Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60978 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Her eyebrow arched slightly. “Another Kiss of Death member.” Her lips pursed in distaste. “Interesting coincidence.”
My stomach dropped. She’d made the connection to Cash. Of course she had.
“I’ll need to update my report,” Ms. Winters continued, her pen scratching against the clipboard. “The court will want to know about this development. Two parents with connections to this particular motorcycle club.” The way she said “motorcycle club” made it sound like something distasteful.
“Is that a problem?” Ash asked, his voice level despite the tension evident in his posture.
Ms. Winters offered a thin smile. “That will be for the judge to determine, Mr. Hudson. I’m simply gathering information to ensure Lily’s best interests are protected.”
The implication hung in the air between us. Ash’s status as an ex-con, his MC affiliation, now added to the list of strikes against us. Against me. I knew I couldn’t lose my cool, but this was starting to feel very personal.
“Well,” Ms. Winters said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, “I’ll let you continue your reunion. Dr. Brennan mentioned she’d be discussing the test results with you shortly.” She nodded at me. “We’ll be in touch about the next steps, Ms. Jans. I’ll need to schedule a visit to this Haven place.”
“New Beginnings,” I corrected. “Only the residents call it Haven. Because it is a haven. For all of us. And everyone there has been wonderful to both me and Lily.”
Ms. Winters shrugged then grumbled under her breath. “How safe this so-called shelter is will be for a judge to determine.”
She walked away. I watched her go, the knot in my stomach tightening with every step. When she disappeared around the corner, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“She’s been gunning for me since day one,” I whispered, making sure Lily couldn’t hear. “And now…”
“Now I’ve made it worse,” Ash finished, sinking back into his chair. “I’m sorry, Eliza. I thought showing up, being here for Lily, would help.”
I wanted to confirm his fears, to blame him for complicating an already precarious situation. But the truth was, Ms. Winters would have found out about him eventually. Better to have it happen now, with both of us present, than as a surprise revelation in court.
“It’s not your fault,” I admitted reluctantly. “For whatever reason, she’s got it in for me.”
Lily looked up from Mr. Flopsy, her gaze moving between us. “Is that lady coming back? I don’t like her. She looks at me funny.”
Ash and I exchanged a look over Lily’s head, momentary allies in the face of a common threat. In his eyes, I saw the same fierce protectiveness I felt, the same fear. Whatever had happened between us, whatever mistakes we’d both made, we would do anything to protect Lily.
“We’ll figure this out,” Ash said quietly, his words meant only for me. “Together, if you’ll let me.”
I didn’t answer immediately. Trust was harder to rebuild than to break, and the years of silence and neglect, even when he was in our life, had left deep scars. But as Lily reached out to touch one of Ash’s tattoos with curious fingers, her small face lighting up when he made a silly expression for her, I knew I would never love Asher, but I wanted Lily to know him. Despite the fact he was a follower who had knowingly gone in the wrong direction to please a friend of his, Ash was a good person. Just not the person I wanted to be my mate.
“One day at a time,” I said finally, meeting his gaze. “For Lily.”
He nodded, understanding the limitations I was setting, accepting them without argument. “For Lily.”
Chapter Ten
Eliza
The security monitor beside Haven’s front door showed Ash standing at the gate, his Kiss of Death MC cut visible beneath his leather jacket. My stomach knotted as I watched him shift his weight from one foot to another, waiting for someone to buzz him in. A week had passed since our unexpected reunion at the hospital, and though I knew this moment would come eventually, I felt completely unprepared. I watched with a small amount of anxiety as Hannah moved toward the intercom, her expression carefully neutral.
“Ash is Lily’s father,” I said quietly, the words feeling strange after so long. “Asher Hudson.”
Hannah paused, her finger hovering over the intercom button. “Knuckles brought him in when he got out of Terre Haute,” she confirmed, not asking a question.
I nodded, my throat suddenly tight. “I’m sure he’s here to see Lily.”
Hannah studied the monitor for a moment longer before turning to me. “Do you want him here, Eliza?”
The simple question carried weight I wasn’t ready to bear. Did I want Ash here? The man who had left us to face years of struggle alone without him. The man whose absence had left a void in Lily’s life no amount of my love could fill. The man who now wore the same MC cut as Cash and all the other men who had unexpectedly become our protectors.