16. Meredith
MEREDITH
I’m overthinking.
I haven’t texted Nate back, and I’ve been keeping busy with work. We had such a fun weekend together, but finding out he has a baby was a surprise. Shouldn’t he be spending all of his time with her?
How did I take the kidnapping in stride, but this has me questioning things? Apparently, cabins and chloroform weren’t a deal-breaker, but equal caring rights are making my head spin.
I don’t want to message Nate, asking to see him when he’s out there being a dad. But at the same time, it feels way too early to be around her. I don’t know what to do or think.
After swapping my heels for sneakers, I head into the shelter, smiling when I see Pyro chatting with Sadie. The two of them look good together, even though Sadie is only up to his chest.
“Sorry I’m late,” I call out, washing my hands and then coming over to them. “My last client was not having a great day, and our session went way over an hour.”
“That’s okay,” Sadie replies, smiling warmly. “I cleaned all the kennels, and Pyro and I are about to walk the dogs that haven’t been out yet.”
“Perfect. I can help.”
“Everything okay?” Pyro asks, studying me. He’s taken off his cut and is wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweats.
Doesn’t he know the rule about those?
He should not be wearing them out of the house.
“Yeah, why?” I ask as I walk toward the kennels.
“Just asking.”
We all do an hour walk, and by the time we’re done, I’m more than ready to go home and have a long, hot shower. When Sadie heads off to her car, Pyro lingers, and I know he wants to say something.
“What’s going on with you and Bones?”
Arching my brow at him, I get into my car and open the window so we can keep talking.
Why is he asking? I thought maybe Pyro was interested in me after he showed up at the cabin, but maybe I read that wrong.
Or is he asking because he’s invested in the answer?
Would he ask me out if Nate and I weren’t… whatever we are?
“He just told me about his daughter. I didn’t know he was a dad. And she’s so young. I don’t know, should he even be dating? He should be at home looking after her.”
Pyro studies me for a second, then throws his head back and laughs. “He looks after her plenty, from what I’ve seen. They share her fifty-fifty, just like they do everything else. Those two share everything.”
I’m not going to lie, it sounds a little odd.
Skull has an old lady, as they call it, so is she kind of like Natalia’s mother, if they are sharing custody of her?
Also, why isn’t Nate just raising her himself?
I have a lot of questions. Maybe I do need to visit the clubhouse and see the situation for myself.
“Are you going to the clubhouse now?”
His brow furrows. “Yeah, why?”
“Can I come with you?” I blurt out impulsively. I need to see if I want this or not. If I can handle this. If I’m willing to not even be second in his life, but third because his twin and daughter will always be in front of me.
“Without telling Bones?” He smirks, running his hand through his beard. “You know he’d kill me without me warning him. Brother code and all of that.”
“Why would you have to warn him? What is he doing there that he wouldn’t want me to see?” I demand, narrowing my eyes threateningly. “Does he have something to hide?”
“Fuck.” He sighs, a muscle working in his jaw. “I’ve only just moved to this chapter, and you’re already going to get my ass kicked.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. He’s mentioned bringing me to the clubhouse whenever I was ready. In this moment, I’m suddenly very ready. If you don’t want to take me, I’ll go alone. Does Serpents of Chaos MC clubhouse come up on an internet search?”
He scrubs his hand down his face and sighs. “Fine, I’ll lead the way. Follow me in your car.” He mutters something about sure as hell not taking me on his bike.
Rude.
The clubhouse is only a fifteen-minute drive away, and from the looks of it, it is on a lot of land.
We stop in front of large, ominous electric gates and wait to be let in.
There’s fencing all around the property, which goes on for as far as the eye can see.
Just how rich are these guys? I know that Nate is a mechanic and owns his own shop, Vipers, with his brother, but I have no idea what else the club does.
A really tall, attractive man with brown skin opens the gate, and Pyro stops and says something, nodding behind to me. The man smiles and steps back, letting me drive through.
I’ve seen three bikers from their club so far, and they’ve all been hot—no, wait, four, including Skull.
Parking my car, I swap my sneakers back for my heels and wait for Pyro to come to my door before I get out. He looks me up and down and gives me a soft, slow smile. “This is going to be fun.”
“Why?” I ask, glancing down at my black mid-length dress and kitten heels.
“We just don’t get many women who look like you stepping into our clubhouses.” He pauses, and then adds, “Unless we’re getting arrested. Although the women in the Rest Falls chapter are a lot classier than the one I came from.”
He puts his hand on the small of my back when I slow my steps, wondering if I’m making the right call just showing up here. Who do I think I am? I haven’t even messaged him in two days, and I’ve ignored his nighttime calls.
“Come on, you’re here now,” Pyro murmurs, opening the door and leading me straight to the bar.
It has pool tables, leather couches, a makeshift stage, and a shitload of alcohol.
The place is clean and unexpectedly homey.
There’s a wall of mug shots that catches my eye, but I don’t see Nate on there.
There are two men at the bar, and they are staring.
One raises his brow, his violet-colored eyes flickering with surprise and amusement. He has his hair up in a man bun and a beard that looks like he spends a lot of time in the mirror to maintain. He’s covered in ink and is a very handsome man.
“Who do we have here?” he croons, gaze cutting from me to Pyro. “You got a woman, Pyro? You work fast.” He turns to his friend. “How long has he been here?”
“Not long.”
Pyro’s fingers tighten on my back. “No, she’s not mine. Where’s Bones?”
“You’re not going to introduce us?” The man smirks.
“Meredith, this is Lore.” He waves. “And this is Suit.”
Suit studies me with slate-gray eyes that burn with intelligence. He has perfectly tousled dark hair, chiseled features, and full lips. He’s wearing a white shirt rolled up to show off his inked forearms and black slacks.
“I thought you said people don’t dress like me here?” I ask Pyro, who sighs.
Lore laughs, while Suit smirks. “Meredith, what can we do for you?”
“Well, you, nothing,” I blurt out, making Suit’s lip twitch and Lore laugh, muttering something about a group chat. “But I’m looking for—”
“Has anyone seen Prez?”
I turn around and come face-to-face with Skull. I know it’s him right away because my heart doesn’t race. “Hey, Skull. Do you know where Nate is?”
“Who the fuck is Nate?” Lore asks Suit, who shrugs.
Skull’s blue eyes drop to where Pyro’s hand is still on me, and a muscle works in his jaw. “Come with me, Meredith. I’ll take you to him.”
“Is Nate Bones’ real name?” I hear Lore ask Suit.
“Fuck,” I hear Suit mutter.
Turning around to Pyro, who drops his hand and takes a step back, I smile up at him. “Thanks for bringing me here. And sorry for being so demanding.”
His lip twitches. “I’ll be here if you need me.”
“She won’t,” Skull snaps, taking my hand in his and leading me down a hallway, and then up a wooden staircase. “Does Bones know you’re here?”
“No, I kind of decided to show up at the spur-of-the-moment,” I admit, and he laughs under his breath. “Is it okay? I probably should have called him, but I wanted to catch him off guard and in his element.”
He laughs again. “You know we’ve actually been talking about things. And I think that has a lot to do with you.”
“Really? Because I’ve been ignoring him since Sunday.”
He stops in his tracks and smirks at me. “Good, keep him on his toes. But you’ve still brought him back to life. He’s opening up more now and doesn’t avoid me as much as he has been, which is nice.”
“The bond you two have would have survived anything.”
His eyes soften. “Maybe, but you definitely helped speed up the process. I feel like I have my brother back, and trust me, he wasn’t the only one feeling the loss.”
“I thought you didn’t like me,” I blurt out, narrowing my eyes. “That’s the vibe I got at the cabin. And now you’re holding my hand and telling me to keep your twin on his toes.”
“I was surprised at the cabin. I didn’t know Bones had a woman, for one, and two, my brother had just kidnapped you. I was concerned.” His eyes scan my face. “If you mean something to my brother, you mean something to me. Simple as that.”
He’s about to open his mouth and say something else when a good-looking older man stands at the bottom of the stairs. “Skull, did you find out what…” He pauses when his blue eyes land on me.
“Prez, this is Meredith. Meredith, this is our president, Rome.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smile.
Rome’s eyes drop to where Skull is still holding my hand, and he smirks. “You, too, sweetheart. You mind if I borrow Skull for a minute?”
“Not at all.”
Skull looks back at me and points up the stairs. “Second room on the right. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay,” I murmur, watching the two of them leave before heading up the staircase, which leads to another long hallway.
I walk past the first door and stop at the second, which is almost halfway open.
I’m about to call out Nate’s name when my gaze lands on his blond, shoulder-length hair.
Hair that I ran my fingers through, pulling on the strands.
His blue eyes, framed in thick lashes, are gentle and sweet on the little girl in the other woman’s arms.
He’s wearing all black—boots, jeans, T-shirt, and the leather cut that boasts his position as an enforcer for the Serpents of Chaos motorcycle club.
He’s tall, lean, and has no visible tattoos, but I know he has one, because I kissed all the way across the big skull with the serpent slithering through its mouth on his back.
He kisses the little girl on the cheek, then smiles at the woman, laughing at something she says.
When he tucks back a lock of her loose, thick, dark hair while staring into her brown eyes, the moment feels very intimate, like I’m interrupting them.
I understand they have a unique situation here, but if I saw them like this without knowing the context, I’d think they were a family.
I mean, I guess they are.
But they aren’t a couple.
He’s mine.
And a few nights ago, he was on his knees with his mouth tasting my pussy.
The woman is beautiful, and I’m guessing is the infamous Isla, Skull’s woman. And between them must be Natalia, Nate’s daughter.
Suddenly, I understand how Nate feels when he’s left out of his brother’s family dynamic because I feel the same way.
The three of them look like a happy family, and the way he’s standing so close to her, with so much affection in his eyes, makes my stomach knot and my chest tighten.
I take a step back, but then I bump right into a warm body, and hands come down on my shoulders. Spinning around, I come face-to-face with the man from downstairs… Suit.
“You okay?” he asks, looking behind me into the room. I feel like he misses nothing.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t want to interrupt,” I admit, forcing a smile. “You know what, I’m going to go. I shouldn’t have come here.”
Suit’s gray eyes soften, and then he spins me around and wraps his arm around mine. “No, I think you’re right where you’re meant to be. Bones! I found this beautiful woman in the clubhouse. You have three seconds to get her before I take her to my room.”
My now-wide eyes are on Suit when Nate comes right out and pushes Suit off me. He smiles widely as he looks at me, happiness and confusion in his gaze. “Doc, you done ghosting me?”
Suit laughs and winks at me. “My door is that one if you need me, sweetheart.”
“Fuck off, Suit,” Nate growls, pulling me into his arms.
“You’re here,” he rasps, kissing my forehead, cheeks, nose, and then finally, my lips.
Yes, I’m here.
And now I’m almost wondering why.