“Nice, looking forward to see ’em, and all those kids you keep popping out.”
Beau laughed. He had a great laugh like Manic. “Yeah, about that.”
Manic grinned. “You knock Freya up again?”
“We know how to keep busy in the mountains.”
Manic chuckled. “Congratulations, brother. Be good to come home, even if it’s only for a couple nights.”
“These mountains are in your blood, Levi, they always will be.”
Manic nodded, though his cousin couldn’t see him.
“Talked to your old man today,” Beau said, and Manic stilled.
“Yeah?”
“He’s looking forward to seeing you.”
Manic’s laugh was rough. “I almost believed you.”
“Not feeding you bullshit. He brought it up. Asked about your girl. I couldn’t see him, but I swear the old bastard was smiling. He’s excited to meet her, Levi.”
Manic didn’t look my way. In fact, he studiously looked at his phone. “Yeah?”
He’d already told his family that he was bringing me.
When Beau spoke again, there was a smile in his voice. “I’m looking forward to meeting your girl as well, brother.”
My heart started racing. The look on Manic’s face hit me hard. He was tough, sometimes brutal, but he still wanted to make his dad happy, to make him proud. He still wanted his dad’s approval.
And that included introducing him to his girlfriend, even if his girlfriend was a big old fake.
Manic kept his head dipped and shook it again. He opened his mouth, and I knew what he was about to say. He was going to tell Beau I couldn’t make it. “About that—”
My own mouth opened before I knew it was going to happen. “Hey, Beau, looking forward to meeting you as well.”
Manic’s head shot up, his gaze slicing to me.
Beau laughed. “Hey, Addie. Levi says you’re a mean cook. Looking forward to the breakfast you’re gonna cook us on Sunday.”
“She’s not your fucking breakfast cook,” Manic said, chuckling. “She cooks for me, ’cause I’m awesome. You on the other hand—”
“If you’re lucky, I’ll make some of my famous French toast,” I said.
Manic’s lips curled, giving me one of his heart-stopping grins, with a good dose of heat, and I quickly looked away. I listened as they finished their conversation and didn’t know where the hell to look when the call ended and he turned to me.
“You changed your mind.”
“Your cousin sounds nice, and your dad…you shouldn’t have to go alone.”
“Adds…”
“Don’t make a big thing about it, okay? We’re friends who had sex once and things got a little weird there for a moment.” He was a biker, and bikers were possessive over their possessions, but it didn’t mean they had any true feelings for the thing they were possessive over. I was here with him right now, ergo, I was “his” to anyone looking, whether that was the case or not. I’m sure if someone had tried to take Mercedes off his lap at the bonfire in his backyard, he would have had something to say about it, probably with his fists. Unless he was in the mood to share, of course. That was the biker way from what I’d observed. It was about someone disrespecting him, not about me.
I had to remember that.
“Let’s pretend this whole conversation never happened,” I said because I couldn’t deal with him being all sweet to me, not in this cute little town decorated with fairy lights. Not after he’d told me about his dad and I heard that conversation with his cousin.