Page 74 of Riding Free

HOUND

Blast called me yesterday and told me the house was ready. It’s a good thing, because last night was our final night here. Today is checkout. I was hoping I didn’t have to take my family back to the clubhouse. I don’t know if Keely would even entertain the idea.

She is in the shower when I hear Thea cry. I have to confess, it’s been nice having her in her own space. She’s close enough that we can hear her, but not so close that we hear every single noise she makes.

Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I stand and move toward the other bedroom. Reaching into the crib, I pick her up and carry her over to the bed, where I place her down to clean her up and change her. When she’s fresh, I make my way over to the dresser and scoop out the formula, then screw the lid on the bottle before I shake it up.

I walk over to the chair in the corner and sink down onto the cushion, cradling my daughter before I place the nipple in her mouth. She begins to drink, and I watch her, unable to take my eyes off her, actually.

She’s fucking perfect.

I’m not sure how long I stay like this, but when I hear a noise at the doorway, I flick my gaze up. It’s Keely standing in the doorway, her eyes on me as she leans against the jamb.

“I rushed for nothing,” she whispers.

She’s wrapped in a hotel robe with a towel wrapped around her head. “Absolutely nothing,” I murmur. “She’s perfect, and I’ve got her.”

“She is perfect, isn’t she?” Keely asks before she pushes off the doorway and shuffles toward me. She stops at the end of the bed, sinking down on the edge. I watch her move around the room, but once she’s settled, I shift my attention back to Thea.

“How did you do it?” I ask.

“How did I do it?”

I hum, nodding a couple of times before I continue. “How the fuck did you carry her and have her, and raise her for this long, alone?”

I’m not fucking joking, either. I want to know how in the fuck she did this on her own. I don’t think I could live even a minute without Keely helping me. And pregnancy and all that, I can’t even imagine, and I fucking hate that she had to do that.

“I just did it,” she whispers. “It’s like when anything else happens. When you don’t have a choice, you just handle your shit. And in this case, Thea was my shit.”

My lips twitch into a smirk. “Well, she’s the sweetest shit on earth,” I murmur. Keely laughs softly, then she stands. “Go get dressed, baby. We have to check out in an hour. We’ll go down and get some brunch before we go.”

“You’re good while I get dressed?”

I snort. “I got this, baby.”

She smiles softly, not moving immediately. She searches my gaze as she watches me for a long moment, then nods once before she speaks.

“Just let me know if you need anything.”

I don’t need anything. I can care for my own baby, at least for an hour. I’m still learning all the day-to-day things that go into caring for Thea, but I’ve been trying to help more since I’m here now.

Keely slips away into our bedroom, and once Thea is finished with her bottle, I stand and follow her. It’s my turn to lean against the doorjamb as I watch Keely get ready for the day in the bathroom mirror.

“I start my courses in a week,” she announces. “I found out what I needed while you were away, and I signed up.”

I don’t know why that makes me so proud, but it does. I love that she’s continuing with her career. She doesn’t have to. I’ll take care of her, take care of everything, but I really like the fact that she’s not giving up on what she wants.

At least I think she wants it. I don’t want her to feel like she has to do it out of necessity. Because she can have whatever the fuck she wants. I’ll give it to her, happily.

“You love it?” I ask.

Her gaze meets mine through the reflection in the mirror. She’s got her makeup brush lifted to her cheek. I don’t know what the fuck she’s doing to her face, but it doesn’t matter. She could do nothing. She could cake on a pound of makeup, and it wouldn’t matter. She’s beautiful just as she fucking is.

“I love it,” she whispers, then she places the makeup brush down before she turns to face me. Her eyes are on me. “It’s amazing. I love being able to help people.”

“Help people?”

I have to admit, when I think of massages, I assume it’s rich ladies without jobs. But the way she says she wants to help people makes me think otherwise. So I wait for her response. Keely sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, her eyes searching mine for a long moment before she speaks.