Understanding glittered in his gaze through the pain that lingered. “I get that. Still can’t believe it happened that way. You deserved better.”
“We both did,” I put in.
“You have a little girl?” he asked, his eyes to the house.
“Not by blood, but she’s mine,” I replied.
“So I have a son and a granddaughter?” he marveled, more to himself than me. He was grappling with his new reality, and after having had more time to come to terms with it and still disbelieving it myself, I understood what he was dealing with.
“Do you have other kids?” I wanted to know.
He shook his head. “Wanted to. Roxy, my wife, she couldn’t. We explored adoption for years but with her past and my position in the club, we were never approved. After a while we worked past the sense that somethin’ was missing and moved on.”
Well, shit. Now I felt positively sick for the man.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered sincerely.
“I’m sorry as hell too,” he rasped.
For a time we sat in weighted silence, as though unsure where to go from here. It was a hell of a thing to navigate. “Your mark, won’t be easy getting to him,” he said finally. “And not something you should do alone. I’ll ride out with you. Tomorrow, if you’re ready,” he added.
I looked at him in surprise but nodded.
He stood up, clapping a hand against my shoulder. “No better way to forge ahead than with the road beneath us, yeah?”
I looked up at him, a small smile tugging at my lips. “I s’pose you’re right.”
And with that, me and my old man took our first step toward a common goal. And maybe, some kind of future.
Chapter 20
LAYLA
“Who was that man?” I overheard Riley ask Cash later that night as he sat on the edge of her bed, tucking her in. I paused, a load of laundry tucked under my arm, unable to stop myself from eavesdropping.
Cash sighed, and I knew he must be deliberating how to answer her. “His name is Thorn,” he said in that tender tone he only used with her.
“Is he your friend?”
Riley wasn’t going to cut him any slack, and he likely knew it. “He’s actually my dad. But we just found that out. So we’re going to get to know each other.”
“Does he like motorcycles? Because you really like motorcycles.”
Cash chuckled. “Yeah, baby. He does.”
“That’s good. I didn’t know what it was like but now I have you, and having a daddy isgreat.” Her emphasized sigh of bliss was so simple but it said so much.
It was a moment before Cash spoke again, and I knew it must be so he could collect himself. “Well, I never had a daughter before you, and I also think it’s pretty great,” he murmured.
She giggled. “Yeah.”
“I’m gonna be gone for a few days. Be good for your mama.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just have something I need to take care of. But I’ll be back before you know it. I’ll make sure to make you special pancakes when I get back.”
“How about a puppy?”