CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Spider
Remotely disarming the alarm he unlocked and opened the front door and walked inside. Kid, Blaze and Sly followed him in and he gestured towards the lounge. Going into the kitchen he started the coffee machine then went to his bedroom for a much needed shower.
He had to get the sour scent of fear washed off his body, it had been a long fucking night getting answers from the fuckers in their dungeon. Once showered he dressed in clean clothes and left his room.
Walking past Vanessa’s door he heard the shower going and sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to the conversation he knew they would soon be having.
He owed her an apology for leaving her unprotected. He shuddered to think what would have happened if Wrath hadn’t created that bloody group chat.
Stepping into the lounge he saw his brothers talking quietly and drinking their coffee outside on the small patio. The threatening storm had closed in overnight and dumped a lot of rain, it was still very windy with a fine mist rain, but they all needed the fresh air after the dankness of the dungeon. The patio was covered so they were protected from getting wet. Getting a cup for himself he joined them.
“She’s awake. I heard the shower when I came past her room.” He took a sip of the warm brew and felt his tight shoulders relax a little.
“You’re going to have to sort the problem with Natalie, brother.” Sly went right to the guts of the matter. “It’s because of her this shit went as far as it did. She’s been crazy about you from the moment you transferred here. I’ve heard the sluts talking about how she follows you around when she’s at the clubhouse, and lately she’s been here a lot. Kriek doesn’t live on the property so what is she doing here? Why isn’t she at university? Or working her internship? The crazy bitch might even be following you outside of the compound.”
Kid drew out his phone and started texting then slid it back into his pocket.
“I put Fish on it. He’ll find out what’s up with her studies.” He muttered.
Spider opened his mouth but before a word came out she was there. Vanessa.
“Good morning.”
They turned and his eyes, and he knew those of his brothers as well, went straight to the grip of the gun she had tucked in the front of her jeans.
“What the fuck? Where did you get that?” He snapped, his eyes going from the gun to her angry eyes.
She threw him a cold look before looking at Kid.
“Never mind where I got it, why don’t we get to the reason I need to carry it on my person. I was given to understand I was safe on compound grounds, last night proved differently.”
It was very obvious to everyone that she was ignoring him.
This was his fuck up and he had to fix it. His brothers didn’t answer her, giving him the chance to do so and try to calm the situation down.
“Last night should never have happened. We’ve never had such blatant disrespect from club brothers before. I’m sorry it happened to you.” He apologised.
It got him a cold look but thank fuck she responded to him.
Swinging round to face him her green eyes spat fire as she let him have it.
“You need to wake the hell up and get your demented little girlfriend off my back. If she, or her creepy family, comes for me I won’t hesitate to protect myself. And believe me, I’ve been very well trained to…” she didn’t finish because her phone went off.
She pulled it from her back pocket and frowned, obviously worried, before she answered.
“Why are you awake so early? What’s wrong?” She asked, no hello for whoever was calling.
Kid took the phone out of her hand, putting it on speaker, she glared at him but let it go.
A sleep rough male voice had them all looking at her but she didn’t clarify who it was.
“I got an alert. You’re carryin’ close to skin. What the fuck is goin’ on? Are you in danger?” Whoever it was sounded worried.
“You tagged my stuff? Not nice, not nice at all and a head’s up, you’re on speaker, bro. I had some shit go down last night which is why I’m carryin’.”
They all instantly knew who was on the other side of the call. Family. Magic Monroe.
“Fuck bein’ on speaker, don’t fuckin’ care. I’m bookin’ you a fuckin’ flight home and you’ll get your ass on it. I told you I didn’t like you goin’ down there, but never told you the why. Here’s the why. Durin’ our time down there Dive and I noticed the chapter had problems and was divided. We weren’t well liked by those problematic elements. Didn’t give a fuck about their shit, not until you, with your obvious Wraiths connections were offered the job. I thought with Kid as their VP they’d fixed their shit. Obviously not. You’re fuckin’ done with this job, baby girl. You hear me? So fuckin’ done. You’re comin’ back home where I know you’ll be safe.”
Her brother was livid and honestly, he had reason to be. But he was pissing all of them off, discounting the club’s ability to keep his little sister safe.
“Magic, this is Spider, we’ve got this handled, brother. The fuckers are being seen to as we speak. My prez is going to call yours later in the day to give him a report on what happened.” Spider tried to calm the man down, but he knew if the same thing had happened to Genna he would be going out of his mind with worry. He knew it was made worse because Magic was recovering from gunshot wounds and not able to protect his sister himself.
“Spider. I remember the first time I met you, it was in Joburg, at Reid’s funeral. Don’t try blowin’ smoke up my fuckin’ ass. I know how fucked up things get when a club is in transition. There’s always bad blood when the clean-up starts. You can’t guarantee her safety if you’re busy cleanin’ your house.”
He no longer sounded like he was ready to rip throats out. It was a different man on the line now, cold and calculated. He idly wondered what Magic did for his club.
Spider tried to reassure him.
“I know my prez will talk to yours later today but because I have sisters I understand where you’re coming from. It’s not much but I will give you what I can.”
Kid frowned and shook his head from side to side. Ignoring his VP’s wordless order he drew in a breath then laid it out for the man whose sister was under his protection. Protection he had failed to provide.
“Last night we found one of the main instigators behind the shit that’s been happening at the club. It’s under control, but, as you know, there’s clean-up to be done. Until we’re sure it’s safe she will have a brother on her. I’ve moved back into the duplex and she’ll no longer be living here alone. I’ve been giving her space to settle in and stayed in my room at the clubhouse but I’m back here now.”
Vanessa gave an inelegant snort of disbelief and he had to bite his lip not to grin.
“Magic.”
Kid’s voice was that of the man in charge, their soon to be new president.
“Yeah.” The man on the other end of the call recognised the tone.
“Nessa has bonded with a few of the younger brothers and they’ve all volunteered to be her shadows for the duration. As VP I give you my word we’ve got her back. My old lady and her crew have stepped in as well, she’s safe, brother.”
There was a silence then there came the sound of Magic shifting his body in bed and they all heard him bite back a grunt of pain. Fuck, the brother was still going through his recovery after almost dying. Worrying about his sister wasn’t what he should be doing. He should be resting and taking it easy.
“You need to take a pain pill and go back to sleep.” Vanessa ordered as she leant closer to the phone as if to get closer to her brother.
“Don’t fuckin’ need one, I just moved funny and had a twinge.”
Closing her eyes she shook her head, obviously knowing him well enough to know when he was lying.
“Just take the freakin’ pill or I’ll call Mama and tell her you called me and you sounded weak and in pain.” She threatened with a frown and worried eyes.
“I’ll take the fuckin’ thing when we’re done here. Don’t call Mama, she’s hoverin’ and drivin’ me crazy.” He growled at his sister, then his tone changed, softened. “You keep that piece close at all times, Ness, you hear me? No hesitation, baby girl.”
He didn’t give her a chance to answer.
“Kid, I’ll call to check in after I hear from Maniac. Don’t make me send brothers down there to get my blood.”
Silence. He had ended the call.
“Fuck.” Kid swore as he closed the phone down and handed it back.
“Spider, brother, we’re going to leave so you and Nessa can have a talk. I know you’re going over to Dom’s place later to collect your boy, I suggest you bring him here. It’s past time for him to come to the compound and settle into his new home. You need to leave him with Nessa to give them time to get to know one another before you start the next set of court appearances.”
He turned from Spider to look at Vanessa.
“I don’t like you carrying on club property but I understand why you want to. All I ask is that you keep it out of sight. Noe, my old lady, will drop in later with some of her crew. You met them when you arrived here, they’re a great bunch of women. Spider will keep you updated on what’s happening with the club, not everything, but as much as we can share.”
Vanessa nodded then gathered the empty coffee mugs and left them alone.
Not much more was discussed before his brothers left.
As Kid rightly said, he had to fill her in on what was going on with him.
It meant coming clean about the cluster fuck his non-relationship with Ingrid had turned into.
Walking into the house he closed the patio door, locked it, and then walked to the kitchen where he could hear her moving around.
She had her back to him, washing the mugs and putting them on the draining rack. Leaning a shoulder against the doorway he silently watched her for a few seconds.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you settle in or when you needed my protection.” He said quietly.
She shrugged but didn’t turn around.
“Not to worry. I’m not a helpless little girl and I’ve been keepin’ busy.” Her Southern accent was back. Did it mean she was pissed?
Turning she put her back to the work top and crossed her arms over her chest. He couldn’t help but glance at what it did to her beautiful tits.
Shit. Fuck. Shit.
He quickly looked up, meeting her knowing and angry green eyes.
“I’ve been here for two weeks and in that time I’ve met your son twice and even then I didn’t have much more than a couple of minutes with him. I realise you have limited time with him at the moment but keepin’ him from me isn’t doin’ your boy any favours. I should have had more interaction with him durin’ the Wednesday visits. I have no idea what your plans for the future are but I won’t be hangin’ around here getting paid for doin’ nothin’ if your end goal is formin’ a family unit with Ingrid. It’s a waste of my time. I’d rather be lookin’ for a new job than hang out here bored out of my skull. And just so you know, I won’t work for her, ever.” She snorted. “And gettin’ threatened with rape by horny old fuckers is not how I want to be spendin’ my time.”
He noticed how her Southern accent kept getting heavier. The moment she got angry it became more prominent.
“I’ve been an asshole and I’m sorry. Just so we’re clear, she isn’t my girlfriend, she’s just…”
She rolled her eyes, gave a disgusted snort and held a hand up, interrupting him.
“I get it, she’s a diversion while you’re goin’ through some stuff. What I don’t get is your attitude and less than stellar treatment of me since I arrived. We had the interview and I thought it went quite well but the minute I get here it was like the man who interviewed me never existed. That man was a nice guy, a guy who explained the shit he was goin’ through and had my sympathy. You, however, are a dick and not worthy of my sympathy or my time.”
Yes, he had fucked up big time.
“You’re right, I’ve been a dick and there’s no excuse for it. All I can say is I was shocked when I saw you the first time. I was expecting someone completely different and it threw me. I didn’t handle it very well and then on top of my reaction there was the tension between you and Ingrid, it made it worse. I have history with her and I allowed her dislike to colour my perception of you. It won’t happen again.”
She stared at him with narrowed eyes, those very green eyes inspecting his face for the truth before she nodded.
“Fine. I’ll give you that. What I need to know is; what I’m supposed to do while you’re out with her and your son? He’ll be bondin’ with her and it will be upsettin’ for him when she’s no longer around. When it happens how do you want me to handle it?”
Spider sighed, this was not an easy talk at all.
“He won’t be around her much after today. We agreed on an affair while she’s visiting her friend, nothing more. Her expectations changed, and the minute I realised what was happening I ended it. The only time she will see him is if I take him to visit with our mutual friends. My boy stayed with Dom and Niki overnight while I sorted the shit here. I want to introduce you to them, so I want you to come with me when I go pick him up. We’ll come back here and spend the rest of the weekend with the two of you getting to know each other.”
She gave a couple of slow nods as she listened to him, her arms no longer crossed.
“Good. I need to do an assessment of Rush’s psychosocial development for our records. I hope you’ve been keepin’ records of your interactions with him. Videos and notes on what you did on the day or the weekend and so on will be great.” She smiled. “I have experience with it because we had to keep records for Lee to ensure CPS was happy with her livin’ such a nomadic lifestyle with her mum. We were on the road more than we were home at one stage so she was home schooled. Unfortunately if you’re a celebrity you always have some asshole reportin’ you for neglect or some shit, so video records and doctor’s records are a must have. With you fightin’ for custody it’s even more imperative that we keep those records to prove you’re givin’ your boy the best care.”
Shock coursed through him.
“What do you mean by psychosocial development? Is there a curve he should be on? What if he isn’t? How do we fix it?”
He was instantly worried about what those Rutherford fuckers had been doing to his son.
She held up a hand. “Calm down, I’m not sayin’ there’s a problem, I’m sayin’ we should ensure we know his level of development. For now, let’s leave it here. We can talk about it later, once he’s gone to bed. I’ll be better able to answer your questions then.”
“You’re way more than just a nanny, aren’t you?” Spider watched her narrowly, waiting to see if she’d answer.
She shrugged. “I am a nanny but I’ve been usin’ my down time to study child psychology. It’s what I plan to do when I settle down one day.”
“Interesting.” He meant it, her life choices were interesting. Very interesting.
“Why don’t you get ready? We’ll collect Rush and bring him home, introduce him to his new room and all the shit his Aunty Genna stockpiled for him. My sister went a bit wild at the toy store.”
Vanessa laughed and shook her head. “I saw. There are a lot of things he’ll be able to play with now but some we’re goin’ to have to put away for later. I’ll sort the toys durin’ the week and box up what he won’t be usin’ right now. I’ll find a place to store it for when it’s needed.”
“That sounds good.” He said and moved out of the way, allowing her to get out of the kitchen.
He watched her gorgeous ass sway from side to side, cupped by her tight jeans as she walked away. Jesus, he was drooling over his son’s nanny.
It needed to stop, how he was going to keep his eyes off her ass he didn’t know. It was a fucking beautiful ass.
“There’s a gun safe in the top of the linen cupboard you can use. I have my own in my room.” He called after her and hid a grin when she just waved a hand over her shoulder.
He felt sure if he checked her bag when she came back downstairs he would find her weapon in it. Not that he gave a shit about her carrying. What did worry him was getting pulled over in a roadblock and the pigs finding an unregistered firearm in his vehicle. That would fuck with his custody case.
She was going to have to leave it behind.
Running up the stairs he knocked on her door. “Vanessa, leave your firearm in the safe, please. If we’re pulled over we can’t have any shit on us that will give the pigs a reason to arrest either of us.”
He listened to her moving about for a second or two.
“Fine, I’ll lock it in the safe before I come down.”
She sounded a bit pissy and it made him smile. He liked the way she didn’t hesitate to speak her mind.
It reminded him of his mother and sisters. It was another thing about her that he found attractive.
Shaking his head he turned away and ran back downstairs. He needed to get his head straight.
She was his son’s nanny.
She was here for his boy, not for him, and he had to remember that.
He heard her closing her door and turned his back to the stairs, looking out over the patio and the rain swept gardens. The wind was gusty but not too bad. Typical winter weather.
“I’m ready.” She said from behind him.
Turning he had to breathe in deep to control his reaction.
She had changed her shirt for a sage green, long sleeved, V-neck tee that was tight against her body. It showed off her toned body to perfection. Jeans and black motorcycle boots completed her look. Her hair was pulled back into a high pony but a few strands fell around her face. Those green eyes of hers stood out because she had darkened her lashes, and her luscious lips were glossed. She had a small backpack slung over one shoulder and carried a faded jean jacket in her free hand.
There was no other way but to admit it.
He was attracted to his son’s nanny, and not just a little bit either.
He liked everything about her.
“Right, go on ahead, I’ll set the alarm and lock up.” He gestured towards the door.
And again…he watched her ass as she walked away.
Shaking his head he looked down at his chubbing cock and sighed.
This was going to be a problem, a big fucking problem.
Checking that the patio doors were locked he then checked all the points of entry were engaged on the alarm system before he walked to the front door. He took the large umbrella from the stand there, walked out and pulled the door closed behind him. As the lock engaged he armed the alarm remotely, the loud beep letting him know it was active.
Vanessa was standing to the side under the overhang, avoiding the rain. Walking up next to her he unfurled the umbrella and held it up.
“Let’s go.” He gestured with his head for her to join him.
The umbrella was big enough to cover both of them as they walked down the path to the garages.
Not long after they were in his cage and driving out of the compound and onto the wet streets. Neither of them said a word as he concentrated on the road and controlling the heavy vehicle when strong gusts of wind pushed against it.
“Is this normal winter weather?”
“Ja, it’s windy and rainy in winter with some storms blown in from the arctic. It can get bloody cold. Will that bother you?”
“No, not really. I’ve travelled quite extensively with Sky and the band and we hit some freezin’ temps at a few of the venues they played at. I’ve brought some of my lighter winter clothes after googlin’ winters in Cape Town.”
They chatted about the weather and shit like that all the way to the Maingarde Estate. It was becoming easier to talk to her.
Pulling up to the guarded front gates he smiled at her gasp.
“Holy shit, that’s impressive.” She said as she leant forward to look up at the high walls and massive gates.
“We’re on camera right now and as soon as our identities are confirmed the gates will open. We’ll be watched as we drive up to the house and guards will be waiting to take us inside. Dom is very protective of his family. They only recently completed the renovations to the property and moved in. The house has been in his family for several generations I think.” Spider explained as the gates slowly opened.
He nodded at the heavily armed guard standing in the open door of the interior guardhouse as he drove through. Yes, Dom had guardhouses inside and outside his walls. The man did not take chances with security around his family.
The long drive curved through a beautiful garden before opening up to reveal the massive Maingarde home. It was built in the old Cape Dutch style and Dom had had it restored to its original beauty.
From the curved gables to the stark white walls, the dark thatched roof to the wooden window frames with its hunters green shutters and heavy carved wooden front doors, it had been lovingly restored.
“Oh my, it’s beautiful. I’ve got visitin’ a wine farm with this type of buildin’ on my list of things to do. I can now tick a Cape Dutch house off my list, and the gardens, even though it’s rainin’ quite hard now I can see they are beautiful. They are so lucky to have a home like this.”
Spider had to agree. Dom and Niki were lucky to have such a beautiful home. Dom had gone through hell before he claimed it back and had it restored to its former glory.
“They are, but there’s some dark history attached to the house. Dom doesn’t like talking about it so it’s better not to ask.” He warned quietly.
Pulling up to the front door he turned to her. “Stay, I’ll get the umbrella, I don’t want you getting wet.”
He waited for her nod before getting out. Taking the umbrella from the back he walked around the hood, unfurled it and held it up as he opened her door.
“Let’s go. I see Dom’s waiting for us.” He held out a hand and helped her down.
Keeping hold of her hand he drew her close under the umbrella. He only let go once they got close to the front door. She didn’t move away and he felt her warmth against his side as they walked up the steps, across the wide veranda to where Dom stood waiting.
He had only opened one of the double doors and quickly ushered them inside out of the wind and rain.
“Welcome to our home, I’m Dom Maingarde.” He said as he smiled at Vanessa.
The woman stared at Dom, like all the fucking women did when they first met him. The fucker was much too damned pretty for his own good.
“Uhm, hi, pleased to meet you.” She eventually got out and held out a hand. “I’m Vanessa Monroe and may I say, you have the most beautiful home I’ve ever seen.” She looked around the double volume entrance hall with its antique furniture, crystal chandelier, and Persian carpets and shook her head with wide eyes. “It’s so, so beautiful.”
Dom, the bastard, smiled and gave a slight incline of his head. “Thank you, my wife and I are pleased with the restoration. We only recently moved back in and believe me, after living in a high rise penthouse overlooking the ocean for many years it was a bit of an adjustment for me to move inland. My wife, not so much, she took to it from the start.”
“I don’t blame her. It’s perfection.” Vanessa gushed.
It was time to step into their house lovefest.
“How did Niki cope with having my boy here overnight? Was he good?”
Dom grasped his shoulder and squeezed. “He’s been great, Spider. Rush and Niko settled in almost immediately and are now thick as thieves. The two of them have been babbling on and on to each other in a language none of us understand, but they do.” He grinned. “I have a feeling our boys are going to end up being best friends.”
“Imagine that, a biker’s son best friends with a billionaire’s kid.” Spider laughingly teased.
“Fuck off. It’s who you are not how much money you have that counts. Our boys will grow up knowing what’s important.” Dom answered with a small smile.
“True, too true.” Spider agreed.
He glanced at Vanessa and frowned when he saw her taking off her boots.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking off my boots, I’m not dirtyin’ those beautiful wooden floors or scuffin’ them up by traipsin’ over them in my shoes. In some cultures its good manners to remove your shoes before enterin’ someone’s home. And this is one of those times, so take off those boots before you dirty up our hosts’ floors.” She ordered as she stood bent over, beautiful ass in the air, untying her laces.
It was all he could do not to put his hands on the globes of her ass and squeeze.
A soft, almost inaudible, snort next to him had him glaring at Dom, the asshole knew exactly what he had been thinking. At least the bastard wasn’t looking at her ass, he was watching Spider with a knowing look.
“We don’t usually insist on our guests removing their shoes but it is appreciated.” He said as he glanced down at Spider’s boots with a grin.
Bending down he untied his laces, toed off his boots, then set them down next to Vanessa’s. He wanted to smile at the difference in size but bit it back.
“Everyone is in the family room, Gideon and Kel brought their little one over for a visit and the kids are playing with blocks and shit.”
Dom led them through the entrance then turned down a wide passage to the left and he could hear voices as they walked down the longest bloody Persian carpet runner he had ever seen. Because they were in their socks no one heard them approaching.
The doorway was so wide the three of them could stand side by side.
Niki and Kel were on the floor with the kids while Gideon and Ingrid sat watching. Gideon looked relaxed and happy as he watched his husband and daughter play with Niki and the boys. Ingrid, however, looked bored.
Right then Spider knew he had made the right decision to end it with her. She wasn’t right for him or his son.
Rush spotted him and pushed up from where he was sitting next to Niko.
“Daddy!” He shouted and ran over to him.
Bending down he caught his son and raised him up high, kissing his cheeks and nuzzling his neck. Holding him close to his chest he turned to introduce Vanessa to the others but Kellen jumping up with a wide smile stopped him in his tracks.
“Vee, we meet again. What are you doing here?” He strode over and gave her a hug.
“Wow, the six degrees of separation thing is workin’ overtime. I’m workin’ for Spider, I’m his nanny, well not his as such, but his little boy’s.” She said with a laugh as she stepped out of the hug.
Kel turned to him and hugged him even though he was holding Rush. “Hi bro, your boy is a carbon copy of you. The minute I saw him I knew he was yours.”
Niki came over, standing next to Dom.
“Hi, I’m Niki. How do you two know each other?” She asked.
Spider quickly did the introductions. He wanted to hear the answer to that question as well.
“Niki, this is Vanessa, she’s Rush’s new nanny.”
Vanessa smiled as she shook hands with Niki. “Hi, I’m pleased to meet you and like I told your husband, I love your home. It’s beyond beautiful. And please, call me Nessa.”
Niki smiled as Dom pulled her close, putting both arms around her.
“Thank you, Nessa. We love it too. So, where do you know Kel from?” She asked, and because Spider knew her so well he saw the suspicion in her eyes. He wondered if Ingrid had been talking to her.
He knew Vanessa had picked up on it when her Southern accent came through strongly.
“We met at the beach. I was watchin’ the surfers and when he walked out I congratulated him on his set. We got to talkin’ and when he told me his boss was married to Remy Boudreaux and he knew Lucky I was stunned. Just like that we were connected. I grew up around Lucky, not Remy so much, ‘cause he was away bein’ an undercover cop at the time. Lucky and my brother are club brothers and good friends. He’s been to many barbeques at my parents’ house and my dad built a bike for him a few years ago.”
Dom shook his head with a laugh. “Then you’re connected to me as well. Remy’s wife is my little sister.”
Vanessa’s mouth fell open as she stared at him then at Niki.
“Wow, bless my soul, I come all the way from Savannah to Cape Town and find close family connections, how amazin’ is that?” She grinned, but her eyes weren’t smiling, not really.
“Totally amazing.” Niki smiled, apparently no longer suspicious. “You’ll love Pixie, she’s going to be so excited to meet you. She’s always talking about her visit to Savannah and how much fun she had with Remy’s family.”
Dom didn’t give them a chance to carry on chatting.
“Let me introduce you to our other guests.” He said as he gestured towards the couch where Ingrid was still sitting, watching them.
“Ingrid Larson, she’s one of my wife’s best friends.” He said only to be interrupted by Ingrid.
“I know her. She worked for one of the bands my dad once invited to open for his band.” She said snippily. “Hello, Vanessa.”
Vanessa didn’t bat an eyelid at her rudeness. Only nodded and said. “Ingrid.”
That was it. Nothing more.
Gideon stood and walked towards them to stand next to Kellen, holding out his hand in greeting.
“Hi, I’m Gideon, Kellen’s husband and Rose is our little girl. Kel told me about meeting you on the beach and how much he enjoyed chatting with you.”
Vanessa smiled as she shook his hand.
“Pleased to meet you. Your baby girl is beautiful.”
Niki took over and herded everyone to the big couches scattered around the room. Spider put his boy down with the other little ones and settled on the same couch Vanessa was sitting on. She gave him a quick side eye as he sat down. He knew she expected him to take a seat next to Ingrid, but that wasn’t happening.
Niki glanced from him to Ingrid and back, then looked at Vanessa and back at her friend. She wasn’t happy, not happy at all.
Looking at Niki’s expression he knew why Ingrid had suddenly arrived in the city. She had been playing matchmaker, but she was wasting her time. He wasn’t interested.
They didn’t stay long because he wanted to get away before the situation escalated. Plus he wanted to take his boy home and introduce him to his new room. They said their goodbyes in the family room.
When they walked out Ingrid pulled him to the side, he allowed it handing Rush to Vanessa before he stepped away, but only to reiterate his decision. Dropping his voice he once again let her know what they had was over.
“We’re over, you know it and I know it. We had an agreement to have fun, that’s all it ever was. I’m sorry if you expected it to become more, it’s not going to happen. Enjoy the rest of your holiday with Niki and I hope the weather clears before you have to leave.”
He knew it was harsh and usually he wouldn’t end it with a woman where others could overhear him. But she had brought this on herself, now he had to do what he had to do. Ingrid had developed expectations he hadn’t encouraged. He felt he wasn’t totally to blame for it, as Niki had most certainly had something to do with the change in Ingrid’s expectations of a relationship.
He made himself shut the situation in the back of his mind as soon as he turned his back.
Taking the umbrella he opened it and putting his hand on her lower back led Vanessa down to his cage.
Stepping away he opened the back door and held the umbrella over them as she strapped his boy into his seat. He did the same as he waited on her to get into the passenger seat.
Shortly after they were on their way back to the clubhouse.
On their way home.
A home he hoped and prayed his boy would soon be living in with him permanently.