Page 47 of Biker Orc Baby Daddy
I should say no. Should keep my boundaries intact and my life compartmentalized. Should protect Orry from complications and protect myself from hope.
But Colum's looking at me with that expression that says heknowsI'm scared and he's not going to let fear win.
Damn him.
"Fine. Seven PM. But I'm leaving if it gets weird."
"Deal." He grabs his coffee cup. Pauses at the door. "For what it's worth? I think you'll like him. The real him. Not the nervous wreck who can't string sentences together around you."
"Why can't he string sentences together?"
Colum just grins. "Seven PM, Sis."
He leaves.
I look down at Orry. He's fallen asleep on the play mat, Mr. Grunt clutched to his chest, mouth slightly open.
That dimple. Right cheek. Deep and distinct.
Just like Gunther's.
I crouch down. Brush hair off Orry's forehead. Study his face in the warm shop light.
Green-tinged skin. Crystal eyes. Features that don't quite match mine but somehow feelfamiliar.
I've told myself for eighteen months that my baby's father doesn't matter. That Ridge was a moment. A mistake. A memory I've carefully filed away underthings that don't bear examining.
But what if Ridge isn't just a memory?
What if he'shere?
The thought terrifies me. Because if Gunther is Ridge—and he can't be, the timeline doesn't even make sense, Ridge was confident and rough and nothing like nervous Gunther—then everything changes.
Custody. Co-parenting. Shared decisions. Letting someone into the life I've built so carefully. Letting someone see how hard this is. How scared I am. How much I'mfaking it.
I've spent eighteen months proving I can do this alone. That I don't need anyone. That Orry and I are a complete unit.
But maybe Colum's right. Maybe everyone needs help.
Maybe I'm just too proud to ask.
I gather Orry gently. He doesn't wake. Just nuzzles into my shoulder, warm and trusting andmine.
Ours?
I lock up the shop. Head upstairs to my apartment. Put Orry in his crib. Stand there watching him sleep.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll have dinner with Colum and Gunther. I'll be professional. Friendly. Boundaried.
And maybe I'll ask the question that's been burning since Gunther walked into my shop.
Do I know you?
Because that dimple. That smile. That moment when Orry reached for him and something in Gunther's expressionbroke open.
I've seen that look before.
Just once.
