Chapter 28
Lexi
W hen we get back to the clubhouse, we find that all hell has broken loose between Kayla and one of the new club girls named Silver. I’m not sure if that’s her stripper name, a nickname, or her mother just had a sense of humor. I’m not surprised that Silver is decked out in silver metallic pants, a silver sequin halter top, and silver spiked heels.
She’s got a chunk of what looks like Kayla’s hair in her fist, a bloody nose, and is screaming the walls down. Meanwhile, Evan is consoling Kayla, who has a bloody ear. Cindy is pissed and facing off against Rigs.
I tell Zen to get started without me and go over to try and talk Cindy down.
Rigs has to raise his voice to be heard. “From what I was told, Kayla started it by hitting Silver in the face.”
Cindy’s indignant voice responds, “My sister would never attack someone unprovoked. She’s not like that.”
“The hell she isn’t!” Silver shouts. “I just commented on her earrings, and she attacked me.”
Rigs asks Evan, “Son, did you see what happened here?”
“We were shooting pool in the third alcove when Silver stumbled over, drunk, and made a grab for Kayla’s earring. Kayla moved back thinking she was gonna hit her, and she ripped the damn thing out.” Gesturing at Silver, he says, “As you can see, Kayla defended herself.”
Cindy points to Silver, who’s drinking leftover warm beers from nearby tables. “That glittering piece of shit maimed my sister. Aren’t you going to do something?”
Rigs points at one of the prospects. “Get Silver the hell outta here. She just got herself a shiny new thirty-day ban. If she starts trouble again, it’s a perma-ban.”
Silver throws a beer mug at Rigs. “Why you gotta punish me when I didn’t start it? That Evan prospect is lying about me. I just wanted to look at her earrings and she went crazy.”
Rigs just shakes his head. “Watch your mouth. That boy’s my son, and he doesn’t lie. But you sure do. Wade, get her outta here before I change my mind and ban her for life.”
“Yes, sir.” Turning to Silver, he takes the new mug she grabbed, removes it from her hand, and puts it back on the table. “Come on, we gotta get out of here. You really shouldn’t be drinking leftover beers. You know that, right?”
“You’re really handsome. Want to stay with me tonight?”
“Not in a million years. I already see one of the club girls here, and she would snatch you bald if she heard you proposition me.”
Cindy and I wander over to Kayla, who’s still crying as Evan dabs at her ear with some gauze from the first aid kit lying open on the table.
I ask, “Do you know what you’re doing there, Evan?”
“I took a first-aid class. All the prospects take that and CPR. It’s part of our training.”
Kayla stops crying long enough to say, “I could really go for some CPR right now.”
Evan leans down and gives her his version of CPR, which is a lingering kiss. “There, do you feel better now?”
She nods, clearly still as besotted with him as ever. “Yeah, I feel a hundred percent better. Want to go for two hundred percent?”
“I would, but the doctor I called for you just arrived.” Rigs bends down and tilts Kayla’s head to the side to get a better look at her injury. “That doesn’t look so good, Evan’s girl.”
Evan states sternly, “Her name’s Kayla.”
Rigs grins up at him, clearly having forgotten how upset he was a minute ago. “I know. I was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke.”
Kayla gives him a wan smile. “I will never get tired of being called Evan’s girl.”
“My son’s going to get a club name one day, and we’ll all have to use it—even you, Evan’s girl.”
“His club name should be Hero, because he saved Siege’s sister’s life that time,” she announces.
“Yeah,” Rigs responds with a grin. “My son’s real proud of that heroic act.”
“I am too,” Kayla tells him.
“Me too,” Rigs says. “He’s a good kid, and he’ll always treat you right.”
We’re all totally stunned, because it sounds like she’s finally getting Rigs’ blessing at long last, and we all thought he hated her. Well, I guess not, because he gives her a little hug and then moves back so the doctor can get to her. “Let Dr. Patch fix that ear of yours. It’s too pretty to get mangled by a club whore.”
“Club girl,” Kayla intones.
Rigs smiles, “Yeah, we call them club girls here.” I’ve been around long enough to know Rigs always calls them club whores. I don’t know if it’s because he’s religious or just old-school, and that’s what they called them back in the day. They say he was the very first club brother to get patched into the Savage Legion, so I figure he’s just old-school.
Cindy and I wait while the doctor examines Kayla’s ears. “You’ve torn the lobe.”
I speak up on Kayla’s behalf. “Can you fix it, Dr. Patch? I’d be willing to pay for the surgery.”
“Yeah, I can make it look as good as new. You bring her into my outpatient clinic bright and early in the morning, and I’ll work on her. In the meantime, I’m going to clean and bandage it up. I’ll give her some low-grade painkillers to take if she needs them, because this is going to start throbbing in a few hours.”
“Will I still be able to wear earrings?” Kayla asks. It’s clear where her priorities lie.
“Yes, but you’ll have to wait three months to get it re-pierced,” Dr. Patch answers as he dabs her ear with antiseptic.
I glance at the doctor and then to Evan. “That’ll be great, Dr. Patch. After you’re done, Evan can take her to his room and give her more CPR. I know how much she loves that.”
Evan’s ears turn pink with embarrassment. I think it’s cute how he babies her when she’s hurt. Kayla perks up at my suggestion, because she’s not embarrassed at all. Those two are a hoot. It takes the doctor about twenty minutes to sort Kayla out. When he leaves, Evan takes Kayla to his room. Rigs follows them, chatting gregariously. Now that the drama is over, Cindy and I grab a table.
I motion for two drinks, and the prospect behind the bar runs them right over. When he walks off, I comment, “Gee, that was fast.”
Cindy rolls her eyes. “Girl, you are an old lady now. Even though you’re not wearing your vest, they all know.”
Wrinkling my nose, I tell her, “I completely forgot about that in all the excitement about getting engaged.”
Her eyes dart down to my ring. She saw it earlier in the day, and we talked about it. “Is that what the fancy dinner was all about? Did he pop the question?”
“Yeah,” I tell her excitedly. “We’re probably going to have a long engagement.” Shifting the conversation, I ask, “Are you okay with Kayla getting surgery in the morning?”
“Sure, but I’m worried that our insurance won’t pay for it. Seeing as it’s a cosmetic procedure.” She pauses, and then looks at me, “Were you serious about picking up the tab?”
Taking a sip of my beer, I tell her, “Of course. Come to find out I’m apparently wealthy.”
Cindy’s face lights up. “Wow! Tell me all about it.”
I tell her everything, except what Zen’s worth, because that’s his personal financial information. “So, now I have a little cash coming in from both trust funds.”
“God, I’m so happy for you. You deserve to finally catch a break. This has been a horrible year for you.”
“Well, I’ve decided to spread the joy around.”
“How do you plan on doing that? Are you giving some to a charity?”
I momentarily feel like a bad person, because that hadn’t been my first thought. Though in my defense, it’s not like I was going to be a multi-millionaire. Maybe once I get my finances fully in order then it’s something I could look into. “I’m selling my house and moving in with Zen.” Before she can respond, I add, “I’ve decided to use the money from selling the house to buy you and Kayla a place and a new car for each of you.”
Cindy pulls back. “No, no, no! I can’t let you do that, Lexi. Your dad left you that house. If you sell it, you should put the money in your trust. You never know when you might need it.”
“No. I have enough in my trust, and I’m gonna have a husband who owns his own business. Plus, I’ll still have a monthly income from my own work. The bottom line is I didn’t earn any of the money in those trusts, and I didn’t chip in any money on the house my parents bought. From my perspective, it was all free money.”
Cindy grabs my arm and gives it a little shake. “You’re thinking about it all wrong.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve given this a lot of thought. There is no greater financial advantage a person can have in life than having their house and vehicle paid for. Think about it, Cindy. Not having to pay rent and a car payment would enable you to get through college without a huge financial burden.”
She just shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Lexi. It would be nice, but I can’t let you waste so much money on us.”
My eyes narrow on her, because I’m not letting this go.
“You expect me to have everything and sit by and watch you struggle? You and Kayla are like sisters to me. You’re the only real friends I have.”
“Don’t guilt-trip me, Lexi. The answer is still no.”
I expected her to say all that. Now the real negotiation starts. “How about you let me buy you each a new car? That rust bucket you drive is a liability. Don’t make me worry every time you’re on the road.”
She sighs. “Fine, but economy cars only, or maybe a used vehicle. No expensive name brands.”
I grin, thrilled that she’s finally seeing things my way. “Now, about the house.”
“I said no, Lexi. That’s where I draw the line.”
Leaning over the table, I ask, “What if I keep the house in my name, or as part of the trust, and you and Kayla can live there for however long you need? I don’t actually need to sell the house, it was just an idea—and before you say it, I don’t need to rent it out for income.”
Cindy takes another drink of her beer, draining the glass. “You’ve really given this some thought, haven’t you?”
“I just want to see you and Kayla settled and not having to worry. Please let me do this, Cindy. I need it to be happy.”
“All right. Economy cars only, and the house stays in your trust. I don’t want to take from you, Lexi. Why can’t you understand that?”
“I guess it’s because you and Kayla have always been so good to me since I’ve known you. I wanted to repay the kindness somehow.”
“Friendship isn’t about checks and balances. Having you in my life has always been enough,” Cindy says with a smile.
I feel myself start to tear up, “You’ll do it though?”
“All right. Economy cars only. And we’ll live in your trust-fund house until we can afford our own place.”
“See? I knew you’d see the logic in my plan eventually.” Feeling a wave of nausea hit again, I grab an antacid out of my purse and pop it in my mouth.
Cindy makes a little circle in the air around my mouth. “What, pray tell, was that?”
“I’ve been getting nauseous off and on, probably from the stress. The past month and a half have been awful. Actually scrap that, the past year has been a shitshow.”
Cindy freezes in her seat. “Lexi, do you remember the last time you went to get your Depo shot?”
I think it over for a moment. “Of course, it was a couple of months ago. We went together, remember?”
Lifting my beer to take another drink, the glass doesn’t reach my mouth. Glancing down, I realize Cindy has her hand on the bottom of the glass. Confused, I ask, “What in the world are you doing?”
“Saving your ass. Put down the beer.”
Instead of putting it down, I hold it up to the light. “Did you see something floating in it?”
She grabs the glass from my hand, sets it to the side, and looks me straight in the eye. “We didn’t go together last time. I ended up going alone because you refused to leave the house. That was six months ago. You told me you would reschedule. Please tell me you and Zen have been using condoms.”
I stare at her blankly, trying to get my head around what she’s telling me. I vaguely remember putting an appointment off, but I honestly hadn’t thought so much time had passed. I guess that combined with my dad’s murder, everything that happened recently, totally made me lose track of time.
I shake my head. “Shit. I honestly thought I was covered, and we haven’t been using anything.”
“Fucking hell,” she grumbles under her breath. Grabbing my hand, she stalks off towards Zen’s room—the one we’ve been sharing here at the clubhouse. I don’t even fight it because I’m so shocked.
The moment the door shuts behind us, she rummages through her purse. I’m still trying to figure out how I could have missed something so big when she puts a long, slim white packet in my hand. I realize immediately it’s a pregnancy test—one from a bulk pack.
I stammer, “Why is the only woman in this club not having sex buying pregnancy test kits in bulk?”
She flings her purse down on the sofa and puts her hands on her hips. “Who says I’m not having sex? You realize I’ve been staying at a clubhouse full of bikers who love to have casual sex, right?”
I just stare at her, realizing I’ve only ever thought of sex as something you do with a guy you have feelings for. My best friend is having casual sex with bikers. My mind goes off on a tangent trying to guess which club brother she’s been hooking up with.
My thoughts get interrupted when she says, “I’m joking. I bought them a few weeks ago when Kayla started talking about sleeping with Evan, this was before she went on the pill.”
My mouth falls open. “She said they haven’t gotten around to having sex yet. Your sister told me they just watch movies, cuddle, and fool around.”
Cindy snorts a laugh. “For now, but at least she’s on birth control.”
I lift the kit to look at it. “I thought it was stress making my stomach churn. Pregnancy never even occurred to me. God, how could I be so irresponsible?”
“That’s understandable. You’ve been under a ton of stress. I might have thought the same in your place. Just go ahead and pee on the stick. You’ll know one way or another.”
I nod, thinking she’s right, this best friend of mine. I walk into the bathroom, and a few minutes later, I’m sitting on the closed toilet lid, watching a faint pink plus sign appear in the little round window at the end of the stick.
When I realize I’m pregnant, I tear up—not because I’m sad or upset, but because images of little boys and girls fill my mind. They all have Zen’s green eyes and brown hair. They’re all beautiful and tech-savvy like we are. Of course, they’d want to play video games and run around Zen’s shop helping us scrap old computers when they’re old enough. Suddenly, I want this bright new future with Zen more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.