Chapter 6
Danica
“W ait here for a few minutes,” Smokehouse told me.
He pointed over to the tables. Beyond that was a room that had couches, recliners, a pool table, and more.
On the other side of the room I was standing in was a full bar.
I’d run out so fast the first morning I was here, I hadn’t really taken a look around.
“I need to speak to my president for a few minutes. Then I’ll take you upstairs. ”
I nodded, clutching my bag to my chest, but remained standing.
There were a few more suitcases out in my car, but he’d said we’d get those later.
The whole way over here, I’d gone back and forth with myself.
Moving in with the beautiful biker who’d knocked me up after knowing him for only a handful of hours?
It was madness. About as crazy as going home with him the first time.
But there was a part of me that really wanted it.
If nothing else, for our baby. Maybe a little for myself.
Thinking that Smokehouse wanted anything from me other than to know his child was preposterous.
The man screamed one-night-stand. At least he was single.
Which was completely hypocritical to think because, though I was separated, I still hadn’t made it through my divorce.
That was hard to do when the other party was refusing to sign.
I needed to look further into it and see what I needed to do.
I didn’t want to drag Keely further into my drama if I could help it.
Besides, she wasn’t a divorce lawyer, so I’d find someone else who might know more about the laws and what I could do about Eli’s refusal.
Whoever it was needed to be cheap and discreet.
I didn’t exactly make a ton of money as a teacher. That was the reason I hadn’t insisted on staying in a hotel when Smokehouse had come up with this plan of me moving in. I just couldn’t afford it.
“Hello, Darlin’.”
Turning, I eyed the older man walking toward me.
He looked friendly enough. He shot me a smile and I couldn’t help but relax.
I knew this was a clubhouse. Smokehouse had explained some of it while I’d packed my bags.
There were a lot of people who lived here and visited.
It made me nervous to be standing out here by myself.
No one really knew who I was and I didn’t want to get kicked out.
“I’m waiting for Smokehouse,” I stammered in explanation, even though he hadn’t asked.
His brows rose, but he nodded. “Pretty thing like you? Not his usual type.”
“Are ugly women his usual type?” I asked with a laugh.
“Experienced women are.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what he meant by that. “I’m Danica, but you can call me Dani.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Hush.” He held out a hand.
As soon as his fingers wrapped around mine, I felt less nervous. Something told me this man was protective over what was his. I could only hope that me being here with Smokehouse would mean that these men would accept my presence here.
“Hey! If it isn’t the little slugger.”
Leaning to the side, I peered around Hush’s large frame and watched as two men walked up. They looked the same as all the others around here. Jeans, t-shirts, leather vests, and boots. I didn’t recognize them. “Excuse me?”
They shot each other matching grins. I had a knack for reading people. You sort of had to when you worked with kids. These two were trouble-loving class-clown types. The only difference between them and hyper ten-year-olds would be vocabulary. I felt it all the way down in my bones.
“Caught your show the other day,” one said with a wink.
“Toxic, what the hell you talkin’ ‘bout?” Hush asked the man with a scowl.
“She came here to see Smoke. Gave him a nice sucker punch in the gut and threw something at him,” the second man stated. “She’s got a nice arm.”
“And a nice right hook,” Toxic added.
My face was flaming when I realized they’d watched the whole thing go down with Smokehouse. It hadn’t been my finest moment, though these two seemed to think it was great. “Oh. Um…”
“Don’t mind Butcher and Toxic,” Hush told me. “They’re not real people. You’ll get used to them. Can I get you a drink while you wait?”
“That’s a terrible fucking idea,” Butcher snapped, leaving Hush gaping at him.
“What?”
“No, thank you,” I told Hush, then shot Butcher and Toxic a look that told them to keep their traps shut.
Apparently, being a teacher and able to control a room full of children was the exact skill set needed to keep them in line.
I wasn’t ready for everyone here to know I was pregnant.
It was only a matter of time, but I still wasn’t sure if I was going to be judged for it or not.
“You two are actin’ weirder than normal,” Hush muttered, shaking his head. He walked over to the bar and reached behind it, pulling out shot glasses and a bottle. The men settled in on the stools with their drinks. “You’re welcome to have a seat over here.”
“Thank you.”
“Feel free to drop the bag,” Butcher told me. “No one here is going to steal it.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, I never thought… I just didn’t want it to be in the way.”
“You’re not in the way,” Toxic assured me, coming over and taking my bag from me. He put it on top of a table, then put a hand on my upper back and steered me over to the bar stools. “Sit. Make yourself comfortable. Smoke is going to be in there a bit. He has some explaining to do.”
Butcher snickered into his drink while Hush looked between us all. “Explainin’?”
Thankfully, the front door opened and suddenly the space was filled with chattering, laughing women. My stomach plummeted when I saw Gwen and Jordan.
Their eyes widened when they spotted me.
“Dani!” Gwen called out. The horde descended on me and a tiny part of myself was jealous because they all looked so happy and relaxed.
And round. You couldn’t help but notice that pregnancy was contagious in this place.
There were a couple of women with baby bumps.
My mouth dropped open when some of the women moved out of the way and one in the back came forward. Her belly was large and led the way. I sucked in a breath, staring. That was going to be me soon. Excitement and a little bit of fear zipped up my spine.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Hush asked. “That’s my old lady, Seek.”
Hearing her name, Seek came over, behind Gwen and Jordan. That seemed to be the cue for the rest of the women to follow.
I swallowed hard, overwhelmed at being introduced to so many people at once, and with Smokehouse nowhere in sight. “Hi,” I told the group, feeling lame.
“Everyone,” Jordan said, taking charge, “this is Danica.”
“Dani,” I corrected.
“She’s Sean’s teacher,” Gwen added.
Everyone was speaking at once. Jordan started rattling off names that I knew I wasn’t going to remember, not with the anxiety that was building up.
“What are you doing back here?” Jordan asked me, after everyone settled a bit.
When I’d first met her, I’d loved that Gwen was a soft, sweet woman and her friend Jordan was more take charge. They were great influences for Sean. But now I wasn’t so appreciative of Jordan’s blunt nature. “I… Um…”
“She’s here for Smokehouse,” Hush said, cursing when Butcher kicked him under the bar top. “What the fuck?”
“Her business is hers alone,” Butcher said.
All the women fell silent, staring at Butcher like he’d grown another head.
“I’m sorry,” Jordan said, her eyes shining with worry. “I wasn’t trying to pry.”
“It’s okay,” I told her quickly. The last thing I wanted was for this group of women to hate me, or feel awkward. Tears clogged my throat as I realized I was screwing this whole thing up.
I mustered up all of my courage, swallowed down the fear, and blurted out. “I’m pregnant.”
You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was frozen, staring at me. Then it was like a starter pistol had sounded and everyone was off to the races. I was being passed around, getting hugs from complete strangers. It was so odd, but strangely comforting.
Hush gave Butcher and Toxic a pointed look. “You weren’t kiddin’ about Smoke havin’ some explainin’ to do.” He seemed to have forgiven them for keeping him out of the loop in the first place.
“He said something about his president?” I said, butting in. “I’m not sure what that means.”
“There’s a lot about club life that he’ll have to explain to you,” a tall, dark haired woman told me.
The shape of her blue-gray eyes was all too familiar, along with the rest of her face.
Their eyes and hair may be different colors, but she and Smokehouse looked too much alike to be anything other than siblings.
“I’m Kit. Smokehouse’s sister,” she said, confirming my suspicions.
“Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry for blurting that out,” I replied, horrified. “I didn’t know he had a sister.”
Before I could apologize again, she wrapped me up in her arms. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I can’t wait to get to know you better.”
“Thank you.” Tears rolled down my face as the stress of the situation eased off. They were all so kind and welcoming. “I can’t seem to keep from crying.”
“Hormones,” someone said softly next to our elbows.
I pulled back from Kit and looked over. A woman was offering me a box of tissues. “I’m Sloane. Seek and I can tell you about the hormones.” She patted her small, but distinctly rounded belly.
“How many pregnant women are here?” I asked with a laugh, taking a tissue.
“Just you three for now,” Gwen told me.
“We’ll have to be careful, though,” one of the other women said. I thought I remembered her being introduced as Susie. “Once there’s one, the guys all start getting ideas. They love babies around here.”
That was a surprise to hear. These rough looking bikers loving kids was the last thing I’d expected.
“Speakin’ of,” Hush said, a grin flashing over his handsome face.
That was another thing these guys all had in common. They were all good looking. It wasn’t fair to the female population. Everyone moved out of the way as four little girls raced through the door.
“Quit running!” A man bellowed from behind them. “Act like I taught you some kind of manners!”
It was the man from the other day. The one who’d let me on the club’s property to speak to Smokehouse in the first place. I stared down at the little girls who were now circled around Butcher and Toxic.
“Uncle Butcher! Uncle Toxic! You promised to teach us to ride,” the oldest of the four told them. She gave them a pout that seemed to inspire the other three to poke their bottom lips out. It was adorable.
Their father walked up, scowling at the pair at the bar. “Ride what?”
“Bikes, of course, Daddy,” one of the younger girls replied.
“What kind of bikes?” he countered, sounding suspicious.
“Dirt bikes,” a third girl said, then looked ashamed when the other girls shushed her.
“You’re not fucking teaching my girls to ride dirt bikes.”
“Gabby’s old enough,” Toxic pointed out. “And since you’re dragging your feet, someone has to.”
“If she gets to, we do too.” Three small mutinous faces glared at the men.
“How about you teach us all to ride horses instead?” Gabby suggested, a sly look crossing her face.
Butcher looked over at her in shock. “Where the hell are we supposed to get a fleabag for you to ride?”
“Well I could-” Toxic started, but Butcher elbowed him hard in the stomach. He broke off with a grunt of pain.
The oldest girl, she had to be around ten or so, plopped her hands on her hips. “Sandy’s parents got her a horse for her birthday.”
“Well good for Sandy,” Butcher said, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “Still doesn’t explain where we’re getting horses from.” He gave Toxic a glare, telling him to keep quiet. It gave me the distinct impression that Toxic could not only find horses for these girls, but teach them to ride.
Priest joined in on glaring at Toxic. “No horses,” he commanded.
“Do you even know how to ride horses?” Seek asked. The women were doing their best not to laugh at the men’s plight.
“Damn things have a mind of their own, can’t trust ‘em,” Butcher said.
Toxic lifted his beer to his lips and avoided eye contact.
It was easy to see that these girls had the men wrapped around their little fingers. It was so cute.
“No horses,” their father said again since no one had listened the first time. He added a little bass into his tone. “And no dirt bikes.”
The girls all started complaining, but one of the women with curly hair stepped forward and helped herd them all upstairs.
“That’s Priest. Jenny is his old lady. And those are his girls, Gabby, Taylor, Caitlyn, and Cassie,” Kit whispered to me.
I gave her a grateful look. There were so many people here.
It was going to take me a while to remember who was who.
The fact that they hadn’t tossed me out on my butt after I’d made my announcement was a good sign.
They’d already started closing ranks around me, making me feel like maybe I could one day be a part of this group.
But I was pretty sure that would mean that Smokehouse would have to want to keep me around.
I wasn’t at all that sure of where we stood.
Deep in my heart I was hoping that he might want me along with our child, but it might be a long shot.
We didn’t know each other very well, and I still wasn’t even divorced yet.
Why would he want to take on that kind of burden?
Tucking the disappointment and sadness away, I sat back and watched as the people around me interacted.
They were like one big family. I shot Kit a look out of the corner of my eye.
She’d seemed incredibly friendly. Would she still feel the same after she found out from Smokehouse that this had all happened by mistake?
It was already important to me that I be accepted.
One, because I’d be living here for the unforeseeable future.
But also because I just really wanted them to like me.
If nothing else, they would be a part of my child’s life.
It would be nice for everything to be friendly and amicable.
Maybe, if miracles happened, I could be a part of it, too.