Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set Read Online Free PDF Page B

He—”
    “Ha!” He cut me off. “There’s a hell of a lot more than that! I think I know where you’re going, and don’t you fucking dare.” He straightened, his expression agitated. “You were right when you realized Billy’s problems were his own. They’re still his own. He’d have cheated if you hadn’t been angry with him or if you looked different. A man who loves his wife doesn’t love her body—he loves her soul. Don’t you take his shit on and make yourself feel worse.” His face softened. “This is not your fault.”
    I knew that. Really. But my head was in a constant conflict with my heart.
    “Why are you here instead of him? Why didn’t you kick his cheating ass out?”
    I wrinkled my nose “I couldn’t stay there. How could I sleep in my bed not knowing if she’d been there?”
    “Why didn’t you ask?”
    “I didn’t want to know! As soon as he told me, I went upstairs, packed some clothes, grabbed the things I knew I needed, and headed for the door. On my way out, he stepped in front of me and asked where I was going. I told him I was coming here, and I left. I haven’t talked to him since.”
    There. It was out. It was nice to not have the secret anymore.
    “He hasn’t called?” He sounded surprised.
    “Oh, he’s called. My cell, the room, work. I just don’t answer. I don’t want to talk right now.”
    “I can talk to him for you if you want.” He smirked. “With my fist.”
    I laughed. Leaning forward, I gave him a big hug.
    He smiled. “Really, wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all.”
    “Thanks for offering, but I’ll talk to him soon enough.”
    “Not too soon though.” Matty smirked again. “Make him sweat it out.”
     
     

 
 
    4
    “You’re feeling better!” It wasn’t a question but a statement followed by a little squeal.
    I couldn’t help but smile at Teagan’s excitement as she slid into my cubicle and sat on Matty’s filing cabinet. My headache was gone. For the first time in days, I was listening to music while I caught up on my typing. I hit the save button, pulled off my headphones, and turned to face her. Teagan Murphy-Jones was one of my favorite co-workers. She had been a caseworker here for all of her adult life, had seen it all, and was one of the women who had terrified me when I first started. Not only did she have a great physical presence, but she also had a bullshit monitor that could detect a lie from ten miles out and had no tolerance for anyone who even tried to get one past her.
    Teagan was tall, almost six feet, with legs that went on for miles and shoulders that were wide enough to carry the weight of the world. But it was her hair that made her stand out. Curly and naturally mahogany, it was breathtaking and the envy of every woman around. She once told me that she had gotten her looks from her dad, who got his from his Celtic warrior grandfather. Seemed legit, but sometimes a person had to take what Teagan said with a grain of salt. That BS gauge worked well for a reason.
    “Is it that obvious?” I smiled at her.
    She grinned, nodding. “Yeah. Your color isn’t all pasty.” She wrinkled her nose and made a face. “And you don’t look like you might start crying at any second.” She tipped her head sideways. “Basically, you don’t look like shit.”
    Coming from anyone else, it might have been an insult. But Teagan always told it like it was.
    “Thanks,” I said, laughing.
    She looked over Matty’s empty desk. “Where’s Biker Boy?”
    “Court.”
    Her dark brown eyebrows raised in question.
    “Contested TPR,” I said.
    “Ugh. He’ll be there all day.” The disappointment in her voice was barely masked, but I nodded.
    Terminating a parent’s rights to their child was a hard decision for a child welfare team to make and an even harder court hearing for a caseworker to testify at. After over a decade at this job, I still didn’t know what was worse: a contested hearing where a parent lost their child against