Torque by Gillian Archer (10 ebook reader txt) 📕

to step in when my mom died, but it’s not the same. At least it’s not for me. I remember my mom. I wish so much—” My voice grew thick and I had to clear my throat. “Sorry. I just wish I had what you have.”

“I get that.” Maddie faced me, wrapped her arms around my shoulder, and lifted her face to me. “Thank you.”

I leaned down and gave her a quick peck. “We better get in there before your dad gets out the bamboo shoots.”

“I locked them up before you got here,” Kim said from the doorway.

Maddie and I jumped apart like two teenagers who’d been caught necking.

Because we kinda had been.

“Mom!” Maddie groaned. “Seriously?”

“I’m sorry.” Kim lifted a hand and wiped at her suspiciously bright eyes. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, and I’m so sorry I embarrassed you—now and most of your life. I know this isn’t the best of times to admit this but I heard a little of what you said, Nathan.”

“Oh my god.” Maddie hid her face in my chest. “Just when I think tonight can’t get any more embarrassing.”

“I said I’m sorry.” Kim wiped under her eye again. “But I am happy I did. I had some reservations, like your father, and I can honestly say those are gone now. I’m glad the two of you found each other. I think he’s exactly what you need to appreciate your fantastic parents.”

“Mom!”

“I’m teasing.” Kim’s eyes smiled at the two of us even though Maddie couldn’t see. “But thank you, Nathan. I appreciate the things you said, and I hope we haven’t totally mortified you.”

“Not possible.” I smiled back at Kim then tilted my face down to Maddie who was biting her lower lip, her eyes sparkling.

“Great. Let’s go eat.”

The awed expression immediately fell from Maddie’s face and she muttered. “Lord, please give us strength.”

“Get in here!” Greg hollered from the kitchen. “A big, strong guy like you should face your fears, Nathan!”

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?” Kim yelled back as she marched toward the kitchen.

I laughed. Apparently I had officially been accepted into the Roberts family. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or scared.

“Come on.” Maddie tugged me toward the kitchen. “Let’s go face our fears together.”

Hell, who was I kidding? The big grin on my face wasn’t because I was scared.

Chapter Twenty-One

Maddie

“Nathan!” I shouted at the feet protruding from under my car. I didn’t have to wonder who would dare to screw with my car this time. I’d recognize those boots anywhere, and this wasn’t the first time I’d found him under my car.

“What?” He grunted before I heard a metallic clang. And he didn’t come out.

“Really?” I sighed. “You were just under there last week. How can there be something else for you to tinker with?”

The last two weeks had passed in a haze of happiness and orgasms. I spent more time at Nathan’s than at Dylan’s—which Dylan didn’t seem to notice. Dylan had been MIA more often than not which made me wonder how truthful he’d been about telling his brothers about the Kings MC and the hold they had over him. But Nathan stopped asking me about Dylan, so I hoped that meant I was wrong. I was too afraid to bring it up and ruin the bliss that’d enveloped us the last few weeks.

Nathan grunted and rolled out from under my car. “Well, maybe if I had checked your car out earlier you wouldn’t have had two flat tires. I worry about you driving this piece of shit to work and home.”

Guilt swamped me, and it had nothing to do with how much Nathan did for me. And it didn’t help how he looked all gorgeous smeared with grease. I still hadn’t told him how I’d gotten the flat tires, and the more time that passed, the harder it was to come clean. And the easier it was to pretend that it hadn’t happened.

But it always had a way of popping up and slugging me in the chest when I least expected it. I had to tell him.

“Hey guys!” Hope chirped as she pushed her stroller with Felicity inside happily babbling away, waving her arms at Nathan.

Nathan sat up. He made silly faces at Fliss, who whined and held out her arms to him. “I’d hold you, baby girl, but I’m filthy.” Nathan held up his grease stained hands and wrinkled his nose. “Yucky.”

“Na, Na,” Fliss whined, her bottom lip quivering.

“Uh oh.” Ryan laughed. “We better move fast, before the waterworks start.”

“Something up with your car?” Hope asked with a frown as she paused next to us.

Nathan tossed me a look that spoke volumes.

I cleared my throat. “Uh no. Nathan’s just changing my oil for me.”

That was the other thing. We still hadn’t told my friends and his family about the two of us. Nathan and I were together. We were solid. Heck, we’d survived the great inquisition that had been my parents. But Sabrina and Hope’s criticism still stung when I thought about it. We’d made amends—sort of—they’d apologized, and I’d accepted, but I still felt like that opinion they had of me—that I couldn’t stand up to Nathan—was still there. They thought I was a pushover. I wasn’t exactly eager to hear their lectures when they found out about us. So like the responsible adult I was, I’d put it off. Like so many other things.

“Oh.” Hope’s gaze bounced between Nathan and I like the tension between the two of us was visible. “Well, that’s nice.”

“That’s Nathan,” Ryan said with a wide smile. “The nice brother. Maybe you can take a look at my pickup if you get a chance. I’d appreciate it, bro.”

Nathan’s eyebrows flicked in a clearly unimpressed way. “Sure, Ry. When I get a chance.”

The two exchanged another long, hard look as Ryan’s lips twitched and Nathan did his alpha dog, not impressed silent routine. Awkward. Maybe I wasn’t as good of a liar as I thought. Clearly Ryan