Page 30 of Dagger

Carlie nods, leaning in. “Obviously.”

I take a deep breath, my stomach twisting into tighter knots. “Fine,” I mutter. “The baby’s father... it's Dagger.”

The words hang in the air like a bomb just went off.

Jenny freezes, her fork halfway to her mouth. Carlie’s jaw drops, and she blinks at me like I’ve just confessed to robbing a bank. “Wait,” she says slowly. “Dagger? As inourDagger?”

“Yeah,” I say quietly, glancing down at my plate.

Jenny finally sets her fork down, her face pale. “When?” she asks, her voice tight.

I hesitate, my throat dry. “The night of Tank and Sophie’s wedding.”

Carlie lets out a low whistle and leans back in her seat. “Holy shit,” she mutters, running a hand through her hair. “I mean, I knew you two had a vibe, but... damn.”

“It wasn’t planned,” I say quickly, my voice defensive. “We were both drunk. It just... happened.”

Jenny’s expression changes then, “Wait,” she says slowly, her voice barely above a whisper. “The next day... that’s when he left.”

“Oh shit,” Carlie murmurs, her eyes wide as she looks up at me. “That’s why he left.”

I nod, the weight of it all pressing on my chest. “Yeah,” I say softly. “I don’t know what I did. If it was me that made him leave. Hell, I don’t know. But now he’s back and I don’t know what to do.”

Jenny breaks the silence, her voice cautious but direct. “Are you going to tell Dagger about the baby?”

I hesitate, my fingers nervously tugging at the edge of my napkin. “I think he already knows,” I admit quietly.

Jenny’s eyebrows shoot up. “He knows? How?”

I glance at Sophie, who gives me an encouraging nod. “He saw me last week when I walked in for my shift,” I say, my voice shaky.

“What happened?” Carlie asks, leaning in with wide eyes.

I let out a breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “I was with Hawk. You know how we’ve gotten close lately. It’s not like that, though. We’re just friends—he’s protective, like a big brother.”

Carlie smirks. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“I’m serious,” I say firmly, glaring at her. “Anyway, Dagger saw us together, and... I think he thought Hawk and I were a thing.”

Jenny’s eyes narrow. “And how did he handle that?”

I let out a humorless laugh. “Not well. He looked ready to fight Hawk right there in the bar. Like, fists clenched, breathing fire, the whole thing.”

“What stopped him?” Sophie asks, already knowing the answer but prompting me anyway.

“Mason,” I say simply. “He walked in and shut it down before it could turn into a full-blown fight. But after that? Dagger just disappeared again. I haven’t seen him since.”

The table falls quiet for a moment, everyone processing what I just said.

Finally, Carlie breaks the silence, holding up a hand like she needs to stop everything. “Hold up. Let me get this straight. Dagger’s in love with you, sleeps with you, leaves the next day, and when he comes back, he thinks you hooked up with one of his club brothers who got you pregnant?”

“I wouldn’t say he’s in love with me. Pretty sure it was just sex for him.”

Carlie raises an eyebrow. “Really? Then why did he look ready to rip Hawk’s head off?”

“I don’t know,” I mutter, my voice trailing off.

Sophie clears her throat, breaking the awkward tension. “Come on, Chlo. You don’t really believe it was just sex for him, do you? The guy left town the next day and is now practically breathing fire over the idea of you being with someone else. That’s not nothing.”

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