I hear her yelling down the hallway.
Thank fuck he took her away.
Still, her words play in my mind.
The thing about Faye—she’s usually right.
FORTY-ONE
Shayla
TALON gets me settled in his house, then leaves and tells me someone will be dropping off groceries and lunch. He says he’ll be back in the evening to take me out to dinner. So basically, I’m alone in a new house with nothing else to do but overthink my life and everything that’s happened in the last few days, which is the last thing I want to do right now. I wish Colt was here. I put on the TV and try to distract myself. I’m watching Supernatural when there’s a knock at the door. I open it, coming face-to-face with Ranger.
“Shayla,” he says, smiling, his hands full of bags.
“Hey, Ranger,” I say, opening the door wider for him. “Do you want some help?”
“Do I need any help from the knocked-up baby cousin of my president? No, thank you,” he teases, stepping inside and placing the bags on the kitchen counter.
“News travels fast, then,” I grumble, smiling when I see he brought some carrots, celery, and dip.
“Talon told only me,” Ranger explains, helping to unload the food. “Probably ’cause I was being an asshole asking why you can’t go to the damn store yourself.”
“I could’ve,” I say, opening the fridge to put the juice inside it. “But Talon said he’d sort it out.”
He mutters something unintelligible under his breath, then looks at the TV. “Supernatural, fuck yeah.”
He walks to the couch and makes himself comfortable. I peel and cut some carrots, put them on a plate with the dip, and bring it to the table.
“Thanks,” he says, scooping a big dollop onto his piece. I take in his features. Dark, thick hair tied at his nape. The beard he had is now gone, but I think he looks good either way, and he’s tall. I mean really tall. He must be at least six foot five. He’s just one giant winner-of-the-gene-pool biker. Oh, and he’s also very intelligent, just like Talon. Three degrees under his belt, and I won’t be surprised if he goes back for more. I remember he once said to me that knowledge is power, and he likes to keep his mind occupied.
“Did Talon tell you to babysit me too?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Nah,” he says, chewing thoughtfully. “Talon normally doesn’t let me be around you for too long, but now you’re knocked up and Wind Dragons’ property, so I don’t think he’ll care if we hang out.”
“Property? Nice,” I say in a dry tone. “And I wonder why you’re still single, Ranger?”
“I’m single because no woman has caught my eye yet.”
Talon once told me that Ranger is one of the most complicated men he’s ever met. He’s laid-back but can be intensely competitive. Usually he never takes anything personally, and nothing can offend him, but sometimes he loses his shit over the most random things, and he can struggle with reading people’s emotions. Like if you’re sad, he probably won’t pick up on that unless you tell him. He’s an interesting guy.
“I know a girl—” I start, but he cuts me off with a look.
“One of the crazy Wind Dragon women? No, thank you, I’m going to have to pass.”
The look on his face is priceless, almost like he’d rather be doing anything else.
“Hey now,” I say, getting a little defensive. “Those women are amazing. And I’m kind of one of them.”
Well, I was.
It hits me then that I might not be hanging with the women again, and it really sucks. I’ll miss them all, especially Faye. I’ll miss Rake and Tracker, and our gun practices; I’ll miss Sin and his disapproving glares every time Colt does something bad; I’ll miss Lana—asking her all about her books and trying to figure out how her amazing mind works. I’ll miss Anna and her self-defense lessons. Fuck. I’ll miss everyone and everything about being a part of the Wind Dragon family. Most of all, I’ll miss Vinnie.
I fell in love with him so quickly, so deeply, and to have to push him away now kills me like nothing else. I just don’t see a positive outcome for this situation. There’s no quick fix. He can’t change who he is and what he wants in life, and if he tries, he’ll probably end up resenting me and the baby. It’s a disaster waiting to happen, but damn, am I going to miss him.
“Bailey’s friend Tia isn’t one of the Wind Dragon women,” I add, pushing away those thoughts. “She’s just guilty by association. Bailey has told me stories and she sounds hilarious.” She also mentioned that Tia thinks Talon is hot.