herself that hugs were a thing people did. She smiled though, and it was real enough. “You survived,” Minx laughed, pulling back with her hands still on Ivy’s shoulders, studying her face the same way a mechanic checks an engine for damage.

“So far,” Ivy replied with a laugh of her own.

Minx grinned wider, her eyes dancing with delight. “Good enough.”

“And this,” I said, gesturing to the brunette sitting at the bar, “is Skye.” Skye hung back near the bar gripping a bottle of water for dear life. She wasn’t just quiet, she was damn near silent most of the time. Rook’s sister was a mystery, she wasn’t shy, but she was careful about every move she made and every word she spoke. She saw more than she let on, and she didn’t get in anyone’s business. She’d been crashing at the clubhouse for a few months now, no explanation offered and none asked for. Rook had said for now like it was the full story, and we all accepted it. For now.

I brought Ivy over to the bar despite the fact that I knew Skye liked her solitude. “Skye, this is Ivy. Ivy, this is Rook’s sister Skye.”

Skye smiled, but it didn’t reach her blue eyes. “I’ve heard good things.”

Ivy blinked. “Seriously?”

Skye froze. “Well,” Skye’s mouth curved into a slight smile that lit her eyes. “I heard things.”

That pulled a short, surprised laugh out of Ivy. “That’s more believable.” She kept space between them, but the conversation was friendly enough about mundane things nobody would remember in an hour. Ivy kept her arms wrapped tight around her body, as if that act alone could keep her safe. She laughed in all the right places, but her eyes darted all around the room as though expecting danger.

The way she was constantly on edge had me wondering again, about what her life was like before she came to me.