Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Death Valley?” York asked, glancing up from where he was looking at the art Denali had just dropped off.
“Yeah. The pastel colors.”
“Yeah, Denali would love that,” he agreed, picking up on what I meant with my short, pained sentences. “When this is all over, I could take you there. The club has a sister chapter in Shady Valley. Literally backs up to Death Valley. Club has a shit ton of dogs and cats and chickens. She’d get a kick out of it.”
I wanted that more than I cared to admit. Not just traveling for fun, seeing the sights, enjoying our time without looking over my shoulder. But doing all those things with York by our side.
I never really gave thought to being a family unit. A little girl, her mom, and her dad. As much as I had always thought about having York in Denali’s life, I hadn’t imagined him in mine in any meaningful way.
But the longer we stayed at the clubhouse, the more he became woven into the daily fabric of our lives, the more I was imagining things I had no right thinking about.
Walking hand-in-hand through a great trail with a cute little Denny walking ahead of us with a stuffed animal tucked under her arm, pointing out all the birds and squirrels.
Then going back to our tent, listening to the night sounds. Or, let’s face it, with my less outdoorsy kid, maybe we’d have a camper or a hotel room. And take the long drive back down to Florida, singing along to the radio, pointing out cute animals, stopping at random attractions.
It was so easy to picture it all.
Even if I knew it was pure fantasy.
“Mommy, Daddy,” Denali called, rushing into the room, eyes round, smile bright. She was excited about something.
“What’s up, princess?”
“Can I go to the park with Aunt Sassy?”
I privately loved that she was calling the members of York’s found family her aunts and uncles.
“Did Aunt Saskia offer to take you to the park?” York asked.
“I did,” Sass said, moving into the doorway. “We all decided the kids need to blow off some steam. I know what you’re thinking—it’s a lot of kids. But Harmon and Rue are coming.” And Harmon’s kids were too old for park trips, and Rue didn’t have any yet. “And they promised to keep an especially close eye on Denali.” She looked over at York. “Caymen, Che, Cato, and Seeley are coming too.” To keep a lookout for any threats.
“Which park?” he asked.
“The one with the pirate ship!” Denali declared, as if she’d seen that park. She hadn’t. But, apparently, someone had been telling her about it.
“It’s that one that has a bunch of old-school play areas: pirate ship, castle, bridges, plus the usual swings, fields, all the stuff.”
“We’re gonna picnic!”
I had a feeling this particular picnic would be packed by Eddie. No deli meat sandwiches or peanut butter and jelly to be found.
York looked at me. “I think that sounds fun,” I said.
“Yay!”
“We’ll send pics,” Saskia assured us. “And let you know when we are heading home, but we will be there for hours, so long as the weather doesn’t turn on us.”
“Sounds great. Have lots of fun. And listen to your grown-ups.”
“I will,” Denali said, nodding.
“No complaining when it’s time to come home, okay?” York asked.
“Okay.”
“And don’t talk to strangers,” he added.
Denali gave him a little eye roll at that. Denny had endured way more than the usual ‘stranger danger’ talks in her short life. Our safety depended on it.
“I won’t.”
With that, Sass led her out of the room, and we sat and listened to all the adults wrangle the kids downstairs before there was sudden silence.
I was sure some of the guys were still around. They never seemed to leave the clubhouse unprotected. But it was weirdly quiet without everyone hanging out.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Can’t imagine you’re used to letting other people take Denali out.”
“No, I’m not.” I’d had babysitters in the past, sure, but they always watched her at our apartment or their own. The only person to ever take her out without me was York. “But I trust them.”
She would be safer with a group of biker moms and their husbands than she would be with just me.
“You can,” he assured me. “They’ll keep an extra-close eye on her because she’s not theirs.”
“This is good for her,” I said.
“Going to the park?”
“No. Well, yes. Anytime she can go outside, I’m happy. But being with other kids.”
“Know you’ve mostly been up here, but she’s been having a blast. She’s sweet with the younger ones, looks up to the older ones, and has a blast making up games with the ones her own age.”
“That’s so good for her. I’ve kind of been her whole world her whole life. And that’s an honor, but I know it’s not fair to her.”