Chapter Three

Robyn went through a detailed recollection of what happened with an officer, and then again with a detective that showed up. She and Avon were trapped in police proceedings so long that dusk hit and her belly began to grumble angrily. The first hunger of the day, thank God.

 

By the time they were cleared to leave, Lisa had shown up, Robyn’s boss at the social work agency ‘In Good Hands’. That was their motto, and Robyn knew Lisa would be devastated that one of their charges had been exposed to such insensitive, damaging hands.

 

“There you are.” Lisa hurried up the sidewalk, her brown hair frizzing at the temples. “Now, where’s Matt?”

 

Robyn turned, gesturing toward the front door where Avon was just stepping through. Her chest tightened at the sight of him. She wasn’t supposed to be getting sentimental about a one-night stand who’d ditched her and never looked back, but damn, the man looked good caring for a kid. And now she was carrying his kid, and this was the last thing her fraying, pregnant hormones needed.

 

Avon approached just as Lisa got down to business. “Matt needs to come to the agency headquarters for an evaluation before he can be released to his temporary home.”

 

“Temporary home?” Avon’s eyes flashed as he looked between Robyn and Lisa. “He’s coming home with me.”

 

Lisa paused, and Robyn recognized the professional restraint in her voice. “Matt’s parents are out of the picture, and he has no current legal guardian.” Robyn knew ‘out of the picture’ was code for ‘dead’. “He’ll be entered back into the foster system until we can secure an appropriate legal guardian for him.”

 

“That’s me,” Avon said, his voice nearly a growl.

 

“And that may very well be true. But until the courts can determine that, he’ll be placed back into the foster system.”

 

“This is bullshit,” Avon spat. “He’s my family. My blood.”

 

“And unfortunately, sir, you have a record that prevents you from being considered a foster parent.”

 

Lisa’s words hung heavy in the air. She did background checks in her sleep practically, and Avon must have come up as a red flag. Despite the fact that Avon had burned her, Robyn didn’t want him to suffer. He seemed to genuinely care for the kid. Even though he had a leather kutte that screamed biker gang, she knew that wasn’t the whole story.

 

Truth was, she was more interested in the whole story than she wanted to admit.

 

“I’ll take him,” Robyn blurted out before she could even think better of it. Both sets of stunned eyes swung her way.

 

“You won’t be taking him anywhere,” Avon began, but Lisa cut him off.

 

“That would be a suitable arrangement for now. At least under Robyn’s care, we can satisfy the legal requirements in the meantime.” She sent a tight smile to Avon, which Robyn read as Are you happy now?

 

Avon’s amber gaze was rimmed with fire. His jaw flexed as he scanned the horizon. This wasn’t a great part of town, and in the setting sun, shady types were gathered at the periphery. Rubbernecking, probably, but the whole evening made her desperate to get home and comfortable – set Matt up with a safe place, and put this entire day behind her.

 

“So, let’s get a move on.” Lisa clapped her hands as though dismissing them. She started off for her car.

 

Avon’s hand on Robyn’s elbow made her jolt.

 

“He needs to go home. Where he can rest.” The earnestness on his face made her pause.

 

“But he can’t go back with you,” Robyn said in a quiet voice. “You’ve got a history.” Her gaze fell to his kutte, and her lips thinned. “I haven’t seen what she dug up on you, but it’s plain to see that you’re in a motorcycle club. I don’t care how nice you are, the system is always gonna say no unless you can get into a legal guardianship position.”

 

Avon’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know shit about me.”

 

“You’re right. I don’t.”

 

His nostrils flared, and they watched each other for a heated moment. Then he sighed, looking away. She caught the shadowy stubble on his jaw in the golden sunset.

 

“The evaluation at the agency will be quick,” she said, squeezing herself even though she wasn’t cold. The heat outside was still sweat-inducing but having Avon just a couple feet away was a different heat altogether. “Then I’ll take him back to my place. He’ll be comfortable there.”

 

“I’m coming with.”

 

Her throat tightened, and she looked away. Why hadn’t he come back to her house that night three months ago? She had no reason to feel hurt by his absence; people had one night stands all the time. The baby growing inside her changed everything though. “That’s fine.”

 

She walked to her car and sensed Avon close behind. Matt didn’t want to sit in the back seat alone, so Avon made the quick trip to the agency in the back seat with him. Robyn tried to hide her grin. At least the man was tender.

 

The evaluation went quickly as promised. Avon was able to help fill in the gaps, but Matt was still mostly in shock, quiet and teary-eyed. By the time they were ready to leave, it was almost 8:00 p.m.

 

“I bet you’re starving, huh, Matt?” Robyn cast him a friendly look through the rearview mirror as she started the car, this time with the intent of taking him to her apartment. His temporary home. “What’s your favorite place to eat? Maybe we can swing by and get some food.”

 

Matt tugged on Avon’s kutte and whispered something into his ear. Avon nodded. “He wants to go to ‘Red Robin’.”

 

Robyn grinned through the mirror. “That’s my name too, you know.”

 

Matt’s gaze met hers for only a brief moment before he fastened his eyes on the outside world. It would take a lot of work to get him to open up to her. And she hated that he had to be going through any of this. The least she could offer him was comfort, safety, and all of the best creature comforts.

 

Avon sat with his arm slung around Matt the whole way home. Every once in a while, chills would race up Robyn’s spine, and she’d find Avon’s gaze waiting for hers in the rearview mirror.

 

But if he didn’t want to break the ice about their shared history, then she’d follow his lead. She was dying to make some mention of the fact that he’d fucked her senseless in that very back seat, but it didn’t seem right to say anything in front of Matt. He was the priority now. Their shit didn’t matter.

 

“Here we are.” Robyn pulled into an apartment complex full of three-story buildings gathered around neatly manicured lawns. It was plain, safe. A metaphor for her life, she supposed. “Do you need a ride back to your bike, or…?”

 

“No. I’ll get it some other time.” His tone left no room for question.

 

“So you’re fine with leaving your personal property at the scene of a crime?”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He didn’t look at her as he hoisted Matt back into his arms, a bag of fast food dangling from one fist.

 

Robyn shook her head. “I’m not worried; I just don’t understand.” Their footsteps fell in sync as she led him up the cement path to building C. She’d written this exact address on his forearm twelve weeks ago. “There’s a lot of things I don’t understand, actually.”

 

He grunted but didn’t say anything else.

 

Sassiness swirled inside her, and she looked at him over her shoulder. “Do you remember my address? From the first time I gave it to you?”

 

Avon waited a moment to respond. “Wondered if you were gonna bring that up.”

 

Robyn pushed inside the apartment building and headed up the stairs to the second floor. Her heart pounded so fast she felt dizzy. “Wasn’t sure if you remembered me. Maybe you have a lot of hookups like that. Wouldn’t be surprised.”

 

When he didn’t respond right away again, she fought the urge to turn around and gauge his response. Her cheeks heated up as she unlocked her door.

 

“Are you pregnant?”

 

His simple question made her drop the key. She fumbled to pick it up, then pushed the door open. Her small but cozy apartment greeted them, all shades of seaside blue and slate gray. She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter, trying to regain some composure before she spoke. How could he tell? She cleared her throat.

 

“Well, here we are, Matt!” She hoped her voice sounded as bright as she intended. “This is where you’ll be staying. Want to see your room?”

 

Matt didn’t respond, but she led Avon down the hall anyway. She pushed open the spare bedroom door, where her plush guest room waited, decked out with a full bed, tons of pillows, and a wardrobe.

 

“This looks nice, bud,” Avon said, in a significantly softer voice. Damn his tenderness with Matt. It made it hard to hang on to her anger. “We should eat, huh?”

 

Matt nodded, so Robyn led them back out to the combined kitchen and dining area. She helped spread out his dinner on a plate and grabbed him a glass of water.

 

“Are you hungry?” she asked Avon. They hadn’t ordered anything for themselves at ‘Red Robin’, and finally, her own hunger was catching up with her.

 

“You never answered my question.” Avon sank into a dining chair, his brown eyes focused on her like a hawk.

 

“I don’t know why you’d think that.”

 

“Is it mine?”

 

Her mouth parted and she glared at him. “That’s rude, Avon. I can’t believe you’d—”

 

“I was sober that night. I’d only had a couple of beers.” He fingered the end of a fork as he watched her. “I remember everything. I was on my way to your place when I got word that Matt was missing.”

 

Robyn swallowed, washing her hands as a way to lessen the intensity of his words. So she didn’t have to look him in the eye again. “Oh,” was all she could say.

 

“Yeah, well, after enough time went by, thought it might be weird to show up here.” He leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under his weight. He almost looked like a parody at her table; this burly man in leather, too handsome for words. Matt ate like a bird at his side, and tenderness was evident on Avon’s face.

 

“Now you know where I live.” She offered a tight smile, drying her hands on a towel longer than necessary. This man made her skittish. She could crumble under that intense gaze. “Hope you don’t forget tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow?” The corner of his mouth turned up.

 

“Yeah.” She felt her cheeks heat up. “I assume you’ll come back in the morning or something?”

 

His gaze darkened, head tilting down. “I’m not leaving.”