Edge Of Fear (Arrow's Edge MC Book 4) by Freya Barker (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

Trunk, who appears to be siding with me, convinces Ouray to let Ravi have my room.

“Where the fuck are you gonna stay?”

“I’ll be fine.” It’ll be a good excuse for me to stay with Sophia, but my brothers don’t need to know that.

“Not gonna help him form any bonds with the other kids, though,” Ouray mentions. “If anything, it’ll set him apart.”

I don’t disagree with that, but I’ve already thought of that.

“Ravi asked if he could work with me on Paco’s house, instead of the project Brick had in mind for the kids. Let me see if I can’t win his trust first.”

“Are you gonna tell him about you?” Ouray asks.

“I might, if I feel it helps any. Once he’s comfortable enough with me, we can ask the older two kids to come help out a day here or there. One at a time.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Trunk admits.

“Good, I’ll tell Paco to bring him along in the morning.”

I walk out of the office and cross the hallway to my room. The only bag I have is still at Sophia’s, but I peel off the pillowcase to use for my clothes, and can get a garbage bag for whatever else I need in the short term. This’ll just be temporary, at least that’s the way I’ll sell it to Sophia.

“You okay?”

I turn to find Trunk in the doorway.

“I’m fine. I’m good. Don’t need anything.”

He raises an eyebrow, which causes wrinkles all over his bald scalp.

“Actually,” I change my mind. “I could do with some advice.”

“Anything.”

He crosses his massive arms over his chest and leans against the doorpost.

“Pregnancy. How much do you know?”

CHAPTER 14

Tse

“SHEE-IT.”

I’m still grinning at Trunk’s reaction a couple of hours later.

He’d kicked the door to my room shut and sank down on my bed, spending the next half hour asking questions and giving me a chance to unload all my insecurities. Because as much as I’m keeping a confident front around Sophia; I’m scared shitless.

Turns out that was all I needed, the reassurances from a brother who had his own insecurities about fatherhood, as it turns out. Trunk and Jaimie have two kids now, three-year-old River from Jaimie’s first marriage, and Eden, who is a year and a half and her father’s daughter. Trunk was forty-six when they had her.

If Sophia turns out to be pregnant, I’ll be forty-three when I become a father. The thought doesn’t nearly make me as lightheaded as it did before my talk with Trunk.

I spent some time with Nosh, feeling guilty because I haven’t been around much lately for our nightly chats. He said he was fine with it, more time to watch the old westerns he’s become partial to in his old age. It doesn’t seem that long ago he would go on runs with us, and for the longest time he ran the club’s shooting range, but he handed that over to Honon.

He’s become an old man since Momma died last year and that hurts to see. Where he once was the driving force of the club, now he simply hangs out there, like he’s biding his time. It’s sad; he deserves more but doesn’t want it. I won’t say Nosh was always a good man, but he certainly had a good heart.

I managed to corner Paco, explained Ravi would be taking my room at the clubhouse for now, and asked him to bring the kid to the build tomorrow. On my way out I popped into to the kitchen, drawn by the smell of good food, where I got slapped on the hand by Lisa when I tried to steal a taste of the stew she had simmering for dinner.

By the time I get to The Backyard it already has a decent dinner crowd. I don’t see Sophia when I walk in, but Mack cocks his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the hallway. I find her in her office, and as usual, she’s so engrossed in what she’s doing it takes a minute for her to clue in I’m standing in her doorway.

“Hi.”

“How are things?” I ask her, walking over to drop a quick kiss on her lips.

“Busy. I’m trying to finish up my orders for Tuesday’s delivery before I get out there.”

I grin down at her.

“Is that your way of telling me to get lost?”

She raises both eyebrows, bulging her eyes, and I bark out a laugh.

“Okay. I may be thick but I know when I’m not wanted. Have you eaten?”

“Mandy brought me something earlier.”

She points at the empty plate on the corner of her desk and I pick it up.

“You finish up. I’ll be keeping Mack company,” I tell her with a wink before walking back to the bar.

“Kaga mentioned I might see quite a bit of you around here.”

Lea, Kaga’s wife, is by the bar waiting for a drink order.

“I swear, the older the brothers get, the more they turn into a bunch of old maids with their gossiping,” I grumble to Lea’s amusement.

She elbows me. “You know you’re aging right along with them, right?”

“Don’t remind me,” I groan, picking up the beer Mack slides in front of me. A good barkeep knows what you’ll have to drink before you do. “How are you enjoying working here?”

“Love it.” She grins. “Especially the tips.”

“Order’s up.”

Lea walks over to where Mack sets a few more drinks on a full tray. She easily swings it up on one hand like she’s an old pro.

“Try the pulled pork tonight,” she directs at me. “Almost just as good as Lisa’s.”

I’m about to tell Mack to put an order in for me when Ramirez comes in with his wife, who’s an EMT for the fire department. He spots me and they walk over.

“Smelled the food from this kitchen but haven’t had a chance to taste it yet. Figured it was time we give it a try.”

“You’ll be pleasantly surprised.” I get up to give his wife a hug. “Looking good, as always, Blue. Still don’t get what you’re doing with