Page 30 of Redemption

“Shit,” he sighs. “You’re right.”

“I usually am. Even when I want nothing more than to be wrong.”

“So… how do I convince them to let us get married?”

Her hand taps his chest. “Good luck, buddy. I really do wish you well.”

“That’s it?” he calls as she opens her car door. “Good luck, buddy?”

Smirking, she shrugs. “I got you two together. I can’t do it all for you.”

“Thanks for nothing,” he calls, and she waves to him as she pulls away.

This will be harder than he expected. How does a cop convince two men of an outlaw biker club to let him marry their daughter and sister?

Chapter 12

Griffin’s Beach

Colt

Colt pulls into Karmen’s driveway to find the black Mustang sitting there. He planned to meet his mom and his kids at his house, but Shep asked if he’d be willing to take a shift at the Puffy Taco tonight. He wanted to say no since it’s his weekend with the kids, but since the man hasn’t done anything more than shoot daggers at him since the night he tricked Lex and humiliated her in the clubhouse, he felt he should probably agree to it.

He knows he should come back when she’s gone, but his heart jumps a little knowing he might get a glimpse of her. God, he misses her. And the desire to set eyes on her gets the best of him. Not being near her feels like he’s slowly dying inside. The more time he spends alone, the crazier he feels.

He walks inside and stares as Lex holds Calla, sobbing. What the hell happened?

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Karmen says, rubbing her back. “It’ll be alright.”

“It’s been a long week, and I’m going to miss her,” Lex says, handing their daughter to his mother. She wipes her eyes and lets out a deep breath. “It’s the longest I’ve ever been away from her.”

Turning, her eyes meet his for a brief second before she bends down to hug their son. “Mama, it’s okay,” Noah says, hugging her tightly. “We’ll be good.”

“I know, baby. I’ll see you soon. I love you, little man. Take care of your sister for me.”

“Love you, too, Mama.”

Nodding to Colt, she avoids his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stay here this long. Have a good weekend.”

The first words she speaks to him in months starts with ‘sorry’? He stands stunned for a brief moment before running after her. “Lex, wait up.”

She lets out a sigh, and he sees her defenses go up. “I don’t have the energy to fight you right now. I’m about one mean comment away from snapping. Please, just let me go.”

Her eyes fill with tears, and she furiously blinks them away. All he wants to do is reach out and hold her, but he says, “What happened?” instead.

“Nothing.”

“Lex, it’s not nothing. You said it was a long week. What happened?”

Swallowing, she looks at the ground and crosses her arms under her chest. Damn, she’s thin. Too thin. “It was her first full week at daycare, and it was harder than I expected. For me, not her.”

“Daycare? Why?”

“Because I started a job. It was part time for the first week, and I went full-time on Monday. I knew it would be hard, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality of it.”

A job? “Then quit.” Problem solved.

“What?” she asks with a laugh, but he notices the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

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