Page 183 of Heartbeats & Highways

“The entire club knows,” he replied. “They know why Acid died. They know you were kidnapped, and they know that we brought you home. They know it all.”

I flinched.

His expression softened. “Sorry, babe. I should’ve been gentler about it.”

I shook my head. “No. Better that I know thattheyknow.”

“Roman and the guys are coming to the funeral, too.”

“Roman,” I repeated. “God, I haven’t even thought about work.”

Savage stared at me and my face fell.

“They know, too, don’t they?”

“Yes.”

“Savage.”

“Couldn’t be helped, babe. Roman knew how we met. And when you didn’t show up for work, they had to know why.”

“So now everyone I know is going to look at me with pity?” I asked, fury heating my cheeks. “I don’t get the luxury of any sort of privacy?”

“No,” he said, rising, his own expression turning angry. “You don’t. Because like it or not, people fucking care about you. And they worry about you.”

“Well, great. Now they can worry about me forever. Because I know how they’re going to look at me. All of them. They’ll saypoor Evie. Escaped a cult only to get dragged back to them. They’ll say—they’ll say . . .”

“What will they say?”

“They’ll say I’m not good enough for you, Savage. They’ll say I’m too messed up and that all I wanted was a father for my babies. That I wanted protection, and that I don’t really love you.”

He stood up and came to me, cradling my cheeks in his hands. “If anyone is stupid enough to say that, then they don’t know you.”

Savage kissed me and then pulled back. “And if they do say that I’ll punch them into the ground.”

I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and gave it a squeeze.

He let me go.

“Come on. Today’s going to be a long fucking day.”

Duke answered the front door, looking somber and tired. He hugged Savage and then me.

“Willa’s upstairs feeding the baby. She’ll be down in a minute.”

“You don’t look like you’ve slept,” Savage said.

“I didn’t get much sleep last night and it had nothing to do with the baby.” Duke rubbed the back of his neck. “You both look like you didn’t sleep either.” His gaze locked in on my neck and the bruises that I didn’t conceal, but he didn’t mention them.

Willa came down the stairs, cradling the baby. She handed the infant to Duke and then hugged Savage, and then me.

“Cooper’s good for a while,” Willa said. “I’m taking Evie and we’re going to raid Sailor and Waverly’s closets.”

The newborn looked even tinier in Duke’s arms and my heart went squishy, thinking about how small and pink my own babies would be.

I was immediately flooded with a batch of hormones and tears misted my eyes.

“You okay?” Savage asked me.

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