But before he could drag her outside and back behind the shed for a repeat of Sunday night, her youngest girl texted her to say she was leaving work and was on her way home. Apparently, something Chelle insisted on with both her girls.
That simple message cooled shit off quickly since Josie only worked fifteen minutes away. While Chelle was quickly putting away the evidence of their lesson, he headed out with the promise she’d let him know once she had a new plan in place to tackle this new problem. His dyslexia.
He had seen the raw determination in her eyes before he left, so he had no doubt she would.
With another long drag on the joint, he filled his lungs once again.
Since coming to Manning Grove, he’d been around a lot of strong women. Stella, Red, Cassie, Reese, Jemma... Every Fury ol’ lady wore that badge of honor. Even Reilly, Tessa and Saylor had backbones made of steel. Hell, the sweet butts were tough, too. So, he recognized it in Chelle.
The strength.
She didn’t need to announce it. One could clearly see it. Recognize it. Feel it.
Whatever had happened in her past made her stronger. Whatever reason the man in the picture was no longer a part of her life, but still meant enough to her to keep his photo on her mantel. Whatever reason she never mentioned the girls’ father if he was one and the same.
She drew on that strength. Kept moving forward. Never let the bad cripple her.
He did the same. The bad, the horrible, the unthinkable... Everything that tried to drive him to defeat, drove him to be a survivor instead.
They failed to break him.
Everyone in the BFMC were survivors in one way or another. That was one reason he fit in so well. If they knew what happened to him, they wouldn’t look at him any differently.
Whatever they did to survive became the building blocks to who each of them was now. What shaped their past, shaped them now and would shape their future.
No one had to talk about it. It was just there. Lurking beneath the surface.
The door separating the bunkhouse from church opened and a flash of red caught his attention.
If anyone knew about being a survivor, it was Autumn.
Not only was he surprised Red was in The Barn this late at night, but more that she was in there at all. She usually only came into this part of the building when Sig was with her or when she and the ol’ ladies were hanging out. To see her alone made him wonder what the fuck was going on.
She immediately spotted him on the other side of the fireplace and headed in his direction.
“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked her as she settled on the old school bus bench next to him and curled her PJ-covered legs beneath her. She leaned into him, shocking the shit out of him.
He resisted putting his arm around her even though she seemed to need comforting. Something clearly bugged her. He didn’t know what and the fuck if he was going to ask because she wasn’t his woman. But she was family, so if she wanted to share, he’d listen.
“Haven’t tried yet,” she answered softly. “You?”
He shook his head.
It was well known she had trouble sleeping. But then, that was to be expected. Some nightmares could feel only too real.
One way to avoid them was by not sleeping. The other method was what he was currently doing.
He took one more long drag on the joint, then flicked the roach into the open fireplace. Without dislodging Red, he grabbed the Jack from the floor, untwisted the top and let the whiskey slide down his throat, warming his insides.
He tipped the bottle toward her, but she shook her head.
He wondered where the fuck Sig was and why she wasn’t with him. The VP had a bad temper and if he saw his ol’ lady cuddled against Shade, he’d probably lose it.
But if this was what Red needed, he’d risk Sig’s wrath.
Sig was a man who didn’t hide he was broken and had found the perfect woman, someone who understood. Not surprising, he was never letting her go.
The VP didn’t have to worry about Shade making the moves on his ol’ lady. It wasn’t like that, never would be. He respected both her and Sig too much to try to steal her away. And she loved Sig too much to even consider it.
Their connection was so fucking strong it affected all of them. Every single one of them recognized it and only wished they could find the same.
That other half of their soul. Their missing piece.
While Trip had Stella, Deacon had Reese, Judge had Cassie, and now Cage had Jemma, he wasn’t sure their relationships were as vital as Sig and Red’s. They all feared if something happened to either Sig or Red, the other would cease to exist.