24. Queenie
“Alright, of course. I will let him know. I am sure we will keep her busy between all of us.” Joker’s eyes meet mine in question, and I smile at him. When I hang up, I say, “I suppose we can think of it as a special mission. Tess keeps having Braxton-Hick’s contractions. The doctor wants her to take it easy and not lift it. Ace wants Winnie to spend time with each of us daily. Keep her busy, for Tess’s sake and Winnie’s.”
Joker stands, his eyes widening. “Tess is fine, seriously,” I say. He continues to move toward the door and then moves his hands down his body, searching for something. A smile breaks out on his face as he looks around, his eyes darting, looking for whatever he needs. “You’re slightly freaking me out right now.”
He runs back into our room before emerging quickly. “I know she is fine. I just had an idea, and this moves the timeline up.” He puts his wallet in his back pocket, grabs his phone, and begins typing on it. “I’ll be back in like three or four hours. Maybe longer if Ace lets me take Winnie with me.” He bends down and kisses me. “Ready your surprise face because it’s happening.” He kisses me once more and smiles at me, and I don’t know if I should be scared.
I grab his hand as he pulls away, stopping him from moving. I have questions and the man had better answer them. “Whoa. Wait. Where are you taking Winnie? Do you know how to work a car seat?” She is still in her booster harness-type seat. They are slightly tricky; you must adjust the sternum piece just right. I know Tess is very strict about the whole thing, which she has every right to be.
His face scrunches and his eyes narrow as he looks at me as if I underestimate him. “Ace can show me. I will have to take his car, anyway. I do not know how to get that tank of a car seat into my car. But seriously, we are going to kick so much ass in aunt and uncle points.” He kisses me. I open my mouth to speak, and his finger stops my lips from moving. “Shhh, I will text you when we’re on the way home.” He waves as he walks out of the door. I would question things more, but seeing him so excited is nice.
He takes being the fun uncle to heart; I think part of it is the competition and the fact that he wants to be the favorite. Jack would be hard to beat in the fun category. Jack. The very thought of him makes my eye twitch. He has avoided me at every turn, and I suppose he has had many of my secrets come out rather quickly. The Randall situation and now, I think the Joker situation has been a lot for him to stomach. I didn’t even see that one coming. What did Jack expect? To read my childhood diary while eating ice cream and braiding each other’s hair? I am not someone who is a sharer of my feelings. Nobody knew my feelings for Joker because I could keep my mouth shut.
That didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy talking to Jack when the occasion happened. Jack is usually my person, but he is acting so weird, and I don’t want to push him until he is ready to talk. Instead, I go toward King’s wing. I want to check on Ash to see how repairs are going in her shop. I can’t wait till the grand re-opening. My eyes look down at my inked skin, and I’m sure there is space for more ink. Even though I want to buy one of her paintings for my living room, I can’t tell her that. The woman would give it to me. I want to pay for it.
When I knock at the door, King comes barreling out, closing the door behind him and keeping me from going inside. “Ash is in pure concentration mode. Her paintings are due at a show in Chicago in a week and she has had some inspiration. I was getting ready to come see you.”
“Great minds. Do you want to come over for drinks?” It is only 10:30 a.m., but drinking with one of my brothers sounds fun. Day drinking has a certain appeal.
He pauses before nodding his head. “I’m in. What kind of drinks do you have?” We walk back toward my apartment; it’s now mine and Joker’s. “None of those girly drinks that you have two and feel tipsy.”
“How else will I get to know your secrets?” I waggle my eyebrows at him. We get inside, and I make strawberry Long Island Iced Teas. I go heavy on the tequila because I feel a certain way about it. We will pick a place in a few weeks after Tess has the baby, and then my tequila-sexy time with Joker will be happening. I always have had the most fun with Joker and now it will be even better.
He takes a large sip of his Long Island, and I set the pitcher on the coffee table before we both sit on the couch. “I don’t have secrets; you’re the one who has secrets.” He lifts his drink in the air like a mock cheer.
I flip him off as I sip my drink, loving the sweetness mixed with tart. “Oh yeah, and look where those secrets got me. Jack won’t speak to me, but I got a sexy new roommate.”
King makes a mock gag face. “I have known that man way too long, and it’s still pretty weird. But I can see how happy you both are, so it helps the weirdness.” He finishes his drink, refills his, and holds it out to refill mine. “As for Jack, if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass soon, I’ll help.”
I wave him off and roll my eyes. “Don’t bother, but if you do, let me know. I think it will sort itself out. Speaking of sorting itself out, are things going well with your sexy house guest?”
He points his finger at me and shakes his head. “It sounds like they should finish the remodel in a week, maybe two. She has been shut in her makeshift studio painting away for the last couple of days.” I don’t miss how he frowns down at his drink slightly.
“That’s not what I am talking about, and you know it.” But I take a drink and narrow my eyes. “You’re lucky I am not nosy. But I smell something, and it’s juicy.”
“She isn’t my type; I need someone to help with the business. I work long hours and rarely come home, and with Ace kind of out right now, I’m always in paperwork. Someone to help take that on would be awesome.”
“You fucking romantic.” I scoff and lean back on the armrest, propping my feet up. “Just because that’s what you think you want doesn’t mean that’s what you need. What you need is a second in command for the Clubs to help you. Train one. If you wanted someone to help the business, you could always look at Letha.” I waggle my eyebrows at him suggestively.
He chokes slightly on his drink before clearing his throat. “Oh, fuck no. I mean, no thanks for that. She is beautiful and extremely talented, but I lived with her and Ash. There is a reason Letha got her own room super fast. She likes to argue and enjoys it. My job requires me to argue, yell, and debate enough in my day. I don’t want that when I get home.”
I smile into my drink and think to myself, sounds like you need Ash. He could have also gotten her an apartment below, but he didn’t. We have the space. Plenty of other fish are in the sea if he doesn’t want to proceed with anything. They don’t call me the Queen of Hearts for nothing. The only person I can’t read is myself.
I find myself relaxing and laughing with King, not knowing how much I need a day like this. Maybe without Mother’s shadow on the horizon, I can relax. I always thought the old Queenie was gone, but I believe she was just my happiness. I have found that part of me, and I think everything else will fall into place.