Sacred Vow (Angels Halo MC Next Gen #5) - Terri Anne Browning Page 0,38
cut me deep, but I didn’t let him see that by so much as blinking.
“Worthless piece of trash,” Uncle Bash repeated. “Up until River’s birthday party, you’ve practically praised this boy. How many times have you said he was a hard worker, had a good head on his shoulders? Fuck, brother, you even said he would make a good husband a while back. And now you’re treating him like shit on the bottom of your shoe.”
Those electric-blue eyes landed on me, and the hardness on his face eased. “River is a smart girl. I trust her judgment in people as much as I would my wife’s. That she picked Maverick as her man doesn’t surprise me. He will watch over her, protect her, provide for her, and treat her like a queen.”
I had to swallow the knot of emotions that filled my throat at his words, but from the look on Colt’s face, it was all going over his head.
“Listen to me, brother,” Uncle Bash muttered, lowering his voice. “I know how hard it is to accept that your daughter has grown up. When Lexa started dating Ben, I nearly lost my mind. But I learned my lesson, and you should have learned something from what we went through, too. Get on board with who your little girl loves or risk losing her forever.”
Colt’s nostrils flared, and he spat on the ground at my feet. “Fuck your lessons, Bash,” he gritted out before turning and walking back into the diner.
I watched him go as dread churned in my gut. I had a bad feeling where River’s dad was concerned, and I didn’t like it.
Uncle Bash blew out a harsh sigh and turned his gaze from the closing diner door back to me. “I’ll try again after he’s cooled down a little,” he offered.
I shook my head. “Don’t bother. He’s not going to accept me being with River.”
“It’s not because you aren’t good enough, Mav,” my uncle tried to assure me. “For some fathers, they just can’t let go of their little girls. He wouldn’t be able to accept anyone.”
“I get it,” I said as the dread in my gut churned a little harder. “I just don’t want it to hurt River.”
But I knew my real fear was that Colt would try to tear us apart.
Fourteen
River
By closing time, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, and even though I wouldn’t say I was in pain, I was more than a little uncomfortable.
Fighting a yawn, I went through my normal routine to make sure everything was in order and ready to go for the next day before grabbing my things.
“Babe,” I called out as I walked back to his room where he was finishing up the last of his appointments. He’d canceled the ones from the day before, and he’d had me squeeze some of them in between his clients for that day, so he was still working. “I’m on my way out. Do you need anything before I go?”
He lifted his gaze from the scripture he was doing on the older biker’s back. “I’m good,” he said as his gray eyes skimmed over me lovingly. “I’ll finish locking up. Just be careful driving home, baby.”
I crossed the few feet separating us and kissed him, glad that we didn’t have to hide our relationship from anyone now. “Love you.”
He grabbed my ass with one hand, giving it a squeeze before reluctantly releasing me. “Love you, River. So fucking much.”
I kissed the tip of his nose, told the biker goodnight, and then headed for the back door. As I headed for my cousin’s car, I couldn’t help glancing toward the woods. But like earlier, I didn’t see any sign of anyone.
Back at the apartment, I took a shower and then climbed into bed. As I did, my gaze landed on the bottle of pain medication, but I quickly turned my back on it. Now that I was off my feet, my discomfort was mostly gone. Making sure my alarm was set for the next day so I could get to school on time, I snuggled under the covers and was asleep within seconds.
The feel of Maverick pulling me into his arms made me smile, and I snuggled closer before drifting back to sleep as he kissed the top of my head and whispered he loved me. When the alarm went off, I was so comfortable I debated taking another day off, but I was already three days behind on