Chapter Thirty
Ellie
“Ok, we got into the inner sanctum,” Brandy said when the women had gathered all the supplies we needed. “Now, the question is, do we snoop?”
“Don’t bother. King doesn’t keep anything in here. Everything of importance is in his office. Besides, haven’t you been in here before? You told him you’ve done this before?” Beck questioned.
“Yea, years ago, a club girl got pregnant, and he let us use church for the baby shower,” Brandy explained.
“Wait, do one of the brothers have a child, other than Jack?” Beck said, side eyeing Sam. Sam just rolled her eyes at Beck.
“No, she was seeing someone in the next town over. Trapped him instead of a brother. She knew that was safer,” Amber filled in.
“Also, there are cameras in here,” Beck said.
“There are?” Crystal asked quietly, looking around the room.
“Yup. I told King to turn them off, but I doubt he will. I have learned a lot about my uncle over the past six months. And he’s a damned liar,” she said, pointing her middle finger and glaring at the ceiling.
“Well, that sucks. How are we supposed to talk about them when they can watch and hear everything we say and do?” Jade asked.
I was surprised to see the club girls included. The books I had read showed a distinct line drawn between the old ladies and the club girls. Not that everyone here that wasn’t a club girl was an old lady, but still.
“We can’t,” Grace said, crossing her arms over her chest.
She had chosen to sit in the chair at the head of the table. The one I knew belonged to King. I found that interesting because I had noticed Beck, Sam, and Rachel had sat in the chairs I had seen their men sit in when I was in church earlier.
“Grace, is there something between you and King?” I asked, curious.
“Oh shit,” Sam whispered.
The rest of the women were divided between soft giggles and open mouth stares.
“He fucking wishes,” Grace hissed, leaning back in her chair as she placed her feet on the table, crossing her ankles.
“Oh, I just thought, since you were sitting in his chair.” I shrugged.
“Yea, that’s so when he watches this later, I can piss him off,” she responded.
“Bullshit. You want him to see you sitting in his chair, so maybe he’ll finally follow through on his threat to put you over his knee,” Rachel insisted.
“Fuck that. He tries it and he’ll get a knee to his balls.”
I didn’t entirely believe Grace’s protests. I wrote romance novels; I knew enemies to lovers when I saw them. I chose not to push though.
“I have an idea,” Tiffany offered. “Beck, do you know where the cameras are and how many?”
“No,” she answered.
“Ok, so we can’t cover them up, but if we play some music, maybe we can muffle the sound of our conversation,” she said, grabbing her phone and putting on some loud music.
“Ok, who’s drinking?” Amber asked. “And what’s your poison?”
“I’m out,” Sam said.
“Me too,” Beck huffed.
They were both pregnant and couldn’t drink. I wasn’t much of a drinker myself, but I did like wine.
“Any red wine?” I asked.
“Sure is.” Amber poured me a glass and handed it over. “Grace? Lily? Jessie?”
They each gave her their drink order, and she set to getting them made, then poured shots of tequila for everyone but the mommas to be.
“Beck, what the fuck are you eating?” Jade asked.
“Pickles and peanut butter. Want some?” She held out the pickle she had just dipped into the jar of peanut butter.
“Eww, gross, no. You better put your name on that jar, ’cause if one of the guys tries to make a sandwich, he won’t be happy.” Tiffany laughed.
“Hey, Beck, can I try that? It actually sounds really good,” I said, walking over to sit next to her.
“Sure, you pregnant too?” she asked with a laugh.
I felt the blood drain from my face as I stared at her.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
“Shit, are you?” Beck gasped, sitting forward.
“Um, I don’t know. With everything going on the last few months, I hadn’t been paying attention, but I don’t think I’ve had my period since I’ve been here,” I said, covering my mouth with my hand.
I looked around the room with wide eyes.
“Oh God, he didn’t use a condom.”
“What?” Rachel asked.
“Um, I’m not sure he even realized it. I was going to talk to him about it, but then he got shot. With the book signing, and now this, it completely slipped my mind.”
I looked at the glass of wine I had barely sipped and pushed it away. I couldn’t take the chance.
“I have a test in my room,” Sam offered.
I looked up at her words. Tears formed in my eyes and threatened to spill over.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jessie was at my side in an instant.
“He’s going to hate me. He’ll think I tried to trap him.”
“No, he won’t. Ryder isn’t like that,” Rachel said.
“Yes, he will,” I insisted, turning to Rachel. “In the hospital, when I tried to talk to him about what happened at the bar, he yelled at me, accused me of trying to trap him. Said he fell for that once and wouldn’t do it again.”
The tears I tried to hold back made their descent.
Jessie pulled me into her arms while I cried.
“Tammi put him through the ringer. He wasn’t himself in the hospital, and he didn’t remember being with you,” Rachel said.
“That was my fault,” Grace said, sympathy lacing her tone.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
How can it be Grace’s fault?
“We have this stuff at the bar. It’s pretty potent, and it makes them forget everything, apparently.” She shrugged, like it was no big deal.
“Why can’t my life be simple? Why can’t I go through a day without freaking drama?” I cried.
“’Cause you’re involved with a brother in the Silver Shadows.” Beck sighed.
Pulling away from Jessie, I turned to Beck. “Ryder has been a Silver Shadow for a half a second. My crap life has been going on for years,” I told her.
“Yea, but your brother has been a Silver Shadow for a decade. Even if you didn’t know it,” Beck said with a flick of her hand, like what she said made any sense.
“Sam, you want me to run up and grab the test?” Brandy asked.
“No, apparently you like to snoop,” Sam answered with a laugh. “I’ll go grab it. But how are we going to do this? If we all leave the room, the guys will know something’s up.”
“Go get the test, then stop in at the bathroom on your way back.”
“Wait, can’t we just move to someone’s room? How big are the rooms?” Jessie asked.
“Ours aren’t much bigger than a closet.” Crystal pouted.
“No, but mine is. Cash is VP, so he has the second biggest room here. Unless Grace wants to go out and talk King into giving her the key to his room.” Rachel smirked.
Grace didn’t answer, just simply held up her middle finger in Rachel’s direction.
“Ok, everyone, grab what you can, we are moving this party,” Brandy declared.
Tiffany turned off the music and sunk her phone into the back pocket of her shorts. Each woman grabbed what they could, and Sam opened the door. Her hands were the least laden down as she needed to grab the test from her room.
When we walked into the common room, all heads turned in our direction.
“What’s going on?” Ryder asked, walking toward me. “Are you crying?” he whispered, his eyes roaming over my face.
“She’s fine. We decided to move to mine and Cash’s room. For privacy,” she said, glaring at King, who didn’t look the least bit guilty. “You guys have fun.”
“Hey, Ryder, Ellie is sleeping with me tonight,” Jessie announced.
“Like hell she is.”
“Hey, she slept with me long before she did you,” Jessie pointed out.
She knew Ryder had thought she was a man and had been jealous of how close we were.
Laughs and whistles could be heard around the room, and Ryder flipped them off, then turned back to me.
“Are you sure you’re ok?”
“I am. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, and he turned his head. Taking my mouth with his in a possessive kiss that curled my toes, more whistles and catcalls rang out.
Ending the kiss, Ryder whispered, “I don’t want to sleep without you.”
“Sorry, big guy. Those are the rules. The bride and groom don’t spend the night together before the wedding,” Jessie interrupted, dragging me away.
As we walked down the hall, I turned back to look at Ryder. He stood there watching as we left, a look of concern on his face.
We made our way upstairs, and Sam met us there with a box.
“Make sure that doesn’t get thrown away in here, Cash would lose his shit if he thought I was pregnant,” Rachel said.
“He doesn’t want children?” I asked.
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it.” Rachel shrugged.
“What do you mean, you haven’t talked about it?” Beck asked. “You’ve been together five years.”
“It’s just not something we’ve talked about. We’re both just enjoying our time together.”
“You sound like you aren’t planning to be together forever,” Lily said. “Please tell me that’s not true. You and Cash are relationship goals!”
“I fully intend to be with him until the day I die,” Rachel assured her.
“Ok, Ellie, you ready?” Sam asked.
“Not a bit,” I scoffed. “Can’t I just live in blissful ignorance?”
“Only for a few more months. May as well find out now,” Jade offered.
Sighing heavily, I took the test from Sam and walked to the bathroom. When I reached the door, I looked back at the women that had accepted me. With my brother in the club, at least I wouldn’t lose them if things with Ryder didn’t work out.
“I’m scared,” I confessed.
“Tell you what, you go pee on it, put it on the counter, and come out. Don’t look at it. We’ll all do it together when you’re ready,” Jessie suggested.
That was why she was my best friend. She always knew when to push and when not to.
“Ok, here goes nothing.”
I walked into the bathroom and removed the test from its packaging. I stood there for a few minutes, looking in the mirror, going over the words Ryder said to me earlier.
‘I told you I loved you. That marriage was always on the timeline, but we were just moving it forward, given the circumstances .
Tell me you’ll love me for the rest of your life. Tell me you’ll be a mother to my girls. Tell me you’ll give me more babies. Babies that look like you. Say yes, Ellie.’
Did he mean it?
I was about to find out if he did.
I peed on the stick and placed it on the counter. I kept my eyes on my hands as I washed them. Without a backwards glance, I walked out of the bathroom to the crowd waiting for me.
“So? Did you look?” Jade asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I need a distraction. What should we talk about?”
I sat on the couch against the wall. This room was quite a bit bigger than the one Ryder and I were in earlier. I wondered if all the officers had larger rooms like this.
“Like I said earlier, who has the biggest dick? I haven’t been with all the guys, so Rachel, Beck, and Sam, we need the details. Spill!” Brandy said, her gaze focused on the three women.
“I have only been with Micah, so I have nothing to compare to,” Beck said with a shrug.
“Well, I have only been with Jack, and I am sure Rach has only been with Cash,” Sam pointed out.
Rachel reached over, putting her hand on Beck’s arm, nodding to her.
Taking a deep breath, Beck told us something we were all shocked to hear.
“No, I mean, I have only ever been with Micah.”
“Wait, ever? As in never before him?” Tiffany asked.
“Yup.” She shrugged again. “I was only fifteen when we thought he died. I was so devastated that I never even considered dating let alone sex.”
“Aw, that’s romantic,” Jade swooned.
“That’s dumb,” Crystal muttered.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lily shouted at Crystal.
“What? It’s weird to be obsessed with a kid you think is dead. Anyway, pretty sure Ben has the biggest dick. I mean, there’s a reason they call him Big Ben.” Crystal smirked.
I sat there staring at her. So far, the club girls had been nice, getting along with the old ladies like they were friends. But Crystal was different.
I looked over at Beck. Her eyes were glassy, and I could tell she was trying not to let the others see her hurt.
“Crystal, you need to leave,” I said.
“What? Why?”
“Because this is my party, and I grew up with girls like you. Girls who think they’re all that. Girls who think they are better than everyone around them. When in reality, they’re jealous, insecure wannabe mean girls who couldn’t hold a candle to a real woman.”
“Yes, girl, you tell her!” Lily shouted.
“Crystal, just go,” Jade pushed.
“You bitches are the jealous ones,” Crystal said, walking to the door. “I’ve had every guy down there. Despite what they might tell their old ladies.” With that, she slammed out the door.
“She’s lying,” Brandy assured. “The older guys won’t go near her, so she only has a few to choose from.”
“That’s what Jack told me,” Sam said.
“Yea, well, Ben has been with her,” Lily muttered.
“I’m sorry. Is there something between you and Ben?” I asked her. Lily was the youngest in the group.
I think her and Crystal were close to the same age.
“No, and there never will be.” She pouted.
“Why not? Because of Crystal?”
“No, because Ace made her off-limits,” Rachel said with a sympathetic tone directed at Lily.
“Can he do that?”
“Yea, Ace is kind of a big brother to Lily,” Sam added.
“Our parents were best friends, and when his died, we kind of adopted him. When the club moved here from Arkansas, we followed.”
“Don’t let Crystal get to you, Lily. She isn’t what she thinks she is around here. King can’t stand her. He only keeps her around for the younger guys,” Brandy said.
“Did King tell you that?” Grace asked.
I watched Brandy close her eyes and sigh. Instead of answering Grace, she looked at me. “You ready to find out?”
Choosing to follow her change of subject, I got to my feet. “I guess it’s now or never.”
We all crammed inside the bathroom, and I picked up the stick and looked at it and stared at the result, not sure what I felt.
I set the stick in my back pocket.
“I think I’m ready for bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. Thank you for everything tonight,” I said and walked out of the bathroom, through Rachel’s room, and into the hallway.
I knew Jessie was right behind me. She hooked her arm in mine and led me to the room she was given for the night. We changed our clothes and climbed into bed.
I laid there, letting the tears flow while Jessie held me until I fell asleep.