“Actually yes,” I replied hesitantly.
Wes and Sal were close and I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about me dating. Then again, it was Sal who had left me. Was I supposed to wait around forever?
Wes’ brows quirked in surprise and then narrowed. “Really? Who is he?”
“Oh, no,” I said as I shook my head and let out a short laugh. “I don’t need you going all big brother badass on him. All you need to know is Scarlet set it up, so he must be a good guy,” I told him as we made our way out into the warm evening air.
His tall frame towered over me as we walked to my car. “You doin’ okay?” he asked quietly. Wes could be scary when he needed to be, but he had the biggest heart of any guy I’d ever known.
“Fine.” I tried to smile along with the lie. The truth was I was doing a hell of a lot better than I had been, but “fine” was a bit of a stretch. “Not total shit” would be closer to the truth.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked to change the subject. He’d proposed to Connie a few months back. I was thrilled. They were great together.
He narrowed his eyes at my subject change, but sighed knowing me well enough to let it go. “Pretty good. I’m staying mostly out of the way,” he chuckled.
“Smart man.” I laughed and opened my car door, hearing its groan of protest.
“That car is on its last legs,” he grumbled. “It’s gonna break down on you,” he warned.
“Well, good thing you or one of the other guys follows me home every night,” I quipped.
“Be even better if you let one of us back under the hood,” he replied, clearly irritated with me. I’d repeatedly turned down his offer to look at it again. He, Cole and Hank had each already fixed it at least once. They had better things to do than piece together my beloved jalopy,again.
“Thanks for coming by, Wes,” I said by way of an answer.
He looked to the sky for a moment in search of patience before turning back to me. “Anytime. You know that,” he nodded, watching as I got in my car.
I heard the rumble of his bike start up and had to admit, his headlight shining in my rearview mirror as I drove home was a comfort, especially with the eerie feeling I’d had lately of being followed. I couldn’t place why I felt that way. Call it a sixth sense of sorts. I hadn’t told any of the guys about it, fearing they’d flip out. Plus I didn’t have anything concrete to tell them. For now, I was just trying to be vigilant.
I drove down the quiet streets toward what was still my relatively new home. I really missed living with Scarlet. We’d been roommates for close to a decade before she’d moved in with Cole. I liked my place, but living alone had definitely taken some getting used to, especially because it had fallen directly on the heels of Sal leaving. Those first few weeks had been brutal, though I never shared with Scarlet just how much. She’d struggled with a lot of guilt over moving in with Cole and I didn’t want to make her feel worse. She needed to move on with her life–we couldn’t be roommates forever. Cole was an amazing man who loved the shit out of her. I still couldn’t believe they were going to be parents.
I let myself into my building, which was far more secure than the place I’d shared with Scarlet. This was one of Cole’s requirements that I allowed him to press upon me. All of the Knights were hard to detract when they had their minds set on something.
I took the elevator to the third floor and let myself into my loft. It was a nice sized space with hardwood floors and high ceilings. My bed sat up on a platform to the far right, leaving room for a large living room space. The galley-style kitchen was simple but featured brand new appliances. I always ate at the bar, so I had no need for a dining table.
I put my purse down and moved toward the bathroom. I had a huge tub, my favorite part of my place. I loved taking baths and planned to do just that to decompress before bed.
My phone rang as I sunk into the warm, soapy water.
I smiled as I answered. “Can’t sleep?” I asked Scarlet knowingly. She had been uncomfortable these past few weeks. She still looked beautiful though, and had only gained weight in her belly, the lucky bitch.
“No,” she groused.
“Anytime now,” I replied soothingly. I couldn’t wait to meet my new little niece.
“That’s what Cole keeps saying, too,” she said with a sigh. “I guess this little one is just getting a head start on keeping me up all night.”
“She’s a party animal like her Auntie Kat.”
She laughed quietly at my quip. “You should come by tomorrow. I could use a distraction,” she said as I heard Cole’s deep voice murmur in the background. “I’m fine, babe,” I heard her tell him quietly. “I’ll be there soon,” she added in the soft voice she only used with him.
No doubt Cole wanted her back in bed. He’d been incredibly caring if not a bit overbearing since she got pregnant.
“Sure, sounds good,” I agreed, more than willing to distract her in any way I could.
Scarlet and I both had difficult pasts that we didn’t like to talk about much. She’d lost both her mother and father, while mine were still living (as far as I knew of anyway) but just as lost to me. She’d always claimed I had it rougher. At least her parents had filled the role while they were alive. She’d been loved and cared for.
My parents, on the other hand, had been something else entirely.