Page 71 of Ghost

Nothing else really mattered—at least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

I kept repeating it to myself every time I caught a glimpse of his hands. It wasn’t easy, but I decided that I had a choice to make. I could let this become an issue and put a divide between us, or I could remember that Sutton was a man I trusted. He’d never given me a reason not to, so I decided to let it go.

After his shower, he’d gone out to the garage, and he’d been there for the better part of the afternoon. I gave him his space, but when it started to get late, I decided to go check on him. When I walked up, he was piddling with some old bike parts. “You hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat.” He glanced back over his shoulder, and my chest tightened when those baby blues met mine. “Whatcha got in mind?”

“There’s some hamburger meat in the fridge. I could make some of my mini burgers or some spaghetti.”

“We could do that, or we could head over to the club. Goose and some of the guys are grilling ribs, and I’m sure Garrison’s there with Dagger.”

I had no idea that Toby was in the garage with him until I heard him shout, “That would be awesome! Can we go, Mom?”

“Sure, sounds good to me.”

“Yes!”

Sutton closed his toolbox and started toward the house. “Give me a second to get cleaned up.”

“Toby needs to do the same.”

“But...”

“Come on, buddy. It’ll only take a minute.”

Toby groaned, but he did as he was told and rushed inside to get cleaned up. Once they’d both changed, we headed out to the truck, and Sutton drove us over to the clubhouse. As soon as we were parked, Toby took off to find Garrison and the other kids while Sutton and I made our way around back.

When we walked up, Dagger and several of the other brothers were standing around the grill, drinking a beer. Memphis was at the grill. His face was serious with concentration as he turned the ribs. Rusty hovered nearby, pretending to give his brother pointers, even though Memphis was ignoring every word.

Goose was sitting in a chair next to Seven. His feet were propped up on the cooler, and there was a plate of half-eaten ribs already in his lap. He gave us all a warm smile as he said, “I was wondering if you guys were gonna show.”

“Looks like we got here just in time.”

“Yeah, you better grab a plate before the food gets gone.”

“Hold your damn horses,” Memphis complained. “These lack a good ten minutes. Maybe more.”

“They’re fine.” Goose held up his plate. “These were just right... falling off the bone and seasoned to perfection.”

“Ten more minutes, and they would’ve changed your life.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

As usual, the atmosphere was light and full of easy laughter and good-natured teasing. It was just what we needed. Sutton grabbed me a drink, and it wasn’t long before he got caught up in a conversation with Memphis and Rusty.

I had no interest in listening to them talk about Rusty’s faulty carburetor, so I was relieved when I spotted Kay waving at me. She was sitting at one of the picnic tables with Jenna and Antonia. It had been weeks since I’d last seen them, and I couldn’t wait to go over and say hello. I leaned over to Sutton and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”

I walked over to their table. Like me, Jenna and Antonia were wearing jeans and sweatshirts, and Kay was wearing something similar. But with her hair done, perfect makeup, and matching jewelry, she looked like she was ready to hit the town. She smiled as she scooted over and said, “Long time no see.”

“I know. It’s been too long.” I took my place next to her, then turned to Jenna and Antonia. “How have you guys been?”

“Good. Just busy,” Jenna answered. “Luna’s started a gymnastics class, and it seems like we are constantly on the run.”

“Oh, gymnastics sounds fun!”

“She’s certainly enjoying it. Grim, on the other hand, isn’t all that thrilled about her doing somersaults all through the house.”

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