Chapter 6
Mira
“Thank you, ladies, for accommodating my urgent meeting request,” Chewy starts off awfully formally.
I have no idea why, but I sit up just a little straighter.
It could be a serious moment. Or a moment where Chewy has had a brilliant plan.
“Thank you also for meeting me at the diner, because my house is currently full of things I cannot tell you about. Yet.” She grins at us and it's a little unnerving because Chewy isn’t much of a grinner, but I like that about her.
I on the other hand am a grinner. And a squealer and a clapper. Blanche is a grump and a stabber, and Lovely is a hugger and a soother. So you know, we all balance each other out in some form or another.
“Lovely has pointed out that I made the egregious error of not letting our Girl Gang Prospect know about Galentine’s so we have come here today to issue an apology and to issue a formal invite.”
I jiggle in my seat a little and try not to blurt out “It’s Joy, isn't it!” I have to act cool.
Cool, calm, and collected like my man. Ugh, just the thought of Tank has my belly doing somersaults.
He’s so hot and sexy and romantic and kind and just ugh, perfect for me.
Which is going to make my gift to him all the more exciting.
I cannot wait to give it to him. I’ve almost let the secret out about a million times already, and it’s killing me to have to keep things from him but it’s so, so eeeeek!
I’ve written our love story and it’s my best work yet.
But I can’t tell him. I have to wait for a few more days.
“Stop doing that,” Chewy deadpans and it takes me a second to realize she’s talking to me.
“Doing what?” I ask, looking down at my dress.
“Wriggling and making that internal scream you do when you don’t think anyone can hear you.”
“Alright party pooper,” Blanche mutters under her breath, before flipping Chewy the bird when Chewy gives her the Jules look.
“Don’t make that face,” Vi shudders, “It looks too much like my Ol Man and it gets my lady bits going.”
“I can’t help I’m that sexually potent.”
“Don’t say that either,” Ana adds, pointing a finger in Chewy’s direction.
“It’s true, girlies, the kids get it from their ol Pops. I wasn’t called Sex Pot Sid by the ladies for no reason,” Pops adds from his stool at the bar, back handing Mad Dog in the gut when he snorts.
“Anyway, I’ve asked Joy to meet us here. But she’s super skittish.”
“She’s all shy and skittish and gentle and sweet,” I butt in. “But I think with lots of love from us she can blossom into a social and mischievous little thing. Kinda like a chinchilla.”
“She does have great hair,” Jazz adds. “What?” she asks, looking around at our confused faces.
“I feel like you’ve spent too much time with Rodney,” Vi snorts.
“You called?”
We all jump a mile when Rodney pops up out of nowhere at Pops’ elbow. “Where the hell were you hiding, kid?” Pops stares down at him.
“You’ll never know, old man.” Rodney grins a toothy grin then heads over to the booth the Big Littles seem to have made their own.
They are always in that one particular spot, along with Kaia’s Annie-Bella when she’s not behind the counter. I think Elio has a soft spot for her, but given he’s three years younger than her I doubt he’s on her radar.
“Shh, here she comes!” Kaia hisses from her spot behind the counter before she makes it look like she’s really busy cleaning the same spot over and over.
“Why are you whispering?” Chewy asks, full volume.
“I don’t know!” Kaia whispers back, her movements even more frantic.
“Remind me never to ask her to go undercover,” Pops says out of the corner of his mouth to his buddy Mad Dog. I love how those two are besties. Like my Tank and Judge. But old and more dangerous.
“Oh, um, hi everyone,” Joy says, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights.
She shuffles closer and I do my damnedest to not attack her with a hug.
I love to hug and I’m always hugging my friends, but I’m careful hugging the DRMC women because for some reason they’re all teeny tiny compared to my 5'10 height. And also one of my boobs is about the size of Joy’s head and Switch would not be happy if I suffocated the woman before he got to love on her.
“Hi Joy!” Jazz jumps up to give Joy a gentle squeeze, they had met even before Switch brought her back to the compound to keep her safe.
Now she lives in the guest house at his place in town.
He’s the only brother who lives part time at the clubhouse, but that makes sense with him on call in town all the time.
“So, ah, I got a message to meet you all here? Is everything OK? I didn’t do anything wrong did I?” she fidgets a little before smoothing her skirt with her trembling hand.
“Oh sweetheart, come here and take a seat by us two old men,” Mad Dog coos gently, holding out his hand to a bar stool between him and Pops. Pops pats it gently and helps her get up onto it then checks that she’s comfortable.
I don’t know if Joy knows this yet, but she’s about to be protected for life by these two men with hearts bigger than Texas.
“Joy, you have done nothing wrong. In fact, it was me who did something wrong. I didn't invite you to our Galentine’s celebration. According to the internet it’s a time for gals to get together with their friends to appreciate each other.
We’re going to appreciate you and each of us even if sometimes I don’t like some of you due to habits you may have that irritate me because I’m a sensitive woman,” Chewy finishes to Joy’s wide eyed stare.
“I bet she’s talking about me,” Blanche says proudly. “She hates when I wear that one perfume.”
“I thought it was pointed at me,” Remy joins in. “Apparently I smack my lips when I’m hacking something tricky.”
“She hates when I crack my knuckles,” Nat muses.
“And when I flick my hair,” Vi adds, flicking her long, dark hair over her shoulder.
Chewy rolls her eyes before pointing at me, “Too loud,” moves her finger to Ana, “Can’t always understand your accent-” to Lovely, “Too nice,” to Jazz, “Too colorful. Actually that’s a tie with Mira-”
“Aw, thanks Chewy!” I clap.
She ignores me then points to Kaia, “Always fussin,” then to Pops, “Doesn’t always let me do what I want,” then to Mad Dog, “Doesn’t give enough hugs.
Are you all satisfied? You all have traits that annoy me and in time, you will too, Joy.
And I would like to find out what that is so will you come to my Galentine’s celebration in two days and get to know us so I can find something that irritates me about you? ”
Joy looks around the room, her gaze bouncing from one Ol Lady to the next before landing back on Chewy. “Um, I guess?”
We all whoop and holler and I even see a little smile on Joy’s face as she ducks her head. Yeah, she’s one of us, she just doesn't know it yet.
Switch
“I need the Love Pres, The Vice Love Pres or Rider. Anyone know where they are?” I ask from the common room doorway.
Niko jumps like I’ve just scared the shit out of him, but the kid needs to get used to that fact.
I’ve always been loud. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been loud, but a lot of that comes from being the youngest and the only boy in a family of six kids.
I’ve had to fight to have my voice heard and sometimes I forget that I probably don’t need to use my full outside voice all the time.
“No clue but get in line. We’re all waiting for at least one of those sneaky bastards to turn up.” Fox says from his seat on Nitro’s lap.
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Me and Nitro, Gus and Tav, Marx, probably Rhodie, Tank and Judge too. Oh, and Sasha.”
I do a double take at the large suited blonde man in the recliner, having forgotten his request for help with Valentine’s Day. “So, everyone then?” I ask, brow raised.
Fox nods. “Everyone except Wire, Savage and Jules.”
“We’re not idiots.” Jules replies with a bored look on his face.
“Well, shit.” I run a hand down my face and decide to take a seat. “So, are we taking numbers or -?”
“You can take a number. We’ve been waiting for at least one of them since this morning,” Nitro growls.
“We started off looking for Rider, but it’s been hours and now we’ll take what we can get.”
I take a seat, lean my head on the back of the couch, and close my eyes. It was a rough night last night, weather was shitty, the ER was run ragged after a three vehicle collision and my mind was on Joy and Kit in my guest house hoping that the rain and thunder didn’t scare them too much.
“Why do you need them, anyway?” Tank asks, stomping in from the kitchen, Judge following close behind.
I hesitate to answer. It’s not because I’m unsure about my feelings.
I'm very sure about what I feel for Joy. I’m just not sure how my brothers will view it.
Her piece of shit husband has only recently been confirmed deceased.
When I broke the news to Joy I expected an outpouring of emotion.
What I got was nothing more than a simple nod.
She confuses me in so many ways, and I want to just wrap her in my arms and protect her from everything bad in the world, but I know that I have to tread easy, go slow.
“I need their help because I want to do something nice for Joy and Kit. As friends.”
Prez, who walked in just after Tank’s question, takes a seat at the bar, brow raised. “As a friend?”
Taking a deep breath I let it out slowly. “I don’t think she’s ready for anything more. Not now, and maybe not ever. But, well, I, shit.” I don’t know how to voice my thoughts.
“But you know deep in here,” Sasha taps his chest, “that she means something to you. Her and her daughter, da?”
My shoulders slump as he voices exactly what I’m feeling. “Yeah. Exactly that.”
Sasha nods once, his piercing blue gaze on mine. “I understand. I married the Pakhan of a Bratva. A Bratva that doesn’t think love between men exists. The timing wasn’t right, neither were the circumstances, but you cannot help who makes your heart sing.”
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. Looking around the room my gaze meets those of my brothers, who all give me a chin lift, an encouraging half smile, or a frown in Jules’ case.
“In that case brother, you can go first.” Marx nods.