A stab of unease cut through me. “Jesus, how many of you know?”
All three women raised their hands.
My eyes rounded at Sophie. “Does Atlas know?”
“No way.” She laughed. “Does he have an idea? Well, yeah, he’s suspected for a while, but I don’t think he wants to know, because having it confirmed means he has to do something about it. Am I going to tell him? Nope. He’s got his club business, and I’ve got my friend’s business. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
Cara bumped my shoulder. “Why the long face? You’ve wanted this for years.”
Out of all the ol’ ladies, Cara was the one I was closest to. When she first met Xander, she became the sister I always dreamed of having, so confiding in her about my crush was a no-brainer.
“Ihavewanted it for years,” I confirmed. “But now we’re together, I’ve realized how delicate the situation is.”
Kennedy nodded thoughtfully. “Kit told me not to say anything to Layla or Bowie.”
Cara grimaced slightly. “Layla’s my best friend, and I love her to pieces, but she’d tell Bowie. Cash reckons he’d tell John.”
Kennedy rolled her eyes.
“Ned,” Sophie said warningly.
The blonde woman huffed out a deep breath. “Look, I like Layla. She’s adorable and kind, blah blah blah, but why has she got to run everything past Bowie? Hasn’t she got a mind of her own? Freya needs us. Why can’t Layla put her first?”
Cara smiled indulgently. “She waited a long time for Bowie. He changed her and Sunny’s lives. When shit hits the fan, she’s loyal to him.”
“And I’m loyal to Kit,” Kennedy replied. “I’ve stuck by him when I wasn’t sure I even wanted to. You can be supportive of your partner without letting a friend down. If I thought Kit had an issue with Freya and Colt, I’d keep my mouth shut.”
Sophie nodded her agreement.
“Layla’s a good friend,” Cara insisted. “She stuck by me when I was a bitch. She’s just different from us. It doesn’t make her a bad person though.”
I squeezed Cara’s arm.
The split between the ol’ ladies was indicative of how news of our relationship would probably divide the club. Layla wasn’t doing anything wrong, but still, it would’ve been nice to have her support. The proverbial shit would hit the fan when I left with Colt. Having all the women on my side would’ve been a boost.
“Fair enough,” Kennedy acquiesced. “I’ve gotta remember that not everyone’s like me. It would have been good for Freya to have a united front in the officer’s ol’ ladies thou—”
She was interrupted by the main doors flying open with a crash.
I turned to see who it was. My heart leaped when I watched Colt saunter into the bar, twirling the car keys around his finger. His eyes swept the bar, landed on me, and shot me a sexy wink.
My nipples felt like they’d been set alight, and I almost swooned off my seat.
“That boy’s got some swagger,” Cara murmured, her voice tinged with admiration.
Kennedy’s eyes were glued to Colt’s ass as he made his way straight toward the bar. “He’s certainly got a certainje ne sais quoiabout him.”
“I remember the first time I ever saw that man.” Sophie glanced at me and then back to Colt. “Do you remember the night we took the bullet out of Atlas’s shoulder?”
I grinned. “Yeah.”
She nodded toward Colt who, by then, was partaking in a shoulder-clapping contest with the other men. “He stood at the doors there looking like Jax Teller’s hot, mysterious, leather-clad older brother. I remember asking myself what the hell they put in the water around here.”
“There’s no question of what you see in him,” Cara breathed, eyes raking down Colt’s body. “He’s got the goods.”
I watched as Dad stood from his bar stool, grabbed Colt by the shoulders, and gave him a man hug. He pulled back, still holding my man by his shoulders, and beamed.