Chapter 16
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Lily
The big, bad biker with a gun turns out to be a better barista than the ones at my favorite coffee shop in LA. Everything’s fine. It’s a normal day in biker land. Who am I kidding? Nothing about this is normal, not that I know much about the biker world.
I carry my fancy caramel coffee with lots of whipped cream and chocolate shavings to the living room. I cautiously settle into one corner of the couch. Can’t spill any of this caffeine goodness, after all. It looks almost too good to drink. Almost is the keyword here. There’s no way I’m passing this up. I take a sip and moan. Oh my gosh. Everly wasn’t kidding. Uncle Jack makes the best coffee.
Jack pauses as he’s about to sit in the chair across from me. His eyebrows lift. His eyes drop to my lips and the mug. I take another sip and sigh this time. His eyes never waver.
“Um.” I pat the middle cushion with my left hand. “Will you join me here, please?”
“Are you sure?”
I nod and drop my head. “Everyone avoids me so much, it makes me feel like a disease. It’s weird, but it’s true.”
“Can’t have that.” Jack quickly moves to the other corner of the couch.
Instantly, I feel better. He’s closer enough to where I don’t feel alone and just far away enough that I don’t feel crowded. I take another sip. Once again, his eyes are drawn to my lips. Why’s this so fascinating to him?
“Will Everly be okay?”
“Yeah. When Mom gets home, she’ll calm Everly down.”
Everly and Nanny are very close. I’m not surprised it would be Jack’s Mom that helps Everly the most. I really like Everly. I wish I could’ve done something more to help tonight. I’m nobody to his niece. I’m just a lady passing through their lives.
Jack takes a sip of coffee. He has the same drink as I do. His tongue darts out to wipe the whipped cream from his mustache. Wow. This is good. Yeah. It’s normal. Happens every day.
Jack’s lips turn up into a grin. “You okay over there, angel?”
My eyes snap to his, and my mouth closes. Oh my gosh. I quickly turn my head to stare at the wall. I was staring at him with my mouth open. Oh, please let me crawl under the couch cushions and disappear forever.
“Uh. Yeah.” I face forward and take another sip. There’s no way I can look at him again.
“Do you want to watch TV?”
No, I don’t. I’ve watched so many TV shows this week. I’m tired of it. There’s more to life than watching TV. Only my life doesn’t allow for anything more. If I don’t get settled somewhere soon, I’m going to lose my mind and die from boredom.
“If you want to, it’s fine.” It’s not, but this is his house.
“I like watching movies, but I’m not in the mood.” He takes another sip.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose. How is it possible to literally hear this man drink? I have a hard enough time trying not to look at his tattoos. Who knew I’d be fascinated by tattoos?
“Will Harley be okay?” It’s really not my business.
Jack finishes his coffee and sets the mug on the end table. “Eventually. Probably not tonight.”
I turn to face him. “What does that mean?”
If the Viking Warriors rescue women, why aren’t they rescuing his sister? One of their own should be more important than strangers.
“Nothing will physically happen to her. Jay and Shep have eyes on her. Several more of our brothers have surrounded her. They’ll move on Jay’s signal.”
“Shep? Is that Shepherd?” I haven’t seen him at all today.
Jack nods. “Shep is his road name.”
“Do you have a road name?”
“Ghost.”
“And your cousin, Jay?”
“Blade.”
“That’s not creepy at all,” I mumble.
Jack laughs. “My cousin just likes knives.”
I set my empty mug on the end table. My sunglasses lay folded up next to the base of the lamp. I gasp and raise both hands to the sides of my face. Oh no. I forgot to grab my glasses when Maci and I rushed out the door.
“It’s okay, Lily. We all know you have a black eye. If wearing sunglasses helps you through the day, we’d never ask you to take them off.”
“You saw it. I didn’t want you to see it.” Oh, please don’t let me cry in front of this man.
“I understand that, and I’m sorry my family’s drama tonight caused you to forget them. I thank you for putting Everly first, though.”
How can anyone not put Everly first? When she’s happy, you feel loved and happy, too. Seeing her crying tonight made me want to stab people. Maybe Jay will loan me a knife. Since he likes them so much to be named after them, he’s bound to have one, or a dozen, on him.
“Is there no way to help Harley?” She’s irresponsible and selfish, but I don’t want anything to happen to her.
Jack sighs and drops his head. “Mom and Dad have tried for years. Dad will probably put his foot down with her after tonight.”
“If I can help.” I pause. What can I do? They don’t know me.
Jack sits up and pulls one leg up on the couch like I have. He has the same worried expression as Maci had earlier.
“Thank you for that. We’ll let you know.”
It’s a sweet sentiment, but it’s not real. I won’t be here much longer. I’ll never know what happens with his family. Why does that feel so wrong?
“What happens next?” I lift my eyes to his. “With me, I mean.”
He releases a breath and runs a hand through his dark hair. “Dad wants to sit down with you in the morning and talk about your next steps.”
“What exactly does that mean? What are my options? No one has really explained how all this works to me.”
He watches me for a moment. He’s quiet for so long that I assume he’s letting the moment and my curiosity pass.
“Dad usually explains things as much as he can and still keeps all of us safe. Not all angels come to Willow Creek like you. Some know right away where they want to go. Nina’s request was to get you as far from California as possible and for you to see my dad.”
When she led me to the hospital parking garage, Nina insisted I ask for Jacob. She made me repeat it and say Ariel. How did she even know about Ariel’s Angels? I suck in a breath. No. Not Nina. I meet Jack’s eyes again.
“Nina was an angel.” It’s not a question. I know. It explains so much. She had the file ready without me knowing. The backpack had clothes that fit me perfectly, and she took my phone in the exam room. Nina has been through this.
“Yeah. She was one of the first women we rescued,” Jack admits.
“Where do I go from here?”
“That’s up to you. If you have distant family or friends on this side of the country that your abuser doesn’t know about, we can help you get close to them. If there’s a city you’d like to start over in, that’s possible, too.”
I bite my bottom lip and shake my head. If one of those were possible, I’d gladly go.
“I don’t have any family here that I know of.”
“A city you’ve wanted to visit?”
Is he trying to get rid of me? That hurts.
I shake my head again. “I never thought I’d leave California.”
He rubs his hand over his mouth and beard. “There’s a third option.”
Our eyes lock. The energy between us is so thick it practically vibrates around us.
“What’s my third option?" I’m afraid to ask, but I need to know.
“You could stick around for a while. I could show you Willow Creek if you’d like. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it here.”
I swear his hazel eyes shift to light brown and back with each tilt of his head. I’ve never seen that happen before. It must be the lighting. Whatever’s going on in those eyes, I can’t look away. Is he asking me to stay? I’m not a strong person. I’ve never been bold a day in my life. Why not change that tonight?
“I like option three.”
He smiles again. This time, it reaches his eyes. “Good. I’m glad. We’ll let Dad know in the morning.”
We sit quietly for a moment. Neither of us looks away. Sadly, the magical moment between us is broken when Jack’s phone dings.
His eyes widen, and he lightly chuckles. “Well, angel. It looks like you’re about to meet my grandmother. So, brace yourself.”
“What? Why?” I look toward the door.
“Mom’s with Everly. She’s going to be fine, but Mom can’t leave her tonight. Maci’s gone to help Dad and Jay with Harley. Nana’s the only woman left to stay with you. Well, we could call one of the ole’ ladies, but Nana has volunteered.”
“Who are the ole’ ladies?”
“They’re the wives or serious girlfriends of our patched members,” he explains.
Oh, yeah. I read that somewhere. Okay. Nana is on her way. I quickly grab the sunglasses from the end table. Before I can slide them on, Jack cups my face in his hands.
“You don’t have to wear those around anyone in my family unless you want to. I promise. No one will make you feel bad or ask questions.” He slightly tilts my head. “It’s healing nicely. It should be gone in a few days.”
“He didn’t punch me.” I don’t know why I’m telling him. Telling his mother was bad enough. “I don’t know if it happened when I fell out of bed or when I hit the wall just before I left.”
“Either way, I’m sorry it happened to you.”
He leans forward and gently presses his lips to my forehead. It’s the briefest touch, yet I feel it in my soul. No one has ever given me forehead kisses.
Jack slides back and stands seconds before the front door opens. His grandmother rushes in, bringing the bubbly atmosphere back into the house.
“Hey, Jackie Boy.” She hurries to him and throws her arms around his waist.
“Nana,” he scolds.
“Sorry, my dear boy.” She pats his cheek a couple of times. “It’s what you’ll always be to me.”
Jack groans and motions to me. “Nana, this is Lily. Lily, this is my grandmother.” He leans down to where he’s at eye level with her. “Can you behave yourself for one night?”
“Geez, boy.” She swats his arm. “Of course I can.”
“I’m not so sure,” he mumbles.
“Jackie,” she scolds right back.
He holds up both hands. “Okay, Nana, but please be good.”
“Always am.” She walks over and takes both of my hands in hers. “Hello, Lily. Call me Nana. Everyone else does.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I like this woman so much.
She doesn’t flinch at my eye and turns back to Jack. “Now, my dear sweet grandson. Say goodnight to this lovely lady, and go help your dad.”
Jack runs his hand through his hair again. He struggles to fight away something dark. “Yeah, I was afraid Dad would need help.”
“It’s not out of hand yet,” Nana assures him.
This is about Harley. Jack looks torn on what to do. His family needs him. I feel comfortable and safe with Nana.
“Good night, Jack. Go help your dad.” I smile, releasing him of his charge over me tonight.
“Good night, angel. If you need me, Nana will call.”
“Darn right, I will.” Nana pushes him out the door and locks it. She turns to me. “Let’s get some coffee. I smell it, and I know Jack made it.” She grins as she heads toward the kitchen. “And I hear there’s ice cream in this house.”
Thankfully, Jack and I got back before the ice cream melted on the table. I see where Maci gets her love of ice cream from. I follow Nana to the kitchen. We spend hours sitting around the table talking until the ice cream is almost gone. Jack’s grandmother has a knack for storytelling. She had no problem sharing stories of when Jack and his sisters were kids. She even talked about Ariel. Through every story, she found a way to make me laugh. As I said, I really like Nana. I’m glad Jack asked me to stay.