Chapter 12
Brittany
“Hey darling, how are you feeling?” Axel asks as he walks over to the counter, and I grin at him despite being completely exhausted.
“Tired,” I admit, my smile not disappearing, and he chuckles.
Bailey is two weeks old and absolutely perfect, even if she isn’t sleeping through the night and wakes several times for a feed.
My poor breasts are so sore, I’m glad for the reprieve while she’s with Sky at the clubhouse, something I was hesitant about.
Don’t get me wrong, I trust Sky. I just feel guilty coming back to work so quickly, but I know if I want to buy a little house for just me and my daughter, then I have to work. Especially when it is becoming clearer by the day that I’ll never get my memories back.
Dr. Pumes is telling me to have faith but it is what it is I guess.
“You know Annie would have paid maternity leave, right?” he says softly, and I nod, already knowing that.
I confess, “Because I’m working through my maternity, I’m getting double,” and he laughs as he shakes his head, not at all shocked that his woman offered me that, and I grin.
I’m really grateful to this club, this man.
He’s like a big brother I never had, or at least I don’t think I have anyhow.
“Alright, I’m going to head in the back and get some of Annie’s books done while she’s with her grams,” he says, and I nod before he states, “I have some brothers popping in. They’ll be hear in the next few hours from a club we affiliate with.
They look scary, but they are harmless. Just let me know when they arrive. ”
I furrow my brows but nod, and he sends me a reassuring smile before knocking on the counter twice and heading to the back where Annie’s office is. I look around the partially full shop. People are talking and eating, smiling, and a sense of longing hits me.
Did I have friends?
Did I have a job I loved?
Am I really a veterinary nurse?
Am I missed?
I sigh as I turn around and grab the refill coffee pot. I move from behind the counter and walk to the customers to offer them more coffee before I have to go out back and milk myself. Like a cow, because 'breast is best' and all that.
Well, that and have you seen how much formula is?
A few hours later, I’m wiping down tables when the door to the bakery opens again, and I stand straight, trying not to sigh at the ache in my back, and walk back to the counter before I say, “Hi, welcome to Sweet Treats, what can I get you?”
I look up and lock eyes with dark, chocolate-brown ones, and I swear my stomach flips. Not just because of how intense they are, how they suck you in, but because they look so much like my daughters.
Damn.
I take in the tall, dark, handsome man before me, his chiseled jaw, crooked nose like he’s broken it before, messy black hair on top, short on the sides, tattoos peaking from underneath his tee. The more I take him in, the more my body hums shocking me and then I notice the leather.
He’s wearing a cut.
“Hi,” he husks, and I swallow hard at the throbbing beginning to build behind my eyes, like a memory wants to come back but is stuck.
His voice is so familiar, it’s weird, and the sensation of walking into this man’s arms, a stranger, pulls me so hard my heart pounds.
I shake my head and clear my throat before asking, “Eating in or out?”
The man looks me over, taking in my hair in a messy bun, the tiredness beneath my eyes, before he says, “Eating in, I have a couple of more brothers about to come in, if you could bring over a few mugs of black coffee?”
I nod and reply, “Sure, I uh, are you here to see Axel?” The beautiful man nods, his brows furrowed, and I say, “I’ll go let him know you’re here then.”
He nods again, looking at me intently, and my stomach tightens as he frowns before giving me a nod. He walks over to the table in the back I’ve just cleaned and my eyes follow him, my body wanting to do the same but I stay rooted to my spot.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I swallow hard as we lock eyes again, his intense, like he’s staring into my soul, while I get that familiar feeling again.
Do I know him?
I shake my head. He would have said something if we knew each other.
I turn and quickly head into the back, and before knocking on Annie’s office door.
“Come in,” Axel says loudly, and I pop my head in and say, “Your, uh, guests are here.”
Axel looks at me and tilts his head with a frown before asking, “Are you alright? You seem frazzled.”
I clear my throat and give him a small smile before I admit, “Yeah, no, I just uh, I felt like the guy was familiar or something, but I think it may be because of you and the club.”
Axel nods, his frown still in place, and he asks, “Can you get me a cup of coffee and a macaroon, please, Bell? I’ll just log out and sit with them.”
I nod before shutting the door, then wince, remembering I threw all of the macaroons out, not wanting to risk the customers again.
Crap.
Huffing, I walk back out front just as four more brothers enter the shop, all big and scary, yet I feel safe.
Weird.
“Brit?” a guy with hazel eyes and brown shaggy hair says as he walks over to me, and I frown.
“Sorry, who?” I ask, and the guy swallows just as the man who first came in orders, “Thunder!”
Thunder. That sounds so familiar.
I blink, trying to think how I know that name, but nothing comes back, instead I get another throb in my head, and I sigh as I rub my forehead. The guy, Thunder, clears his throat and mumbles, “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
I nod before turning to grab a bunch of mugs and pour the coffee just as Axel walks out. He gives me a smile and heads to the back table, and I watch as he shakes hands with everyone before I lock eyes with the ones that look like my daughter’s.
They probably don’t, to be fair. I’m probably just seeing things, wishing for things I’ll never get, because I find the guy attractive, something I haven’t felt before now.
Shaking my head, I break the connection as I load the coffee mugs on the tray. Then fill them before putting little jugs of milk and creamer on the tray, the sugar already on the table. I lift the tray carefully, hoping I don’t drop it and embarrass myself as I walk to the back table.
The men stop whispering when I get close, and slowly I place a coffee in front of each brother. Each looking at me intently, which is freaky and extremely off putting, but it’s the first guy who came in that sends shivers down my spine.
“Thanks, darling,” one guy says quietly, and I give him a small smile as we lock eyes, the same like the first guy's, the same color as my daughter's, who is also looking me over.
“No problem,” I whisper before I place a mug in front of Axel and go to move backwards, hoping and praying he doesn’t notice I haven’t put something else in front of him, but my prayers are not answered.
“Where is my macaroon?” Axel asks with a frown and I wince as he directs his frown my way, and I clear my throat as I rock on my feet and admit, “Annie made them.”
He raises a brow while his friends, who seem so familiar to me, look on in confusion. Axel says, “Yeah, Bell, that is the whole point of why I want one. She said she made a whole batch just for me this morning.”
I wince and mumble, “She uh, was talking to herself this morning, about you withholding something.”
The men next to him snicker while Axel’s head rears back in shock before his eyes widen, then he sighs in defeat and confirms, “She laced the goodies with laxatives, didn’t she?”
I clear my throat and confirm, “Yes, she did, roughly ten packets full, so I threw them out. I didn’t want to accidentally give one to a customer again.”
He winces, remembering just before I gave birth. The poor guy didn’t even make it to the door before he shat his pants.
Axel sighs, “Thanks, Bell,” and I nod before locking eyes with the first guy that came in again, something deep inside me pulling to him. I furrow my brows, confusion swimming before the bell above the door rings, gaining my attention again, and I clear my throat before heading that way.
I don’t know why I’m so drawn to him, but I am. It’s like my body knows him, but my mind doesn’t, yet, if he knew me, wouldn’t he have told me?
I shake my head and go behind the counter.
Having amnesia sucks!
Smiling at the customer, I ask, “Hi there, welcome to Sweet Treats, what can I get for you?” trying to ignore the intense gaze that sends tingles all over my body.
So goddamn strange.