Chapter 23
Roishin
L ike earlier, Bear gave me a warning before we walked in the doors of the club. “ We’re in public.” A not-so-subtle reminder I’d made a vow.
He wrapped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me over the threshold.
Once inside, he made a beeline for the bar area.
On route, he spotted Kate and Zoe at one of the tables.
He grabbed a chair and dumped it beside theirs.
Then he snapped his fingers at Hammer , the same prospect who had been in charge of watching me previously.
“ This time, don’t fucking screw up.”
As far as acting went, he sucked. His foul mood definitely didn’t scream “happy.” Nor did the way he stomped off to the meeting room. At the door, he stopped and dug out his wallet. A bill went into one hand and then he disappeared into the Destroyers bastardization of church.
“ He’s in a mood,” Kate observed.
“ He and Dad both,” Zoe echoed.
I felt the urge to defend Bear , then the overwhelming urge to squash that sentiment into a bleeding pulp.
“ Hammer ? I need a whiskey. Please ?” I spread my finger and thumb apart indicating a full tumbler.
“ You sure about that? Last time…”
“ Please ? It’s been a day.”
“ What about you two? Zoe , Cola . Kate , what do you want?”
“ Why can’t I drink?”
Kate ignored Zoe’s question. “ Beer , please.”
Zoe grumbled about being the designated driver, again . “ Bad enough I couldn’t stay home by myself, but I can’t even have fun.”
Kate studied me. “ How bad of a day?”
I wanted to pour out my pain at someone’s feet, but also remembered everything I’d promised, including not dragging Kate and Zoe into fighting my battles. “ My best friend isn’t going to be able to come home from the hospital.”
As far as conversation killers, I’d found a doozy.
Zoe finally worked up the nerve to ask, “ Why is she in the hospital?”
“ Cancer .”
Hammer set the drinks down and straddled a chair so he could look out at the room while we sipped in silence.
“ What kind of cancer, if I may ask?” Kate’s question was quiet.
“ Lymphoma .”
“ Any family?”
I nodded. “ Four kids.”
Even Zoe blanched. “ That sucks.”
It did. I drank more than a sip, hoping to numb the pain.
I stared at the walls. Photos of bikers and half-naked women littered them.
I recognized a few faces. Sprout , Wolf , Bear .
There were more I didn’t know. The age of them went back decades by the fashion choices and hairstyles.
“ How long has there been a chapter in Skilletsville ?” I remember finding out about them when I was a teenager but knew very little about the story.
“ It was going strong even before Jackson and I got together, so at least forty years? I don’t know.”
“ Any of them die?” It was an odd question, but one I needed to know.
“ A few. Sprout’s dad was killed by the police. They ran him off the road. I’m a little fuzzy on the details of the others.”
“ Pinner is in prison.”
I sent a silent question to Kate to explain Zoe’s comment.
“ Pinner is Lily’s father. Lily and Zoe are closest in age of the children here.”
It drove home that this was a family. Maybe it was a big, dysfunctional family. Yet it was light years stronger than mine. From the horrible example I had as birth parents, to the issues I brought to Carl and his family. Beth filled the void I had for an unconditional bond.
And that bond was unraveling.
My phone buzzed at my hip. I took it, knowing it was John . It was too late for anything else.
“ Hey , John .”
“ Where are you?” He wasn’t his usual polite self.
I sat straighter. “ I’m at the... the Destroyers club. Why ?”
He swore.
That was completely unlike him. “ What’s wrong?”
Kate set her beer down to listen in.
“ Beth stopped breathing.”
I stood up. “ She’s not—” Please don’t tell me she’s dead.
“ No , but they put her on a breathing machine. I’ve got to get to the hospital, but Mom and Dad aren’t here— And I can’t go with the kids.”
“ I’ll be there in a half hour, max.”
“ Thank you, Rose . I owe you.” The relief in his voice was clear.
Zoe , who’d also been listening in, pulled the keys off the little hook on her mom’s purse. “ Mom , you’re on shotgun.”
“ We should tell someone. Where do you have to be?”
Kate and her daughter were angels. I rattled off John’s address and explained the details as quickly as I could. Meanwhile , Kate motioned for Hammer to come with us. “ No sense in getting him in trouble.”
She also grabbed one of the prospects at the door and slipped him the address with directions to tell Jackson first, then Bear .
And within minutes, the four of us were AWOL .
Kate talked us through the gate. The whole time, Hammer cussed under his breath and texted a novel on his phone. Who he was ratting me out to didn’t matter. I was doing this with the fully functional non-family I’d somehow conned into helping.
John met me at the door. He took one look at Hammer and the second thoughts on his face almost surfaced on his tongue. “ Bear has him guarding me. He’s harmless.”
“ Am not,” Hammer argued.
Kate and Zoe joined us.
“ We’re here for your children,” Zoe deadpanned.
John sent me a look of desperation, open mouthed and frantic. “ We’ve got your back.” I pointed at my group. “ Hammer , Zoe , Kate .” I made introductions as fast as I could. “ Go . Drive safely.”
On the heels of my order, June ran at my legs with a high-pitched, “ Auntie RoRo !”
I swept her up and corralled the other children while John gave quick kisses before leaving in his truck.
That was my cue to create a calm circle for the children. I plopped down on the living room carpet and crossed my legs to make a nest for June . “ Arthur , Guinevere , Harry , sit here, here, and here. Zoe , you can sit there. Hammer , don’t scowl. Kate , you can have the couch.”
I reached out and held Arthur and Harry’s hands. Gwen , opposite of me, scooped up Zoe’s , who really didn’t know what to do, but Harry glommed onto her other hand so hard she winced. I should have warned her, but there wasn’t time. “ Okay .” I squeezed Arthur’s hand. “ I’m so happy to be here.”
Arthur picked up my thread. “ I’m happy Daddy can go see Mommy .”
June sobbed once and clung to my chest. I kissed her head but kept my grip on the two boys.
Gwen peeked at Zoe . “ I’m happy Auntie Rose is safe... and has friends.” She leaned over and relayed instructions to Zoe . “ You’re supposed to say one thing you’re happy for.”
“ Oh . Whoa . I’m happy for…uh not wrecking Mom’s car?”
“ Ditto ,” Kate smiled from her perch on the couch. Then added, “ I’m happy my husband is back from his trip. Too bad I can’t be there, but…”
“ It’s my turn.” Harry dropped Zoe’s hand to shoot his complaint at Kate .
“ Sorry .”
Appeased , Harry thought hard. Finally , he said, “ I’m happy Nana bought the new Lego Xbox for me.”
Arthur shushed him. “ We’re supposed to be happy about people. Not toys.”
“ Well , I did include Nana .”
I interceded quickly, “ I’m very happy Nana spoils all of you. And I’m also happy you have the opportunity to share her presents.”
To redirect things, I made sure all the children were properly introduced to Zoe and Kate , but Hammer got the greatest scrutiny. Mostly his tattoos. The boys wanted me to draw some on their arms. I handed a pen off to Hammer and told him to go for it.
He shot me a panicked look.
“ What ? It’ll wash off. Like you never pretended to have tattoos when you were little?”
After a moment of introspection, he grinned. “ Who’s my first victim?”
Soon , he was the center of a mayhem sandwich, which freed me up to apologize to Kate and Zoe . “ If you need to leave, I got this.” I knew Hammer couldn’t leave because of his direct order from Bear .
“ No , I think we’ll stick around. This should be enlightening.”
Whatever had Kate grinning was not lost on Zoe . “ Dad’s going to freak.”
“ Bear’s the one I need to watch.”
And just like that, I had two willing accomplices.
An hour later, the roar of motorcycles sent Harry , Hammer , and Arthur to the windows.
To not leave the girls out, I pulled both of them to the door so we could watch the spectacle of Bear , Jackson , Sprout , and two others line their bikes up against John’s suburban curb.
Kate laughed silently. Her crossed arms tapping against my back as she tried to keep a straight face. Zoe quietly laid odds. “ Over and under on Bear freaking out first.”
“ No contest. He’s going to go quiet. Sprout’s going to say something stupid.”
“ That’s not a bet, Mom , that’s a given. Dad ?”
“ Five bucks he growls.”
“ Ten , he tosses you over his shoulder.”
“ Shit .” Kate dug in her pocket readying for her inevitable loss.
Before any of the predictions came true, Sprout reached over and hit Bear with the back of his hand. “ She looks hot with a kid on her hip, doesn’t she?”
That made Bear hop off his bike abruptly. His face was angrier than it had been when I told him I wanted to find Carl . He stormed up to the house, towering over me and June . Gwen hugged my leg tighter.
“ Hi , Bear . This is Guinevere , and this is June . Beth’s daughters. And over there with Hammer are Arthur and Harry , her sons.”
Bear’s beard shifted. “ Where’s John ?”
“ With Beth , at the hospital.” I tried to keep my tone as light as possible for the children’s sake.
He scanned the chaos. Kate , Zoe , Hammer , Harry , Arthur , Gwen , and finally, June , who was trying very hard to hide.
“ Kate , Zoe . Outside . Hammer , cover them.”
He breathed hard through his nose between orders.
“ I have to stay until John or his parents arrive.”
Bear tipped his head to acknowledge that I’d spoken. “ When’s bedtime?”
“ Probably an hour ago. John was a little stressed.”
A nod. “ I’ll be back in a minute.”
He walked back to the cluster of bikes. Zoe swung her leg over the back of Sprout’s bike and Kate stood by Jackson’s . After a quiet word or dozen, she climbed behind her husband while Hammer retrieved keys from Zoe . Their little cavalcade took off leaving Bear behind.
No yelling, no theatrics, just an organized exit despite the haste.
“ You’ve got more tattoos than Hammer .” Harry had no filter. And no fear. He put a sticky finger on Bear’s hand, right on top of the warrior rune he had inked on his ring finger.
“ Yeah . I suppose I do.”
Gwen took his low rumble as an opportunity to release her death grip from my leg, but she fisted my dress in one hand. “ Are you a friend of Auntie Rose ?”
“ Rose ? Am I ?”
“ Yes , Gwen , he’s my friend. So are all the others who were here.”
I don’t think she believed me because she didn’t let go of my dress. But June did. She launched from my arms to reach for Bear . I almost toppled over trying to catch her and not get tripped up by Gwen .
“ Whoa , hey. Which one are you again?”
June slapped a wet hand on his cheek. “ Ju -ju.”
“ What’s your name?” Gwen stared up at Bear .
“ They call me Bear .”
“ You look like one.”
“ Bear !” June hugged him by wrapping her arms around his neck.
That made his eyes bug out a little. “ Is she always like this?”
“ Only for people she likes.”
“ She likes everybody,” Gwen supplied.
“ Can I draw tattoos on you?” Harry asked.
“ No .” Bear mouthed a silent “help” at me.
I smiled wickedly.
Arthur tugged his jacket, “ Can you draw tattoos on me?” He twisted his arm to show off the blue ink that Hammer and Harry contributed to.
That was something Bear couldn’t ignore. “ Who drew that shit on you?”
Three little hands stuck out at the same time. June , who’d stuck one hand back in her mouth, pulled it out and patted Bear’s mouth. “ Bad bear.”
“ You owe a quarter for every swear word,” I explained.
“ To each of them?”
That only made their insistent hands waggle harder.
“ Yep .”
He dug out his chained wallet. “ I only have?—”
Gwen snatched a dollar from the stack and ran it to a bright blue mason jar aptly titled in bold black letters.
He held the wallet a little closer to his chest. June ran a finger across the skull design embossed on the outside.
“ Not yours.” He tucked it away while June rewrapped herself around his neck.
Finally , he sighed. “ You had to, huh?”
I nodded. “ I’ll get them ready for bed if you can watch June for a bit?”
“ Seeing as she’s stuck to me like glue, I suppose.”
“ Thank you.” I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He could have gotten angry. Could have demanded and blustered, but instead, he adapted. For that, he deserved a bit of honesty. “ We will talk about all of this and the stuff before. I promise.”
He sighed. “ Yeah . First things first.”
At least an hour later I had all four children clean and if not sleeping, tucked in bed. Gwen was last to go down. She demanded I read her a bedtime story. Bear leaned against the door as I pulled out the worn copy of fairy tales I’d bought for them.
“ Read the one about the bear.” She snuck a sly look at the man in her doorframe.
I thumbed through until I landed on it.
When it ended, I kissed Gwen on the forehead and tucked the covers around her. “ I’ll be downstairs until your dad or grandparents get here, okay?”
“ Rose ?”
“ Yeah ?”
“ He married the wrong one.”
“ Who ?”
Gwen pointed at the book I’d placed on her nightstand. “ The bear. He should have married Rose Red . Not her sister.”
“ Okay . Why ?”
“ Because Rose Red is you.”
“ And I suppose there’s a prince over there?” I slid a mischievous look at Bear .
“ He’s in disguise,” Gwen whispered loudly.
“ Sorry , but that’s his normal look,” I told her.
She didn’t believe me but let me finish tucking her in.
In the hallway, Bear put a hand against the other wall to block my path. “ I’m not a prince.”
“ I know that.”
His jaw tightened. “ Probably more than most.”
I stared up at him. “ You’re trying though. That’s something.”
His hand slipped and he walked away.