20. Brooke
brOOKE
Iwas a wreck the first time Brayden brought me to the Fury clubhouse, and when I walked through the door, it didn’t help matters that they all looked like they were waiting for a fight.
Their faces had been fierce and unforgiving, their voices low and intimidating, and every move they made had an edge that left no doubt these men would do whatever it took to protect the people they loved.
I wasn’t afraid of them. Not really.
I just wasn’t sure I would ever want to spend a Sunday afternoon with them.
But Brayden asked me to give them another chance.
The second we stepped into that family room, the laughter drowned out everything else.
The guys were carrying on and sipping their beers as they argued over the game that was playing on the television.
The women were gathered in the back corner in various groups with their little ones, whispering and laughing like they were the best of friends.
I found myself hoping to be part of that little group someday.
Because this didn’t seem like a dangerous motorcycle club. Nothing of the sort. Instead, it was family. A big, boisterous family who always had each other’s backs.
I don’t know what had changed. I could only assume that the concerns they’d had with Raymond, or those photographs were no longer an issue. I asked Brayden about it, but he was quick to say it was handled and that I shouldn't worry.
That was easier said than done, but as I looked around the room at all the smiling faces, I couldn’t help but think that all was right in the world. I glanced over at Brayden, and he was still right next to me with Anslee perched on his hip.
Goose and Grim were talking a mile a minute, and Anslee was listening to every word as she clung to the front of Brayden’s T-shirt, happily babbling at anyone who glanced in her direction. Grim smirked as he looked down at her and said, “It’s a good thing you look like your momma.”
“Hey, now. She looks like me, too,” Brayden complained.
“Don’t know about that.” Grim grimaced. “Maybe the eyes, but that’s about it.”
Like she’d been waiting for her cue, Anslee reached up and grabbed a fistful of Grim’s beard. He let out a little grunt as he whined, “Hey now. Easy on the grip. That shit’s still attached.”
“She’s got my smarts, too.”
“I see that.” Grim carefully untangled her tiny fingers from his beard and shook his head. “Kid’s got a hell of a grip.”
“She’s just keeping you in line,” Goose teased.
“Somebody needs to,” his ol’ lady called out from across the room.
I was still learning everyone’s name, but I was starting to get the hang of it. Or at least, I thought I was. Anslee giggled like she knew exactly what was going on, and I couldn’t help but smile. Watching her with Brayden and seeing how proud he was of her made my heart swell.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say she not only fit into this club world, but she thrived in it.
A little girl with dark curls waltzed across the room with a little stuffed rabbit clutched close to her chest. She and the rabbit were adorable, and I wasn’t surprised when they’d both caught Anslee’s attention.
She started rocking against Brayden’s hip as she reached out her hand and said, “Bunny… bunn-nny.”
“Luna,” Grim called. “Come over and tell Anslee hi.”
She darted back over in our direction and smiled as she leaned against his leg. “Hi.”
“Hi, Luna. It’s really nice to meet you.” She smiled back, and I immediately asked, “Would you mind if Anslee and I came over to sit with you, your momma, and little brother?”
“Jax.”
“His name is Jax?”
“Um-hmm.”
“That’s a nice name.”
She nodded, then rushed back over to her momma. Being careful not to wake the baby, Jenna reached over and helped Luna back up on the sofa. Brayden handed Anslee over to me and said, “I’ll be over in a bit.”
I nodded, then walked over and sat down next to Jenna. I smiled as I leaned in, getting a better look at the baby. He had dark hair like his father and adorable chubby cheeks that reminded me of Anslee’s. “My goodness. He’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Jenna smiled. “He’s been such a good baby.”
“That’s good. Anslee was, too… It makes it all the more tempting to have another.”
“Doesn’t it?” Jenna giggled. “I think Grim would have a coronary if I asked for another.”
“I don’t know. I saw the way he looked at you three. I think he’d be all for it.”
“Maybe, but I’m in no rush.” She looked down at him and smiled. “I need a minute to catch my breath… and it would be great to be able to sleep through the night again.”
“I hear ya,” one of the other mothers grumbled as she rocked her little one. “John Robert is still waking up in the night… sometimes twice.”
“Oh, that’s a tough one.”
“Have you started adding anything to his nighttime bottle?” Jenna asked. “I’m pretty sure I started Luna on rice when she was five months old, maybe even a little sooner. Maybe you could ask your pediatrician about trying it with him.”
“Maybe. I’ll call her tomorrow and see what she thinks.” She shook her head. “I’m getting desperate.”
“Have you tried a sound machine?” I asked. “Ours has been a lifesaver. Anslee can’t sleep without it.”
“Afraid so.” She let out a deep breath. “We have a fan and a sound machine. We’ve tried with and without night lights. Bath before bed. A hundred different kinds of pacifiers, and anything else you might think of.”
“Oh, you definitely gotta try the rice. It will be a game changer,” Jenna assured her.
“If it’s a bust, I’m calling in reinforcements.”
“As you should. I would’ve already called them,” Jenna laughed.
The conversation died out for a moment, and Antonia used the opportunity to say, “So, Memphis mentioned that you’re a social worker.”
“I am.”
“That’s a tough job.”
“It can be, but it’s not all bad.” Anslee pulled my sunglasses off my head and started toying with them as I said, “Every once in a while, we get reminded of why we do it.”
“Has that happened to you?”
“On more than one occasion.”
“What happened?”
“I was able to get a little boy and his family the help that they needed.”
The words made me think of one of my earlier visits with Dylan and how timid he was. His shy smile and the worried look on his mother’s face. And then how he’d changed in a matter of days. He finally looked like a kid instead of a shell of a boy carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
There was no hiding the pride in my voice as I told them, “And I was able to close his case after just a few months, and that doesn’t happen all that often.”
“That’s really great.”
“It was.” I gave Anslee a little tickle on the belly. “Now, if I can just do the same for the fifteen other cases I’m working on.”
“I have a feeling you’ll do just fine.”
“I really hope so.”
Laken smiled. “You know, we all love Smitty around here. He’s one of the good ones.”
“Thanks. I think a lot of him, too.”
“It’s really great you two found each other again.”
“It is. I just wish it hadn’t taken us so long.” I glanced over at Brayden, and my chest tightened when I found him looking at Anslee and me, checking to make sure we were okay. “But we’re doing what we can to make up for lost time.”
I looked around the clubhouse, and I couldn’t help but feel like I’d stepped into something wonderful. Brothers were talking and laughing, children were running around, and the women were talking and supporting one another in a way that only family could.
Brayden walked over and sat down on the arm of the sofa next to me. Anslee immediately reached both arms toward him and demanded, “Up.”
“Hey there, Peanut.” He scooped her into his arms, kissing the top of her head before settling her on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder and started toying with one of her curls. His entire face softened as he whispered, “I think missing her nap is catching up with her.”
“Maybe a little.”
“Guess that means we need to get to eating.”
“Is that your way of saying you’re hungry?”
“Hell, yeah. I’m starving.” He rubbed his hand over his stomach. “All that packing has worked up an appetite.”
The reminder settled over me like a dark cloud. I still had so much packing to do, and it was all so daunting. We were moving from the only home Anslee has ever known and starting over. It was a lot to take on, especially when we had no idea where we were going.
Before I could respond, a man’s voice said, “About that…”
We all turned to find Preacher, the Fury president, standing there with a beer in his hand and a warm smile on his face. He looked from Brayden and Anslee over to me. “Heard you two are still looking for a place.”
“We are,” Brayden answered. “We have some leads on a couple of places, but nothing’s really checking all the boxes.”
“I might have something for you.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“My place is just sitting there.”
“Your house?” Brayden asked. “Out by the lake?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.” He motioned his head toward Antonia as he said, “I’d hoped that Wes would take it and make it his own, but they had other plans.”
“Okay?”
“You should go check it out,” Preacher suggested. “If you like, buy it.”
“Prez, I appreciate the offer. I really do,” Brayden scoffed. “I’m just starting out here, and we aren’t exactly bringing in the big bucks. There’s no way we can afford it.”
Preacher shook his head. “I’m not worried about the money… I’d rather sell it to a brother for pennies on the dollar than stick a sign in the damn yard.”
“I don’t know.”
“I do.” Preach turned to Anslee. “That house deserves somebody to make it a home again. Never really was for me, but it can be for you two.”
I’d never seen his house. I had no idea what shape it was in or whether it was something we would even want. It didn’t matter. The mere thought of a man giving his home to us made my throat tighten.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a keyring. He handed Brayden the key as he said, “Go look at it and see what you think. If you like it, we’ll work something out.”
“You sure?”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”
“Okay.” Brayden took the key. “We’ll go by there tonight.”
“Good deal.”