4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
P it scrutinized the area. If he was going to finally get to have Ariel with his men, he wanted it perfect. Of course, if Baron, War, and Roam all tried to kill him, he hoped the bloodbath wasn’t too bad. He’d already supervised the meat in the smoker. He made sure Cue was following his directions exactly. Considering his road name came about from winning barbecue contests as Pitmaster, he definitely wasn’t going to let one of his members screw up the barbecue for his engagement party. He’d considered ordering the food from his barbecue restaurant, Pit’s KC Barbecue. Cue, short for barbecue, had some knowledge before he joined the MC, but Pit had taught him a lot, and Cue now helped Pit manage the club’s barbecue place.
His mom and his aunt had just arrived, and they were making a beeline for him. He was positive his mom and aunt would adore Ariel. She was tough like they were. Of course, his mom and aunt didn’t have a choice. When most of the men were wiped out, they could have just run and made a life somewhere else. Instead, his mom, his aunt, and a couple of the guys who were left had set a plan to give their MC a chance to recover.
His mom had always been involved in the business, but suddenly she and his aunt had everything in their laps. His mom was seventy-five. She’d had him when she was twenty-two. She’d been the quintessential biker chick, and she still dressed that way. She didn’t care what anyone thought of her. Although her given name was Charlotte, his MC family and her friends called her Chuck. The nickname had helped when she was dealing with people because she’d actually threatened people with, ‘Don’t make me call Chuck.’
Her arms wrapped around him, and she pulled him tight. After they lost so many people, she’d always greeted him or sent him on his way with a hug. She’d regretted that she’d been busy and hadn’t given his dad the goodbye he deserved because she’d been distracted with a task. He leaned close to kiss her cheek.
“How’s my boy?” she asked.
“I’m good. Everything’s set.”
He’d decided to let his mom and aunt in on what was happening. He might need them to help diffuse the situation. When he’d told his mom who he was going to make his Ol’ Lady and wife, she grinned, then shook her head, teasing him that he never did anything easy.
He was most concerned because SOMC was a one-percenter club and Bluff Creek Brotherhood MC wasn’t. Pit’s club didn’t traffic women, sell drugs, or anything like that. Heck, most of his members were in law enforcement or first responders, but Pit and his men didn’t believe the law always helped the innocent. Sometimes, justice needed a little help.
His cousin and the Vice President of his club walked over. Justice picked up his mom, kissing her cheek and spinning her around.
“Justice, what have you done? You only try to distract me with that when you’ve done something you shouldn’t,” Ruth asked.
Very few people knew that his Aunt Ruth was the SOMC boogeyman, Ruthless, that the club had threatened people with for the years Pit and his brothers were gone. A couple months after the guys had left for the Army, a small group of men had attacked the compound, trying to burn down what was left. A small figure completely covered in black was seen right before all the men were gunned down. All her mom’s statements to the police and fire department included this supposed vigilante who had protected the club.
From there, when something happened that hurt some other organization that had threatened SOMC, his mom and Ruth blamed it on the vigilante, whether Ruthless had done it or not. His mom had used it to their advantage to protect herself and her family.
“Mama, I haven’t done anything,” Justice whined.
“Hey, Justice. Somebody’s looking for you,” Tack teased.
Tack was Justice’s younger brother and also a first responder with SWAT. The boys could get stuff done but during their off time, the pranks they played sometimes bordered on juvenile. Pit let it happen because with their jobs, letting off steam was a good thing.
“Who?” Justice asked.
“Your future wife,” Tack teased, then pulled his mom over to kiss her cheek.
“Justice, is there something you need to tell me?” Ruth asked.
Justice backed away, shaking his head. “No, Mama. Just someone who doesn’t understand the word ‘no.’ I’ll take care of it.”
Pit had no idea what Justice had done now, but at least for a little while, he’d relaxed before the main event.
“Bluff Creek’s here, and it looks like it’s both chapters. I see Brew along with his President, Bootstrap,” his mom whispered.
He and his mom walked toward the Shields and the rest of the group to welcome them. Please let this go okay. He was deferring to his future wife instead of trying to control everything. She knew her family best. He hoped.
Ariel had decided that biker chick chic was how she was meeting all of Pit’s family and friends. She knew Pit’s group had women hanging around the clubhouse. She’d heard one of the guys refer to the women who stayed at the club as Sirens. Pit had explained that although he hadn’t availed himself of them since they’d got together, he had previously. They treated the Sirens differently, though. The girls couldn’t just come live there. They had to have a plan for a job or already hold an outside job. The club would help them with college or technical school if they wanted to attend. The Sirens were also required to help with cleaning and cooking. Pit had mentioned his mom and aunt had decided to change their jobs when the club was rebuilding.
She rode up to the clubhouse gates on her motorcycle. The prospect at the gate waited until she stopped. She flipped up her face shield so he could see her face.
“I’m here for the party.”
“Name?” he asked.
“Ariel.”
At her name, he straightened. She had to admit she’d only given her first name as a little test to see if Pit had impressed on the guys who she was. He’d passed with flying colors, which she’d known he would.
“Pit said you can pull around right there and park.” The prospect indicated the place beside where she could see Pit’s bike parked. He seemed to know her pretty well. The place beside his bike wasn’t big enough for her SUV to park. She nodded at the prospect and rode toward the spot. She backed her bike in and then shut her down.
“I’ve got this,” Ariel muttered to herself. Now she was freaking resorting to pep talks. She’d gone over fifty different ways to tell her parents who her man was, but she still didn’t know which way to go. They all had the possibility of creating a scene, so she’d wait until she walked in to see what felt right. She left her helmet on her seat. If anybody touched it, she’d teach them a lesson, but she wasn’t worried. Pit kept everyone in line.
It was now or never. She shook her hair out and then threw her shoulders back. Time to claim her man. She strode around the edge of the clubhouse, moving through the different people hanging around. She recognized all the members because she’d familiarized herself with them. Pit was standing by her dad and brothers. Not only had Brew made it but it looked like most of the guys from Cider Creek had come too. Well, that settled it. She was going for the all-out drama. She smiled and walked toward them. Her dad and brothers smiled but were looking behind her. When she got closer, she could tell they were getting a little irritated that they couldn’t see anyone. When she was a couple feet away, she smiled at Pit and ran, jumping up into his arms. He caught her, but she didn’t give him time to say anything. She plastered her lips against his, then tilted her head and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth. No one would misunderstand what she was screaming with her actions.
At the cheering and wolf whistles, she pulled away a little, leaning her forehead against his.
“Honey, I’m home,” she said.
Pit grinned. “Yes, you are.”
Keeping her in his arms, Pit turned toward her family.
“We’ve been together for three months, and she is everything to me. She’ll be my wife, my Ol’ Lady, my partner, and my salvation.”
His words meant the world to her. He wasn’t a man for fancy talk or talking about his emotions. It was hard for him, but for her, he’d bared his soul to her family and his.
War sputtered, “What? How? When? What the hell?”
Ariel laughed. “Do you really want to know how?” she asked.
Brew was grinning ear to ear. Roam was standing by her mom. He winked at her. She’d known he’d support whatever she wanted. He called her weekly or every other week just to check in.
Baron walked over and laid his hand on her shoulder. “You look so happy. If he is the man that puts that look on your face, then I guess I have another son.”
Pit cleared his throat and then nodded. “Thanks, Baron. That means a lot to me. Sugar, do you want to hop down, and I can make it official for everyone to see?”
“Sugar! Why is she not hitting you for calling her that?” War asked.
“Because he says I’m sweet as sugar and strong as steel.” Ariel unwrapped her legs from Pit and slid down to stand by him.
Pit motioned to Justice, and Justice whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Not that she thought it was needed. She and Pit had been the spectacle everyone was watching.
“Ariel, you’ve given me hope. Will you be my Ol’ Lady?” Pit asked.
“Yes.”
Pit slipped the cut on her. The back had the Saint’s Outlaws MC logo. The front of hers had Pit’s Salvation. She turned back to him, and he was down on one knee.
“You know with you, I want it all. Ariel Shields, will you marry me tomorrow?”
She screamed yes and accepted the ring, though she wasn’t sure anyone heard her answer. Once Pit had said tomorrow, Roam, War, and Baron had all screamed what ?
Her mom didn’t seem upset but then a couple times while they were shopping, her mom had a pensive look on her face at the outfits Ariel was trying on.
Pit slid his arm around her and turned toward the crowd. “Let’s party tonight, but everyone’s invited tomorrow to our wedding at two p.m., right here.”
Pit’s mom, Charlotte, came over to congratulate her. She pulled her in for a hug.
“Oh, I can tell you make him happy, which makes me happy. But I also know you obviously have no problem taking care of business when needed. You’re exactly the type of daughter-in-law I wanted. Call me Charlie or Chuck.”
Ariel couldn’t be happier that Pit’s mom welcomed her. “Thanks, Charlie. You’ve raised an amazing man.”
His Aunt Ruth hugged her next. At some point, Ariel would probably need to share the history she knew all about so they’d feel safe talking to her, but for now, she was going to dance with her man.
As she and Pit danced, she noticed there were some women she assumed were Sirens, but it definitely wasn’t the type of party she usually thought about for a one-percenter MC.
“Hey, do you think I’ll need to make an example of one of the Sirens to make sure they understand you’re off limits?”
Pit chuckled.
“Mom made the rule when they rebuilt that the Sirens had to leave a claimed man alone. If they tried anything, she’d boot them out. I haven’t changed the rule because I don’t need men in the MC who don’t know what vows mean. If they’ll cheat on their girlfriend or Ol’ Lady, how can I know they’ll keep our membership vows? I don’t think you’ll need to, but does it make me a pig that it sounds hot having you stake your claim?”
Ariel chuckled, leaning back and then rubbing against Pit’s crotch.
“Seriously, Sugar? Are you trying to make me hard so your dad and brothers want to beat me?”
Ariel leaned up, kissing against Pit’s neck. “Does it make me a pig that it sounds hot?”
Pit threw back his head, laughing. As the song ended, he led her over to the food.
“Let’s eat!” he yelled.