I hesitate, not sure how to explain. "Just... meeting someone. The woman from the other night. The one with the dog."
"That's how Luna and I met," King says, nodding toward the woman beside him. "I saved her from being attacked. Months later, here we are."
Luna, so that's her name, reaches over and takes his hand. The gesture is so natural, so automatic, that it's clear they've done it a thousand times. "He was very heroic," she says, her voice warm with affection. "Still is."
"It's not—" I start, but the words die in my throat because I don't actually know what it is. "It's just breakfast. Her dog and Maya got along."
They exchange a look, the kind people in love have, the kind that communicates entire conversations without words. King's smiling slightly, and Luna looks like she's trying not to laugh.
"Just breakfast," King repeats, but there's something in his tone that says he doesn't believe me for a second.
I've never seen an MC president so openly in love with someone. Never seen that kind of softness alongside that kind of power. In my old club, showing that much emotion would have been seen as weakness. Would have gotten you mocked or worse.
But King doesn't look weak. He looks... powerful. Grounded. Like loving this woman makes him stronger, not weaker.
"Have a good time," Luna says warmly. "And Carter? Give this place a real chance. It's worth it."
There's something in the way she says it, like she knows what it's like to be running, to be scared of putting down roots. Like she's been there and found something worth staying for.
"I will," I tell her. "Thanks."
Maya tugs on my hand. "Daddy, we're gonna be late!"
She's right. It's seven fifty-seven, and The Grind is at least a five-minute walk from here. I scoop her up. She's getting too big for this, but she still lets me and head for the door.
"Carter," King calls after me. "Think about the work. No pressure, but the offer's real if you want it."
"I will. Thanks."
We're out the door and on my bike before I can overthink it. Maya knows the drill—helmet on, arms around my waist, holdtight. She's been riding with me since she was old enough to sit up on her own, and she's never once been scared.
The ride to The Grind takes three minutes. I pull up at exactly 7:59, cutting the engine and helping Maya off the bike. She immediately spots Alice through the window of the outdoor seating area and starts waving frantically.
"There she is! There's Ms. Alice! And Biscuit!"
I look up, following her gaze, and something in my chest tightens in a way that has nothing to do with the bruised ribs.
Alice is sitting at a corner table, Biscuit's leash tied to her chair. She's wearing a blue sweater that does something unfair to her eyes, makes them darker somehow, and her hair is loose around her shoulders instead of pulled back like it was last night. She's nervous. I can see it in the way her hands grip the coffee mug, the way she's sitting just a little too straight, but when she sees Maya waving, her whole face lights up.
Beautiful. That's the only word for it. The kind of beautiful that's warm and genuine, the kind that makes you want to keep looking just to see what she'll do next.
"Come on, Daddy!" Maya is pulling on my hand, dragging me toward the entrance to the outdoor seating area.
I let her pull me. Let myself be dragged toward this woman I barely know, this teacher with the gentle dog and the nervous hands who came looking for me yesterday just to say thank you.
This woman who might be the reason I finally stop running.
We reach the table, and Alice stands up, still smiling. "Good morning. I was starting to worry you changed your mind."
"Never," I say, and I realize I mean it. "Maya had a wardrobe crisis. Three outfit changes."
"I wanted to look pretty for Biscuit," Maya announces, and Alice's expression softens even more.
"You look absolutely beautiful," Alice tells her seriously. "Biscuit is very impressed."
Biscuit, for his part, is wagging his tail so hard his entire back end is moving. Maya drops to her knees to hug him, and the dog accepts the attention like he's been waiting his whole life for this exact moment.
"Coffee?" Alice asks me, gesturing to the menu. "They have pretty much everything. And the pancakes are actually amazing. I wasn't lying about that."