Chapter 1 #2
“It’s really not Lena’s fault. I was FaceTiming Bella the other day, and we somehow got on the subject of parties and took a walk down memory lane, remembering how your mom used to go all out for your birthdays and have a different theme each year.”
I couldn’t help but smile, remembering my ninth birthday, when my mom recruited a team of family members that worked for weeks to transform the barn we used as a meeting hall into a very realistic moonscape.
It had a huge rocket they created out of cardboard, with sand scattered around for moondust and planets hanging from the beams to represent the solar system.
The best part of that day was when each kid was given a water gun before my uncles, who were all wearing alien costumes, chased us around and we got to fight them off.
When I glanced back at Lark, my smile faded, and I shook my head again before I said, “Theme or not, you look like Hollywood’s version of a drugstore cowboy. Any second now, I expect you to spit off to the side and miss the non-existent spittoon.”
Lark barked out a laugh and then exaggerated her Texas accent to say, “Them’s fightin’ words, Conner, you yellow-bellied . . .” Lark was laughing too hard to finish, and I couldn't help but laugh when she said, “I can’t think of what word comes next.”
“Varmint.”
“That’s right! You yellow-bellied varmint!”
I sighed in disgust as I looked back down at the tray in front of me and got back to work, sprinkling paprika on the deviled eggs I’d arranged on the tray earlier. “I’m almost afraid to go out there and see what the rest of the girls are wearing.”
“You are going to change into your costume when you’re finished here, right?”
“No.”
Lark sighed before she said, “Come on, Dill Pickle. Don’t be a buzzkill.”
“I have never in my life worn a pearl snap shirt, and I’m not going to ruin that streak today.”
Lark didn’t argue with me. Instead, she said, “You’re probably even more excited to see her than we are.”
“I am glad she’s coming home for a while, even though she’s gonna be busy the entire time she’s here.”
“She’s just as excited to see you, and I know that she’s made plans to hang out with just the two of you so that you can catch up.”
“We still talk on the phone almost every day,” I reminded her. “Probably because she’s not getting daily updates from all of you who were crawling all over my ass for months after she left.”
“She just wanted to make sure you weren’t being completely antisocial without her loving care and influence.”
“Pffft. She was just trying to prove that she could fuck with me even from a thousand miles away.”
“Maybe a little of that too. I fuck with my brothers like it’s a well-paying job, and they do the same thing to me.”
“Such is family.”
◆◆◆
MATTEO RUSSO
Our flight went smoother than usual and even took a little less time than it normally did to fly from New York City to Rojo.
During the hours we were in the air, Luca, Zach, and I took care of what business we could remotely, while Brett, Tabby, and Bella talked about wedding details and plans for this week.
I wasn’t surprised to find out her motorcycle club was throwing a huge party to welcome her back this evening, and it was for all of their friends - whether they belonged to any of the local MCs or not.
And because they knew that Bella would want to spend some quality time with her family, they scheduled it late enough so that we had plenty of time to get settled at Bella’s house and relax before we had to leave.
In the last year, Finn and Lena, along with Bella’s siblings, had been to New York to visit her a few times, and we’d dropped in for short stays as often as we could.
While they were staying at The Castello, they’d met Luca, Tabby, Zach, and Brett as well as almost everyone else we associated with.
All three thousand and ninety-five of the other family members, most of whom lived within walking distance, showed up to see Bella and meet my brother and friends.
When Zach mentioned that it was a little overwhelming trying to remember the names of so many people, I could only laugh because he hadn’t seen anything yet. He was about to find out just how hard it was to keep track of all the people who loved my Bella.
However, I felt like I should warn everyone about the people who would be at the party, so I started the conversation by saying, “Before we get there, I’d like to remind you that the women you’re going to meet this evening are . . . unique.”
Bella stared at me for a second before she tipped her head and said, “Good save.”
I ruined that by adding, “They’re loud, brash, wild, opinionated . . .”
Zach laughed before he said, “It sounds like you’re describing Brett!”
I ignored him and continued, “Sarcastic, insulting, violent, certifiably insane, and just all-around evil.”
“But then you lost it,” Bella muttered as she glared at me.
“My friends are not insane. I can say that with certainty because most of them have been tested more than once to make sure. They’re only insulting if you’re stupid or they don’t like you.
It’s not their fault that most people fall into one category or the other. ”
Zach smiled at his wife before he said, “She’s still describing you, sweetheart.”
“But you didn’t say they’re not evil,” Luca reminded her.
“They are not evil,” Bella scoffed. “They just hold a mean grudge and have a high prey drive.”
“It sounds like you’re talking about wild animals,” Brett said with a grin. “I think I’m going to love them!”
“I know I will,” Tabby said cheerfully. “The only thing bigger than a Texas girl’s hair is her attitude, Brett. You’ll fit right in.”
“Now, let’s discuss the men you’re going to meet,” I suggested as the driver slowed to stop at a light.
We were at a cross street I recognized, and I knew we were getting close to the place that the women in Bella’s MC called The Castle - a monstrosity of a house on a plot of land that was so big I couldn't even imagine what that sort of space would cost in the New York real estate market. “All the descriptive words I used for the women also apply to them, but from what I’ve learned, they’re not really throwing out insults because they hate you; it's more because they love a good fistfight, and they’re trying to get you to swing. ”
“How is that not . . . ?”
Bella interrupted Brett and explained, “They just love to pick on each other, and they really love a good brawl. But when it’s all over, they laugh and drink beer together with no hard feelings.”
“Do they do that with everyone?” Tabby asked skeptically.
“Oh, no! They only laugh and drink beer with the people they like. The ones that really piss them off get beaten to a bloody pulp.”
“Now you’re talking about our kind of people,” Zach said cheerfully.
“Think of them as a younger generation of the men who live on the compound in Tenillo,” I explained.
Luca frowned before he said, “I was going to point out earlier that your warning about the women here sounded an awful lot like Bernadette and her friends.”
I nodded in agreement and said, “You have a point.”
“See?” Bella asked cheerfully. “You’ll get along just fine!”
Zach looked stricken when he said, “I don’t say this very often, but I’m going to admit it out loud right now. I’m terrified.”