Chapter 15
Cleo POV?
Nine months. That was how long it had been since Wade died.
Five months since Tommy, Skylar, and I arrived in Creek Wood with everything we owned packed into my car and no idea what came next.
Five months since I walked into Sally’s Diner, found my father and brother, a family I never knew existed.
Sometimes I still woke up expecting it all to disappear, like if I blinked too hard, I’d wake up back in that tiny house, buried under bills and grief, worrying about how to keep my kids going. But this was real.
Rick.
Stella.
Roman.
Lola.
Chains.
Bolt, Mia and Maddox.
The club.
All of it was real. Even the clubhouse had become part of that life.
Dad gave us our own rooms months ago, not guest rooms, but ours. Skylar had her own space, Tommy called his ‘the biker room.’ At first, it felt strange, now it feels normal, which shows just how much my life has changed.
I looked across the yard and smiled despite myself. Tommy was exactly where I expected him to be, following Chains, again. I didn’t think Tommy had made it through a single clubhouse visit without attaching himself to the man.
Chains didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to expect it now.
I watched Tommy chatter while Chains listened patiently. He wasn’t just pretending; he really listened, like he always did. Then something caught my eye.
Skylar. She walked across the yard carrying her sketchbook. Immediately, I knew where she was heading.
Over to Chains, of course. My daughter slowed when she reached him, said something I couldn’t hear. Chains gave her his full attention immediately, like he always did.
Skylar opened her sketchbook, Chains studied whatever she’d drawn, pointed something out, asked a question, and just like that, my quiet, careful daughter lit up.
Seeing her smile made my chest ache because she trusted him. It wasn’t the same as how she trusted me or Tommy, but she did trust him, and that hurt in a way I couldn’t explain. The feeling stayed with me all evening, even after dinner, after Tommy got Chains to help him build a ridiculous cushion fort, and after mom laughed so hard she nearly cried watching Roman try to squeeze into it.
The feeling stayed there, quietly growing.
The evening slipped by comfortably until the children eventually began to tire. Lola was yawning, Tommy could barely keep his eyes open, Skylar was rubbing at her eyes while trying to pretend she wasn’t. Mom smiled knowingly.
“I think bedtime is calling.”
The chorus of complaints was immediate. I laughed.
“Come on.”
A few minutes later, we had all three children settled upstairs. Tommy was asleep within minutes. Lola wasn’t far behind, and Skylar held out a little longer before finally giving in. When mom and I quietly closed the bedroom door behind us, that familiar warmth settled over me again.
These rooms, this place. Home, the thought still startled me. Mom squeezed my shoulder gently.
“You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
I meant it. Downstairs, the mood shifted a bit, nothing dramatic, just enough. The kids were asleep, the adults relaxed, and conversations grew louder as laughter came more easily.
Then the club bunnies arrived, including Peaches. I should have known she was trouble as soon as she walked through the door. Not because she was mean or had done anything wrong, but because she immediately spotted Chains and went straight to him.
I watched her drop into the chair beside him. Close, too close. She laughed at something he said, touched his arm, leaned toward him. My stomach tightened. I immediately looked away.
I felt annoyed for no real reason. Chains wasn’t mine, we weren’t together. We had agreed to be friends.
Friends. So why did I suddenly want to throw my drink at her? The thought was ridiculous, but when I looked over again, Peaches was still there, still talking, still smiling, still touching his arm.
Chains looked uncomfortable. I noticed right away, and somehow it only made things worse, because now I wasn’t sure if I was annoyed with her or with myself.
“Cleo.” I nearly jumped. Mom stood beside me, looking entirely too amused.
“What?”
Her eyebrow lifted. “You’re glaring.”
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are.”
Heat flooded my face. “I wasn’t glaring.”
Mom laughed. “Honey.”
I groaned. “Oh, God.”
Her smile softened instantly because mom always knew when to stop teasing. “You like him.”
The words landed directly in the center of my chest. “No.”
She gave me a look.
I sighed. “Maybe.”
That seemed to surprise even me. Mom reached for my hand.
“No one is asking you to forget Wade.”
There it was, the real issue wasn’t Chains or Peaches. It was guilt. I wanted him, and wanting him felt like betraying Wade.
Nine months and I still missed him, still loved him, still wished things had ended differently.
Tears stung unexpectedly. “I feel guilty.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Mom squeezed my hand. “Wade was part of your life.”
I nodded. “He gave me Skylar and Tommy.”
“And nobody can take that away.”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to do this.”
“You don’t have to know.”
I looked at her. “What if people think it’s too soon?”
“They won’t.”
“What if Dad...”
Mom laughed immediately. That caught me off guard.
“What?”
“Honey, Rick adores Chains.”
I blinked. “He’s his VP.”
“Exactly.” She smiled knowingly. “If Chains makes you happy, your father will probably throw a celebration.”
That earned a reluctant laugh. Then another thought surfaced. “The age gap.”
Mom’s expression softened. “Fifteen years.”
I nodded.
“Does it bother you?”
I thought about it, really thought about it, and realized something surprising. “No.”
Mom smiled. “Then don’t let it bother anyone else either.”
Later that evening, I escaped outside for some air. The night was cool, quiet, peaceful. I sat on the porch steps, trying not to think, which never worked. A moment later, someone sat beside me.
Roman, of course. We sat in comfortable silence for a minute. Then he spoke. “You like him.”
I nearly choked. “Oh, for the love of..”
Roman laughed. “You do.”
“I hate this family.”
“No, you don’t.”
Unfortunately, he was right. I sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”
Roman looked out across the yard. “You know what I see?”
“What?”
“The way Skylar looks at him.”
My chest tightened.
“The way Tommy follows him around.”
A pause.
“The way he shows up every single time they need him.”
I stayed quiet because every word was true. Roman bumped my shoulder lightly.
“And the way you look at him when you think nobody is paying attention.”
I groaned. “Traitor.”
He laughed. “Brother.”
That made me smile despite myself. His expression softened. “You don’t have to decide anything today, Sis.”
I looked at him, and for all his teasing, he was completely serious.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
A lot. That felt like the biggest understatement. Roman continued. “Just don’t convince yourself not to be happy before you’ve even given yourself a chance.”
Emotion caught in my throat because that was the real problem. Not Chains, not Wade, not guilt. It was fear. Fear of wanting something again, and the fear of losing it.
Roman stood and offered me a hand. I took it. He pulled me to my feet. “Come on.”
“Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
He grinned. “Inside before mom sends out a search party.”
I laughed, and as we walked back toward the clubhouse, my gaze drifted automatically toward the familiar dark-haired biker across the room. For the first time, I didn’t pretend I didn’t know why.
That scared me more than it should have.