Chapter 7 #2
“It’s not what he said. It’s what he did.
” She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her belly.
“I came home from work one day and went to the fridge for something to eat. It took a second for it to register, but then it dawned on me that it wasn’t the refrigerator I bought.
It was a new one, but different, and wasn’t nearly as nice as the one I’d picked out.
I was so pissed off, I stormed over to Race’s house and beat on his door until he opened it.
I barged in and jumped his ass when I found my refrigerator in his kitchen.
And the worst thing was, he had my Rocky Road ice cream in it.
Not only did he steal my fridge, but he stole my favorite ice cream! ”
Sadie could picture it all in her mind and thought it was funny. She bet Bellamy gave him hell for stealing the refrigerator out from under her. “What about you, Calliope? How did you meet Jackson?”
Calliope exchanged a look with Jane, her smile not as big as Bellamy’s had been when she started her story.
“The day I met Jackson was the day my mom and I moved in across the street from his parents. I was still in high school and thought he was the hottest thing I’d ever seen.
I found out later that he’d been attracted to me, too, but he was eight years older than me and because of that, even when I turned eighteen, he still had a problem with our age difference.
“Finally, when I was twenty, we hooked up, and it ended badly.” She glanced at Jane.
“He’s my son, but even I know he can be a dumb ass at times.” Jane squeezed her hand. “He gets it from his father.”
Calliope laughed. “So true. Anyway,” she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I showed up at his house late one night, and it was obvious he’d been drinking, but that didn’t stop me from going for what I wanted.
I was already half in love with him by then, and I’d dreamt of what it would be like to share Jackson’s bed.
” Sadie assumed she was trying to choose her words in front of Jane.
“For me, it was everything I’d been dreaming about.
For him, it was the worst night ever. Not that the sex was bad, but because he was freaking out that we’d done it.
He was shouting, ‘This should never have happened,’ and ‘This was a mistake.’” She impersonated an angry man’s voice.
"He was still hung up on the fact that he was eight years older than me. He thought I was too young, although I know he had sex with girls my age at the time.” She brought Harper down from her shoulder and held her in her arms.
“Needless to say, he broke my heart. While he was taking a shower, I took off. My house was only a couple of blocks away, and I snuck through backyards and hid behind cars to avoid seeing him as he searched for me. I was so angry and so hurt that I moved to Boulder so I wouldn’t have to be around him anymore.
I wasn’t there long when I met a man and ended up moving in with him.
I didn’t realize until it was almost too late that he was a monster.
“I woke up in the hospital, beaten within an inch of my life, with Jackson sitting next to the bed. I was so embarrassed for him to see what I’d allowed to happen to me.”
“You didn’t allow him to hurt you,” Bellamy argued.
“Didn’t I? I should’ve left way before I did.”
“What happened between you and Jackson after you woke up?” Sadie asked, getting sucked into her story.
“Seeing me so broken, it hit him that he could’ve lost me forever, and that didn’t sit well with him.
He’d always regretted his reaction to finding out we’d had sex and wished he could take it back.
It took me leaving for him to see we should be together.
He said he tried coming after me once, but things were going on, and we never connected.
He vowed he would get justice for me and that when I left the hospital, it was going to be as his old lady.
And now we’re married and have Harper.” Her smile lit up her whole face as she gazed down at their daughter.
“Wow. What a crazy road you’ve traveled.” Sadie was amazed that she was able to talk about being abused. She didn’t doubt for a minute that Jackson got her justice.
“Exactly.”
Jane, seeing that Harper was waking up, reached over and took her from her mother, giving her lots and lots of kisses.
“How long do you think church will last?” Sadie asked. Today was her day off, and she really wanted to get a few things done and hopefully pencil in a nap before picking up Oliver.
“Who knows. Could be an hour. Could be several.” Jane had been an old lady longer than the rest of them, so she would know. “Why?”
“I was hoping to do some Christmas shopping today before Oliver gets out of school.”
“Oh! We were talking about shopping tomorrow. Do you want to come?” Calliope asked.
“I don’t know. I have to be at work tomorrow night.”
“What time do you go in?” Bellamy asked.
“Eight.”
“We’ll have plenty of time. We can head out around ten when the stores open and the kids are at school. I’ll ask Race if he or one of the guys can pick up Oliver after school. We can have a late lunch or early dinner before you go to work.” Bellamy had it all figured out.
“Are you sure?” What she really wanted to ask was whether or not Kylie was going. So far, she'd been successful in avoiding the other woman. It would feel weird and awkward; the woman had to hate her guts.
“Yes. It’ll be fine. One of the men, probably a prospect, will come with us as protection,” Bellamy replied.
“We need protection to go shopping?” Sadie wasn’t sure she wanted to go with them if that was the case.
“Probably not, but it’s a precaution that Race and the other brothers like to take when their old ladies are going out and about. Especially since I’m so pregnant. And then there’s Tinker. Until he's found and dealt with, I doubt any of us will go anywhere alone.”
Sadie didn’t like the sound of that. “If Race and the others are afraid of Tinker messing with you, it might be best if I don’t go with you. I seem to be a magnet for him.”
“Nonsense. We’re all going shopping tomorrow, and you’re coming, too.” Bellamy ended the discussion on that subject. She was quite the little bulldozer.
“I don’t need to go shopping. I ordered everything online this year. I’ll keep Harper while you go out, Calliope.”
“Thank you, Jane. That would be awesome.”
“Give me your number, Sadie, and I’ll text you when we’re headed to pick you up.”
They finished exchanging numbers when Jed came from the hall, the rest of the men following behind him.
She wondered what they talked about and what decisions were made as he walked straight for her.
His eyes bounced from her to the other old ladies and back.
How he was able to ask her if everything was cool with just a look was impressive.
She smiled and nodded her head that things were fine.
It was subtle, but she watched as his shoulders seemed to relax.
Had he been worried that they wouldn’t be nice to her?
Or was he worried, given her history with motorcycle clubs, that she wouldn't be nice to them?
He came to a stop beside her, his hand on the back of her chair. “Are you ready to head out?"
“Yes. I'm ready to go.” He pulled her chair out, waited for her to rise, then said their goodbyes to the ladies and left.
On the ride back to her apartment, he asked, “How did things go with you and the old ladies?”
“Good. They invited me to go Christmas shopping with them tomorrow.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared out the front windshield.
“That’s cool. What time are you guys heading out?” He slowed as the stoplight turned from yellow to red.
“We’re planning for ten. Bellamy said she would text when they were headed my way. She also said that she would ask Race if he or one of the others could pick Oliver up from school tomorrow so we could have a late lunch or early dinner."
“I can do it.” Jed volunteered right away.
“What?” She shifted her gaze his way to gauge his sincerity.
“I can pick him up. Just call the school and let them know.” He was serious. Interesting.
“Are you sure?” She gave him a chance to rescind the offer.
“Yes. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do it. I’ll hang out with him and Willa for a little bit. Maybe order some Chinese for dinner.”
“Wow. That’s awfully nice of you, Jed. I’d appreciate that.” She really did. Was this what it was like when you shared the burden with someone else?
A comfortable silence stretched out between them until he made the turn to hit the alley where she lived. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?" He pulled his truck in next to her car, but left it running.
“Since I don't need to go shopping today, I might just take a really long nap before I have to pick up Oliver.” That idea held great appeal.
Jed nodded his head. “That sounds like a good idea. If I didn’t have things to do for the club, I might take one, too.” Resting his arm on the steering wheel, he turned in his seat, giving her his full attention. “Can I take you and Oliver to dinner tonight?”
Sadie’s heart melted at the idea. Was this supposed to be like a date? She was too afraid to ask. Beneath his self-assured smile was a hint of uncertainty. Did he doubt she would want to go out with him? “Yes. We would love to go to dinner with you.”
She didn’t know if this was an official date or not, but she was going to pretend that it was. She knew it was a dangerous game she was playing with her heart, but she couldn’t stop if she tried.
* * *
Jed
Going out to dinner with Sadie and Oliver was a new experience for him.
He’d fucked women and never had the desire to take them to dinner.
If they had kids, he had no idea. So why was it different with her?
He couldn’t explain it. He enjoyed her company both in and out of bed, and Oliver was funny as hell without trying to be.