Chapter Nine

Avon had never been away from the MC for this long.

 

After Matt was found, he’d taken an indefinite hiatus, handing over the daily operations to the VP, Viper. Besides, with Matt’s delicate condition, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone, not with anyone. So that ruled out club business, and it definitely ruled out heading back to his familiar room back at the MC’s headquarters.

 

But the longer he stayed away, the more he began to see what a life outside the MC might look like. Lazy Sunday mornings. Childcare schedules based around Robyn’s job. Cooking dinner in a small family unit, as opposed to the endless stream of brothers and friends and all their associated girls.

 

He liked being there to greet Robyn every day when she got home from work. And he was pretty sure this domestic façade was helping Matt recover. He still wouldn’t talk to anyone but him, but he was saying more words. He’d even laughed a couple times. Progress was happening, however slow and arduous.

 

Robyn tapped a pen against her lips as she ran through a list of schools. They’d been searching for a new school for Matt for days now. Even though he couldn’t be enrolled until he got the all-clear from Dr. Luna, they wanted to be prepared.

 

“Here.” Robyn tapped the sheet of paper in her hand. “This one is a charter school, and they receive grant money annually to help children who have suffered trauma.”

 

Avon craned his neck to look back at her from his post on the couch. Matt had fallen asleep after a movie, his head nestled in Avon’s lap, so moving anytime soon was a no-go. “Oh yeah?”

 

Robyn was quiet as she read further. “I’m going to call them. This sounds like a perfect fit, to be honest.”

 

Avon watched as she got out her phone and dialed, her tongue sticking out between her lips. A lazy smile crossed his face. She was beautiful, sure, but that wasn’t even the start of it. Living so close to her had him appreciating so many other things about her. The way she took care of shit; how much she cared about what she did. She was a natural leader, and he liked that. Probably because he’d been leading his MC for a couple of years now.

 

For whatever reason, the ladies that came his way weren’t into leading. They wanted him to lead, to make all the decisions, to call all the shots. Now he was seeing that sharing that trait with someone was sexy in a way he hadn’t expected.

 

Robyn roamed the living room as she spoke with the charter school, using a professional voice that made him smile. After a lot of “uh-huh” and repeating the word ‘great’ almost ten times, she hung up with an excited look on her face.

 

“I think this is the one.” She rushed over to the edge of the couch, perching on the armrest next to Avon. Her ass brushed against his arm as she grabbed his shoulder. “We can tour anytime, even if he isn’t cleared. But as soon as he is, he can be enrolled.”

 

Avon smiled up at her. The good news was great; almost as great as her personal investment in Matt. He couldn’t tell which made him smile more.

 

“That’s awesome.” He let his head drop back onto the top of the couch so he could meet her gaze dead on. He slid his hand around the side of her waist, a natural response that he didn’t realize until a moment too late.

 

But if she cared, Robyn didn’t say anything. His lips tingled with the desire to kiss her.

 

Robyn stared at him for a moment and then broke their gaze. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hands.

 

“Any word on the apartments?”

 

“Two have called back,” Avon said, heaving with a sigh. The apartment hunt process was taking much longer than he’d expected. It was his first time ever finding regular housing outside of the MC lifestyle, and damn it took forever. “Luckily one of them is the one I really want. Let’s hope they have good news soon.”

 

Robyn nodded, squeezing his knee before pushing off the couch and heading back into the kitchen. The simple touch left him with plenty of unspoken sentiments swirling inside him, but all he could do with Matt passed out in his lap was watch her walk away.

 

She’d been holding onto her ‘No Fucking’ rule with an iron grip. But Avon sensed that grip getting looser every day, without even trying anything.

 

If Robyn was like him, she was seeing that there was a certain naturalness between them, like maybe they’d dated years ago or had grown up together or something. Even though she was technically a stranger growing his baby, she felt more like an old flame.

 

Robyn busied herself in the kitchen with something until a knock sounded on the front door. She pulled open the door and then a chorus of girly greetings ensued.

 

“Oh my God, Alicia!” Robyn’s voice pitched upward, and Matt roused.

 

Avon craned his neck again to see the front door. He caught a flash of brown hair, and then another woman’s voice. A moment later, the door shut. It became rapidly obvious that the two women were old friends, dropping reference and nicknames that made Avon’s head spin.

 

A few minutes later, Robyn appeared in the living room, her brunette, rosy-cheeked friend at her side.

 

“Avon, I’d like you to meet Alicia. Alicia, meet Avon.”

 

Avon waved with his two fingers, offering a side smile to Alicia.

 

“And this sleepy boy here is Matt,” Robyn went on, gesturing to Matt, who had sat up and was rubbing his eyes. “They’ve been staying with me for a bit as we square away some custodial issues.”

 

“Yeah, Robyn’s been a big help,” Avon said.

 

“I’m not surprised. That’s my sweet girl, after all.” Alicia nudged Robyn, which made a blush cross her cheeks.

 

“I learned from the best,” Robyn said. To Avon, she added, “Alicia is the one who got me into social work after high school. She started the training first, and then convinced me to take the leap.”

 

“So you basically owe all your success to me,” Alicia quipped.

 

“That, or all my headaches.” Robyn swatted her friend’s shoulder. “You want a beer while you’re here?”

 

The two friends migrated to the kitchen, and Avon had a good time overhearing their happy, flowing chatter while Matt busied himself with toy cars on the carpet. When Avon had to use the bathroom, he sauntered through the kitchen slowly, eyes on Robyn.

 

She cast him a shy smile when she noticed him. Alicia turned from her seat at the island to look at him.

 

“Don’t mind me, ladies.” He held up his hands. “I’d hate to break up girls’ night.”

 

Robyn scoffed but didn’t say anything else. He saw the flush in her neck though. He went into the bathroom down the hall, the sound of their continuing conversation wafting toward him.

 

“But does he have to be so hot?”

 

Robyn’s voice.

 

He grinned as he took a piss, letting those overheard words cycle through him a few times. Yeah, she liked what she saw, and he wasn’t imagining things.

 

Which meant that their platonic little play time would be coming to an end ASAP.