Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Naomi held her clipboard and went through the tournament bracket again. She and Stone had changed it multiple times. Making everyone happy about when and who they were playing was a job bigger than either of them had envisioned.
Deborah, Regan, Chloe, and Beck were helping with the tournament. Naomi was thrilled that her girls had made friends with Deborah. She had liked Deborah immediately, but when she’d heard Deborah’s story, her heart had ached for what the sweet girl had gone through.
“All right. Who are Dodge and I taking down in pickleball first?” a gorgeous brown-haired woman asked as she walked up. Stone stepped closer to point at a name on Naomi’s list.
“Naomi, this is Renae Witham from our Cider Creek Chapter. Besides being a phenomenal shot, she keeps the Chapter running flawlessly. Renae, this is…” Stone paused, staring at her.
“His girlfriend. It’s okay, Stone, you can say the words,” Naomi teased.
“She’s mine. So Dodge,” Stone called out, raising his voice to be heard by the man who was behind Renae but had stopped to talk with someone. “You tell all of Cider Creek that she’s off-limits and taken, got it?” Stone demanded.
Naomi grinned. She’d never thought anyone would claim her like she’d read in the books.
She wished that she and Stone didn’t have this tournament to take care of.
If she’d known how hot he’d make her, she would have worked harder to find time for them alone.
The kiss two weeks ago wasn’t enough. Sure, he’d held her hand and they’d cuddled on the couch while watching movies with the girls.
But holy cow, the forehead kisses he gave her when he dropped the girls and her back at Locks’ nearly melted her.
She wanted to kiss him more than she wanted to breathe.
“You know, if some man claimed me like that, I wouldn’t care who was standing around, I’d make sure he knew how much I loved it,” Renae suggested with a wink.
Naomi nodded. “You’re right.”
She reached over and cupped Stone’s cheek, turning him away from the guys to face her.
“So I guess I need to make sure all the ladies know that you’re taken too,” she said, sliding her hand around his neck and pulling him down so she could reach his lips.
The first taste had her fighting to keep from climbing the man like a tree and telling him to find the first private spot to take care of the need his kisses ignited.
Stone’s arms wrapped around her, the clipboard smashed between them, which was annoying when she wanted to feel his chest against her breasts.
Catcalling and yells had Stone pulling back from her.
“That was so smokin’ hot, but it sounds like the bikers are getting restless and we don’t want to deal with that. Let’s put a pin in this to pick up where we left off when I can get you alone,” Stone murmured against her ear.
She nodded because how the hell was she supposed to form words when her body was on fire from a freakin’ kiss? She hated to compare them, but Stone and Jared were worlds apart.
“All right, teams. Check in with Naomi so she knows you’re here.
Deborah, Beck, Regan, and Taylor here are our ambassadors.
They’ll be walking around delivering cold drinks.
If you’ve been here before, you know that Phoebe spearheaded a campaign at Bluff Creek regarding swearing.
Because this is a Bluff Creek event, if you want to swear, go for it but know that it’s either a dollar a swear or you can buy the subscription for the weekend.
All money raised from this will be added to our donation to the Kansas Veterans’ Home and a couple other veterans’ associations.
If you’re in the first round, you need to be on your courts ready to play in ten minutes.
Thank you for all being here this weekend and helping us with our commemoration weekend,” Stone announced to the crowd.
Naomi checked in teams, notifying them which round they were in and if they were in the first round, what court they were on. The whirlwind of initial check-ins was over, and the teams were starting to play. She scanned the courts until she spotted her girls.
Jared was still demanding to take the girls this weekend, even though all three of them had spoken to him on the phone, begging to stay for the events.
Every time she started to let her anxiety get the best of her, she breathed deep and told herself that everyone kept telling her it would be all right.
Finn and Ben were wandering around the area, but if anyone tried to give them a job that took them away from the pickleball courts, they turned them down, saying Regina and War had given them a job they were doing.
When she saw Tori and AJ walking toward her, Naomi considered walking away, but at some point, she and her sisters needed to discuss boundaries. It would be easier to talk with only two of them today. She waited until Tori and AJ stopped in front of her to see if they’d start the conversation.
“I’m sorry,” Tori said, sighing. “I’m sorry that I didn’t give you the respect you deserve.
AJ and I have done a lot of talking these last couple of weeks about leaving the past behaviors behind.
You, Lilah, and Chloe don’t need us to look out for you because you’re adults.
You’re not at fault for how Jared treated you; in fact, you did what needed to be done to keep you and the girls safe.
I’m so sorry I downplayed what you did by trying to demand an intervention—one that you didn’t need anyway.
Stone is over the moon for you and your girls.
I think it’s time I quit trying to run everyone else’s lives so I don’t have to face the train wreck mine has become," Tori admitted.
“We’ll understand if it takes you a while to forgive us and want us to stay away from you, Stone, and the girls,” AJ interjected softly.
Naomi stepped forward, pulling her sisters into her arms. “We all screw up, but it’s what we do after that screw-up that matters.
I love you both, and I love that you wanted to protect me.
You pissed me off, but I can see where you might have been coming from.
Now, about this train wreck of a life. Do we need a Code Rachel or is it that we need a Code Ross?
” Naomi teased, trying to lighten the heavy mood.
“Oh my! Do you love our cousins and their codes as much as I do? It’s going to be a Code Rachel, but it can wait for a few weeks. I need to think through some stuff. I love you, sissy,” Tori beamed.
Naomi grinned and giggled. Tori and AJ had called them sissy when they were younger and couldn’t tell them apart. Now, the three of them had such different mannerisms and different haircuts that they were rarely mistaken for each other.
“Love you too. Now I need to make sure the tournament is running well. What are you guys helping with?” Naomi asked.
“We’re covering one of the Poker Run stops tomorrow, and today, we’re supposed to help with the craft fair. We better head over before Clara thinks we’re not coming,” AJ said.
“See you later. Thanks for forgiving us,” Tori called out, walking off.
Stone had laughed more that afternoon than he had in months.
The trash talk between some of the teams had been quite inventive.
The Nelson cousins had been some of the funniest. Halligan and Dillon had played against Hennessy and Crewe.
When Hennessy and Crewe had started taunting Dillon by singing Bubba Shot the Jukebox, Stone thought he’d have to get some of the brothers to help him pull Dillon back from hitting Crewe.
Stone would have to ask what significance the song had to incite that anger.
Unfortunately, Stone guessed Hennessy and Crewe thought it would throw Dillon off his game.
It had the opposite effect, and Dillon had become a machine until his team had won.
Stone was keeping an eye out for Jared. The last communication was that he was picking up the girls.
He’d tried to get Naomi to bring them, but their divorce decree only stated that he was entitled to a weekend, not how the handoff was supposed to occur.
Stone didn’t friggin’ care what the divorce decree said.
Jared would not be taking those girls. Stone didn’t trust him, especially with the little things the girls had let slip while they watched movies about Jared always finding fault with them.
Stone wasn’t going to give Jared a chance to take his anger out on the girls Stone considered his.
Sure, they weren’t legally, but just like Stone had become a part of the Bluff Creek family when he stepped on the compound, once he had kissed Naomi, they were his. Fuck Jared.
They were down to the finals. Surprisingly, Renae and Dodge had dominated every team they played. Currently, Renae and Dodge were up one game. The tournament was best two out of three due to the constraints on the number of teams.
Renae and Dodge were playing against Justice and Tack from the Saint’s Outlaws MC. With their President being married to War’s sister, the SOMC wanted to support their commemoration weekend.
Renae was serving. Naomi was on the other side of the court, judging from that side for balls outside the lines. Stone was judging from his side. If Renae won this point, she and Dodge would win the tournament.
She served, and Justice returned it back to her.
Renae hit it back across toward Justice, but it was just close enough that it could have been Tack’s ball.
Stone saw what was going to happen as soon as it bounced.
The brothers were both running toward it and collided, with both of them missing the ball.
Dodge yelled, grabbing Renae and spinning her around. After she and Dodge shook hands with Justice and Tack, Renae motioned Naomi over and whispered something to her. Naomi pulled back and stared at Renae, then held up her finger and walked over to Stone.
“Umm, Renae has an unusual request,” Naomi began, then whispered the request in his ear.
Hmm, interesting request, but since she was offering to donate her half of the prize to their charity money, Stone had to check on it. Stone looked around for Rascal and Meg. He didn’t see Rascal, but he saw Meg.
“Let me go ask, Meg,” Stone decided.
Naomi nodded and stayed by the courts.
Meg smiled when he walked up. She was so nice, and the fact that her and Rascal’s story started at this very park made the weekend special for them.
“Hey, Meg, I have a weird question to ask,” he said. He glanced around. There were a lot of people he didn’t recognize, and he didn’t want them to hear.
"What is it?" she asked.
He leaned closer, telling her the request softly enough to keep it private.
Meg pulled back, grinning and then laughing. “Oh my. I’ll agree on two conditions: that it’s a surprise for Rascal and that I choose the time. I mean, if she’s donating her half of the prize money, I really can’t say no to an extra five hundred dollars for the charity.”
Stone stared at Meg, wondering what was going on. He’d been sure she’d say hell no, but well, it seemed that Meg was on board.
“I’ll let her know. Do you…” Stone paused, unsure how to ask.
“Oh, tell her to come see me, and we’ll work out the particulars,” Meg replied.
Stone nodded and walked away. He and Naomi handed out the prizes, and then he notified Renae of Meg’s stipulations, wondering what type of protocol this fell under. Rascal was his brother in the MC. Shouldn’t he warn him ahead of time?
He glanced around, looking for War. Stone wasn’t exactly sure what the girls were plotting, but he was going to make sure at least his President was aware of the shenanigans happening this weekend. He spotted War over by the memorial they’d put up two years ago to commemorate the D-Day invasion.
“I’m going to go let War know about the unusual request. I’ll find you when I’m done. Where are you heading next?” he asked.
Naomi gave him that smile he was looking forward to seeing for the rest of his life—the one that made his heart lighter and brought such joy into his life.
“The girls want to go to the craft fair. I told Faith I’d take all four of them.
I have no idea how long we’ll be there,” she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek and waving as she walked off.
Her bottom looked so cute in those capris, but he couldn’t wait until she had his ink on her and he could see those thighs in shorts.
Once she and the girls had disappeared into the large crowd of people, he headed toward where War was chatting with a couple of bikers from another club.
Stone loved their club logo and wondered if any of them wanted it on their skin.
The turquoise highlighting the woman’s face with the backward baseball hat was intriguing.
Yep, he wouldn’t mind inking any of the Honey Creek Badgers MC members.
He caught War’s attention and notified him of the request and his dilemma of whether he should tell Rascal.
After War quit laughing, he said not to tell Rascal, and if Stone needed an order, he could consider it an order from his President to keep the information from Rascal.
Stone nodded and made his way toward the building where the craft fair was located.
He smiled while walking across the street. One thing he’d learned living in Bluff Creek was that it was never boring.