Chapter 25

Emma

M ark was following me as I left my not-quite-an-interrogation with Sheriff Cross but this time he wasn’t hiding the fact he was doing it, which made me feel a little bit better. I hoped that the sheriff would at least see that I’d been telling the truth about the harassment. But I was even more terrified now that he wasn’t even trying to hide his behavior because I knew how reckless a person could get when they felt untouchable.

Every turn I made, he made. If I stopped at a green light and let the horns blast in anger, he did the same. I stopped at the gas station for a bottle of lemonade, and he stopped, idling at the far end of the lot until I came back out. I refused to go back to Slate’s place with him following me even though I was sure he already knew that’s where Ash and I had been staying. Slate had texted me saying he was taking Ash to the clubhouse, and I wondered if I should head there, or whether that would be bringing trouble to his club’s doorstep.

I drove around for about half an hour, cringing at the amount of gas I was wasting when I didn’t have an income yet while Mark kept on my tail. I maintained a death grip on the steering wheel, poised for a bump from behind that might send me into a tree or even a utility pole. But he didn’t do any of that, he patiently followed me wherever I went, an almost ominous presence determined to keep me off-center.

I couldn’t leave Slate with Ash all day. He wasn’t used to looking after a kid on his own and our little girl required a lot of energy. She was curious about everything and seemed to have an endless supply of questions on just about any topic. But I couldn’t let Mark get close to her, he’d find a way to use my love for my daughter against me. I knew that as well as I knew anything because it was exactly what Alex had done.

I leaned forward at the next red light and pressed the button to call him.

“Hey Emma.” Slate’s tone was light and carefree, I was half expecting him to sound frazzled after keeping up with an inexhaustible five-year-old.

“Slate,” I sighed. Suddenly I don’t know what the hell to say to him.

“How did it go with Cross?”

I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me, just as the light turned. “I’m not sure. They found some indicators that Alex might be in Miami and wanted to know if either of us had any Florida connections.” I gave him a brief rundown of my conversation with Sheriff Cross. “I told him about Mark, and he was uninterested, even after we found him waiting for me in the parking lot.”

A beat of silence passed and then Slate bit out a curse. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I mean he’s following me now, which is why I haven’t come home yet. I’m sure he knows where you live since he’s a PI, but I’ve been driving around to piss him off. I wasn’t sure if I should come to the clubhouse or not. How are things with Ash?”

When he spoke, there was a smile in his voice. “She’s great. She’s having a whale of a time and is currently covered in doggy slobber.”

His words brought a smile to my face. “That’s good. Thank you for giving her some of her childhood back.”

“Of course. She’s great. I hope you know that I adore her.”

“I do,” I whispered, more to myself than to him. He didn’t need to know how much it affected me to see him being the father that Ash needed and deserved. “She’s incredible, Emma.”

He loves her already.

That thought made everything better. If anything happened to me, Slate would be there for our little girl, he would make sure she had the life she deserved. “She really is,” I sighed and made another random turn. “So is it okay if I come to you? Mark might follow.”

“Hell yeah. Do you remember how to get to the clubhouse?”

I glanced in the rearview to see if Mark was still there, seeing him steadfastly on my tail I said, “No, can you just send me and address?”

He paused briefly and then his deep voice filled my vehicle. “Done. Get here soon.”

“On my way.”

***

Mark didn’t give up easily and he followed me until long after he had to realize where I was going. When I arrived at the clubhouse compound, I stepped from the car and offered Mark a saucy finger wave. I know it was childish and I probably shouldn’t aggravate him further, but his attitude riled me.

He flipped me off and then peeled away so quickly that the tires screeched on the road.

My heart raced as Mark sped off, in a hurry to get away from a place where there were plenty of men who could—and would—fight back. He was a bully just like his brother. I hugged myself tight and wondered if this chaos would ever end. Alex was gone and yet still, my life hadn’t calmed down. My life was still as crazy and as terrifying as it ever was.

The only difference? It wasn’t Alex that I was worried about.

“Hey.”

I turned at the sound of Slate’s voice and my body instantly relaxed at his proximity. “Hey yourself.”

He took two more steps forward and wrapped me in his big, strong arms. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

I buried my face in his chest and inhaled deeply before I let it out on a shaky breath. “I’m okay now. Better than before.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead, and it wasn’t just an absent kiss, it was one of those brain melting kisses that made smart women forget anything and everything other than the feel of his lips on her skin. “Emma.”

My brows dipped. “What was that for?”

Slate’s lips curved into an amused smile, but his arms held me in place, made it impossible to move even if I’d wanted to put some space between us. “I told you this morning I wasn’t angry, you just blindsided me last night. I spent most of the night lying awake thinking about all the things you said to me.”

“You did?” His words took me by surprise.

He nodded, raking a hand through his thick black hair. “I did.” He wrapped his arms around my body before his hands settled on my hips. “I understand why you did what you did, I really do. I can’t help it that I hate I missed out on so much of Ash’s life but I’m not mad about it.”

“You’re not?”

“No, Emma. I’m not. I spent a good chunk of the night upset about all that I had missed, about your reasons for withholding her from me—and yeah, maybe I was a bit pissed. But then my common sense kicked in and I thought about how hard it must’ve been for you and all you went through.”

“But you could have been there.”

“Yeah, I could have and I would have, but you didn’t know that about me after one night. How could you?”

I agreed but I couldn’t stop the guilt that weighed heavy on my shoulders. “I shouldn’t have kept it from you, not after we reconnected and I’m sorry for that.” It was something I was sure I would deal with for a long time. “I am so truly sorry, Slate.”

He sighed heavily and nodded. He cupped my face and gave me a gentle smile. “I’m going to tell you this one last time, Emma, that I forgive you. And once I say the words, we are done apologizing for this. Right?”

My heart thundered in my chest at his words. Could it really be so easy? A simple apology and it was all forgotten? “I’d like that,” I whispered.

“Good.” His voice was a low growl, and his thumbs pressed into the sides of my jaw. “I forgive you, Emma. All I want now is to get to know my daughter, to have a place in her life.”

Before I could tell him that’s all I wanted, that he’d more than proven himself a man worthy of her love and attention, his lips were on mine, slow and sweet and hot. It was the kind of kiss that a woman dreamed about, commanding yet gentle, as if he was asking for my permission to own me. I moaned into his mouth and fisted my hands in his shirt. “Slate.”

“No more apologies,” he whispered roughly. “Trust me and let me protect you. I don’t want to stifle you Emma, I just want to keep you safe.”

I nodded and nipped at his bottom lip. “I believe you.” Despite my hesitation, I found that I didn’t just mean the words, I believed them. I felt them down to my bones. “I believe you, Slate.”

My heart pounded against his and something so right, so good, settled in my chest and encouraged me to lean into this, to accept it for the gift that it was.