18. Maggie
MAGGIE
Ronin told me all about his brothers and what to expect at the club, but the second I walked through the front door, I forgot everything he’d said.
Nothing was like I’d imagined it would be, and I was a bit overwhelmed.
And then, I met a couple of the guys and quickly realized I had no reason to be so nervous.
Things got even better when Londyn and Jules came over and asked me to have a drink with them.
They were wonderful. We hit it off right from the start.
They told me all about their first time at the club, and I told them about how Ronin and I had met and our weekend at his place.
It was all going so well until I saw that woman pawing all over Ronin.
The casual banter between Ronin and the other woman was brief, but it was enough to leave me with a knot in my stomach.
He sent her away, but there was something about her that didn’t sit well with me. I leaned over to Jules and whispered, “Who’s the girl at the bar?”
“Oh, that’s just Addison,” she answered nonchalantly. “She’s one of the hang-arounds.”
“A hang-around?”
“Rooster didn’t tell you about them?”
“Afraid not.”
“Well, they’re relatively harmless. They just hang around the club and help out with parties and stuff.”
“And stuff?”
“They ah... They take up the slack whenever needed,” Londyn answered.
“So, they hook up with the guys.”
“From time to time, but that stops when an ol’ lady comes into play.” Jules glanced over at the girls as she added, “They respect our boundaries, and we respect theirs.”
“You do that knowing they’ve been with your guys.”
“That was before us.”
I understood what they were saying. It made sense and all that, but it did little to help the growing knot in my stomach. Ronin must’ve noticed that something was up because he was watching me like a hawk. I needed a breath of air, so I stood and asked, “Where are the restrooms?”
“Right around the corner.”
“Thanks.”
I quickly skirted around the table and made my way to the bathroom.
I went in and looked at myself in the mirror, then fussed at myself for getting so worked up.
I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, but I’d been in this situation before.
Chad’s indiscretions destroyed us, destroyed me, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I couldn’t.
With a newfound resolve, I stepped out of the bathroom and plowed right into Ronin’s chest. Concern marked his face as he asked, “You okay?”
“Hang arounds?”
“I thought you might be upset about that.” He grimaced. “I should’ve told you about them earlier.”
“Yes, you should have.” I felt a mix of hurt and frustration as I said, “I thought we had an understanding.”
“We did. We do.” Ronin sighed. “I just wasn’t thinking. Those girls don’t mean anything to me. They’re just here, and...”
“So, you’ve never been with any of them?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Oh, God.”
“Come on, Maggie. You know that was before you.” He placed his hands on my hips, easing me closer. “You’re the one I want. You gotta know that.”
I didn’t want it to bother me that he’d been with those girls, but it did.
In fact, it bothered me a lot. I knew it was ridiculous.
I was a grown woman with a past of my own.
I’d even had children with another man, and yet, I had the audacity to be jealous of some hookup that didn’t mean anything to either of them.
My eyes drifted to the floor as I whispered, “I know it’s crazy for me to be jealous over something that happened in your past, but...”
“Jealous, hmmm...” Ronin smirked. “That means you like me.”
“Maybe just a little.”
His eyes locked on mine as his mouth crashed down on mine, kissing me with a passion like I’d never known.
My entire body tingled with desire, and it was clear he was feeling the same sensation when his fingers dug into my hips, pulling me closer to him.
The bristles of his beard lightly scratched against my skin as he took complete control.
A light moan vibrated through my chest as my hands began to roam over his chest, gliding over the bulging muscles of his abdomen.
I wanted to touch his bare skin and feel his body pressed against mine, but this wasn’t the time or the place.
I slowly brought my hands up to his chest and took a step back, breaking free from our embrace.
We both stood there gazing at one another.
Neither of us spoke. We knew what that kiss had meant.
The feelings we’d been experiencing were mutual, and as much as we wanted to act on them, they would have to wait—at least for now.
He ran his hand over his beard as he muttered, “I think it’s time for us to go.”
“I think you might be right.”
Ronin took my hand in his and led me back out to the bar.
We both said our goodbyes to the group and after assuring them all that I would come back soon, we went to get the kids from the playroom.
When we walked in, they were in the midst of a heated dart game, and if Nathan’s facial expression was any indication, Samantha was winning.
“Okay, kids. It’s time to go.”
“What?” Nathan whined. “Why? We’re in the middle of a game!”
“I see that, but it’s getting late, and we have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Guess that makes you a lo-ser,” Samantha goaded.
“Samantha,” I scolded. “Don’t start no mess, and there won’t be no mess.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes, and they both pouted as we made our way out of the clubhouse. As soon as we got back in the truck, Nathan leaned up front and said, “Your clubhouse is badass.”
“Glad you liked it.” Ronin glanced over at me, then told him, “But watch that language.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nathan sat back with a smile, and it wasn’t long before he and Samantha put the dart game behind them and were back to their old selves.
When we got back to Ronin’s, the kids disappeared into their rooms, and Ronin and I slipped down the hall to finish what we’d started at the clubhouse.
And, like always, it was incredible, and I forgot all my doubts and insecurities.
The next morning, Ronin made us breakfast, and then we all said our goodbyes. The kids went to put their things in the car, and I used the opportunity to steal one last kiss. “I had a great time this weekend.”
“Right back at ya.” He leaned in and gave me the kiss I was hoping for, then said, “Call me later.”
“Sure thing.” As I started for my car, I told him, “Try not to get into too much trouble today.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I left Ronin’s and went straight home. I had a mountain of laundry to tend to, and I needed to get some groceries. I wasn’t looking forward to it either, but thankfully, I had the entire day to get it done and I could take my time. And that’s exactly what I did.
I didn’t even fix dinner until almost eight, and there wasn’t much to it.
Just a couple of sandwiches and some soup.
Once the kids ate, they finished up some homework and went to bed.
After a quick call to Ronin, I did the same.
The next morning, I got the kids off to school and headed to the salon.
As soon as I arrived, I unlocked the door and headed inside to get ready for a busy Monday.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a soft glow on the freshly swept floors.
I flipped the sign to "Open" and started a pot of coffee.
Before going over to my station, I turned on some soft background music and took a moment to savor the calm before the crazy began.
I’d just finished organizing my tools when the front door chimed, and Keeley walked in with Ryan. Keeley dropped her purse on the counter and gasped, “You aren’t going to believe this!”
“What?”
“I was going to tell her,” Ryan fussed.
“Okay, then tell her!”
“I don’t care who tells me. Just spill it!”
“I found the dress!” Ryan announced, jumping up and down. “It’s so perfect!”
“You’re kidding! I have to see it!”
“Well, I don’t actually have it. They had to order it.” Ryan grabbed her phone from her purse. “But I have a picture.”
She scampered over and showed me the picture of the dress she’d ordered, and it was really something. “Wow, Ryan. It’s gorgeous.”
“Isn’t it?” Ryan sounded like she was on cloud nine. “I bet we went to twenty different stores before we stumbled across it. Of course, it was two sizes too big, but they special ordered one in my size and it should be here by the end of the week.”
“That’s so exciting!”
“Yes! It makes this whole wedding thing seem so real.”
“It really does. So, what’s next?”
“She’s gotta make a decision about the reception,” Keeley answered. “Do they use tents or no tents?”
Our conversation was cut short when Keeley's client came in, and mine followed quickly after.
We chatted between colors and cuts, but there was no final decision made on the tents.
We were too busy to really get into it, especially me.
It seemed I was booked for every hour on the hour, and I barely had time to look up.
When it came time to close, I was still finishing up a client, so I told Keeley, “You guys go ahead. I’ll lock up.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”
They both slipped out, and I got back to work on my client’s hair.
It was just a cut and touch-up, so thankfully, it didn’t take too long.
Once I finished, she quickly paid and left me alone to close up for the night.
I was busy sweeping when the front door opened.
I turned, and I was surprised to find Chad standing at the front counter.
“Chad.” My heart started to race with panic. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“Not like this, we don’t. You call first and let me know that you’re stopping by. You don’t just come in here unannounced.”
“I tried calling, but you didn’t answer.
” His cheeks were growing red with anger, and his brows were doing that crinkly thing they did when he was about to go off.
I was tired and not in the mood for an argument, so I softened my tone as I told him, “I’m sorry.
We’ve been really busy today, and I haven’t had a chance to check my messages. ”
“Maybe you wouldn’t be so busy if you didn’t spend so much time with your new boyfriend.”
“What?”
“I know that’s where you were this weekend.”
“Yeah, and what of it?” I snapped. “Nathan told you we wouldn’t be home.”
The vein in the side of his neck started to pulse as he roared, “You kept my kid from me so you could go shack up with your new biker boyfriend!”
“I didn’t keep him from you. Nathan made the choice not to go.” I’d never worried about Chad physically hurting me, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t nervous about being there alone with him. “Chad, you need to go. This isn’t the time or the place for this.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem if you ever answered your damn phone.”
“I already told you. I was busy with work.”
“Nothing ever changes! You’ve always got some damn excuse!” He took a charging step towards me and pointed his finger in my face as he snarled, “If you think I’m gonna let you whore around in front of our kids, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Dating is not whoring around.”
“You’re the one dating. Not the kids!”
“You mean like you’ve done for the past year and a half?” I scoffed. “You’ve got some nerve to say anything to me after all the things you’ve done.”
“Don’t bring Crissy into this,” he warned. “What happened between us is nothing like this!”
“You are right! It is completely different. I’m not cheating on you,” I shouted. “We were divorced for months before I ever even thought about dating. So, take your stupid judgements and get the hell out of my salon.”
“This conversation isn’t over.”
“You’ve got two seconds to get out of here, or I’m calling the cops,” I warned. “Better yet, I’m calling him.”
Chad shook his head with disgust. “You’re better than this, Maggie.”
“Just go, Chad.”
He glared at me for a moment longer, then huffed and walked out. And just like that, a good day was shot to hell. It wasn’t the first time Chad had ruined a perfectly decent day, and I feared it wouldn’t be the last.