Chapter 9
Cole
One Week Later
Zeke’s gone into hiding, which means he could be anywhere. Until we know where he is and what he’s up to, I can’t risk letting Lena go home. I ignore the small voice inside my head that tells me I just don’t want her to leave, that I want to spend more time getting to know her.
I can see now why Rex has been pining after this woman for three years.
She’s something special, just as he said.
Of course, as soon as we got back from our trip, he told us all about her and how he thought he’d found the perfect woman for him, possibly for all of us, but that she’d up and left without a word, and he had no way of contacting her.
I figured he’d move on pretty quickly, find a club bunny, maybe give in to Mary Beth’s persistent advances, but no one caught his eye.
I had my suspicions when our source told us about Zeke’s plan to kidnap a woman named Lena.
After all, what are the odds that two Lenas had pissed Zeke off enough to want to kidnap them?
But I didn’t want to risk getting Rex’s hopes up, so I kept quiet.
The moment she said his name, I knew it had to be her. He hadn’t been exaggerating her beauty.
What I hadn’t been expecting was a lightning bolt moment, to feel that kind of immediate obsession with a woman you don’t know. Love at first sight only exists in the movies. Doesn’t it? So why do I feel this way?
I’m torturing myself with thoughts of Lena, knowing I can never have her.
It seems like she hates Rex, though the poor bastard still has no idea what he did or why she feels so much animosity toward him, and she refuses to talk about it.
I could never make a move on her. Not when my best friend is in love with her, even if he won’t admit that he is.
The only way I could ever be with Lena is if Rex were too, and it doesn’t seem like that’s about to happen any time soon. Maybe not ever.
Although Lena mostly ignores Rex, she happily chats away to the rest of us.
Well, mostly Doc and me to a lesser extent, Judge isn’t much of a conversationalist. Doc’s easy, joking nature seems to have won Lena over, especially as he’s so good with Mia.
If any of us has a shot with her, my money is on him.
Though of course, I know he’ll feel the same way I do; if we can’t share her, we can’t have her.
It’s fucking torture, is what it is.
Despite telling myself I need to stay away from Lena, that I shouldn’t be chasing a woman I can’t have, I keep finding excuses to spend time with her or to try to impress her.
It’s clear that she’s a fantastic mom who loves her daughter more than anything, and the way to her heart is through Mia.
So, of course, we’ve all been shamelessly bonding with Mia to impress Lena.
However, the kid is super cute, so she’s easy to love.
I wonder if Rex sees what I see, and if he suspects that Mia is his.
She’s the spitting image of him. Though Lena hasn’t said Rex is the father, I think he must be.
Maybe that’s why Rex has struggled to bond with her, unlike the rest of us, because he’s wrestling with the notion she could be his daughter.
I find Lena and Mia in their room. Doc is with them, playing with Mia while Lena watches from the window nook. Several bears and are laid out on the floor, and they’re carefully wrapping bandages around their limbs.
“Hey, what are you guys up to?” I ask, leaning against the door jam.
“Playing doctors,” Mia responds, as though it should be obvious.
“Ah, well, if your mom and Doc don’t mind me stealing you away, I’ve got a present downstairs for you.”
Mia’s eyes light up as she springs up and starts bouncing around with excitement. “Present!”
“More presents? You’re spoiling her,” Lena chastises. But she’s smiling and doesn’t seem to be genuinely bothered. “Shall we go downstairs and see what Cole has got you?” she asks Mia.
“Yes!” she replies, nodding vigorously. She places her little hand in mine and drags me toward the door.
We go slowly down the stairs, her toddler’s balance still struggling with the challenge of them, but she refuses to let one of us carry her.
Eventually, she resorts to going down on her backside.
We go outside, and I present Mia with the trike I found for her. It’s pink and has tassels on the handles. “I thought I could teach you how to ride it,” I tell her.
Mia happily agrees and fearlessly climbs on the bike. After a few misfires and a narrowly avoided tantrum, Mia is happily cycling around with a big grin on her face. She shouts for Lena to watch every now and again, and Lena makes the appropriate noises of praise.
“You’re good with her,” Lena says to me, an unreadable expression on her face as she studies me.
“Did you think I wouldn’t be?”
“In all honesty, yes. No offense, but you don’t tend to picture motorcycle club bikers as the most nurturing of men.”
I chuckle. “No offense taken. Although I hope we’ve now proven to you that not all motorcycle clubs are gangs of thugs like the Iron Vultures.”
“You have.”
“Seems like Rex doesn’t fall into that category for you. If you don’t mind my asking, what happened between you two?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. But I would have thought it would be obvious, given the timings.”
“I did wonder, with Mia’s age…”
“Mia has nothing to do with Rex and me. I’m her mom, who her father is doesn’t matter,” she replies cagily.
“So he is the father?”
“I didn’t say that,” she snaps. “Come on, Mia, it’s time to go inside for dinner,” she says, going to get the protesting toddler and storming off without another word.
She’s definitely acting suspiciously. But it still doesn’t explain why she left in the first place, or why she won’t admit Mia is Rex’s now. If he isn’t the father, why be so cagey about it?
I feel like we need to stage something between Lena and Rex. They need to talk, to finally have it out, say what they need to say, and lay their cards on the table. The problem is they’re both as stubborn as the other.
With a sigh, I head into the house. Rex is in the kitchen cooking dinner.
We’ve been taking it in turns; tonight, he is making the only meal he can cook that’s halfway decent—mac and cheese.
The others are already sitting around the dinner table.
Already, we’ve settled into a domestic routine, eating together like a happy family.
Tonight, however, the atmosphere is tense.
I’ve upset Lena, and it’s evident to us all.
Plus, Mia is tired from today’s excitement, making her grizzly, which makes Lena even more stressed.
Poor Rex does his best to try to talk to Lena and bond with Mia during the meal, but Lena supplies one-word answers, and Mia is grumpy and difficult. No doubt Lena’s treatment of him encourages the little girl to do the same. Not that I’m going to say anything.
“How about some ice cream?” Rex says to Mia when we’ve finished eating, as she seems on the verge of a tantrum.
The suggestion cheers her up, and she agrees happily. However, Lena has other ideas. “No, no ice cream. You’ve misbehaved and didn’t finish your food, even though you love mac and cheese. Only good girls get ice cream,” she says, putting her foot down.
Of course, this sends Mia into a full-blown tantrum.
“I wish you would ask me before offering treats to my daughter,” Lena snaps at Rex, shooting him daggers. She makes sure to emphasize the word ‘my’.
Rex winces. “Sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t stop her screaming, does it?” she replies sarcastically, picking Mia up, the child thrashing around in her arms, making it difficult for her to hold onto her. She tries to soothe Mia, but now that the tantrum has started, she won’t stop until she’s tired herself out.
Mia storms off upstairs with the screaming toddler, leaving us all a little confused as to what just happened.
“Boy, she really hates you,” Doc chirps. “What the fuck did you do to piss her off so badly?”
“I wish I knew,” Rex replies with a sigh. “And unless I know what I did wrong, I have no way of fixing things.”
“Just keep trying. Eventually, you’ll get through to her and find out what went wrong,” I encourage him.
“Are you sure Amanda has no idea?” Judge asks.
“Amanda was probably the only person Lena knew at that time. They were becoming friendly, but no, she didn’t tell her anything. I’ve asked her a hundred times.”
“Who else did she speak to?” I ask.
“No one, apart from being introduced and saying hello to a few club members. Oh, and Mary Beth did her usual territorial bullshit,” Rex says.
“Have you asked Mary Beth?”
“You know I try to avoid her. Plus, there’s no way Lena would have told her anything, she was a total bitch to her.”
“I’d be more concerned about what Mary Beth could have said to Lena. She’d do anything to get rid of any potential competition, the woman’s obsessed with you,” I say.
“Shit,” Rex mutters under his breath. “Why the fuck didn’t we think of this before?”
As we’re discussing how Rex and I will go to the club, leaving Judge and Doc to protect Lena and Mia, Lena comes back downstairs, presumably having managed to calm Mia down enough to go to bed.
“If you’re going out, I’m coming with you. I need a drink,” Lena says.
“It’s not safe. We still don’t know where Zeke is, but he’s no doubt looking for you. He probably has men watching the clubhouse,” I reply.
To my surprise, Rex interjects on Lena’s behalf.
“She’ll be fine with us. Zeke won’t make a move on the clubhouse with so many of us there.
We’ll just be careful to make sure we’re not followed when we leave.
” I consider it for a moment, and Rex continues, taking my hesitation as a refusal.
“We can’t keep Lena locked away forever; sooner or later, she’s going to need to leave the farm. Why not tonight?”
“Alright, fine. But if there’s any sign of trouble, we leave. If I say we’re going, we go, no arguments. Okay?” I say, looking between them.
“Agreed,” Rex says.
“Yes, anything you say, sir,” Lena says mockingly. “I’ll go get ready now,” she adds, before rushing off, as if worried that if she hangs around, I’ll change my mind.
I’m glad to see she’s cheered up. I’m also looking forward to spending more time with Lena outside of this little bubble we’ve created and getting to know her as a woman, not just as a mom.
Rex seems happy about the situation as well. Perhaps he’s hoping to remind her of happier times or finally get to the bottom of why she left.
***
A short while later, when we’re ready to leave, Lena comes back downstairs looking breathtaking in a pair of tight leather pants and a slinky top with tiny spaghetti straps.
“You found that in my mom’s wardrobe?” Judge asks in surprise when he sees her.
Lena looks stricken with worry. “Yes, sorry, should I not wear this one?”
Judge shakes his head. “No, you should wear it. I just don’t remember my mom ever dressing up that much. Though I was only young when she died, so I guess there’s a lot about her I don’t know. But you look great in it,” he adds, and she blushes with pleasure.
We’re all a bit taken aback by Judge’s admission. He’s not much of a talker, nor does he usually speak about his mom.
“Thank you, I’m honored that you let me wear them.”
Judge dips his head in acknowledgement. “Have a good evening,” he says before slipping away.
“You look stunning. I’m jealous that I won’t get to join you tonight, but I promise I’ll take good care of the rugrat. So you enjoy yourself and don’t take any shit from these two,” Doc tells Lena.
“Thank you, Doc. You can call one of the guys if you need me to come back, right?” she asks, looking worried about leaving Mia.
“Of course, but nothing will go wrong.”
Rex comes down the stairs, having showered and changed for the night. He does a double-take when he sees Lena, and I have to stop myself from laughing at him. My boy’s got it bad.
“Lena, you look fantastic,” he says.
“Thank you,” she replies curtly before turning to me. “Shall we go?”
“Sure. Do you want to take the car, or could we go on the bikes?” I suggest hopefully. I always prefer riding my bike to taking the car.
“Sure, I’ll go on the back of yours,” she says.
“Wear this,” I say, handing her my leather jacket. “It gets cold on the bike.”
Lena takes it and shrugs it on. I like how it looks on her.
Lena doesn’t know, but in our club, we only let members and our old ladies wear our prized jackets.
Rex is fully aware of it, and I can feel his stare on me as we leave.
He’s going to make me pay for this one. But as Lena climbs on my bike and wraps her arms around my waist, it’s hard to care.