Chapter 34

Grace

How the hell was this my life now? I looked around the clubhouse filled with bikers, their women and children, and even the so-called club whores, and then there was me. I wasn't a biker, a biker's woman, or anything else, yet I sat at a table inside their private clubhouse as if I belonged. It was clear to me—and everyone else—that I didn't belong, because I sat alone and watched these people who were a family.

And if being alone in a room full of people wasn't enough, I turned towards the bar where Maverick talked with Rebel and Slate in what looked to be a serious conversation. It was interrupted by a bleached blonde with humongous tits barely covered by a tiny white tee that made it clear for all to see that they didn't require a bra. Her slim midsection was on full display along with the rest of her curves in painted-on blue jeans. Basically, she was every man's wet dream, and she was wrapping herself around Maverick.

Of course.

I ignored the white-hot stab of jealousy that pierced my skin like thousands of needles. He barely paid her any mind, but my jealous heart didn't want to focus on that, oh no, it was determined to focus on the persistent woman who was blonde and beautiful. And clearly willing. No, not willing, she was eager. I turned away because I couldn't stand the thoughts that ran through my mind, thoughts that should've reminded me exactly why staying with Maverick was a bad idea.

Not only had my little girl fallen for him, but so had I, if my reaction to the flirtatious blonde was any indication. And worse, I knew what came next because I'd already lived it.

Trent thought I didn't know about all of his affairs, but I knew about enough of them. I just stopped caring about the late-night phone calls, the pretend work meetings after hours and on weekends. He'd found someone—or many different someones—who were younger and blonder, with tits that hadn't nursed an infant and a stomach that hadn't been stretched to its absolute breaking point during forty long weeks of pregnancy.

It"s only a matter of time, I reminded myself, and gave myself permission to look at them one final time, to sear the image into my mind so I could recall it the next time I started thinking about fairytales and forever after with him.

"You can't let the bunnies bother you."

I blinked and turned to see a smiling redhead with a baby strapped to her chest.

"The bunnies?" I asked.

"She means the club whores," the brown-haired woman beside her said with a grin.

"I'm Peyton, and this is Lisa," the redhead said, and offered her hand. "Rocky's my man." She pointed to the man with the salt-and-pepper hair near the bar talking to a younger man who looked remarkably similar. "The younger version of him holding the baby is Nolo, my stepson and my best friend's husband."

"Okay. Wow." I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing.

"It's a lot, I know, the baby is my grandson. Anyway," Peyton sighed, "back to the bunnies."

"Whores," Lisa repeated under her breath.

Peyton waved off her friend's words. "They're all eager to become an old lady."

I frowned. "Old lady?"

"Yeah, girlfriend, wife, baby mama, or otherwise long-term relationship. Old lady," she said with a grin. "Maverick is a hot property, gorgeous and sweet with that hint of possessive bad boy. The girls eat it up, and now with you around, his even sexier protective streak is showing, and that's like catnip for them. Especially Simone, but you really don't have to worry about her. Even before you came along, he was immune to her dubious, surgically-enhanced charms."

"I see," I said, even though I didn't see at all. We were two people thrown together for the craziest reason of all and we fell into bed together on multiple occasions. That wasn't a relationship, or a reason for jealousy on my part.

Rocky slid up behind Peyton and wrapped his arms around her. "Who are you calling sexy and protective?"

She laughed and her eyes lit with love as she glanced over her shoulder. "Maverick, obviously."

He frowned at her, and I couldn't help but laugh. "Bullshit."

"Seriously. I was just explaining to Grace about the club bunnies and Maverick's appeal."

His smile faded as his gaze searched until he found Maverick with the club bunny—because that sounded better than whore—pressed up against his side. "Yeah."

The mood shifted and I didn't like it, so I shrugged off their worried looks because there was nothing to worry about. "Maverick and I are friends and nothing more. He's been very helpful since we met, and I am totally grateful."

"Bullshit," Rocky swore. "He wouldn't do what he's done for you if you were just friends. He's half gone over you and I hope you're just lying to yourself and us too."

Silence fell around the small table, and I had no idea what to say in the face of his clear anger. Instinctively, I pushed my chair back and turned my gaze back out the window. "S-s-sorry." The word stuttered out barely above a whisper and I hated that my reaction was fear.

"Aw fuck, Grace. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Just that, shit, Peyton, help me out."

Peyton's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she patted his cheek. "I think you're doing just fine, babe."

He nipped her ear before he turned back to me, his expression as serious as ever, minus the anger. "You and Maverick, you're both lying to yourselves if you think there's nothing going between you. I know your shit is complicated as hell right now, but that doesn't change what's happening."

"It does," I said softly.

"Peyton fell for me in the middle of a giant shitstorm."

"He means that I came home to find my roommate brutally murdered in our apartment and someone threatening that I was next."

"What?" I gasped in shock. "And you two were dating?"

"Nope," Lisa laughed. "She was Nolo's ex and remembered he had a badass daddy."

Peyton nodded. "I showed up on his doorstep late at night and asked for his help. He gave it to me and the rest, as they say, is history."

Rocky nodded. "See? Complicated. And you know what?"

"What?" I asked, hanging on his every word.

"It only made us stronger. If we could think of hearts and love during that, anything that came after we could and would handle it. Together. And so far, we have."

"Solid gold," Peyton agreed, and kissed his cheek.

I couldn't help but smile at the happy couple. At first glance they didn't appear a matching set, but the love and trust between them was clear for all to see. "That is a wonderful and slightly terrifying story, but it ended well for you guys and I'm happy for you." My gaze fell, once again, to Maverick, who was wearing the blonde like a coat, and I looked away again, immediately ignoring the stab of pain in my chest.

It wasn't the same. Maverick and I weren't the same.