Chapter Seven #2
I gestured toward the door and she swiped her card, unlocked it, and pushed it open. They entered first and I followed. “Welcome home,” I said, the words feeling strange on my tongue. “For as long as you want it.”
The apartment was unrecognizable from the bare space it had been just a few days ago.
Pippa and Tillie had worked fucking miracles.
The open-plan living area gleamed with cleanliness, furniture arranged to create a cozy seating area facing the windows that overlooked the compound.
Fresh flowers sat in a mason jar on the kitchen table.
The refrigerator hummed quietly and should be stocked with food I’d requested based on Brynn’s renal diet requirements and the few preferences I’d managed to learn during our hospital stay.
“This is…” Lavender stood in the center of the room, turning slowly. “Not what I expected either.” Her voice held genuine surprise.
“Oh really? Brynn told me what she expected. What were you expecting? Leather couches and beer signs?” I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my mouth.
“Something like that.” She ran her hand along the back of a comfortable-looking armchair, her fingers leaving trails in the soft fabric. “This is really nice, Knight.”
Brynn had drifted toward the bookshelf against one wall, her head tilted sideways to read the spines. Her backpack hung from one shoulder, its weight nothing compared to the wariness she carried.
“Kitchen’s fully stocked,” I said, moving toward the refrigerator. “Ada made sure everything on Brynn’s approved food list is here. And the fridge has a water dispenser with a built-in filter.”
I showed them the security system which consisted of a keypad by the door with a panic button that would alert the entire compound if pressed, then led them down the short hallway off the living room.
“Bathroom’s here.” I pushed open the door to reveal a surprisingly modern setup with a large shower. “Towels, toiletries, all that stuff should be in there. One in the master bedroom too.”
Two doors remained. I opened the first, revealing a modestly sized bedroom with a queen bed, dresser, and a small desk. “Lavender, this would be yours.” The room held little personalization because I hadn’t known what she might want, but the bedspread was a soft purple, a small nod to her name.
She stepped inside, her fingers trailing over the edge of the desk. “It’s perfect. Thank you.” Her voice was soft, and when she turned to me, her eyes shone with unshed tears that she quickly blinked away.
The last door led to Brynn’s room. I hesitated with my hand on the knob, suddenly uncertain. This was the part I’d obsessed over, wanting to give her something that might crack that carefully constructed wall of indifference. Would she hate it? See it as manipulation?
“And this one’s yours, Brynn,” I said, pushing the door open.
The room was smaller than Lavender’s, but packed with more personality.
Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with titles I’d noticed her reading in the hospital or that Ada had suggested for a girl her age with her interests.
A desk stood beneath the window, topped with a high-end laptop I’d configured myself, loaded with coding software she’d mentioned wanting.
On the walls, instead of posters, I’d hung framed vintage tech patents like the first computer, early coding diagrams, things I thought might intrigue her.
Brynn stepped inside, her carefully maintained mask of disinterest slipping as her eyes widened and her mouth formed an “O” of wonder. She moved to the bookshelf first, running her fingers along the spines.
She set her backpack down and moved to the desk, her hands hovering over the laptop.
“Is this…” She opened it, and her face lit up as the screen came to life, displaying the home screen of the programming environment she’d talked about.
“How did you know?” she asked, turning to me with naked surprise, momentarily forgetting her hostility.
I shrugged, trying to downplay the hours I’d spent researching what might interest her. “I noticed you reading about it in the hospital. Figured you might want to try it.”
Our eyes locked, and for a second, I saw past her defenses to the vulnerable kid underneath, smart as hell and desperate for connection despite her prickly exterior. She reminded me so much of myself at that age it physically hurt.
The moment shattered as a knock sounded at the apartment door. Brynn’s expression shuttered closed again, though not completely. Some of the wonder remained as her fingers traced the edge of the laptop.
I moved to answer the door, finding Ada and Hannah standing there, arms loaded with welcome gifts. Hannah carried a plate of cookies covered in plastic wrap, while Ada held a potted plant and what looked like a handmade quilt.
“We come bearing gifts,” Ada announced, her smile warm as she stepped inside. “Oh good, you’re settling in.”
Hannah followed, her quiet presence filling the room differently to Ada’s cheerful energy. “Cookies,” she said, cheerfully holding out the plate. “No nuts or dairy, and low sodium for Brynn’s diet.”
Lavender accepted the plate with a hesitant smile. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.”
Hannah shrugged, but her expression softened slightly.
“Listen, I know how overwhelming this can be,” she said, her voice low enough that Brynn, who had emerged from her room but hung back in the hallway, couldn’t hear.
“This place is different from the MC I grew up in, but they’re both good clubs.
Testosterone gets a little high for my taste sometimes.
When it does, we threaten to cut them off if they don’t straighten up, if you know what I mean. ”
The candor of her statement caught Lavender off guard. She laughed. A genuine sound that lit her whole face and sent warmth spreading through my chest. Just like that, she was my Lavender again. I remembered seeing that same delighted look on her face the day before my world went to shit.
That day had been a day of perfect peace. I’d made love to Lavender under a big oak in the neighbor’s hay field. I’d been planning on asking her to marry me, but a surprise storm had come and we’d made love in the summer rain instead.
“Does that work?” Lavender asked, still smiling.
“Like a fucking charm,” Hannah replied, her own lips curving upward. “Men are simple creatures. Especially bikers.”
I feigned offense. “I’m standing right here.”
“And?” Hannah raised an eyebrow, the challenge in her voice playful rather than hostile.
Ada had moved to Brynn, showing her something on her phone that captured the girl’s attention. They bent their heads together, as they spoke in low voices.
For the first time since finding that email about Brynn, I allowed myself to imagine a future where all the parts of my life might fit together. A future where the family I’d built and the family I’d found could become something whole.
* * *
I stood outside their apartment door at a quarter past nine, hand raised to knock, feeling like a goddamn teenager.
My knuckles hovered inches from the wood as I listened for sounds inside.
The compound had settled into its nighttime rhythm.
Distant engine revs from guys returning home, muffled music from the clubhouse and the occasional burst of laughter provided the soundtrack for life in the compound.
I’d changed clothes three times before coming over, finally settling on a clean black T-shirt and jeans, like it fucking mattered what I wore to check if they needed anything before they went to bed.
I’d never been this nervous on ops that could’ve gotten me killed.
Finally, I forced myself to knock, three short taps against the door.
Footsteps approached from the other side, soft and hesitant.
The light came on at the security camera outside her door, and I knew someone could see me, deciding whether to open up.
The lock clicked, and the door swung inward, revealing Lavender in soft gray sweatpants and an oversized T-shirt, her hair pulled up in a messy bun with curls escaping around her face.
She looked exhausted but somehow more relaxed than I’d seen her since the hospital.
“Hey,” she said softly, stepping back to let me in. “Everything OK?”
I nodded, suddenly tongue-tied at the sight of her in such casual clothes, so domestic and vulnerable. “Just wanted to check how you’re settling in. If you need anything.”
“We’re good,” she said, closing the door behind me.
“Brynn fell asleep about an hour ago. The bed actually got her excited. Said it was like ‘sleeping on a cloud’ compared to the hospital.” A small smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“I think the books and computer might have won her over a little.”
“Good,” I said, relief washing through me. “That’s… That’s good.”
The apartment was dimly lit, just a single lamp burning in the living room. Everything was neat, no trace of the unpacking chaos I’d expected. But then, they hadn’t had much to unpack. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not sure if I should sit or leave.
Lavender solved my dilemma by tilting her head toward the glass door on the far side of the living room. “I was just getting some air on the balcony since the weather warmed up a bit tonight. Want to join me?”
I followed her across the room. The balcony held two chairs and a small table for setting a drink and a snack. The view of the compound below showed the entirety of the courtyard below.
Lavender leaned against the railing, her arms crossed over her chest. I kept a careful distance, not wanting to crowd her, though every cell in my body hummed with awareness of her closeness.