“You know he’s staring right back at you wondering what the fuck you’re gawking at, right?” she whispers into my ear. I swallow the dry lump in my throat and move closer to him. The guys he’s with also turn to stare at us, and I’m pretty sure the conversation in this place just dropped down to almost whispering.
“Hi,” I croak, and he stares at me blankly. I didn’t expect him to remember me. He’s probably never paid any attention to us mere mortals who lust after him at the playground. In fact, I think in the whole three months Malia’s been going to that nursery, I’ve seen him three times max. “I’m Malia’s mom.”
“Shit, Pres, she ain’t about to drop a kid on you, is she?” asks one of the men, laughing.
“Shut the fuck up, Tiny,” mutters Ziggy’s dad. “Lady, what do you want?”
My mouth opens and closes a few times. What did I want again? “Malia,” Eva whispers into my ear to give me the reminder I was silently begging for.
“Malia,” I blurt out. He begins to look annoyed. “She plays with Ziggy.”
A look of realization passes over his face and he stands up. I hear Eva gasp at his sheer size.
“What did he do?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head back and forth. “I think they should have other friends,” I blurt out. I’m getting this all wrong, and he studies me silently for a few seconds. He’s understandably confused by my ramblings.
“Come,” he says and sighs. He takes me by the hand, and I stare down in awe at how his giant paw covers mine completely. He pulls me through the bar to a quiet table away from the crowd of bikers. I look back at Eva. One of the other men is talking to her as she looks over at me helplessly. Ziggy’s dad practically shoves me to sit down at the table and then lowers himself opposite me. “Start talking.”
“Ziggy and Malia always play together. Today, he asked her to kiss him,” I blurt out. “He wants her to be his old lady?” I say it as a question because I’m not quite sure what that part means but I’m guessing marriage. He laughs— really laughs, throwing his head back again. If it wasn’t at my child’s expense, I’d be mesmerized by the way his throat bobs up and down or the way his tattoos cover up under his chin and are partially hidden by his well-groomed beard.
“Fucking legend.” He chuckles, but when he sees I’m not laughing, he coughs to clear his throat and straightens up in his chair. “So, now you don’t want them to play together?”
“No,” I say firmly. “I think they should make other friends.”
He nods his head slowly. “Because my kid’s not good enough for yours?”
“I didn’t mean . . . it’s just that . . . ” I’m stuttering helplessly.
“Oh, I know what you meant. My kid’s not good enough to play with Reggie Miller’s daughter,” he sneers. At the mention of Reggie’s name, I begin to breathe faster, the colour draining from my cheeks. I grip the edge of my chair to stop me from running out of here. “You thought I didn’t know who my kid was hanging out with? Oh, I know. I know everything. So, while you stand in that playground with your head up your ass, I know all about you and Reggie and the things he’s done.” He leans back and folds his arms over his chest. “Now, you listen to me, lady. I’m not overjoyed by my kid’s choice in friends either, but for some reason, he worships your daughter, and unlike you, I trust him to make his own decisions. You want to break your kid’s heart, then be my guest. Now, get the fuck outta my bar.”
I stand on wobbly legs, hardly believing that he’s speaking to me like this when he doesn’t even know me. I turn to walk away but then something takes over me.
I vowed never to be walked all over again, so I find myself turning to face him. “I wanted them to make other friends because I have to move a lot thanks to Reggie. But I’m sure you knew that already. I thought it wouldn’t be very good for your son to be so invested in my daughter because when we have to leave again, he’ll be heartbroken. I’m glad your son doesn’t have your poor manners.”
I turn on my heel and march over to Eva. She smiles, looking relaxed, and hands me a drink. “We have to leave,” I say.
“No, come and meet Rock.” She smiles. The man who stopped us earlier at the door offers a goofy grin. “And Lake,” she adds, pointing to the man at Rock’s side. “We’ve put some money in the jukebox. Rock love’s rock music,” she states proudly and then falls into a fit of giggles brought on by the alcohol.
“Eva, we really need to leave.”
I feel him approaching. It’s like a sensation washes over me and I have to fight the urge to shudder. I feel the heat of his body against my back, and when he leans closer to my ear, I gasp.
“You’re a feisty little thing,” he whispers.
“I’m leaving. I’m just trying to get my friend to say goodbye to these gentlemen and then we’ll be off,” I explain.
“No rush,” he mutters. “Stick around. Maybe I was a little harsh back there.”
“See, he said we can stay.” Eva smiles and holds out her hand for him to shake. “I’m Eva, Anna’s best friend.”
“Riggs,” he answers. I realise
