Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Legs
I set the food on the counter and put my fingers between my lips, whistling to let everyone know breakfast’s ready. I hear footsteps and look up to see Toot rubbing his hands together in glee.
“Alright, talk me through what we’ve got here, Legs. I want to make an informed choice when selecting these tasty morsels.”
I snort and start pointing out what everything is.
“Biscoff French toast, baked egg cups with ham, spinach and feta muffins, berry yogurt parfaits, cheesy hash brown and sausage casserole, banana oat muffins with a pecan-brown sugar crumble, crispy bacon and sausage links, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, and last but not least, pancakes with your choice of maple, blueberry, or chocolate syrup—and whipped cream.”
“I expect you to keep cooking like this when we get married,” he says, grabbing a plate and piling a little of everything on it.
“Umm… I see. And what exactly will you be bringing to this marriage?”
He stops and puts his plate down, then starts to unbuckle his belt and reaches inside his pants, making me squeal.
“No junk around the food, damn it. You know the rules, Toot.”
He sighs dramatically as Midas and Capone walk in.
“What’s going on?” Midas asks, eyeing Toot as he does his belt back up.
“Oh, you know, just talking about our upcoming nuptials,” Toot says casually, popping a piece of bacon in his mouth as I throw a strawberry at his head.
“You hit me. This is why prenups exist. I’m putting it in writing—no produce-based violence.”
“Tell me, Toot, does your brain cell ever get lonely?”
Capone laughs, grabbing a plate and loading it up before kissing my cheek. “This smells fucking amazing, Legs. You really are my favorite chef.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m the only chef, or at least as close as you’ve got. Most of you think making dinner means ordering in.”
He laughs as he heads down the island, taking a seat next to Toot, who’s quiet now that he has his mouth full of food.
“I don’t even know where to start. This looks incredible, Legs,” Midas says, his praise making me flush. I’m used to compliments from the others, but with him, even after all this time, it still gets to me—the attraction between us pops and fizzes like ice-cold soda on a hot summer day.
“I got it.” I take his plate, knowing exactly what he likes.
I don’t admit that I cook meals with that in mind—he’d get the wrong idea, and he’s gone out of his way more than once to make sure I don’t get the wrong idea.
I don’t want him to think I’m some kind of stalker, though sometimes I feel like I am.
I can’t help it. I’ve taken all the red flags this man has to offer and woven them into a pretty little scarf—even though some days that scarf feels more like a noose tightening around my neck.
Once I’ve fixed him his plate, I hand it back to him. He leans down to kiss me like Capone did, but I step away. He’s the one that drew the line in the dirt. I’m just abiding by it.
“I’m going to let everyone else know the food’s ready, then Lil and I are heading out to do a little retail therapy.”
“Have fun—but not too much fun. I need a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets, not the other way around,” Toot calls out.
“What you need, Toot, is a magnifying glass and a course of antibiotics,” I call back, making Capone choke.
“Laugh it up. Anaconda and I can take a joke.”
“You call him Anaconda? Aw, that’s cute.
I call him Nemo because of how long it takes me to find him.
” I smirk as I head out of the room, ignoring the ribbing behind me.
I love the easy camaraderie they have here.
I never felt this comfortable with the Chaos Demons, so I kept a large part of myself locked away.
I spent so long listening to my mother’s words about pleasing others that I forgot all about my own happiness.
Now I don’t have to think about it at all.
For the first time in a long time, I feel more authentically myself, even with the secrets I still carry.
Shaking my head at my wayward thoughts, I walk into the saloon, cup my hands over my mouth, and yell “Food’s ready!” for everyone who wasn’t close enough to hear me whistle.
Chairs scrape back, and they all stampede into the kitchen. I bite my lip, worried I didn’t make enough.
“You sure know how to clear a room,” Blade jokes, walking over to me with Alex.
“Auntie Legs!” Alex squeals, letting go of Blade’s hand and running toward me.
“Hey, little man.” I drop down with my arms wide, and he barrels into me, wrapping his arms around my neck and planting a sloppy kiss on my cheek. “How’s my favorite little guy?”
“Exhausting. He’s been getting up every couple of hours for the last week. No idea why.”
I turn at the sound of Sunshine’s voice. She has bags under her eyes and looks like she hasn’t slept at all. I mean, she still looks like a damn supermodel, just a tired one.
“You got his stroller here?” I ask, standing with Alex in my arms.
“He doesn’t really use one much anymore, but I’m sure we have one here, yeah. Why?”
“Me and Lil are going shopping. Do you mind if we take Alex with us? You can soak in the tub, maybe take a nap, and I’ll even bring you back some donuts from that bakery you like.”
“Yay! Donuts!” Alex claps.
Her eyes fill with tears before she wraps her arms around me, squishing Alex between us and making him giggle. She pulls back as he grabs one of her boobs. “Every man in my life is boob-crazy.”
“I don’t have a penis, but I get a little boob-crazy myself when they get squished up in my face like that.”
The burst of laughter that comes out of her mouth has Blade stepping forward and squeezing my shoulder. I look up at him in question. He mouths thank you before whistling to the prospect behind the bar.
“Grab the booster seat out of Sunshine’s car and put it in Legs’s car.”
“Oh, I don’t have a car. I can’t drive. Can you put it in Lil’s car? She should be down any second.”
“Sure, Legs. Want me to put the stroller in the trunk, too?” the prospect asks.
“Oh, that would be great. Thanks, Puck.” I turn back to Blade. “I like that one.”
“Not the others?”
I shrug. “I don’t really know the others. Since they’re not allowed to fuck us, we’re not worthy of their time. But Puck’s different. He’s always respectful and helpful when we need it.”
“Figures the only good one of the bunch is the one wanting a transfer. Good job we got some newbies starting.”
“What, no. Why’s he leaving?” Sunshine asks.
“His grandmother’s sick, and he wants to move closer to look after her, so I’ll send him to a closer chapter.”
“See? He’s a sweetheart.”
“You can’t drive?” Blade changes the subject. “Seriously?”
I shrug, not wanting to tell him I missed out on driver’s ed because I was with the Chaos Demons, and after that, I never seemed to find the time.
“I prefer to be a passenger princess,” I tease, making Sunshine laugh.
“Oh, me too. It makes snacking so much easier. Talking of snacks, let me just go grab Alex’s bag. I’ll be right back.”
It takes about half an hour to get everything ready and Alex in the car. He chatters away as we pull out of the compound, but by the time we hit the main road, he’s out cold.
“So, where to first?” Lil asks, like she does every time we go shopping together.
“You choose. As long as we hit the library at some point, I’m good.”
“Shocking. I’d be more concerned if you didn’t want to visit the library.” She chuckles.
“Ooh. That can be our secret code. You know, if one of us is ever in trouble. I’ll tell you I don’t want to go to the library. And you can tell me…” I tap my lip in thought.
“That I’ve switched from regular coffee to decaf,” she replies, making me laugh.
“That’s a good one. If you ever tell me that, I’ll know you’ve either been kidnapped or body snatched.
Forty-five minutes later, we pull into the parking lot behind the library and park.
Lil sets up the stroller as I gently lift a still-sleeping Alex out of the back seat.
I hold him to my chest, struggling a little now he’s getting bigger and breathe him in.
He might not have that baby smell anymore, but my ovaries perk up.
You’d think, after everything I’ve been through, a baby would be the absolute last thing I’d want.
But it’s not. I’ve always wanted a family, and that desire never went away.
There’s this deep ache inside me to give a child all the things I’ve missed out on.
I don’t know how to explain it. Now isn’t the time, and it sure as hell isn’t the place.
Maybe one day, though, if I can find a man willing to overlook my past.
“Earth to Legs.”
I jump at the sound of Lil’s voice, not realizing she was so close.
“You were a million miles away.”
“I was just thinking about the future,” I admit, kissing Alex’s forehead before gently placing him in the stroller and strapping him in.
“You want kids?” she asks as I grab my bag from the front seat and slip it over my head so it hangs across my body.
“I want the house, the husband, the kids, the dog. I want the fairy tale,” I admit as she looks up at me. “It’s stupid, I know.”
“It’s not stupid, Legs. Sounds like a pretty awesome thing to want.”
“What about you?” I ask as we start walking.
“If you would’ve asked me a couple of years ago, I would’ve had an answer. But now…”
“It’s okay, Lil. I get it.”
“I know you do,” she whispers. We’re both lost in thought for a minute before she points to a coffee shop across the street.
I laugh and shake my head. “Decaf, right?”
“Do not make me hurt you in front of Alex.”
When my laughter tapers off, we head across the street and order our coffees to go so we can wander around with them. While we wait, Lil looks at me, cocking her head.
“What? Do I have something in my hair?” I ask, patting my head.
“No. I was just wondering… How did you end up with the Chaos Demons?”