Page 69 of Unveiled Wounds

I’m ignoring Gabe.

He can pound sand.

You needed me.

If only she knew.

Grizz was bringing home Clara’s baby. He’d said today or tomorrow morning, but I had a feeling they would want to be back in their territory sooner rather than later. “Clara’s baby” rang through my mind, echoing around the room as if someone had spoken the phrase out loud. I instantly scolded myself for that line of thought. I was the poster child for what it was like growing up without your mom, and I wouldn’t wish that for her. If she wanted to know the details, I promised my future self I’dtell her, but I was going to be present, and she’d never know the difference.

I quickly sat up in a panic.Where the fuck are we going to put the baby?

Grizz’s room was in the corner, Cyph was next door, and How was across the hall. I looked around, trying to reimagine the layout that would allow for a crib and a changing table.What if we emptied the closet, bought dressers for our stuff and moved her in?I flopped back down on the bed. It was a silly idea. Someone would let it slip that her first bedroom had been a closet. They couldn’t help themselves, and I would kill the person who made her feel unwanted.

My stomach growled, and I used it as an excuse to delay. An empty stomach solved no one’s problems, and I showered quickly and ran downstairs. Heading towards the kitchen, I heard the commotion before I saw it. JR was sobbing, and someone was trying to shush him. Grace would have never let him be in such anguish.

Picking up the pace, I barged through the doorway, immediately stopping when I saw Peaches holding JR sideways. His legs kicked in the air, fighting her awkward grip. His head hung low, and I was afraid she was going to hit him against the island countertop.

“Where’s Grace?” I asked, heading straight for her.

“Oh thank God,” she said when she saw me. “He’s your problem now. Grace asked me to watch him for an hour, so I took myself off the club girl rotation for a break, but I can’t get him to shut up.”

“Why did you agree when you’re the first person to walk away from him? He makes a noise, and click click, your stilettos are high-tailing it back to your room.”

“You don’t touch him, so why are you coming after me? I know what my role here is, and I fuck just fine. Thank you very much.”

She adjusted her hands and almost dropped him. He sobbed louder, and I sprang into action. Taking JR from her arms, I cradled him against me. “It’s okay, JR. Aunt Meredith is here.” I swayed side-to-side, patting his back while his sobs calmed down, becoming small baby hiccups. “You’re okay.” I kissed his forehead. “Where’s Grace?” I asked Peaches again.

“Upstairs, I think. She said she’d come get him.” Grace must have been desperate to trust Peaches. She would have normally called Kelly, but with the lockdown in place, no one from the outside could visit.

“If she comes looking for him, tell her we’ll be on the back patio.” I didn’t even stop to think that I was touching him, holding him. His cries had pierced right through my icy shell, and I wanted to fix it. It also made me want to beat Peaches until she couldn’t fuck anymore. It would have caused more issues than I wanted to deal with, but she needed to know this wasn’t alright. JR had plenty of bouncy toys lying around. All she’d had to do was keep him safe. It wasn’t hard.

“Hey, Peaches,” I said over my shoulder as I stopped in the doorway, “I saw your dick handling performance, and it wasn’t very good either.” JR and I walked out, not bothering to listen to whatever comeback she had.

I high-fived the baby, placing my palm against his fist. “We showed her,” I whispered, opening the back door to the patio. Sitting on the stairs, I propped JR up against me, and his whimpers stopped as soon as he could reach for his feet.

“You like that, don’t you?” JR giggled at me and I chuckled with him. It felt good to be outside, and I wondered if he felt as cooped up in the clubhouse as I did. I wouldn’t go against Grizz’s orders for my safety, but there was a difference between not going out and not being able to.

We were content. I didn’t know how long we’d been out there when I heard the patio door open and close behind me.

“There you two are.” Grace had found us.

“If you ever let Peaches babysit him again, I’m disowning you as my sister,” I told her, not bothering to turn around.

“I didn’t think it would be bad until I heard a little of what happened. I just needed an hour, and she was the only one walking around when I went looking.” Grace sat next to me, tickling JR’s belly.

“She almost dropped him, and all I could imagine was his head being cracked open on the kitchen island. Next time, come find me.” I was the last person she’d ask for help, but I thought it was progress that I’d offered. It was one step closer to healing our relationship. “Why did you need an hour?”

Her voice shifted, quieter than I’d ever heard it. “I’m a widow,” she said, staring blankly into the yard like she wasn’t really here.

“What the fuck?” I turned my head to look at her, but she didn’t meet my gaze.

“I don’t need a divorce. They found Matt’s…” Her lips trembled, and the tears poured down her cheeks. “…body. My lawyer said he has to resubmit the paperwork with the recent developments, but the fight is over.”

“Is the bank going to come after the money?” I sputtered, never expecting her to say anything like that. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d thought about Matt, or Brandon, for that matter. They were gone, and I hadn’t given them my time or energy. That was when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I noticed that, for the first time since my arrival here, a smile didn’t dance on her lips.

“They can, if they really want it. My lawyer wasn’t sure what they were going to do, so he’s going to poke around and see. When the brothers get back, I’ll ask Cyph to dig. He’ll know more than the lawyer probably will. I haven’t slept, so I asked Peaches for an hour.”

“Does Sabre know?” I asked, distracting JR. He didn’t need to feel the anxiety coming off of me in this conversation.

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