Chapter 13 #3
I glanced down at myself. I was wearing an old pair of black cut-off jeans, a gray T-shirt, and, since we were riding the Harley, a pair of scuffed black Dr. Martens Chelsea boots. Nothing especially enticing.
“You just think that because I sucked your dick last night,” I joked as I walked toward him.
“Didn’t hurt,” he conceded as he handed me his helmet. “You ready for this?”
I nodded and put the helmet on before climbing on behind him.
This was a barbecue at the club for just the brothers and their old ladies.
Most of the gatherings were for families, and we’d gone to them with the kids as a buffer, but this time we were told to leave them home.
Curtis said he didn’t think that it would get rowdy, just that it was a time set apart where the adults could gather without a bunch of kids underfoot.
I was actually kind of looking forward to it.
We’d spent enough time around Curtis’s family by then that I didn’t feel uncomfortable or nervous around them anymore.
His parents had been unfailingly nice to me, asking me questions and making an effort to get to know me and the kids.
Plus, we saw Draco and Kara and the girls a couple of times a week, and I was pretty sure if Dylan wasn’t a factor, Finn would’ve said that his two best friends were their girls, Mia and Kenzie.
The rest of the people at the barbecues were introducing themselves and getting to know us a little slower, which I appreciated, and Curtis was surprised by.
He said normally they were a lot more overwhelming.
Straightening as far as I could, I watched over Curtis’s shoulder as we pulled onto our street and waved to Kara as she and Draco pulled up beside us.
My fear was completely gone now. We didn’t get to ride as often as we hoped because I didn’t like to leave the kids alone more than we had to, but without fail, if we headed to the compound, we were on the bike.
It was enough of a reason for me to look forward to whatever club events were happening.
Curtis’s sister-in-law and I had even started discussing trips we could take on the bikes.
The idea felt like a pipe dream, but I hoped someday we would be in a place where that was a possibility.
When we parked in front of the club, I gave Curt a squeeze and climbed down, automatically reaching for the buckle on my helmet.
“You two planned that, didn’t you?” I asked with a laugh, nodding at Draco.
“Just good timing,” Curt countered with a smile.
“They share a brain,” Kara called out to me. “Just wait. Once you notice it, you won’t be able to unnotice it.”
“That’s so sweet,” I teased as Curtis threw his arm over my shoulders.
“Baby, I think you’ve got a fucked impression of me,” he replied, leaning down to bite playfully at my neck. “Can’t remember anyone else ever callin’ me sweet.”
“Mom does,” Draco argued.
“Anyone outside my mom,” Curtis corrected. “And that’s ’cause she has to.”
People were coming in and out of the building, sitting at the picnic tables, and visiting in groups here and there, but it was far less crowded without everyone’s families present. Curtis led me to a table filled with older women, and I grinned as his grandma, Farrah, hopped up and looked me over.
“Gorgeous,” she said firmly, looking between me and Kara. “Hell, these boys hit the jackpot. Don’t ever let them convince you otherwise.”
“Like that would ever happen,” Kara replied, moving in for a hug. “Draco knows exactly how lucky he is.”
“That’s right,” Farrah said, winking at me over Kara’s shoulder. When she let go, she moved straight for me. Instead of trying for a hug, she cupped my cheek and smoothed her hand down my hair. “Good to see you, Teddy.”
“You too.”
Farrah was loud and opinionated and seemed to thrive on pissing her husband off, but she’d also been one of the first people to instigate a relationship with me and the kids.
“Hey, girls,” Callie called.
“Hey, Gram,” Kara replied, rounding the table to kiss her on the cheek. “What are you guys playing?”
“Poker.” Callie gestured at the table. “And I’m kicking everyone’s ass.”
“You are not,” Kara’s stepmom argued, rolling her eyes. “Is Charlie keeping the girls?”
“Yeah,” Kara said, plopping down beside her as Callie scooted over and patted the spot beside her for me to sit. “She took the kids over to my house so they could use the sprinkler.”
“Didn’t want to watch them at her house with the pool, huh?” Farrah asked as she sat back down. “Don’t blame her.”
“I think Bishop had work or something,” Kara replied. “I wouldn’t want to watch that many kids in a swimming pool by myself.”
“Amen,” Callie murmured.
I listened to the women chatter, talking about anything and nothing as they played cards.
They were all so easy with each other, and in turn, they pulled me into their orbit, making it easy for me too.
I’d had a lot of friends over the years, some closer than others, but if I was honest, I’d never had a group like this.
Deep in my gut, I knew that it didn’t matter if it was today, next week, or twenty years in the future, they would always scoot down so I had a seat at their table.
It wasn’t acknowledged or mentioned. It just was.
I had a place with them. I was one of them.
We’d been there a while, and I’d demurred on playing poker at least five times, when I finally rose to my feet.
“Don’t go chasing after that boy,” Farrah advised with a laugh. “If you’re hoping for his company, just start dancing on a table. He’ll find you.”
“Don’t do that,” Callie advised, glaring at her sister-in-law across the table. “You give shit advice.”
“Always worked for me,” Farrah replied smugly. “Flush.”
“There’s no way in hell,” Callie argued, her head snapping down to look at the cards Farrah had laid on the table. “How the hell are you cheating?”
I walked away as they bickered, laughing as I searched for a cooler. The day wasn’t sweltering, but it was still too warm to be sitting out in the sun without a drink. I debated whether or not to grab a beer or stick to water when my gaze caught Curtis standing outside the clubhouse door.
I couldn’t see his face as he spoke to Dragon, but there was something about the set of his shoulders that immediately made alarm bells ring in my head. Switching directions, I walked toward him, my heart thundering. Something was off.
When I was twenty feet away, he turned to look for me, and when our eyes met, it felt like the bottom had dropped out of my stomach.
“What?” I whispered as I jogged toward him.
Just as I began to pick up speed, Casper came running out of the clubhouse.
“On me,” he bellowed. “Prospects and Hawthorne boys, stay here.”
Bikers all around me rose to their feet and hustled toward their bikes.
“What’s going on?” I asked, panic rising in my throat. It felt like I was running through wet sand, like I was in one of those nightmares where you keep running and running, and you aren’t getting anywhere. It all happened so fast.
I reached Curtis in time to hear the tail end of Casper’s sentence.
“Ambulance at your house.”
In an instant, my entire world imploded.