Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Hattie Lynn
“What the heck am I supposed to wear to this thing?” I grumbled under my breath.
I had a towel wrapped around my body and my hair twisted up in another. I’d showered, exfoliated, and shaved every inch of my body, but I didn’t have a single thing to wear to the Kings’ party.
“Are you talking to yourself again?” Sondra giggled from her perch on the end of my bed.
My eyes met her laughing ones in the mirror. “Yes. I don’t have any clothes. I didn’t exactly have time to pack a bag when I was fleeing Nashville in the middle of the night.”
After catching Shawn screwing another woman in our bed, I called Sondra and told her I was leaving Nashville and never coming back.
Then I proceeded to tell her what I’d walked in on, and she had promptly agreed that I needed to get the heck out of dodge for a few days–probably not forever, but for the rest of my days off.
Agreeing that leaving Nashville forever was maybe a little hasty, I agreed to wait for her at the airfield, where we hopped back on my plane and flew to Odin.
She’d been confused–as you can imagine–and then I’d had to fill her in about my past life and the Kings.
Suffice it to say she’d been a little hurt that she didn’t know everything there was to know about me.
“Welp,” Sondra said, clapping her hands as she hopped off my bed, effectively pulling me from my thoughts. “You’re in luck because I have just the thing.”
My brows went up. “Babe, whatever you have in your bag isn’t going to fit me.” We were the same height, but I had more junk in the trunk than her.
She waved me off, then disappeared down the hallway, coming back a minute later with an arm full of clothes. “I may have been packed to party it up in Nashville.”
One by one, she neatly laid out each outfit across my bed. “Let’s see…” she tapped her chin as she eyed the garments thoughtfully. “This. This is it.” She pointed to the black leather pants, red pumps, and white bandana halter top that was to freakin’ die for. “What do you think?”
I picked up the leather pants, running the buttery soft material between my fingers. They were exactly what I would have picked for a night out.
But... I held them up to my waist. “If–and that’s a big if–I’m able to squeeze my ass in these, they’re gonna look like I painted them on.”
Sondra waved a hand. “Uh... yeah! That’s the point,” she grinned. “Trust me.”
“O-kay.”
Thirty minutes later, I was looking at my butt in the mirror.
The pants were super tight. They technically fit, but if I bent over for any reason, the button was going to be history.
But the white bandana halter top? That fit perfectly, and it was sexy as hell.
It was cut in a V that came to just above my waistline.
The sides were open, showing off a hint of skin.
It was perfect. “Where did you get this top?”
Her eyes met mine in the mirror and she waggled her brows. “Shein. Twenty bucks, baby.”
Sondra was the ultimate thrift queen. Those couponers that could go in a store, buy a bunch of stuff, and the store owed them money. She was one of those. The girl knew how to stretch a dollar. It was one of the things I loved about her. She had money but she knew its value; she was frugal.
“You’ve got good taste.” I lifted my foot and grinned at the red pumps that made my legs look a mile long. “Because these are hot.”
“What’s hot was that man you left looking like a sad puppy on the porch, earlier.”
I spun away from the floor length mirror and pinned her with a look. “We’re not talking about him.”
Sondra’s brows went up. “Why not? The best way to get over a man is to get under another one, and that man was fine.” Her face went dreamy. “Tall with all those muscles and thick thighs.”
“Weston and I... we have history.”
Sondra sobered. “I’m sorry, Hattie. I didn’t know.”
I half-smiled. “It was a long time ago.”
Turning back to the mirror, my mind went straight to where I didn’t want it to go. Seeing Weston earlier felt like getting stabbed in the heart all over again. When he’d ended us, he took half my heart with him. He still had it.
But Sondra wasn’t wrong. He’d filled out since high school. Gone was the lanky boy I’d fallen in love with, replaced by a beast of a man covered in tattoos.
I sighed as I fluffed my hair in the mirror. I had to stop thinking about him. He’d already broken my heart once.
“I’m nervous,” I confessed, catching Sondra’s watchful eye in the mirror as I put on my big gold hoop earrings.
Her expression softened immediately. “This is your family, babe. You don’t have to be superstar Hattie with them. You only have to be you.”
My shoulders relaxed for the first time all day.
She was right.
The Kings didn’t expect anything from me. They’d always accepted me exactly as I was. I didn’t have to perform for them.
“You’re right.” Spinning around, I planted my hands on my hips. “So. Are you ready to party?”
Sondra bit her lip, suddenly looking uncertain. “I think so.”
A wicked smile spread across my face. I might have recently sworn off men, but that didn’t mean my girl had. “I just had the best idea. I’m gonna find you a hot biker for the night.”
Her face lit up like the Fourth of July. “Now you’re speakin’ my language.”
The sun was setting by the time we pulled up to the Kings compound in my rented Suburban.
My grandfather had insisted on driving, snatching the keys right out of my hands with a gruff, “If I have to ride in a fuckin’ cage, I’m damn sure gonna be the one drivin’ it.”
He was stubborn as a mule like that.
Throwing open my door, I dropped onto the gravel. Rounding the back of the truck, Sondra linked her arm through mine.
“Wow,” she whispered in awe.
I knew how she felt. I’d always felt the same way. The massive steel building that housed the clubhouse was quite a sight. As we approached, a swarm of butterflies took flight in my belly.
“You good?” she asked, squeezing my arm.
“Yeah,” I lied.
The second we stepped through the front door, the entire room erupted.
“SURPRISE!”
I jumped, my hand flying to my chest even though I’d known this was coming. The common room was packed with familiar faces, all grinning at me like I was a long-lost daughter who’d finally come home.
Tacoma shook his head, chuckling. “She knew there was a party!” he boomed.
Then he crossed the room in three long strides and pulled me into a bone-crushing bear hug as he lifted my feet clean off the floor. “Damn, it’s good to see you, little bit.”
“You too, Tacoma,” I said, using his road name. He’d always be Jude to me, but I remembered how things in the club worked.
Next to come over was Bane, who looked the exact same. “About damn time you came home,” he said, wrapping me up in his arms.
“I missed you too, Cooper-looper,” I laughed, using his nickname I used to call him when I was a little girl.
Journey was next, and he picked me up and spun me around until I was dizzy. “The Mad Hatter’s back!” he whooped, making me laugh despite myself.
“Don’t you start with that shit,” I warned, unable to keep the grin off my face as I turned to Sondra to make introductions. “This is my friend, Sondra.”
A round of “Sup,” went around the room.
First to approach was Tacoma’s ol’ lady, Foxy, who was absolutely gorgeous.
She had long blonde hair with pale pink streaks and tattoo sleeves on both arms. She was also very heavily pregnant, with a protruding bump that looked so big on her dainty body that I was honestly afraid she might tip over.
And she must have been a mind reader, because her bright green eyes sparkled with mischief as she hugged me carefully around her protruding belly.
“I know. I look like I’m going to pop,” she giggled, then added, “It’s so nice to finally meet you, honey. Welcome home.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
Protective as ever, Tacoma pulled her close and placed a protective hand over her bump.
Before I could congratulate him on the baby, Journey was in front of me with an adorable blonde over tucked into his side. “You’re gorgeous,” I blurted, making her blush. It was true though, and her makeup was absolutely flawless.
Johnny’s chest puffed up like a peacock. “Meet June, Hatter. She’s one of your biggest fans. She did a whole series on her TikTok channel dedicated to your look on the Rebel Road Tour.”
My brows went up. “Wow. I’m so honored. I can’t take any of the credit for that, though.
I have a killer makeup team.” I said, making a mental note to ask her what foundation she used because it looked airbrushed.
“Wait. Did you say June?” My eyes flicked between the two of them.
They were seriously the cutest couple I think I’d ever seen.
Jonney rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
Oh, he knew exactly where I was going with that. “So, you’re... Johnny and June?” I snickered.
“Hardy-Har-Har. Laugh it up, Mad Hatter.”
And so I did. I burst out laughing. Not because it wasn’t adorable as hell that they were Johnny and June, but because when we were kids, I’d call him Johnny Cash and it drove him crazy.
Rolling his eyes with a big smile on his face, Johnny steered her away, letting Bane shoulder in with a beautiful woman. And she was beautiful in that girl next door, unsuspecting way. She had on a pair or purple rimmed glasses, and her hair was up in a messy bun. “Hi,” she said, waving a shy hand.
Bane slid a protective arm around her waist. “This is my woman, Frankie.”
Frankie elbowed him in the ribs. “Do you have to be such a caveman?” she growled, narrowing her eyes at him.
My head went back and I laughed out loud. I couldn’t help it. I liked her already, which I said in the next instant. “I like her.”
He dropped a kiss on top of her head like she was his whole world. “Me too.”
“Okay, you guys. How about you all give the girl a break,” Roxy instructed, pushing through the crowd and pulling me into a momma bear hug. “It’s been too long, princess,” she rasped, “Too damn long.”
Instinctively, my arms went around her and my eyes closed. I breathed her in. Roxy had been like a mom to me after I’d lost my own parents. She was pretty much a mom to us all.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
“I know, baby girl. I know.” She pulled back, her crystal blue eyes studying my face like she was memorizing every detail. “You’re still just as beautiful. I don’t know how that idiot could let you–”
“There she is,” Eagle’s gravelly voice interrupted hurriedly as he came up from behind his wife. He hit Roxy with a look that I didn’t understand. She curled her lips over her teeth and walked away.
“What was that?” I asked.
Shaking his head, he dipped his chin and hit me with the notorious Benson smile that made women forget their own names. “Nothing, baby girl.” He squeezed me tighter. “Rox was right. Been too damn long.”
Being wrapped up in Eagle’s embrace was like being hugged by the sun. He had a way of making you feel warm and safe, like nothing bad in the whole wide world could touch you as long as he was around.
“I’ve missed you too,” I admitted, my voice muffled against his chest.
Stretching out his arms, he held me at arm’s length, his cobalt blue eyes serious. “Can’t stay gone this long again, girl. We’re your family.”
“I won’t,” I promised, and I meant it.
Looking over his shoulder at all these faces—my family—something inside my chest cracked wide open. I’d missed this, missed them, missed feeling like I belonged somewhere.
After Weston broke up with me, I felt like my whole world went up in flames. Like I was alone, like I’d lost everyone all over again.
When my parents died, the Kings became my family. Then Weston ended us, and the grief swallowed me whole. I lost the person I loved most all over again. God, I’d been so naive to think that what we had would last forever.
But seeing how genuinely happy everyone was to see me, I realized how wrong I’d been. My family was still there, and they’d been waiting for me to come home.
Sondra appeared at my side with two beers in her hands.
“Thank you,” I said gratefully, taking one and immediately taking a long sip. The cold beer felt good going down.
“You okay?” she asked, bumping my shoulder with hers.
“Yeah,” I said, and realized I actually was. “I am.”