Page 69 of York

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.”

“You’ve done a great job with her. Think it’s normal for moms to think they’re never doing enough or are accidentally fucking their kids up in some unknown way that won’t show up until fifteen years down the line, but that’s not the case. She’s had no trouble making friends her own age or engaging with adults. She’s smart. She’s sweet. She usually eats her veggies. She’s perfect.”

The rush of water in my eyes surprised me.

But I’d been doing this mom thing alone. No one to see the fruits of the labor; no one to tell me I’d done a good job.

“Thank you,” I said, trying to blink the tears away before York saw them.

I should have known better.

He was too observant.

He moved off Denali’s bed and scooted onto the space to the side of mine. But he was a big guy. It wasn’t a large bed. The second he moved next to me, he was touching me from shoulder to foot.

“I see it,” he said, sliding an arm behind my back.

“See what?” I asked, still rapidly blinking the wetness away.

“How much of yourself you’ve needed to sacrifice to raise our daughter.”

Alright. Well, the blinking was useless then.

“She’s worth it,” I said, wiping the tears that slipped down my cheeks.

“She is. But I’m happy to be here now to help out so you can get some of your passions back. Build whatever life you see for yourself.”

He pulled me toward him. I knew I needed to pull away. To reinforce that boundary I told myself needed to be there.

I didn’t do that, though.

I let myself curl into him, enjoying the breadth of his chest, the strength of his arms, the crisp, woodsy scent of him, the steady thud of his heartbeat against my ear.

He felt… safe.