LULA
Exile had shown me pictures of Nova, Skylar, and Lyric. He was very proud of the little girls, and I could tell he felt tremendous guilt over what happened to his sister. Whenever he engaged with Dillon, I sensed him thinking about his family back in Baton Rouge.
Now, they were in my house. The brown spaniel mix was the first one inside.
Ramen saw Xena, who perked up from her napping spot near the back windows.
She barked at him. He dropped to the ground and squirmed around submissively.
My tiny beast ran over and barked again before rolling around on the ground.
“Are they falling in love?” Nova asked from behind me. “Is this what I’m watching?”
“That or this is their version of trash-talking before battle.”
Xena ended up rolling around enough to land against Ramen. They sniffed each other wildly. Suddenly, the dogs jumped to their feet and started running around in circles.
“I’ll put them in the backyard,” I suggested when the dogs launched into full zoomies.
Once the two were running around in the backyard, I looked at Nova and Skylar. Besides her brown hair, she didn’t resemble her brother. Nova had big blue eyes and full lips. While Exile’s profile had sharp angles, his sister possessed a soft face.
Glancing down, I took in the sight of Skylar’s messy blonde hair. She hid what I assumed were tired eyes behind red plastic sunglasses. During the few minutes they were inside the house, the child had yawned three times.
“You think I’m crazy,” Nova said, exhaling unsteadily. “I probably seem crazy. But you shouldn’t judge me.”
“My parents live next door. I’m not one to judge a person’s close bond with their family.”
Nova’s cagey expression flipped to a pretty smile. “I knew Dan wasn’t coming back home like he said. He might think he can walk away, but I felt something else happening here, so I packed up and got on the road.”
“I understand.”
“Do you really?”
“Sure. If I were in Baton Rouge for too long, my family would have shown up, too.”
Nova studied me. “I thought you’d be bitchier.”
“Yeah,” Skylar said before shuffling over to watch the dogs sniffing the backyard.
“I am bitchy.”
“Are you hiding your natural wickedness for my sake?”
“No, I don’t tend to be bitchy when I’m in a good mood. My bitchiness just means I don’t take shit from people.”
“I do,” Nova said softly. “That’s why I couldn’t deal with Zodiac and the guys at the house. They were getting on my nerves, but I didn’t dare tell them to get the hell out.”
“Well, you and the girls are welcome to stay here. I have two spare rooms. I should warn you that my daughter, Dillon, might not be thrilled. She has younger siblings in Little Rock, and this house is her sanctuary from the noise.”
“The girls are well behaved,” Nova said and frowned. “Maybe we should stay at a hotel.”
“Don’t get your back up,” I said and reached for her bag. “We’ll get you set up here. I want Exile to be happy, and he missed you and the girls.”
Nova immediately smiled again. “I like how you care about his happiness. People don’t see what a big softie he is. He comes off as an angry jackass, but he can be so sweet.”
Her words made my heart race. Exile really was a kindhearted guy who, unfortunately, viewed being kindhearted as a negative quality. His angry shtick worked well with his clubmates. But Nova and I could see the guy hiding under Exile’s armor.
“I’ve fallen hard for your brother. I’m not sure how we’ll make a long-distance relationship work, but I’m ready to put in the work to keep him.”
Nova studied me, seeming curious about the “long-distance” part of my comment. Before she could speak, Exile entered the house with Skylar on his hip and his president at his back.
I hadn’t paid Zodiac much attention when the Black Rainbow Motorcycle Club came to my rescue. He never registered on my radar like Exile did, but I’d heard plenty of stories about him. Right now, he stood in my family room and glanced around.
“These little runts are bound to dirty up your house,” Zodiac announced rather than say hello.
“You’re a runt,” Lyric insisted.
“I was a big baby,” Zodiac replied while Exile gave a little eye roll. “I was never a runt. You’re tiny. It’s probably something in your diet.”
Nova scowled at him. “What kind of man argues with a child?”
“Children are just small adults, even when they’re dirty runts like your girls.”
“Uh-huh,” Skylar mumbled from where she was curled up on the couch. “Hush, children. I need a nap.”
“That one doesn’t sleep well,” Zodiac told me. “She’s up all night, whining about the boogeyman.”
“You weren’t there,” Lyric whined to Exile. “The monster was in the closet again.”
“I asked Zodiac to get rid of it,” Nova said and picked up the suitcase at her feet. “But the monster wasn’t impressed by his bullshit. I suspect that happens a lot.”
Zodiac narrowed his gaze at Nova, who started toward a hallway. As the Black Rainbow’s president turned his scowl toward Exile, I redirected Nova. We headed down the hallway where the guest rooms were located.
“The other direction is Dillon’s room. I have these rooms separated so my visiting siblings won’t bother her.”
“You’re a good mama,” Nova said and smiled when I opened the door. “Wow, that bed is big enough for all three of us.”
“I thought the girls could stay in the next room. It has twin beds for when Rowdy and Vanessa bunk here.”
“Who?”
“My younger brother and sister. They sometimes get too tired or drunk to drive home, so they sleep here.”
Nova nodded. “You’re not letting Zodiac stay here, are you?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, no.”
“Because Dan needs to act differently whenever his president is around. Harder and meaner. You wouldn’t like him as much.”
“It’s mostly that my dad wouldn’t allow Zodiac to stay over.”
“But he’s okay with Dan?”
“Pax has a good feeling about Exile,” I said and smiled at the memory. “He said he could tell Exile’s feelings were real.”
Nova’s gaze turned soft and curious. “I never thought Dan would get silly over a woman. That’s why I knew he wouldn’t come home like he promised.”
“Exile will be happier with you here. We can all get to know each other.”
When Nova wrapped her arms around me and held on tight, I was startled to find her trembling. Stroking her hair, I hoped to soothe her fears.
Exile and Nova had been each other’s safe place for years. I couldn’t imagine what she must have thought when he rode here to see me and didn’t return. Now, though, our two families could find a way to become one.