Chapter 2 #2
“Stupid damn name then,” he muttered. “And there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. Is it normal to get that this early?”
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know, but Mom says it can be, so…”
“Do you want to go?” I gave him a confused look. “I don’t want to sit here and eat if you’re not feeling good,” he explained.
“No, it’s okay. I need to put something in my stomach, even if it's bland.” He was sweet. “Tell me about your family.”
He shrugged, grabbing the soda the waiter set down in front of him with a guttural, ‘thanks’. “They’re cool as far as families go. My brothers are a bunch of dorks, but not in a bad way.”
I wasn’t even sure what that meant, but I didn’t ask because I had a feeling the explanation would only leave me more confused.
We really hadn’t talked about anything deep on our dinner date before. By the time we might have broached those subjects I’d already been buzzed. And horny. “Are your parents still together?”
“Oh yeah. Still act like teenagers in love.” There was a smirk on his lips, but his gorgeous blue eyes softened just a hint.
“Mine are the same.” They were the reason I had such high expectations of love and relationships.
“So…your dad still going to try to beat my ass when I meet him?”
I grimaced even though he was grinning. “Hopefully not, now that you’re in the picture again.”
He gave me a considering look.
“What?”
“Just trying to figure out if I should throw you under the bus or take the ass chewing he’s bound to give me like a man.”
I shook my head with a smile. “I already told them I was the one who broke things off. You’re in the clear.”
“Something tells me I’m not off the hook completely.”
Our food came out and I picked up my spoon, then paused before dipping it into the soup as more and more food just kept appearing. By the time the waiter stopped coming back to the table it was mostly full of plates.
“You’re welcome to eat any of this you want,” he said, motioning to the banquet on the table. “I’m pretty good at sharing.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Some things,” he said with a shrug. I gave him a dubious look. “Fine, with some people.”
“What would happen if one of your brothers tried to take your burger?”
“My brothers? Or my MC brothers?”
I paused. “Is there a difference?”
He considered that. “No. I’d kick any of their asses. I don’t share my food with those assholes. Don’t know where their hands have been.”
I bit the insides of my lips to keep from laughing.
He was relaxed and smiling as he took a large bite of the aforementioned burger.
I took a breath and then ate a bite of soup.
Then I waited to see if my stomach was going to revolt.
It didn’t, thankfully. When I looked up, I found Bolo studying me.
“Anything we can do for that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Pretty sure I’m not supposed to take anything while pregnant.”
He frowned. “Okay.”
I took another bite of soup, trying to decide whether I wanted to ask about his motorcycle club first, or the fact that he’d been in the Army.
“I want you to meet my family,” he said before I had a chance to decide.
“Oh. Um, okay. Don’t you think it’s a bit early for that?” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to meet them. I was just nervous.
“No. Why would it be?”
“Since I just texted you today, I doubt your parents even know about me. Or…” I fell silent without saying that I was pregnant.
“Some of my MC brothers know.”
“They…do?”
He shrugged. “They were there when I got the text. I want you to meet all of them, too.”
I swallowed hard. “...okay.” I was trying to ignore the panic that was clawing at my chest. Why was this scaring me so badly?
I should be jumping for joy. I had a sneaking suspicion it was because I wanted it so much.
There wasn’t time right now to examine my feelings, but I was sure it came down to that.
“When you’re ready,” he added. “It can just be us for a while, if you want.”
The tension in my shoulders relaxed a little.
Us getting to know one another was obviously going to include meeting each other's families, since we were both close with them, but it was also a lot of expectation. “I want to meet them,” I told him. “It’s just… I don’t know how they’re going to react to our news. ”
“My mother is going to lose her mind in the best way possible,” Bolo said, then took another huge bite of his burger. “I’m the first to give her a grandbaby. That will promote me to her favorite amongst my brothers, and it will make you a literal angel in her eyes.”
I blinked at the remnants of that massive burger because there was only a tiny piece left in his huge hands. How had he eaten that so fast? I had only witnessed like three bites.
“Don’t worry. They’re really great people. Down to Earth. My brothers—all of them—will give me shit, but no one will say anything disrespectful to you. Ever.”
“Give you shit about knocking me up?” I asked.
He snorted. “No. Just about having an old lady.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Has been up until recently. We’re all getting to the age where we’re starting to think about families.
Though some of us will hold out longer than others.
” He picked up some fries—‘some’ meaning more than I could eat in one sitting—and dipped them in ketchup, then waved them around.
“And some are too big of assholes. I doubt any women would put up with them.”
I laughed. “Is that your real brothers or the MC brothers?”
“Yes.”
Shaking my head again, I took a small bite of toast. “Sounds like some of the guys at the station.” I was slowly relaxing.
It was hard not to. Bolo was funny, and sweet, and too charming for my own good.
Things may have started out a bit rough between us, but I had a feeling he was going to make this a smooth transition for me.