“You better!” Poppy calls out as I follow Val back through the front of the bar and passing the sea of leather and cigarettes. I feel eyes move with me as I find my way out through the main door. The outside air slaps me across the face like a bucket of water and I pull my phone out of my handbag. The light from the phone burns my retinas as I push call on Mama’s phone and look over my shoulder carefully to make sure no one is following me. “Val, keep an eye out.”

Val nods but looks down. I guess within three seconds of seeing Wicked he knew who Wolf’s father was. And I can’t go into the irony of his father now being a member of Wolf Pack MC.

“Mama!” Wolf’s little voice echoes through my phone and I smile widely, slowly putting distance between the chaos happening in the clubhouse and me.

“Hey! What did Nona make for dinner?” My feet continue to take me forward until I’m staring at a familiar gloss-white Harley. The same one I saw parked beside us at the lights. Closing my eyes in realization, I shake my head softly. Of course. Of fucking course it was him. “Did you eat it all up?”

He snorts through the phone. “I did. And Nona said that this weekend we can put up the Christmas decorations!”

My heart swells in my chest. “Buddy, it’s only November.”

“Annnd?” he asks, dragging out the word.

My smile deepens. “Okay. Then this weekend we will go Christmas shopping.”

“Okay! Good night, Mama!”

“Night, baby.” I hang up my phone and shut the screen off.

“A kid?” Wicked’s voice punches me right in the gut and I jump in shock, spinning around. Shadowed in the darkness of the carport, his outline becomes painfully obvious the harder I blink. A hoodie covering half of his face, he leans against a car, feet crossed at ankles and hands buried in pockets. “Never would have pegged you for the mothering type.”

My heart claws at my ribcage as my blood beats through my ears. “I guess others would think otherwise.” Turning my head over my shoulder, I find the girl he was with earlier near the bar, her arm around Jade. “Married?” He doesn’t answer, so I slowly bring my eyes back to his. I can’t see anything above his nose, and from here, the shadow and outline of his sharp cheekbones and pillowy lips is almost too annoying to see.

“If I said yes, what would you do?” he asks, and I don’t miss the dip in the corner of his mouth where he wants to smirk.

I take a step forward, running my hand over my shoulders, the adrenaline slowly wearing off. “I’d say that you’re braver than me.”

“Ruby?”