Page 6 of Delivery After Dark
“I do now that I have McKenzie and Jax to think about. If something happens to me, everything goes to them—the property, the studio, my truck, savings, all of it.”
“You’ve already done that?”
“Yep. Kendall James helped me with it while Dan Torrington was in Maine. She walked me through every step of it, and I signed it a couple of weeks ago. I feel better knowing it’s done.”
“I’m trying to imagine what it would be like to care so much about someone else that you’d leave everything you own to her—and her son—a few months after meeting her.”
Duke shrugged as he smiled. “When you know, you know. The only thing I want in this whole world is to make a family with the two of them and anyone else who might come along.”
“So you guys might have more kids?”
“We’ve talked about it. I’m all for it. I love being a dad to Jax and watching him grow.”
“Sometimes I can’t believe you’re the same guy who avoided domestic stuff like the plague for your whole life.”
Duke chuckled as Jace put a draft beer in front of him. “Thanks, Jace.” To Sierra, Duke said, “Sometimes I can’t believe it either. Mostly, I can’t believe how lucky I am to wake up with her every morning and to hear the little guy chirping in his crib or see how thrilled he is to see me when I go to get him.”
“I’m happy for you, friend, despite my bad behavior.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sierra.”
“I feel like a total ass every time I think of that night.”
Cringe.
“I don’t want you having another thought about that. I’d hate for something silly like that to mess with one of my best friendships.” He nudged her shoulder. “So you can stop acting weird around me, like something has changed when nothing has, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Everything has changed for you.”
“Maybe so, but some things should never change, and you and me—that’s one of them. I miss you popping in to help yourself to my candy and doing lunch together and hanging out after work.”
“I figured McKenzie wouldn’t want you doing that stuff with me.”
He gave her a look full of amazement. “She knows how much my friends mean to me, that you guys are the family I never had. She’d never want to come between us. That’s not who she is.”
“Oh.” Now she felt doubly stupid about keeping her distance from him since that night. “Okay.”
“Are we good?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I want my friend back, Sierra. I miss you.”
“I’m right here.”
“Will you start bugging me in the studio between clients again and stealing all my candy?”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
“Where’s McKenzie, anyway?” The two of them and McKenzie’s little boy were usually joined at the hip.
“She had two client meetings and is coming here with Jax when she’s done.” He took a sip of his beer. “Oh, hey, there’s Morgan. I’m glad he came.”
“Me, too.” Sierra was unreasonably happy to see him surrounded by people who wanted to help. Although why she cared so much about someone she barely knew was a mystery to her. Perhaps it was the tragedy of Morgan losing the last member of his immediate family under such awful circumstances.
She felt for him what anyone with a heart would, or so she told herself as a tingle down her spine indicated it might be something more than that. You can lie to others, but you can’t lie to yourself. She could almost hear her grandmother’s voice as one of her favorite phrases echoed through Sierra’s mind.
