Page 50 of Coty

“And when will he do that?” Kira lays her fork down and pushes her plate away. She ate more than half of her food.

“Probably Monday. The club gets busy on the weekends,” Nina replies.

Kira’s head snaps toward me. “Club? I don’t want to go to a club?”

Nina taps her hand on the table, drawing Kira’s attention. “You won’t. You’ll stay here with me.” She changes things back to a calmer atmosphere. “If you’re ready to get some sleep, Kayla will show you to your room.”

Lily stands. “It’s late. I should go so you three can go to bed. I’ll help clean up first.”

“Nonsense. I got this.” Nina walks around the table and hugs Lily again. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“You’re really not leaving?” Lily’s eyes well up with tears.

“I’m not leaving.” Nina shakes her head. “My family’s here. I have to be careful, but I don’t want to leave them again.”

“Can I see you tomorrow?”

“You come to the Haven House any time you want.” Nina leans back and grins. “We can catch up. I want to hear all about how you, my friend, ended up with that sexy biker.”

Lily lightly laughs. “Yeah, that happened.”

It sure did. She not only ended up with a sexy biker but also the club president’s son. There are a lot of broken hearts around Willow Creek. More than half of the women in this town dreamed of being with that man. Some of those women aren’t even single.

“I’ll walk you to the door. I’m sure at least two of those men are still waiting for you.” Nina winks at me over her shoulder as they walk away. Coty’s definitely one of those men. “Kayla, show Kira upstairs, please. I’ll get the dishes.”

Kira and I get our bags from where we dropped them on the couch. She trembles as we start up the stairs.

“Can we really share a room? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Sure.” I lead the way to the last room on the left. It’s across the hall from Jack and Lily’s old room. That room has been turned into an office and storage rooms. This room has two twin beds.

While Kira changes, I go to the window and peek through the blinds. This room has a view of the front yard. I’m kinda glad Kira wanted to share a room. All three men waited for Lily. Jay and Hendrix walk down the path next to Lily, one on each side. Coty’s behind her. As if sensing I’m watching, he pauses and looks up at the window. I don’t run. I don’t wave. I just watch. After a long moment, he dips his chin and hurries to catch up with the others.

Kira watches over my shoulder. “I wanna know how you ended up with that sexy biker.”

“He’s not mine,” I whisper.

“Girl, you’re blind and an idiot. He definitely is.” She crawls into the bed furthest from the door.

I turn out the lamp between us and climb into the other bed. Coty’s mine. Well, technically, he’s not. Yet.

Chapter 24

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Kayla

Due to the fact that Kira is an official Ariel’s Angel, she’s not allowed to leave the Haven House. Nina wants to spend some time with her and see if she’ll open up more without me around. It didn’t hurt my feelings when Nina sent me to the clubhouse to help Nana cook breakfast. I felt Kira was holding back. Let’s face it. She kept a lot from me while we were in Knoxville.

“Oh, Kayla. I’m glad you’re here. Will you take some coffee out to Granddad and Pops for me?” Nana only looked away from the stove long enough to see who entered the kitchen. She’s the only one here.

“Sure thing.” I’ve always jumped in and helped where they need me. I grab the freshly brewed pot and go through the door to the bar. You can’t get behind the bar from the Den side. It’s a safety feature Granddad had installed years ago.

“Kayla.” Pop calls out the moment he sees me. “Where you been hiding, girl?”

“I was in Knoxville for a few days.” I refill his cup.

“Brought us back an angel, too.” Granddad gives me a firm nod.

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