Aurora Rose Reynolds

It shouldn’t matter, but I fucking hate that she keeps taking her eyes from me.

“Did you need something else? Flour, sugar, my firstborn child?”

“You are so strange,” he informs me

“Are you okay?” Hell, no, my dog almost killed me trying to get to the man she’s obviously in love with.

“Do you know how hard it’s been, being around you and not touching you the way I want? How hard it’s been, keeping my hands to myself, when that’s not what I want? How hard it was for me not to claim you when your dad asked me what it is I’m doing with you?”

“What?” she repeats, this time with wonder.

“Let’s roll. Don’t want to make a bad first impression on your future father-in-law,” he says, walking through the door, and I laugh while following him out to my bike.

“I came to you, because you’re her dad and a cop. Personally, I don’t mind dealing with him myself, but I figured you might like me even less if I’m in prison for beating the shit out of a motherfucker. So yeah, I’m here asking you for a favor.”

“Jesus,” Wes mutters, but I ignore him and keep my eyes locked on Nico’s.

Taking her in, my chest gets tight and my stomach fills with pride and possessiveness.

“Hey, don’t cry. I’m sure your dog is okay,” Jax says softly, running his fingers over the back of my hand.

“Ex-excuse me?” I sputter, turning my head towards him.

“Cat?” he asks, frowning.

“Hope is my daughter,” I hiss, pulling my hand from his grasp.

“Daughter?” He pales, searching my face.

“I did so good that I ended up lost and shot at.”

My entire body tightens at the mention of a gun being fired in her direction, and her fingers come up to touch the space between my brows. “I’m guessing from the look on your face it’s too soon to joke about it.”

“Yeah, it’s too soon,” I agree. “Then again, I don’t know that I’ll ever think it’s funny.”

But I gotta tell you, man, I will fucking walk if you try to make me choose between her and this place.” I startle myself with that statement, but even as freaked as it makes me, I know it’s true.