A burst of energy filled her. "We leave in the morning for Idaho."
"Bright and early." He kissed her and walked away to man the front door.
More than going and closing a door in her life and leaving her past behind, she wanted to spend two days alone with Brage. No interruptions from the club needing Brage's time. No work ahead of her. Long hours spent together on the road. She couldn't wait.
Peer double looked at her. "You've got that goofy smile again."
She slapped his arm as she moved past him behind the bar. "You're starting to give me a complex."
"I'm happy for Brage." Peer dried a glass. "Maybe you, too."
She scoffed. "Oh, well, thanks for that. The feels are strong from you, my friend."
Peer laughed. "I can't be spreading too much sunshine around this place. I got my own shit to concentrate on."
"Yeah?" She took her tips out of her pocket and stashed the wad in the cash register to pick up later. "What's going on?"
From what she'd witnessed, he'd jumped into fatherhood with both feet. Regardless if he had no choice or not, he was doing the best he could—which she thought was better than most mothers.
"I rented a house." His brows lowered. "I've always lived at the clubhouse, even in Seattle before moving down here."
"Are you regretting your decision?"
"I don't have time to have regrets. Tyr needs a home." He inhaled deeply. "Don't know how I'll handle my son on my own."
"You can always ask for help," she said.
He grunted stepped away to help a customer. She filled two drinks while she waited for Peer to return and finish the conversation he started. It must be scary to be responsible for a child. A child that was still an infant.
Monica passed her a drink order. She filled the glasses and handed them back to her on a tray.
A half hour passed before she remembered their conversation and looked for Peer, but he'd gone off on his lunch break, leaving her to deal with the drinks by herself.
"Yell if you need help." Lizzy stepped behind the cash register. "I'll handle the customers checking out."
They worked well together. All of them able to fill in where needed.
She glanced over at the front door. Brage talked with Roar. His mouth barely moving, only the occasion look passed between the men.
Norwegian men were the hardest guys to read going by facial expressions. They kept everything hidden. Zombies could walk into the bar, and they'd look the same as if the Girl Scouts came to sell cookies.
Brage lifted his gaze. She blew him a kiss, and he looked back at Roar, not acknowledging her.
Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. She'd have him all to herself.
Two hours later, the bar closed.
Brage walked into the breakroom of The Fire Ring with Roar and Elling. She smiled at him and slipped her sweatshirt over her uniform. The other women had come and left out the back door ahead of her.
Stepping around Elling, she went to Brage. Expecting him to walk out with her, she looked at him. He and the other men never moved.
The way they looked at her, she knew they'd come together because of her.
Afraid they'd changed their mind about letting Brage leave with her for Idaho in the morning, she leaned against Brage and whispered, "What's going on?"
"Sit down for a minute." Brage pulled out the chair in front of him.
She stayed standing, even when Brage sat at the table. "Something bad happened, didn't it?"
When Roar came into the bar and Brage gave him all his attention, she had a feeling something was going down. Brage always stayed aware of her. Whether that was to wink, nod, or give her that heated expression that was reserved only for her, she never felt ignored.
Until tonight when whatever was going on occupied him fully.
"Just tell me." She swallowed. "Is it about our trip to Idaho?"
"No."
She pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her hands. "Do you want me to leave the clubhouse?"
Brage's hand tightened on the empty chair. Her heart pounded, aching in her chest. The emotions she wanted to hide in front of the other two men pushed to the surface.
His gaze intensified. "Babe."
Hearing the need for her in his voice, she stepped forward and slid into the chair, reaching for him. He held her hand in both of his.
Roar sat opposite them, leaning forward, and braced his elbows on the table. "We've had something come up that involves you."
"At the bar?" She looked between the men.
Had one of the customers complained? Nothing out of the ordinary had happened directly to her. Tonight had been one of the easier nights. It'd stayed busy, and she'd barely had a minute to catch her breath. Had she missed an order or said something that was misconstrued to one of the customers?
Roar shook his head. "Jeremy Aldridge, the President of Moroad Motorcycle Club, has contacted me."
His voice waned in her head as her pulse beat in her ears. She held on to Brage. Whatever Jeremy told Roar about her was a lie. They were criminals and had stolen her from her family.
She should've gone to the police and reported herself as a missing person, a child, but having been raised by Brad and Tony, she always viewed law enforcement as the enemy. Used to solving her own problems, the police weren't her first option. They hadn't even been a thought until later when the truth had come out.
The whole lie that things were fine at home and she was cared for and happy was one she'd told on a weekly, if not daily, basis growing up. She was taught not to trust anyone in authority because they would rip her away and shove her in a prison for kids or worse, put her in an orphanage.
Growing up, that was her biggest fear.
She'd watched the police arrest both her brothers, numerous times over the years.
