I wake the next morning to the smell of coffee and the sounds of Grace shuffling around in the kitchen. Sitting up on the sofa, I toss the blanket aside and stifle a yawn with my fist. With Grace's daughter showing up yesterday, I felt it was best to sleep out here in the living room.

The kid is smart, and I believe she suspects her mother and I are together, but I have enough respect for my woman and her daughter to set some boundaries until we've had a chance to talk with her and see where her head is at on everything that is going on. The last thing I want is to start off on the wrong foot with Remi and ruin any chance of building some sort of trust with her.

Finding out Grace has a kid has thrown me for a fuckin' loop. I'm not mad at her for not telling me though. I agree one hundred percent with the decision she made with Remi. I can't imagine the pain she must have been going through the past couple of years not having her daughter with her, not seeing her every day. A parent will go through hell and suffer to keep their child from harm, and that is exactly what Grace has done. Seeing how brave and strong she is has made me love her more than I already do if that's even possible.

And on top of all that Grace assumed her having a daughter and keeping it secret would be a deal breaker for me. I told her yesterday it wasn't, but I intend to talk with her this morning to make myself clearer. I don't want her to have a shred of doubt in her head about my feelings on the situation.

"I didn't mean to wake you, I'm sorry," Grace apologizes in a hushed tone. Standing, I stretch my arms over my head to work out some of the soreness from my back from sleeping on the sofa, and I don't miss Grace's heated look when I go to retrieve my t-shirt off the table in front of me. The clearing of my throat brings her attention away from my body and to my face. "Like what you see, Little Bird?" I ask with a smirk. I'm rewarded with an eye-roll, and I don't miss the slight blush of her cheeks before she turns around and proceeded to fix herself a cup of coffee. After I slip my shirt back on, I stand here a moment and look at my woman and admire her beauty and all that is Grace. I'm a lucky bastard to have found this woman.

Striding up behind Grace, I press my body flush against her back while sweeping her fiery red hair away from the nape of her neck and kiss her gently below her ear. And I purposely grind my erection against her back letting her know the effect she has on me. "Good-mornin', Grace," I rasp.

"Morning," she breathes in return.

"Fix me a cup, would ya? I'm going to hit the head," I say giving her another kiss.

Grabbing my overnight bag from by the front door, I make my way to the bathroom to take care of business. Once I have brushed my teeth and washed my face, I stride back out into the kitchen to where Grace is sitting at the table drinking her coffee, and I take notice of her fidgeting. Taking a seat across from her, I casually pick up my cup and quietly sip on it while waiting for her to speak what's on her mind. After several moments I decide to be the one to break the silence. "You want to tell me what's on your mind, babe?" Tucking a lock of curls behind her ear and straightening her back Grace opens her mouth, closes it, and then opens it again. "I'm not sure if I should come back to Polson. I haven't even decided what to do about Remi. I'm scared to keep her with me, but at the same time, I'm terrified she'll pull another stunt like she did yesterday. I'm a mess, Jake."

"The answers are easy, babe. You and Remi will be coming home with me. We already discussed this yesterday. The plan hasn't changed."

"Jake, I have my daughter to think about." Setting my cup down, I cut her off, "I'm thinking about her too, both of you. Can you honestly sit there and tell me you know of a safer place for the two of you than in Polson with me? Are you prepared to send her back to Glory while you keep running from one town to the next? It's time to get your life back, Grace, you and Remi." Grace's daughter showing up may be working in my favor. Not that I wouldn't have gotten her to come home with me regardless, because I would have tossed her over my shoulder and tied her ass on the back of my bike if need be, but now with Remi in the picture it makes my convincing Grace easier.

The second I see her shoulders slump and she expels a heavy sigh, I know there is no more arguing. "You're right, Jake, it's time to try and move forward and quit running. Now I need to talk with Remi. She wants us back together; I don't think she cares where we go so long as she can come. I'm going to assume you want to leave soon, but I'd like to stop by the diner and talk to my boss before leaving. She's been good to me, and I don't want to go without saying goodbye. And I don't have much to pack, just my clothes. I'm going to go take a shower before Remi wakes up, then I'll make us some breakfast." Grace rambles off.

"Babe," I say getting her attention. "Breathe. Everything is going to be fine."

Remi appears from the hallway in rumpled pajamas and rubbing her sleep filled eyes. "Morning, Peanut. How'd you sleep?" Grace asks standing from the table and going to her daughter. Looking at the two of them side by side I see how remarkably identical their looks are. Remi is a carbon copy of her mom. She has the same blue eyes, same red curly hair, and the same freckles. She is Grace made over.

"Babe, why don't ya go on and take your shower and I'll cook breakfast." I say giving Grace and Remi a warm smile.

"You're going to cook?" Remi asks with a shocked look on her face.

Confused by her reaction, I go to answer her, but Grace beats me to it and what she says has me understanding her daughter's question. "Remi, Jake is not like him. I promise," she tells her daughter in a hushed tone. I don't need to hear more to know what she is talking about. Grace's daughter is not used to seeing a man do what some may call a woman's job. I sit here and silently grind my teeth at the thought of the motherfucker who has poisoned this innocent child's mind. She has no idea how a real man acts and treats those he loves and cares for.

Standing from my seat at the table, I walk over to the sink placing my cup inside. I stand here briefly so I can get my anger under control before I turn my attention back to Grace and her daughter. "How about I whip up some pancakes? You like pancakes don't ya, sweetheart?" I ask Remi. Looking at her mother then back at me when Grace gives her a reassuring nod, Remi answers. "Yes, sir, I love pancakes. Do you know how to make them?"

I give her a playful glare, "Of course I do. Maybe not as good as your momma does, but I used to make them all the time for my nephew, Logan. Come on, you can help," I coax, and don't miss the beaming smile on Grace's face when her daughter, without hesitation opens the refrigerator door and proceeds to gather the ingredients needed. Trusting me with Remi, Grace quietly leaves the room and heads in the direction of the bathroom to take her shower. As I'm opening and closing several cabinets looking for a skillet, Remi asks. "Do you still cook for your nephew?"

"Nah, sweetheart. Not for a long time. Logan is grown now," I chuckle.

"Oh," she says with slight disappointment. When I mentioned a nephew she probably was expecting a kid, maybe someone her age. "He and his wife Bella have a daughter though. Breanna is six months old now." Remi perks up at the news. "Really!"

"Really. There's also Sofia, and she's eighteen. Then we have Reid and Mila and their daughter Ava who is five. Then there is Gabriel and his wife, Alba. They have two children, Gabe is two, and Val is not even one yet."

"Wow! You have a big family."

"I do. You'll get to meet them as soon as we get back to Polson. You'll like them, and they'll love you. I hope you're ready for endless amounts of shopping. I'm sure Bella and Alba will kidnap ya whenever possible and drag you to all their favorite stores."

"I'd like that," she says ducking her head, but I don't miss the big smile taking over her face. Over the next several minutes we go about cooking breakfast in comfortable silence. I catch Remi constantly cutting her eyes over at me like she's studying me. Like she's still not quite sure what to make of this big tattooed biker standing in her mom's kitchen making her breakfast. Once I have placed our food on our plates, I motion for Remi to take a seat at the table. I wait for her to sit before I follow suit. I pass her the syrup for her to use first. "You can use it first," she says quietly. Shaking my head no, I reply, "Ladies first, sweetheart." We are both halfway through our meal before I decide I can no longer bite my tongue. Remi's father had no doubt poisoned her mind. I want her to know that the men she will soon meet and I are not chauvinistic pricks. Remi and I don't know each other so I could try and talk to her and convince her that I am different, but because we are strangers I can talk till I am blue in the face, and it wouldn't do any good. As they say, actions speak louder than words. So, I will have to show her with my actions. I will have to work on gaining her trust. Deciding I need to see where her head is on things and how she is feeling about her current situation, I ask. "Did your momma tell you about going back to Polson? How do you feel about that?"

"She talked to me last night when she was putting me to bed. I want to be where my mom is. Besides, I know she likes it there, and she loves the bakery." Fidgeting in her seat a moment, something she gets from Grace when something is on her mind, I wait patiently for her to speak it. "I've heard my mom talking to my Aunt Glory about you. She likes you."

"Well, I would hope so because I like your mom," I say with a wink, and that earns me a giggle. "Look, I get the feeling you're a smart kid, so I'm going to lay it all out for ya. I care for your mom very much. I want to protect her and make her happy. And because you are a part of her, I want to do all those things for you too. Now, I am not going to ask you to trust me, because you don't know me. But what I am going to ask you is to give me a chance. A chance to show you that I mean what I say, and I say what I mean. I'm a man who will go to the ends of the earth to protect the people I care about. Your mother is a queen, and she will be treated as such." Not used to hearing someone speak so highly of her mom, Remi stares at me with a stunned look on her face, then quickly recovers and offers me a big smile. "Do we have a deal?" I asked holding out my hand. Placing her small hand in mine we shake, and she answers, "Deal."

"Good, now let's finish eating. We have a long day ahead of us." We finish eating our breakfast, and I breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate my small victory.