Chapter 27 #2
I shrug. “Not on purpose, though I can’t deny I like having him around.
We enjoy each other’s company, but after…
certain events in both our lives, we both decided to just be friends.
We didn’t want to ruin things by getting all heavy.
” I take a second because I’ve never opened up like this before to a group, but everyone waits respectfully.
“It happened fast, we just… we’re comfortable with each other.
We don’t overstep boundaries.” The girls know bits and pieces about Sawyer from what they’ve heard — not from me, because I don’t tell them anything about his private life — that is completely off limits.
And I’ve not been quiet about the suffering I went through with my ex.
Usually, that was through drunken confessions on nights like tonight.
“I get that,” Amber says. “It was the same for me and Bronco because we started out as besties, too. I just really enjoyed hanging out with him, then one thing led to another, and here we are.”
“Wait, you kissed him first.” Deanna wags a finger at her. “Remember?”
“The kiss-cam!” Stella squeals. “Oh my god, I almost forgot about that.”
“Bronco’s face was hilarious,” Lace laughs at the memory. “He looked like a deer caught in headlights.”
Of course, the entire thing was on television because they were at a Pelicans game.
“Well, somebody had to make the first move.” Amber shrugs. “But I get where Nova is coming from because I too knew we had a good thing going, and I didn’t want to ruin the friendship.”
“And you didn’t, right?” I ask, chewing on my bottom lip. It’s my one big fear that I’ll lose Sawyer because we’ll overcomplicate things.
She shakes her head. “Things have only gone from strength to strength. We’re so much closer now, and I have zero regrets.”
That’s good to hear. Not that I’m comparing the two. Bronco and Sawyer are nothing alike, but our situation is similar.
“Well, of course things are better, you’re getting dick,” Luna declares, rolling her eyes like it’s obvious.
“Is that all you think about?” Summer sighs. “Seriously?”
Stella covers her face with her hands, laughing. “Oh, my god.”
“It isn’t my fault my old man is not only well endowed but can’t get enough of me.” Luna shrugs, never one to shy away from telling us all how she really feels. “I think about dick twenty four seven, sue me.”
“We do not want to hear about your sexcapades,” Lace groans. “Nope, we don’t.” “Ha, you can talk!” she fires back. “Two guys at once? Now there’s something we can all admire, even if we’re just fantasizing.”
Lace laughs, shoving her playfully. “Keeping two men satisfied is a role I was born to play.”
I laugh too. I don’t know how she does it with Manny and Bandit, but that’s a story and a half.
“So, you’re really okay going in there and talking to this guy?” Bella, the most responsible of the group, asks.
“Aren’t you scared?” Luna shakes her head, mid gulp of margarita.
“To tell the truth, I was excited to help,” I say. “Sawyer has always wanted to capture the people who did what they did to him and make them pay. This could very well be one of the prime culprits. It’s our best opportunity to flush him out.”
“It’s brave,” she says warmly. “Really brave. These people are just evil.” And she would know, coming from an ex-mafia family. Priest made sure he dealt with all of her half-brothers, Rock and Jett’s, tormentors in the worst possible way.
“If you don’t hear word by the time we’re done here, I’ll get it out of Cash when I get home,” Deanna promises, then narrows her eyes at Luna. “Hey. Why aren’t you drinking?”
Luna looks up, suddenly caught off guard, then a bright smile spreads across her face. “How observant.”
I look at Summer and she smiles knowingly, clearly in on it.
“Yeah, Luna, what’s going on?” Star, who has the second loudest voice in the room, zones in on Luna.
“Well, I was gonna tell you guys earlier, but we got talking about this instead—” Luna starts.
“Get on with it!” Aspyn laughs.
“Well, the reason Tag was acting so weird about me being involved was because… well… I’m pregnant!” She holds prayer hands to her lips.
“Oh, my god!” All of us screech at the same time.
“Holy shit, you sneak!” I say. “I spent a whole day with you and you said nothing.”
“I confess.” Payden raises a hand. “I knew.”
Well, the two of them are best friends so that’s a given.
“How is Tag with all of this?” Aspyn asks softly.
“Well, he’s freaking out, as you can imagine,” Luna confesses. “But I don’t know. I’ve always seen him as a Dad, ya know? I think he’ll be great.”
“God help anyone who comes near that baby,” Jas laughs.
That we can all agree on.
“So yeah, that’s why he was weird about me helping out. I had to beg him to let me do it, plus he and Harlem were right next door in the fucking pawn shop,” she says.
“I get why he was cautious,” Deanna says. “I’m surprised he even let you do that to be fair.”
“He took some convincing,” she admits.
“I know I’m done with two, but to have another baby in the house.” Deanna hugs herself. She had her second baby around a year ago. A son for Cash and a brother for Caprice and Callaghan.
After we’re done with hugs and kisses and congratulations, she sits back down, tears in her eyes. “Tag says he doesn’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, but I mean, can you imagine him holding a baby?” she coos.
“Oh, we’ve seen it,” Crystal laughs. “Multiple times, and it’s hysterical.”
“I’m so happy for you,” I say, meaning every word. “How are you feeling about it?”
She shrugs. “Nervous, but also excited. I just really hope this baby isn’t huge, but it is Tag’s sperm after all.”
Everyone laughs, almost sympathetically.
We don’t often see Luna emotional. She’s one of the toughest in the group, but she takes the tissue from Summer gratefully. “So I’m gonna be huge, like really huge, but Tag already can’t get enough of it. He’s been so attentive.”
I somehow have a hard time picturing that, but I’ll take her word on it.
“Well, this calls for a toast,” Star declares. “Luna, you should do the honors.”
“I second that,” says Amber.
“Third!” Lace chimes in.
Luna clears her throat, raising her glass—which we now know contains sparkling water—“To the Queens of the MC. Let our legacy live on. History books will talk about us as women who took our lives into our own hands, never fearing our enemies. Oh, and we got a lot of dick along the way.” Everyone erupts in laughter, clinking glasses, and I know I’ve found my forever family.