over, the nurse hands me some pictures and we head out of the room. Mum kisses my cheek. “I’ll let you two talk,” she says and smiles.
“Coffee?” Ryan asks and I nod. Costa Coffee sounds like heaven right now.
Once I’m settled into the hospital’s Costa restaurant, I smile at Ryan. “It’s not yours,” I say, deciding that blunt is the best way.
“I know,” he says easily and he takes a sip of his coffee.
“If you know, then why are you here?”
“To help. I figured when your mum told me, you hadn’t told your brother because he would have booted my door down and probably tried to kill me.” I laugh. “I know it’s weird, but I like you, Leia. I always have. I’m happy to pretend this baby is ours. I’ll support you and look after you. I’ll even stand up to your brother.”
I stare open-mouthed in shock. “You’d do that?” I whisper and he nods. He’s saying everything I wanted Chains to say the day he left. “I can’t let you. It’s so sweet and beyond amazing that you’d want to help me like that, but I can’t let you.”
He grabs my hand. “Of course, you can. We’d be great parents. No one would need to know. I’ll give you the world if you let me.” I stare at our joined hands. The offer is crazy, but the thought of security makes me consider it. He sees me wavering. “Leia, I can make you happy if you just let me try. We can start again and take one day at a time. I’m guessing whoever got you in this way isn’t stepping up, or maybe your brother wouldn’t approve, but he has nothing against me. I can make him see that I’m right for you. Just say you’ll give us a try.”
“I don’t know . . . ”
“One day at a time. No pressure, and if you decide it’s not working, then I’ll walk away. I promise.”
“We take it slow,” I mutter and he nods eagerly. “And we’ll have a trial of a month. I don’t want anyone to know yet. No big announcements.”
He nods again and grabs my face, placing a wet kiss on my head. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
CHAINS
I groan as Raven drags me around another furniture shop. I’m all for decorating, but she’s changing the whole damn house. “Last one, I promise.”
“You said that three stores ago.”
She’s obsessed with replacing the bed. I told her no one ever slept in it apart from me and her, but since we got back to London a few weeks ago, she’s making her stamp on my place. I guess it needed a woman’s touch after years of neglect from me.
My phone buzzes. It’s Riggs. I glance at Raven, who’s chatting happily to the sales person.
“Hold on,” I say to him as I head out the shop. “Everything okay?”
“When you coming back to the club, brother? I need my enforcer back,” he mutters.
“Cree told me weeks ago you were gonna call me, Pres, and I heard nothing. Now you call me out the blue and tell me you need me back. What’s happened?”
“I didn’t end that motherfucker. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him live on the condition he left the club and stayed away from London.”
“We’re talking about Cobra?” I clarify.
“He’s in London. One of the guys spotted him today. I can’t send Blu after him, I don’t know if Blu’s loyalties are still with him, so I’m asking you.”
“You know I’m in London, don’t ya?” I say because why else would he call me.
“Chains, your part of my club. Did ya think I could just let you go off radar? You know men don’t walk away from this club like that. I knew you were in London the second you crossed the border. If you’re leaving my club, then we need to meet, but if you’re not, then the break is over, brother. It’s time for you to get back to work.”
“Right, okay. I’ll check out some local haunts and see if anyone’s seen him around. You think he’s here to cause trouble for the club or is he looking for me?”
“I don’t know brother. When I told him to leave, he seemed fine. Accepted that the club was out of hand. He told me he had family up north and he was heading there.”
“So, you want me to just chase him outta London?” I ask.
“Yeah. He ain’t welcome here.”
Raven steps out