Page 49 of Colt

“If that’s what you and your sister want, I’d like that,” Ember said, completely focused on Jett and Jasmine. “And if it’s okay with your dad.”

I gave Ember credit, she wasn’t letting Jenna get to her, or at least she was hiding it well.

The conversation between Jett and Ember continued as Jasmine looked on. Ember made sure to include Jasmine by asking her questions but didn’t push. She appeared to be a natural with them.

Meanwhile, Jenna was getting more annoyed by the second until she declared it was time to leave. Both Jasmine and Jett looked disappointed but listened to their mother. The only reason I’d gone along with them staying with Jenna and caving into her control over them was because I knew I needed to ensure I looked as good as I could when this went before a judge. But I was getting sick of her pulling the strings, and I could tell by Jenna’s sour expression that she hadn’t gotten what she’d wanted today.

“I’ll see you both soon, okay?” I hated saying goodbye to the two of them. It broke my heart a little every time. They ran into my arms, squeezing me tight. “Love you guys, so much,” I said, wishing I could hold onto them longer, and more often. I despised Jenna, but I would never regret having our kids.

“Love you too, Daddy,” they said, hugging me harder before releasing me at the behest of their mother.

I would never get tired of hearing them say they loved me because I loved them more than anything.

“Bye, Ember!” Jett yelled as he walked away with Jenna. Jasmine mustered a small, shy smile and a wave before running off after Jett.

“See you soon!” Ember yelled back.

A huge smile lit up her face as she waved back. Seeing her reaction to my kids tugged at something deep inside me. She’d handled Jenna, that much I could tell since my ex didn’t have her usual haughty, bitchy, smug smile. And my kids liked her.

Fuck, I was so screwed.

We walked back to my bike in silence. I wanted to know how the conversation between her and Jenna went even though I already had an idea it wasn’t good. But Ember looked drained and distracted, which didn’t surprise me. Jenna had a way of sucking out all the air in a place and leaving those around her feeling defeated.

“Do you want to grab some lunch before heading back?”

“Sure,” Ember said, still looking lost in her own thoughts.

We drove to the diner Kate worked at. It was a favorite amongst the club, especially during Kate’s shifts. I didn’t see any of the guys when we pulled up, but it was still early. We’d probably run into them before we left.

“Hey, you two,” Kate greeted as we entered. “Sit anywhere you’d like, I’ll be right over.”

I led Ember to the table in the back that was my preferred spot. I waited for her to sit before I slipped into the rounded booth opposite her.

Kate brought over two glasses of water for us. “So what has the two of you out this morning?”

“We met Jenna and the kids at the park earlier,” I told her.

Kate’s eyes went wide and she turned to Ember. “How’d that go?”

“Jett and Jasmine are great. I wasn’t expecting to meet them, but it was fun.”

Ember spoke with sincerity, but it didn’t escape my attention that she didn’t mention Jenna at all.

We both placed our orders and it didn’t take long for Viper, Mac, and Wolf to walk in. The auto shop Mac and Viper worked at was down the street, so they often had lunch here. And since Wolf managed The Red Door and it didn’t open until later, he usually joined them.

They headed in our direction when they spotted us. “You got room for three more?” Viper asked, even though he was already sliding in next to Ember.

I made room for Wolf next to me while Mac dropped in next to Viper. It was a tight squeeze, so I lifted my arm to rest behind Ember as I scooted a little closer to her. I looked at Mac who gave me a shit-eating grin before calling his girl over.

It was quiet in the diner, the lunch rush not starting for another hour, allowing Kate to join us for her break.

“How did this morning go?” Viper asked.

I’d told him about the meeting when we chatted last night. He knew all the shit I dealt with when it came to Jenna, and if there was someone who disliked her as much as I did, it was him.

“She brought Jett and Jasmine,” I answered, shrugging my shoulders as though it didn’t matter that she completely disregarded my feelings when it came to my children.

“What a fucking bitch,” Viper said.