by Hart, Eve R.
And as I looked around, feeling like I was instantly part of this little group by the way they just took me in, I knew exactly what he meant.
It wasn’t just Abigail, it was obvious that they all were his family. That they cared about Blade and wanted things to go right for him.
I heard Biscuit’s little bark and turned to see her trotting into the kitchen. Her tiny nails were neon purple today, which clashed with the outfit she was now wearing, but it was still the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
“Oh, my God!” someone said with much excitement. Claire, that was her name. She was rocking a little baby in a front pouch. “You guys match. That is too cute.”
The rest of the ladies agreed and I bent down to scoop my itty-bitty mini-me up in my arms.
“You are rockin’ it, girl,” I told her and got a cute little kiss on my nose.
She liked me today.
That was good.
I hoped this was a regular thing seeing as I had plans to be in her daddy’s life for a while to come.
“I love that hat,” Laurel said, coming over to give Biscuit a little scratch under her chin. “Where did you get it?”
“I made it,” I told her with a smile, feeling proud that I had done that part all on my own. “My friend Wade put the shirt together.”
Laurel’s mouth dropped open with shock.
“Wade actually makes most of my clothes,” I added because she had talent and I wanted people to know.
“I need to meet this Wade,” Laurel said with excitement. “I have two girls and I would love to put them in cute little stuff like this.”
“Oh, we could put all the kids in matching outfits and get pictures,” Abigail said lighting up like a Christmas tree with excitement.
Then it became a whole thing. The women loved that idea and, well, it wasn’t something I expected to hear out of people that were part of the club life.
It made me feel like I’d fit in just fine.
And, oh, how I wanted to.
It was hard not to fall in love with them instantly.
“Let’s get these men fed before they start eating the babies,” Bridget said and I let out a sharp laugh.
“Blade does get cranky when he doesn’t eat,” I added as I grabbed a bowl of macaroni salad and followed them out.
“He eats so much,” Abigail chimed in like she was used to it but still somehow stunned that he did. “He’ll come down an hour after he finished dinner and start pulling out leftovers. Between him and Sketch, I don’t know how they keep this place stocked with food.”
The moment I stepped outside, the smell of meat on a grill hit my nose. The place was pretty packed and I had no clue there would be this many people here.
“Do you need a run-down?” Bridget asked me as Laurel took the bowl out of my hands and placed it on an already full picnic table.
“Give me the basics,” I replied with a smile as I snuggled Biscuit in closer hoping she’d give me some moral support or something.
“Men with cuts are members of the club,” she said and I cut my eyes to her as if saying I knew that much. She laughed at me. “Or almost a member, like prospects. Those are easy to point out by the prospect patch. They are the bitches, basically. Some of us like to put them to good use.”
“Well, that’s what they’re here for,” Laurel said with blinking eyes.
“Anyway,” Bridget said with a smile. “They aren’t in the club but they are trying to be. Men with a patch under their name are the officers. Like your man.”
“Blade?” I asked trying to remember if I noticed that patch or not. To be fair, there were quite a few patches on his cut.
They all stopped and looked at me. Then there was a round of laughter as they shook their heads at me.
“Unless there’s another brother you came here with tonight,” Gwen said with a shrug. “My man is an officer too.”
“So is mine,” Laurel said quite proudly.
And that was how I learned that most of these women were pretty much the queens of the club because their men held some kind of higher ranking patch on their chest. I’d get it one day, I guessed.
For now, I just tried to take it all in.
Prospects.
Officers.
Club brothers.
Oh, and the groupies.
By that, I meant the barely covered women that liked to hang off of the free brothers. It wasn’t hard to spot them.
“They’re just trying to trap a brother and hope to become an old lady,” Gwen said flatly like she’d had her fair share of dealing with them.
“Old lady?” I asked completely lost now.
“One of us,” Ingram said clearing it up as quickly as possible.
“Okay,” I said with a little nod. “Think I got it now.”
“Oh, like that one,” Bridget said and I followed the direction her finger was pointing in.
“Oh, hell no,” I said seeing a skinny, busty woman draping herself over my man.
Yeah, my man.
“Oh, you’re going to fit in just fine around here,” I heard Gwen say as I took off in the direction of Blade.
He was clearly ignoring the woman, his eyes on the only one he wanted.
Me, in case you didn’t get that.
And even though that melted me on the inside, I wasn’t going to back down. This chick had to know he was taken and I was the one that was going to tell her.
His lips tipped up in a devilish smirk when he saw me coming. He knew I was jealous and he fucking liked it.
“Excuse me,” I called out once I was close enough for her to hear.
She turned, sneer on her face as she looked me up and down.
“You can take that nasty look on your face and that skinny ass and get the hell away from my man,” I said not so nicely.
Biscuit let out a sharp bark like she was backing me up.
Wow. I went a little crazy-chick there.
Whatever. He was loving it so I rolled with the feelings that were shooting through me.
The woman had the audacity to look back at Blade.
“You heard her,” he said, his eyes still glued to me.
With a huff and a stupid roll of her eyes, she sauntered off.
“Like you jealous,” he said, his hands going to my waist. Then I crashed into his body a second before his lips took mine in a possessive kiss.
I calmed down after that. I blamed it on the fact that he’d just kissed the anger right out of me. And made it clear to everyone around that I was his. It was kind of hard to be mad after all of that.
In no time, we were sitting down to eat.
I got to know everyone a little better.
And the kids. Oh, there were a few of them running around like they owned the place. The way the men acted, they did.
“Give me that brat,” Blade said, holding his arms out in Laurel’s direction and referring to the little baby cradled in her arms.
I blinked at him in shock.
So did Laurel and everyone else around.
In fact, the entire table we were sitting at went silent.
I didn’t see Blade as the kid type of person even though he had been a little hell-bent on knocking me up not that long ago. And, he’d even admitted he didn’t like kids himself.
“I gotta get some practice in,” he said with a shrug.
My mouth dropped open and suddenly everyone’s attention was on me.
This was not happening.
I couldn’t fucking believe him.
I still didn’t know if I was pregnant or not, it was too early for a test. But the way he’d said it made it sound like I was. And even if I was, it wouldn’t have been something I wanted everyone knowing just yet.
“Blade,” I screeched and slapped his shoulder.
Luckily, everyone busted out laughing and it was just the thing that was needed to break the tense, stifling air around us.
“Yeah, that seems about right,” Bridget said and there were
looks of agreement all around.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed right along with them.
“See,” Blade said, his head dipped down next to my ear, “you fit.”
And, yeah, he was right.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Blade
If there was one thing I was getting tired of, it was Sketch and his sulking ass. He was like a damn teenager the way he’d been going on the past couple of weeks since shit went down.
I’d hardly seen him out. Not that I’d been out all that much myself. Still, there was something about him that wasn’t the same. He was starting to breakdown, not able to hide shit as easily.
With everyone wrapped up in their own shit, it had gone unnoticed.
Why did I have to be the one that fixed it?
Why did I give a damn? I guess that was the better question.
With a huff, I got my ass off the stool and headed out of my booth. Biscuit jumped off the couch the moment she saw me and came running over.
I didn’t go far, just took my ass to the doorway of the young fuck that I was tired of seeing shrink into himself.
“What?” he barked. The tip of the pencil in his hand stopped moving but he didn’t look up from the sketchpad in his lap.
“You good?” I asked knowing that he wasn’t. It was the best way I could think of to start this whole thing.
His eyes cut up to look at me. I saw the flash of annoyance before he tilted his head up and gave me that easygoing smile that he’d mastered.
“Just peachy, bro. You?”
I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You fucked up,” I started, staring at him dead in the eye. “It happened. It’s been dealt with. Don’t need to keep goin’ on like this.”
“What the fuck do you know?!” He jumped up and attempted to brush past me to get out of his room.
My hand clamped down on his bicep and I planted his ass back in his chair, then kicked the door shut with my boot.
His eyes grew wide for a second, shocked that I’d gone this far. But he quickly recovered and was glaring at me, looking as if he were ready to lash out.
“What I know is that this club isn’t going to turn its back on you. Not for that. Yeah, you fucked up. Yeah, you should have gone to Iron. And, yeah, you should have turned that fucker’s ass over to the club.” I matched his glare, hoping that what I had to say would sink in. “But in the end, you weren’t stealing from the club. You were tryin’ to get shit back. And you were trying to do it by protecting everyone.”
“Don’t matter.”
“Yeah, it fuckin’ does,” I said flatly. I cleared my throat and carried on. “We’re a family. I get it now. And sometimes we mess up real fucking bad. But the thing about family is, they understand. They love you despite your flaws. And they forgive because they care. You had good intentions, and every single one of us can see that.”
“You done?” he asked with a whole lot of attitude.
I was going to be but now after that, I was determined to push his buttons a little more.
“Know you got shit,” I said and tapped the side of my head. “You ain’t the only one. I know I’m not one to talk, but you keepin’ it locked up isn’t doing you a damn bit of good.”
“And what the fuck do you think I should do about it?”
“Stop running from it and start dealing with it. Might want to start with figuring out what the hell it is that fucks you up when you’re with a woman.”
“Fuck off,” he barked.
“You gay, Sketch?” I asked having a good feeling it wasn’t that. “’Cause if you are, you got to know that wouldn’t change a thing.”
Now he looked murderous. He jumped to his feet probably thinking about the easiest way to kill me.
“Get the fuck outta my way,” he growled out.
I stood still, staring him down for a long moment.
I wasn’t getting through to him right now but with any luck, something would sink in.
I took a step to the side, giving him just enough room to yank open the door and storm out of the room.
I followed him out just to make sure he didn’t do anything crazy.
Hearing the commotion, Cami and Brand turned in our direction.
“Going to Sugar Titties, you guys want anything?” Sketch said as he quickly walked past them to the front door.
“Um, no?” Cami called out, just barely catching him before he was gone. “Is that a new strip club? Why would I want something from a strip club? What would he even bring me back?”
The confusion was not only clear in her tone, but it was plastered on her face as well.
Brand stared down at her with a sweet, mushy smile.
“I think he means the place across the way,” he told her.
Cami’s head turned and I knew she was trying to figure it out. Then she let out a laugh and I saw her shake her head the moment she got it.
“He does know the truth, right? It’s Didi’s.”
“I’m sure he does,” I said to her with a smile. “Sometimes Sketch just sees what he wants to see.”
“Yeah,” she said with a sad sigh. Then she shrugged. “I don’t know what I would do without him around.”
“Same here,” Brand said with an amused kind of smile on his face.
And, well, I kind of had to agree with them there.
He might have been a pain in the ass sometimes. A little much, at others. But he was his own brand and there was never a lack of entertainment when he was around. And at the bottom of it all, was a heart that was bigger than most people saw.
My little talk with Sketch had me thinking.
I guess today was a good day as any to try and fix all the shit wrong in my life.
“Gotta take care of something,” I said and took off for the back of the shop. “Watch my baby.”
This was probably the worst idea but I was well on my way now. Might as well keep going.
I stared at the door not wanting to raise my hand to knock.
I wasn’t scared, but I had no clue how this shit would go down. Even still, it had to be done.
That didn’t mean that I was happy about it.
And I was sure the person on the other side of the door would feel much the same as I did.
But again, it had to be done.
I’d do anything for my woman, and even though she hadn’t asked me to do this, it was something she needed.
Not only from me, but from the asshole on the other side, as well.
I knocked, my fist hitting the wood with a force that probably said I wanted to break the door down.
The detective answered the door, gun at his side. I wasn’t all that surprised.
“Didn’t ever expect to see you at my door. Figured I’d catch you waiting on my couch,” he said and he was about as happy to have me here as I was to be standing on his front porch.
“Shut the fuck up and let me in before I change my mind,” I told him with a glare.
Unhappily, he moved to the side and let me pass.
I took a seat on that very couch he’d been referring to. And he took the chair across the way, his gun put away now.
“You here about Harley?” he asked looking worried.
He should be. As far as I knew, he still didn’t have a clue about her ex being dead and gone.
“Yeah, but she’s fine.” I eased his worries right away but I wasn’t sure how much I should tell him. Especially without talking to Iron first.
“She’s different lately,” he said, his face a little softer now. “I think some of that is because of you. But I also think some of it has to do with something else.”
Well, damn. He wasn’t beating around the bush about this shit.
“Yep,” I answered shortly.
“Does she have anything to worry about anymore?”
“Nope.”
“And there’s no threat of it catching up to her?” he asked as he pinned me with a hard look.
“Nope,�
�� I said again, this time I gave a shake of my head just to hammer in that point.
Because she didn’t. None of us did. Thanks to Cable, we were able to send a few emails and leave a paper trail in a completely different direction. As far as anyone was concerned, Harley’s ex was off finding God in a monastery halfway across the world or some shit. If anyone went looking for him, it wouldn’t matter. The monastery was real. And so was the connection we had there. Didn’t know all the details, but a friend of Cable’s had helped them out once, and she was happy to help us out by cashing in her favor. If someone showed up wanting to see him, all they had to say was that he’d moved on. Wasn’t all that hard to fall off the grid if you wanted to— or that was what everyone was supposed to think.
“Why are you here, then?” he asked.
“We gotta figure a way to put this shit to bed.”
“And just what do you mean by this shit?” He was mocking me and I did my best to let it slide. Fucker was really making me work for it. If it wasn’t for my woman, I’d be on my feet and out that door.
“What I mean is that we need to find some way to make nice. Harley is my woman, and that means I’m going to be in her life. Which means, the club will be, too,” I told him trying my hardest not to get heated. “You’re her family and I don’t want her to feel like she has to pick sides or is torn between the two of us.”
He sighed, and then his hands were scrubbing down his face.
“You promise to take care of her?” he asked, sounding like a man that was giving in.
“Yes, always.”
His head bobbed a few times as he held my eyes. Whatever he saw, he knew I’d told him the truth.
“Alright. Fine,” he said. “I think I owe you anyway for what you’ve done.”
I said nothing because I wasn’t going to admit it out loud.
“But the first time you fuck up, I’m coming after you.” There wasn’t a hint in his tone that he was joking and I knew he would. Truthfully, I expected nothing less.
“The first time I fuck up, I’ll give my ass over to you.”
“So, we’re clear?”
“Crystal,” I told him with a nod.
I got up and headed to the door.
“Blade,” he called out, causing me to turn back to him. He got to his feet, walked over to me, and stuck out his fucking hand. “I know you won’t say it, so I won’t ask. But I still need to thank you.”