Chapter 24
Sadie
Two hours later, I am feeling significantly better about life.
The bar is busy without being overcrowded, filled with the steady hum of conversation, clinking glasses, and music loud enough to create atmosphere without forcing people to shout.
Warm golden light spills from overhead fixtures, reflecting off polished wood and rows of liquor bottles behind the bar, while groups of friends occupy tables scattered throughout the room.
The entire place feels relaxed and welcoming, exactly the sort of environment I had been craving without fully realizing it.
More importantly, I’m having fun. The kind that doesn’t involve looking over my shoulder every five minutes or wondering whether somebody is watching me.
Okay, I know somebody is watching me. But it’s Chief, and he’s keeping to his word and is being inconspicuous. Though inside the club. That was his stipulation and I gave in.
Dani, unsurprisingly, has been delighted by every detail of the chaos that currently passes for my love life.
“You have accidentally collected four hot, non-douchebag men,” she says, perhaps for the third time that evening, pointing her glass at me for emphasis.
“Do you understand how ridiculously lucky that is?”
I laugh so hard I nearly spill my drink. “I did not collect them.”
“Like Pokémon,” she giggles.
I laugh, gently slapping her arm. “I didn’t.”
“You collected them the way some women collect cats, or maybe they’re more like rescue dogs, big and scary but big teddy bears with you.”
The comparison is ridiculous enough that I bury my face in my hands. “You are terrible.”
“I’m serious. They all look at you like you’re the last slice of pizza on and they all want a bite.” She waggles her eyebrows at me.
A groan escapes me. Unfortunately, part of me knows Dani’s right.
Over the past couple of hours, she’s managed to untangle thoughts that had felt hopelessly knotted together inside my head.
Instead of making me feel guilty or confused, she’s somehow convinced me that maybe feelings aren’t always neat and sensible. Maybe people aren’t either.
The realization doesn’t solve anything, but it makes me feel less broken. Less overwhelmed. Chief has come up repeatedly. Dani is convinced the man is obsessed with me. I am equally convinced there’s no way that’s true.
One minute, he watches me as if I were the most fascinating thing in the room. Next, he retreats so completely behind that calm, controlled exterior that I begin to wonder whether I imagined the entire interaction.
The frustrating thing is that I haven’t seen him once all evening even though I know he’s here.
Not once. Shadow’s arrangement had been reasonable enough that I agreed to it, but part of me expected to catch glimpses of Chief throughout the night.
A dark figure at the bar. A familiar face across the room.
Some subtle sign that he was keeping watch.
Instead, there has been nothing—no sign of him.
No evidence whatsoever. That shouldn’t bother me, but for some reason, it does.
“You are thinking about him again.”
I look up. Dani is grinning.
“I hate you.”
She blows me a kiss. “Love you too.” She suddenly widens her eyes, looking over my shoulder. “Oh, my God.”
“What?” I ask, eyes wide as panic flares briefly.
She leans forward. “You’ll never guess who’s here.”
For one ridiculous second, hope flares. Chief. The thought appears so quickly that it embarrasses me.
Then Dani’s grin widens. “It’s Tyler.”
My stomach drops slightly. “Tyler?”
“And he’s with a hot friend.” Before I can formulate a response, she grabs my arm. “Oh, my God, they’re coming over.”
“Oh no. Let’s hide,” I hiss, eyes darting around for the nearest escape route.
Dani shakes her head. “No way, his friend is a total hottie, you gotta wingwoman me.”
“Dani,” I groan.
“You owe me,” she says, taking a big sip of her straw and pointing her finger at me.
“For what?”
“For listening to two hours of biker drama.” She grins wickedly. “And for letting you keep them all to yourself.”
I open my mouth to argue that she loves hearing the biker drama.
Unfortunately, Tyler reaches the table before I can.
To his credit, he looks genuinely pleased to see me.
The friend accompanying him is equally pleased to see Dani, judging by the way her entire face lights up.
Within minutes, they are both flirting shamelessly.
Leaving me to talk to Tyler, which, considering our last conversation where I blew him off, is a bit strained
Despite that, Tyler is charming, attentive, and undeniably attractive.
Under different circumstances, I probably would have enjoyed it more.
The problem is that every time I look at him now, I find myself comparing him to four entirely different men.
It isn’t a fair comparison. Unfortunately, my brain insists on making it anyway.
A while later, after another round of drinks arrives, Tyler’s expression grows more serious. “Can I ask you something?”
“Depends.” I sip my drink, some fruity cocktail I can’t remember the name of, avoiding eye contact.
He speaks casually, although there’s an undercurrent of concern in his voice. “Are you really staying with those bikers?”
I should have known word would spread. It’s not the biggest town, after all. “They’ve been helping me,” I say defensively.
“I know.” How? I consider asking, but he continues, his tone remaining gentle. “That doesn’t mean it’s good for you.”
I sigh. “Tyler—”
“I’m serious, Sadie. You deserve stability. A normal life.” The word normal lands strangely.
Before I can respond, he continues. “Owen deserves that too.”
For a moment, I hesitate. The alcohol humming pleasantly through my system doesn’t help.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” I feel on edge, tired of defending my choices as a mom and of being judged, but also curious about what he has to say.
Also curious as to how he knows about Owen.
In our brief time of flirting I never told him about my child.
He shrugs. “I’m just saying he’s a kid. What kind of future does he have growing up around motorcycle clubs and people like that?”
The comment irritates me more than I expected.
Tyler doesn’t know them. He hasn’t seen Dash teaching Owen how to play arcade games, or Shadow patiently listening to his stories.
or Trigger building Lego towers on the clubhouse floor, or Chief quietly making sure everybody has what they need before worrying about himself.
Still, a tiny seed of doubt slips in anyway.
Maybe because Ethan used to say similar things.
Maybe because part of me worries they’re true.
At the very least, people are bound to judge and misunderstand my relationship with the guys.
Will they make Owen feel bad about it? Different?
Fortunately, before the conversation can go much further, Dani suddenly announces she is leaving with Tyler’s friend.
The grin she gives me leaves absolutely no doubt about her intentions.
I tell her to go and have fun, and I’ll head home shortly.
Tyler eagerly volunteers to keep me company and make sure I get home safely.
“You sure it’s okay if I go?” she asks leaning close.
“I’m sure. I’m not that drunk, I’ll be fine.”
The smile she gives me says she knows exactly how much alcohol I’ve consumed and that I’m far from sober.
But, lured by the sexy friend, she leaves, telling me to promise to text when I get back.
I am feeling a bit buzzed by the alcohol and decide I need to enjoy myself.
Part of me wishes that Chief would show himself.
Though I can’t imagine him having fun on the dance floor.
I’m sitting, tapping my foot to the beat, when Tyler asks me if I want to dance.
It doesn’t take as much convincing as it should.
This is my first night of freedom in ages and I want to dance and have fun.
The music is louder here, the bass vibrating faintly beneath my feet as people move around us.
I laugh at something he says when my heel unexpectedly catches on the floor, the room tilts, and before I can fall, Tyler catches me.
His hands land awkwardly as he steadies me, one hand around my waist, one close to my breast, as he pulls me close to his chest to steady me.
The contact lasts only a second, maybe less, before I pull away.
Something about it feels wrong. Not threatening or inappropriate, just unwanted.
The immediate, instinctive discomfort surprises me because there is nothing technically wrong with what happened, yet my entire body seems determined to lean away.
Tyler’s expression changes. “Sadie—” he says softly, leaning closer, lips parting. I know exactly what he’s about to do. A few weeks ago, I’d have been thrilled about it but now it leaves me cold. I step back immediately, and confusion flashes across his face.
“Sorry.” The apology leaves my mouth before I can stop it.
Tyler starts to say something when suddenly, his attention shifts. The change is instant. His entire body stiffens.
I turn to see what he’s looking at, and there, standing a few feet away, looking dangerously unimpressed, is Chief.
For a moment, nobody speaks. The noise of the bar continues around us, but the tension between the two men feels sharp enough to cut through it.
Tyler lets out a short laugh. “This is exactly what I was talking about.”
Chief’s expression doesn’t change. Not even slightly. Which somehow feels far more intimidating than anger. For the first time all evening, I realize that maybe he has been watching after all.
Chief strides over to me in two short steps, ignoring Tyler completely. “Are you okay?”
The look he gives me, concerned and possessive, takes my breath away. “I’m fine, I just tripped. Tyler was…”