“Nothing.” She sighed. “Couldn’t you have had someone else keep an eye on me while you guys figured things out with the Widows?”
“I trust him, Becs, and I needed to know you were safe.” I squeezed her hand. “Did something happen over those few months?”
She snorted. “No. He would drop me off at work and then pick me up to drop at your place after. He never said much except that he had to get back to work.”
I shook my head. “You guys need to figure out your shit.”
She snorted. “There’s nothing to figure out. He thinks I’m flaky and immature.” She shrugged her shoulders as well as she could while lying down.
I narrowed my eyes. “He say that shit to you?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She smiled, but it was forced, and her eyes were watery. “Since when are you the relationship expert?”
I watched her closely for a moment and recognized she needed to take our conversation in a different direction. I was willing to do that with her because she had a lot of shit on her plate, but it was time for me to have a chat with Race. I’d put it off in an effort to stay out of it, but if what she’d said was true, then he and I needed to have that long, overdue talk, and I’d need to be both his president and the brother of the woman he’s fucking around with.
“I’m an expert in every damn thing.” I smirked. “You know that.”
She rolled her eyes, but this time when she smiled, it was genuine. “Right. My brother, who’s never been in a relationship, is an expert.”
Thoughts of Josie flashed through my mind, and my back stiffened. I’d watched her last night while we waited, pissed that she was sitting with Bull and even more pissed that he had his arm around her. It didn’t matter that the plan had been my idea, and there was no explanation for my feelings. Josie was not the kind of girl for my club or me, but I seemed to forget that every damn time I had her close.
I only grinned but had no response, so she continued. “Race said a lot of people were in the waiting room last night.”
“There were,” I confirmed with a nod.
“Josie too.”
“Yep.”
She dropped my hand and pushed her dark hair off her forehead. “You good with that?”
My eyebrows drew together. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She grinned and picked at the hem on the thin white blanket ending at her waist. “I was in a lot of pain when I came to your office door but not too much that I didn’t hear what was going on.”
“You heard wrong.”
She lifted her eyebrow. “Lyin’ now?”
I shook my head but couldn’t answer that. She knew what she heard and didn’t need me to confirm it. I gestured behind me toward the door. “You able to see Wyatt yet today?”
She nodded, and the smile slid from her face. “Yeah, for a little bit this morning. He’s so small, Bear. I have no idea what to do with a baby that small.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promised, trying to sound reassuring, but like her, I had no fucking clue what to do with a little baby either. “Did the doctor say how he is?”
“He said so far he’s doing okay.” Her eyes glistened when they filled with tears. “But it’s early, so he told me to be prepared for the ups and downs Wyatt will have.”
“How long will he be here?”
She shrugged. “It depends on how he does, but from what the nurses told me, it’ll be at least a month, maybe longer.”
A knock on the door caused us both to look that way just as the door was pushed open, and Kat came through, followed by Bull.
I looked back and forth between them as Kat made her way to stand beside Becs, then grabbed her hand and spoke. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” Becs answered quietly.
“How’s your boy?” Bull’s deep voice echoed through the room.
Becs smiled at Bull. “He’s hanging in there.”
“How the hell are you two here together?” I asked, curious as to what was going on.
“Ran into each other in the parking lot,” Bull explained.
Knowing Kat wasn’t aware that Bull and Josie weren’t a couple, I decided to help our cause some. “Josie couldn’t come?”
Bull glanced at Kat, who remained standing beside the bed, but her eyes were locked on him. He shook his head and gave me his attention. “No, she had some shit to do.” Turning slightly, he grinned at Becs. “She said to tell you she’ll stop by later today.”
“That’s nice of her,” Becs replied, but like me, she was looking at Kat and Bull, and I recognized the minute my little sister decided to stir the pot. Like me, she’d been paying attention and saw Bull’s interest in Kat, but Kat hadn’t returned that interest. “I was surprised when she told me you two were going out.”
“Why’s that?”
“She doesn’t seem like your type.” Becs glanced up at Kat before giving Bull her eyes again. “Plus, I thought you were interested in someone else.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “I’m gonna let you get away with the shit you’re doin’ because of what you just went through.”
She smirked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Bull.”
When the door opened again, I glanced behind me, but the second I saw Race stomp through the door, I shifted my attention back to Becs. Her smile slowly faded while she watched him walk closer to her bed. He stood at the foot and put his hands on his hips. His clothes were dirty, and he looked like he’d come straight from work.
In order to break the tension while they stared at one another, I spoke first. “You comin’ from work?”
“Yeah.” He answered me, but his eyes stayed on Becs. “Lunch break.” He dropped his chin and directed his next statement to Becs. “Feelin’ alright?”
She nodded and rolled her lips together. “Yeah, I feel better today.”
“How’s the baby?”
Her eyes filled with tears again, and I wondered why the hell she seemed so emotional. Becs wasn’t a crier. Hell, even when we lost our dad, brother, and mom, she barely shed a tear. She was sad, but she was strong and never wanted to show her weakness. Today, I felt like all she was doing was holding back from breaking down.
“He’s okay. The doctor said it’s just one day at a time right now.”
He jerked up his chin, and I shared a look with Bull, who was watching them just as closely as I was. “You get to see him?”
“Yeah.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t get to hold him yet.”
Kat smiled sadly and squeezed her hand. “You will soon, I’m sure.”
“I hope so,” she admitted.
“Okay.” Race ran his hand through his hair. “Just wanted to check in.” He gestured with his thumb toward the door. “I gotta get back. We’re behind schedule. The Dimarco boys said to tell you congratulations and not to be surprised if their folks, Jack and Anna, stop by to see you.”
“Oh, okay, that’s nice,” Becs replied quietly. “Tell them thanks.”
He dropped his hands and tapped his palm against the foot of her bed, then glanced at Bull and me. “Probably won’t be around the club the next day or two. We’re slammed.”
“Alright,” I replied and stood. “Need to talk to you a minute.”
He nodded and looked at Becs again, held her eyes until she dropped them, and then turned, walking back out the door. I followed him, and we both stopped outside her door, but I waited for it to close before speaking.
“Becs has the idea you don’t think much of her.” I wasn’t pulling any punches. Race was my brother in the club, but Becs was my sister, and it was my responsibility to always defend her.
His eyebrows drew together. “She told you that?”
“Not those words, but the gist is the same.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “We got a problem if you’re saying shit like that to her.”
“Never said that, brother.” He put his hands on his hips. “But it’s no secret that her and I don’t always see eye to e
ye.”
“Not seeing eye to eye is one thing. Saying shit about her that isn’t true is another.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You think I’d be here if I thought that about her?”
I studied him closely. “No, and I don’t think you’d have run in here last night afraid you were gonna lose her, but I needed to ask because she thinks that for a reason. And she doesn’t cause drama, so we both know someone said something to her to make her believe it.”
He was quiet for a moment before he finally nodded. “I hear you.”
“What are you gonna do about it?”
His eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “I’m done fucking around, brother. Been doing it a long time. She and I have a lot of shit to work through, and we will, but you need to stay out of it while we do.”
I respected what he was saying, but I wasn’t making any promises. “I’ll give you that time, but you better make damn sure you want what you say you want. You’re important to the club, and you’re my brother, but fucking her over will change that.”
He nodded. “You have my word.”
I dropped my arms and returned his nod, watching while he turned and walked back down the hall toward the bank of elevators. Honestly, that one statement made me feel better. Race was a man of his word, and I had no doubt he meant what he said.
I just hoped my sister was ready for it.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
JOSIE
Stepping off the elevators, I silently hoped Becs wouldn’t have any visitors. Well, one in particular. I obviously didn’t know Bear well, but after watching him last night, I assumed he’d have been here this morning. It was well past dinner now, so I hoped he’d be gone.
Walking down the short hallway, I lifted my hand in a small wave to a nurse watching me from the nurses’ station. She smiled when I stopped outside of Becs’s room and turned her attention back to the computer in front of her. Luckily when I’d texted Bull earlier, he was able to give me her room number, so I didn’t have to text Bear for it.
I knocked softly before pushing open the door and peeking inside. Becs glanced at the door before smiling and waving me in. “Hey, Josie.”
“Hey, Mama.” I smiled while I walked through the door before closing it behind me.
It was only after I cleared the doorway that I saw she did have company but breathed a silent sigh of relief it wasn’t her brother. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”
Becs smiled and gestured toward the older couple. “Josie, this is Jack and Anna Dimarco.” She glanced at them. “This is my friend, Josie Carmichael.”
I walked the rest of the way in until I stood at the foot of the hospital bed and held out my hand to the older man standing closest to me. “Dimarco?” I tilted my head to the side. “Are you related to Luke?”
He shook my hand and smiled brightly. “Luke’s our son.”
I returned his smile. “I can see the resemblance.”
Anna held out her hand, which I shook. “I’m Anna. It’s nice to meet you, Josie.”
“You too.” Shifting my attention back to Becs, I held up the bag I was carrying and scooted around the bed until I stood near her head. “I brought you a little something.”
“I’d like to say you shouldn’t have, but I love gifts.” I laughed along with the Dimarcos while she dug into the bag. When she pulled out the two matching T-shirts, one much smaller than the other, she smiled a watery smile.
“What do they say?” Anna asked, and Becs turned them around.
The first blue one was for Wyatt and said, Tiny Fighter. The second was for Becs and said, Mother of a Tiny Fighter. Anna sighed and put her hand to her chest. “They’re perfect.” She reached out and touched the one meant for Wyatt. “Where did you find these?”
“I searched online and found a specialty gift store about an hour and a half from here.”
“You drove an hour and a half to get these?” Jack asked, and I smiled in his direction.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It was a nice day for a drive.”
“I love them.” Becs leaned forward, and I bent down to give her a hug. “Thank you.”
Pulling back, I smiled softly. “You’re welcome.”
“Josie.” I stood straight again and faced Anna when she spoke. “I just remembered why your name sounds so familiar to me. You ran the children’s camp this summer, right?”
“Yes,” I replied. “How did you know that?”
“Our daughter-in-law Kasey is a teacher at the elementary school and told us all about the program and how excited the school district was that you’d agreed to run it.”
I smiled. “It’s a wonderful program. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
“From what I’ve heard, it was successful.”
“It was,” I agreed. “It was also helpful for me to get to know the kids before the school year began.”
“Have you met Lucy yet?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Lucy?”
“Reynolds,” Jack clarified. “Our son’s fiancée and a social worker.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I haven’t met her yet, but I’m sure I will now with the kids back in their foster homes.” My eyebrows drew together. “So you have three sons?”
Becs laughed, and the Dimarcos joined in. I looked back and forth between them and Becs before settling on Becs again. “What am I missing?”
“They have eight kids,” Becs clarified, and my eyes widened. “Seven boys and one girl.”
“What’d I miss?”
I didn’t even have a chance to respond to Becs when Bear’s voice sounded behind me. Turning my head, I watched him walk the rest of the way into the room. His eyes met mine briefly before he held out his hand to Jack and said a few words. I had no idea what he said because I was too busy wondering how the hell my luck could be so bad.
“Josie just found out how many kids Jack and Anna have.” Becs giggled when Bear huffed out a laugh.
“Do you have a big family, Josie?” Jack asked, and my eyes moved from Bear, who still stood at the foot of the bed, to Jack.
“No,” I replied. “I don’t have any siblings or any children of my own.”
“The kids in her program are her kids,” Bear stated, and my attention shifted to him. I couldn’t tell if he was making fun of me, considering he’d focused on that in the past. I assumed he thought it was a little ridiculous, but I didn’t care. They were my kids. I felt they were my responsibility for the summer, and that sense of obligation hadn’t left me just because school started.
“Look what Josie brought me.” Becs held up the T-shirts, distracting me from my own thoughts.
He dragged his attention from me to look at the two T-shirts and then walked around the bed to stand beside me. “Nice.”
Nice. That was it. He didn’t say more, and it annoyed me. But the fact that it annoyed me bothered me even more. I didn’t know what I wanted him to say, and he wasn’t the kind of man who would likely be moved by a saying on a T-shirt, but it still bugged the hell out of me.
“Josie,” Jack called out, and my attention flicked back to him. “You mentioned you know Luke. Do you mind if I ask how?”
I cleared my throat, giving me a few extra seconds to choose my words carefully, unsure of how much information I could share. “He investigated a case I was involved in.”
“I hope he took care of everything,” he responded, but it was clear, to me at least, that he knew more than he was letting on.
“We’re handling it,” Bear acknowledged.
“Are you safe?” Jack asked, and I raised my eyebrows, surprised by his concern over a person he’d just met.
“We’re making sure she’s safe,” Bear answered.
My head snapped his way. “I can answer for myself, Bear.”
Bear slowly shifted his attention from Jack to me. “What’s the difference?”
“The difference is I don’t appreciate you speaking for me when I can speak for myself.”<
br />
He sighed loudly, and Becs cleared her throat behind me, but it was obvious she was chuckling. “The answer’s the same no matter who says it, Josie.”
Giving up on Bear, I faced Jack again. “I’ve taken all the necessary precautions, Mr. Dimarco. Thank you for asking.”
“Jack.” He smiled, his eyes flicking from me to Bear before he spoke further. “Call me Jack, darlin’.”
I nodded and smiled at Jack right before Bear spoke again. “How’s your boy?”
I rolled my eyes at Becs, who looked over my shoulder and giggled. I hesitated but only for a second before glancing at Bear on my other side.
He arched an eyebrow. “Got somethin’ to say?”
“Why would you ask me that?” I inquired.
“Saw you roll your eyes.”
I shrugged. “I feel like you can say his name.”
“What?”
“You said, ‘How’s your boy?’ I feel like you could say, ‘How’s Wyatt?’ He does have a name.”
He breathed deeply, exhaled, and shifted his attention from me to Becs. “How’s your boy?” He paused briefly and then added, “Wyatt?”
I shook my head but couldn’t contain my own grin when he combined both, refusing to just say it the way I’d suggested. I might have grinned, but I didn’t find him charming. Or at least I tried to convince myself of that.
When Becs began speaking, he leaned around me and laid his palm against my lower back. “Actually, I just got back to the room when Jack and Anna came. I was able to spend a couple of hours with him and hold him.”
Bear reached his other hand out, grabbed hers, and squeezed before letting go. “Good.”
“Do the doctors have any specific concerns?” Anna inquired.
“His breathing, but the nurses told me that’s common at this age. They told me he’s anemic this morning, but they didn’t act like that was unusual either. Other than that, they didn’t say they had other concerns, but he’s being fed through a tube for now.”
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 12