Chapter Twenty-One
Waking up slowly, I stretch. I feel the bed next to me is cold and sigh.
I know I should get up and find everyone, but I don’t have the energy to.
Last night was rough. It took me forever to fall back asleep after everything went down.
Then I was so on edge that every little creak of the house woke me up.
Every time I opened my eyes, without fail, Mac was awake. He held Emily close to his chest, and every so often, he would reach over and touch Tanner and then me as he watched the door. He was on guard, ready to take out anyone who dared to hurt us.
I think last night affected him as much as it did the kids and me.
Which makes me fall just a little bit farther for him.
Sighing, I get out of bed. After going to the bathroom and splashing water on my face, I head out to find everyone, only to come to a stop when I see them.
Mac stands at the kitchen island where he has a griddle set up, shirtless, his muscles on display, and gray sweatpants low on his hips. He’s got a smile on his lips as he stares at my kids across from him.
“I want a leaf,” Emily tells him.
“I’ll try my best. What do you want, Tanner?” he rasps.
“Can you do a hockey stick?” my son asks hesitantly.
“You bet. It might not be very good, though,” Mac warns him.
I lean against the counter and watch as he pours pancake batter onto the griddle carefully, trying his best to do the shapes my kids requested. Reaching up, I rub my chest over my heart, and something that feels a whole lot like love rushes through me.
This man.
He never ceases to amaze me. He’s always going the extra mile when he doesn’t have to.
For crying out loud, he let me sleep in when he hasn’t slept at all and is actually spending time with the kids. Something their dad would have never dreamed of doing.
He must feel my eyes on him because he looks over at me and smiles, making my heart race.
“Good morning, a mhuirnín.”
“Morning. What are you three up to?” I ask as I push off the wall.
“Mac’s making us pancakes,” Emily tells me as she leans on the counter.
“Did you thank Mac?” I ask.
“Thank you, Mac,” my kids say robotically, making him laugh.
“You don’t have to thank me,” he tells them before he looks over at me. “Coffee’s ready if you want some. I ran over to your place and grabbed the creamer from your fridge.”
“Thank you,” I say softly.
“How did you sleep?” he asks as he flips a pancake.
“About as well as you did.”
“Mac said you didn’t sleep last night, so we should let you sleep in,” Emily tells me.
“I told him we would be okay with cereal and that I could do it. I just needed him to grab it from our place,” Tanner tells me.
I look over at Mac and raise a brow.
He shrugs, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he looks at the griddle.
“I wanted to test my pancake skills. It’s been a while since I’ve made any.”
“That’s sweet of you,” I tell him.
“Get your coffee, woman,” he mutters, making me chuckle.
As I walk past him, I can’t help but run my hand along his lower back and smile as I feel him suck in a breath. It’s nice knowing that I can affect him as much as he affects me.
After making my coffee, I lean against the counter next to him and watch him plate up breakfast for my kids.
“Okay, you’ve got pancakes, bacon, and some fruit. I won’t take offense if you don’t like it, but I would like you to at least try some of it,” he tells them.
“I love fruit,” Emily says as she slides her plate in front of her. “It’s what queens eat.”
I smile at that, knowing it’s because of Mac that she doesn’t give me nearly as many issues with fruits and vegetables.
“Thank you,” Tanner tells him before he elbows Emily.
“Why’d you do that?” she mutters as she shoves her fork into her mouth.
“Tell him thank you,” Tanner hisses.
Emily rolls her eyes. “Thank you, Mac.”
When she speaks, little flakes of pancake fly out of her mouth, making Mac wince and me chuckle. I know I should get on her more about her table manners, or manners in general, but sometimes it’s nice just seeing her be a kid.
Mac pours more batter onto the griddle and turns to face me. He places his hand on my hip, where the kids can’t see, and brushes his finger back and forth.
“You okay? Really?” he asks quietly.
“I will be. You?”
“I will be,” he repeats back.
I reach up and cup his cheek, brushing my thumb below his eye. His eyes shut as he leans into my touch.
“You’re tired. You should take a nap,” I whisper.
“I’ll be okay. I’ve stayed awake for longer.”
“Mac…” I sigh.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy and can take care of myself.” He stands up straight and drops his hand from my hip.
Instantly, I miss his touch.
“When I grabbed the creamer from your place, I grabbed everyone a set of clothes. I put them on my nightstand.”
How did I miss that when I left his room?
“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him as gratitude fills me.
“I did. Now go take a shower. When you’re done, breakfast will be waiting for you.”
Stepping forward, I stand up on my tiptoes and brush my lips over his cheek.
“Thank you,” I murmur as I pull back.
“Anytime. Now go,” he tells me.
As I walk away from him, I can’t help but smile.
This man. I don’t know what I did in a past life to deserve him, but I’m glad I have him now.
Even if only for a little while. One thing is for sure, though.
Mac has made me believe that there just might be some good men left in the world, and if there is one thing I know down to my soul, it’s that he’s one of them.
My heart races as I watch her walk down the hallway to my room.
Jane slays me, and she has no fucking clue.
I stayed up all night and watched the three of them sleep.
I can’t explain the way it made me feel holding the three of them, watching over them as they dreamed.
Emily slept peacefully, almost as if she was never disturbed by someone breaking into her home.
Tanner fought sleep for a while, but once it took over, he barely moved.
Jane, though—she was up and down half the night.
I could tell when the dreams got to be too much by the way she moved.
Every time she opened those brown eyes, though, she looked right at me, and I swear to God you could see the fear and worry leave her. She relaxed, knowing I was there, and that I had everything under control.
It’s a heady feeling knowing someone can depend on you in that kind of way.
She was right about one thing. I’m fucking exhausted. I wouldn’t change it for the world, though. As far as I’m concerned, I had the three most precious things in the world in my bed next to me last night.
To be honest, I’d do some shady shit to get them there again. Well, Jane specifically.
The things I would do to her if we were alone while the kids slept down the hall in my guest rooms…
“These are real good, Mac. What else can you make?” Emily asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I flip the pancakes and frown when I see they are just on the edge of burned.
“Eggs, spaghetti, chili, and a few other things. But if you tell me what you want, I can try to make it happen. There’s a recipe for everything on the internet nowadays,” I tell her as the shower kicks on.
“Chocolate cake?” she asks with a sly smile, making me laugh.
I shake my head. “I’ve never tried, but I’m sure I can figure it out. Worst-case scenario, I buy a box mix.”
“You know you aren’t supposed to eat that much sugar, Emily. It makes you too hyper,” Tanner says.
“That was before,” Emily says as she wilts.
Before.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she means when they lived out west with that dickhead. He probably hated it when his kids were happy and took it out on Jane.
I swear to God, if I ever get my hands on him…
“Well, we can always ask your mom and see what she says,” I tell them, pushing my murder plans from my mind.
My phone vibrates on the counter next to me, and I look down. Smoke’s message flashes across the screen.
Smoke: Let me know when you’re on your way. I’ll meet you there.
“Sorry, guys, I have to check this,” I tell the kids.
“It’s fine.” Tanner shrugs as he eats.
Me: Jane is in the shower and the kids are eating breakfast, so it’s going to be awhile. I’ll keep you updated.
Smoke replies instantly, sending me a thumbs up.
“Sorry about that,” I say to the kids again as I set down my phone.
Emily tilts her head to the side and looks at me in confusion. “Why are you sorry? Daddy was always on his phone. We know to be quiet when someone’s on it.”
“Emily,” Tanner hisses, making my heart ache.
That son of a bitch.
“You know, Em, you’re right. It’s nice to be quiet if someone’s talking on the phone, but it’s also rude to text at the table when you’re eating with others,” I tell her as I try to tamp down my rage.
“But you aren’t eating,” she points out.
“Not yet, but you are, and that’s all that matters. Sometimes, though, I will have to check my phone if I get a message when we’re eating.”
“In case it’s an emergency?” she asks thoughtfully.
“Exactly.”
“What are you three talking about?” Jane asks.
I look over at her and suck in a breath.
That fucking minx.
Instead of putting on the top I had carefully picked out for her, she put on one of my Saint’s Garage T-shirts. She has it paired with leggings and fluffy socks. Her hair hangs damp around her shoulders, and I swear to God she’s never looked more beautiful.
“You’re staring,” she murmurs as she steps up next to me.
“You’re gorgeous.”
Jane’s cheeks flush as she looks at her kids.
“Are you two done?” she asks the kids, ignoring my compliment.
“Yep,” Emily says as Tanner nods.
“Cool. Why don’t you two go watch TV while Mac and I have breakfast?” She turns to look at me. “Is that okay?”
“Works for me.” I turn back to the kids. “Will you two be okay in here by yourselves while your mom and I eat in the backyard? We need to talk for a minute.”
A line forms between Tanner’s brows as his eyes bounce between his mom and me. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. We just need to go over plans to make sure nothing like last night happens again,” I tell him honestly.
Reluctantly, he nods and jumps down from his stool before helping Emily down.
As they leave the kitchen, I make a plate for Jane and one for myself.
“I can do that, you know,” she tells me with humor in her voice.
“I know, but I want to.” Once I’m done, I look over at her. “Ready?”
Instead of answering me, she walks to the sliding glass door and opens it. I follow after her and head outside.
We both sit down and start eating in silence. Finally, after a few minutes, she sets down her fork and looks at me.
“Tell me. What exactly happened last night?”
I remind her of what I told her last night. That there were two guys, and how we grabbed one. How my brothers took him and are holding him for questioning.
“Look, I know it’s a pain in the ass, but I would like you to stay away from your place for a minute, at least until we have answers as to why this is happening. In fact, I need to head over to the club so we can figure this shit out.”
“So you’re leaving.” She states rather than asks.
“I was hoping you would go with me. You and the kids can hang out at the clubhouse while I take care of business. If you want to stay here, though, you can. I’ll have a brother come over and hang out outside to make sure no one approaches who shouldn’t. Either way, you’ll be safe.”
“I’d like to go with you,” she says quietly.
Thank fuck, because the thought of her and the kids being out of reach makes my skin crawl.