Page 109 of Dash

He leads me over to a low wall and tells me to sit. The stone is cold against my legs, scratching my skin, but it’s a relief to stop moving.

All I wanted was a fucking sandwich.

He crouches in front of me, his hands on my knees, his thumbs rubbing circles like his touch can undo the pain my mother leaves in my bones. “You okay?”

I shake my head. “Why does she have to push into my life like this? I was already scraping by today without having to deal with her too.”

“She doesn’t get to take up space in your head anymore, Dayna.”

I sag forward, resting my forehead on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry you had to hear any of that. You shouldn’t have to.”

He strokes my hair before pressing a kiss to my crown. “I’ve heard worse over the years. Comes with wearing the patch. And Idon’t care what she thinks, Dayna. Because I know who I am and what I stand for.”

“I tell myself that I don’t care what she thinks too, so why does it hurt?” My voice sounds weak, thready, scraped over gravel.

He brushes away my tears, his face a mask of pain at my suffering. “Because she’s your mother.”

I shake my head. “No, she’s not. No mother could ever treat their child the way she treats me. I won’t have her in my life if she’s going to talk about you the way she does. I won’t have any of that touch our baby.”

Something flickers in his eyes, sharp and dangerous. “It won’t. And if you don’t want her in your life, babe, I’ll never let her get near either of you.”

“I tried so hard with her. She’s the only family I have left.”

“Not anymore. You’re building your own now with me.” His hand splays over my stomach. “And our kid.”

I rest my hand over his, closing my eyes. “Then I’m the luckiest person on the planet.”

He kisses me like he can make my pain go away with his mouth, and he can. He does.

I already feel lighter.

“Not that I’m not extremely glad to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“I dropped by to take you to lunch. It sounded like you were having a rough day. I wanted to surprise you.”

He got all that from my messages? I’d been kind of vague in them so I didn’t worry him.

“Instead, you got surprised by the mother-in-law from hell. I’m so sorry. You signed up for my brand of chaos, but you definitely did not sign up for her.”

“I signed up for whatever involves you. Come on, let’s get you two fed.” He stands, pulling me up from the wall.

“Can we have a sandwich from that shop around the corner? I can’t remember the name of it, but they put pickles on everything, and I really want pickles right now.”

His arm wraps around my shoulder. “Then I’ll buy a whole fucking cupboard full of pickles.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

He kisses my temple as he pulls me against his side. “You existed.”

THIRTY-ONE

DASH

It’stwo days after the run-in with Dayna’s mum, but it’s not Evelyn Harrington on my mind. It’s Blade.

I’m standing in the clubhouse, my mind going a hundred miles per hour as I peer down at him. His face is a patchwork of purple and black bruises, like someone took a mallet to his face.

There’s blood on his teeth, and his left eye is almost shut from the swelling.

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