The Biker's Fate Chapter 260

Maisie

MONDAY MORNING, HATCH left me long enough to pick up breakfast and arrived with both food and his nephew, Devon. Introductions were made and I thought Poppy's head might explode. My confident (with kids her own age), chatty, beautiful young daughter suddenly went all giggly and tongue tied around the boy. Granted, he looked like Zac Ephron's younger brother, but still, Poppy wasn't typically the boy-crazy type. My stomach churned. This was her growing up even faster. Gah!

"Cade's on a job," Hatch explained as he made me a cup of coffee and cheesed me up a bagel. "So, I'll drop Poppy at school, take Dev to his appointment, then to school, and grab lunch. Does that work?"

"Yes, that's fine, love," I said, and sat at my kitchen island. "But I could have figured something else out for Poppy this morning. You don't need to stretch yourself so thin."

Hatch stood in front of me and kissed me gently. "It's all good, Sunshine."

"I have something for you."

"Yeah?" His face showed excitement.

"Nothing fun, I'm afraid. Just practical."

"Practical's good."

I nodded toward the small desk by the window. "There's a spare set of keys and I got you a code to the garage, so that you have your own entry. You can park in my space until I get a new car and then you can park in my guest space. You also don't have to check in at the front desk anymore."

"You sure about this?"

I smiled. "Very sure. I trust you."

He stroked my cheek and nodded. "Okay, baby."

"Okay."

He grinned, leaning down to kiss me again. "Now, eat your breakfast. I'll text you when I drop Dev off… decide what you want for lunch."

"Thanks, darling."

"Like that, Maisie."

"I'll keep that in mind, Connor."

He kissed me once more, then gathered up the kids and headed out. I finished my breakfast and took pain meds before settling in for a quiet morning of catching up on a few business emails.

An hour into my uneventful work time, my doorbell rang. Since the doorman hadn't called up, I assumed Hatch had forgotten he had a key and pulled open the door. Ryan stood in the doorway, looking haggard. He had bags under his eyes and a few days' stubble over his cheeks.

I pulled him in for a hug, holding him tight. "How are you?"

"Not good."

"How's Alison?"

"She's really bad, Maisie. Doctors aren't hopeful. I'll give you the full rundown on what they've said, but can we go somewhere? Grab a coffee, maybe? I feel like I'm running on fumes."

My heart went out to him, but his request made me a little sick to my stomach. "Ryan, I'm sorry, but Hatch is going to freak out if I go somewhere with you, and he really doesn't want you here with me alone."

His eyes narrowed with hurt. "Alone with me? Maisie, you've been alone with me a million times and I've never—"

"Neither did Alison," I pointed out.

His jaw snapped shut. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I get it. I thought after all we've been through… after how much we helped you after you lost Niall..." He stepped back into the hall, shaking his head. "You know what, never mind."

I felt like crap. He was right. He and Alison had done so much for me, and it wasn't like Ryan had a drinking problem. After everything he'd learned over the past couple of days, he had to be devastated. And I couldn't even offer him a shoulder to cry on. "Ryan, wait. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Maisie. I'll call you in a few days."

He took off and I watched him leave, replaying the conversation in my head and wondering how I could have handled it differently. Ryan was my friend, too, and I should be there for him. But I felt so betrayed and leery after Alison's attack, I knew Hatch was right and I couldn't trust either of them.

Ryan disappeared around the corner and I closed the door and secured the deadbolts. It took several tries because I was shaking so bad, and my left hand kept slipping off the locks. My phone buzzed on the coffee table, but I didn't get to it in time. Picking it up, I saw a missed call from Hatch, but I needed a minute to calm down, so I waited to call him back. Unfortunately, he called again… this time I ignored it. We played the game again, and I answered figuring he wasn't going to stop.

"What's wrong?" he growled.

"Ryan was here."

"Don't move."

He hung up and I dropped my phone on the sofa. I was still shaking, but I couldn't seem to make myself move from my spot on the area rug. The locks turned and Hatch walked inside and pulled me gently into his arms. "Tell me everything."

I filled him in and he nodded, but didn't say anything as he walked me to Niall's chair, guiding me into it. I pulled my knees up to my chin and sighed. "He's hurting, love."

"I don't give one fuck, Maisie." Hatch shook his head. "He doesn't come here guilt tripping you like that. You didn't do anything wrong. His wife tried to kill you! How does he expect you to react?"

"I hear you, but it wasn't Ryan who tried to kill me," I countered. "They were there for me when I needed them. I feel like I should be doing something for them."

Hatch scowled. "I know you think you know Ryan, Maisie, but I've seen men do a lot of stupid shit for their women. This one has a badge and you don't know what he's capable of."

"Hatch—"

"Stop fuckin' minimizin' this!" he bellowed.

"Stop yelling at me!" I returned.

He dragged his hands down his face and studied me for a few tense seconds. "I'm gonna make some calls, Sunshine. You need anything?"