by Jc Emery
Robin wiggles in my arms and reaches out to pull at my hair. I remember back in the day when her pulling my hair would hurt, but she does it so often now that I barely notice it. Even in her sleep she pulls at my hair or at Duke’s beard. It’s our fault, I suppose. Neither of us is very good at making her sleep in her crib in her own room. Duke tries to make up crap, saying that she screams like a banshee when he leaves her in there—which is true—he just also refuses to acknowledge the fact that if he left her in there long enough, she’d eventually quiet down and get used to it. But he doesn’t like to hear her scream anymore than I do.
I load her up into her car seat inside my Corolla and then climb into the driver’s seat. She runs almost like a dream now that Duke’s fixed her up for me. Pulling away from the house, I admire the fresh coat of yellow paint that’s on the exterior and the way the lawn is cut and the edges are trimmed. The outside of the house looks a lot better now, and the people on the inside are a lot better now, too. Only, I try not to tell Duke that. He likes to rub it in my face.
Robin’s been to the clubhouse a few times before, but it’s usually smoky inside and no place for a baby. But today it’s mostly clean, family fun. Barbara’s bringing Stephen and Izzy by for a rare appearance. The only member she really keeps in touch with these days is Grady, and that’s by virtue of Elle. We’re still her family, but she needs space. I can respect that. Mary and Fish are bringing their kid by, and Grady’s supposed to have his daughter, Cheyenne, over as well. Duke said he was going to see about getting Grady to chill long enough for Ryan to bring Alex by, even though she’s on the fence about showing up. I know she won’t let me down, because I don’t let her down. And even if the club never accepts her, she’s my family just as much as the club is my family. Today’s kind of a big day for my family.
Today’s the day they voted me in.
It’s a big deal to be voted in. It means I’m officially Duke’s Old Lady. It means the club considers me one of their own. I don’t sit in on Church, I don’t know—officially—club business, and I don’t vote in on their business dealings. But I’m one of them in a way that matters just the same. My mother was never voted in because the club never got a good feel for her, which is not surprising. When she left my dad, that was it. She was gone. I’ve heard rumors that she called the club for help a few years after she left. But she wasn’t voted in, so she wasn’t family. Even though my dad couldn’t be here, he’s sent us his best. Duke makes sure Jeremy and I see him regularly now, and every time I visit, I end up spending half the time telling Dad about how Robin’s growing. He says word around the yard at San Quentin is that The Butcher is whipped by a seventeen-pound baby, and he can’t wait to meet her when he gets out. We still don’t have any realistic idea of when that’ll be though, because he incurred another infraction for going off on a guy over something or other.
When I pull through the gates, the first thing I see is Jeremy. He’s standing by my usual parking space with his prospect cut on, and he gives me a chin lift as way of greeting. I used to hate seeing him in that cut, but Dad’s calmed me down about it. If the club’s good enough for Duke, then it’s good enough for Jeremy. Still, the longer he spends with the club, the bigger an asshole he becomes. And he was already half past being a prick back then.
I park the car and climb out. I don’t even bother grabbing Robin, as Jeremy already has her out of her car seat and is walking her to the clubhouse while trying to teach her how to punch. I don’t say much about it because he has fun with her, but damn, I wish he’d stop trying to perfect her right hook. Her dexterity is getting pretty good, and she’s popped Duke in the face a few times while he’s been asleep
Following behind, I finally reach the door to the clubhouse. When I open it up, loud screams erupt, and I’m stunned from the shock of it all. I knew they were here, but I didn’t know they’d start screaming like cave people the moment they saw me. Robin breaks out into a high-pitched scream that rips me apart. I blink back the surprise and go for her, but I’m too late.
Duke strides right up to Jeremy and takes her out of his arms. In a few seconds, she’s quiet and snuggled into his neck, pulling on his beard. Seeing him with her makes me feel like such an idiot for ever doubting that he’d want her. Even though we didn’t know her smile back then, or her laugh, we knew her. She’s our baby, and she’s precious in a way nothing else is.
As Diesel and Jim, and even Bear, descend upon me, giving me hugs and offering congratulations, I smile and force myself to stop paying attention to my Old Man as he pretends to eat Robin’s tiny fist. Predictably enough, she pops him as hard as she can in his mouth for his effort. The guys ask to see the tattoo—the new one of the Nordic warrior that’s the Forsaken symbol that I have on my right shoulder—so I oblige and pull my bra strap down. That’s why we’re here, after all. We’re here to celebrate as a family. And even though everything is hectic and upside down. Even though we’re still finding our footing after the Darren situation, and even though Mancuso is still a threat, for this single afternoon we’re whole, and we’re happy, and we’re in a good place. Even Grady seems a lot more chill than he used to be. I thank Elle for that.
When I finally make my way through the crowd, I cozy up to Duke and Robin. He wraps his free arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to him. With a kiss to my head and a squeeze to my shoulders he leans down and says, “I want to fuck my Old Lady.”
Across the room, Alex stands with Ryan and Ruby. I wave her over, and when she approaches, Duke hands Robin off to her. Lately the kid’s been saying Ub, even though we think she’s trying to say Cub. It’s cute and all, but we don’t waste time as we tear off down the hallway to Duke’s room. Back when I was pregnant, he didn’t want to have sex in here. He said it wasn’t a place for me anymore. But now that we have a kid, we take it when and where we can—assuming we haven’t passed out from exhaustion.
In the small, impersonal space, we undress one another in silence. It isn’t until he gets to my jeans and discovers the plastic covering over my latest tattoo that he pauses and raises an eyebrow at me, saying, “And what is this?”
I shrug and move my arms so he can inspect for himself. He peels away the wrapping to find the tattoo on my hipbone. It’s in a fine, beautiful script, with his and Robin’s names above and below it, that reads THIS IS FOREVER.
“No spinning,” he whispers, looking up at me.
Softly, I run my fingers through his hair and say, “No spinning.”
About the Author
As a child, JC was fascinated by things that went bump in the night. As they say, some things never change. Now, as an adult, she divides her time between the sexy law men, mythical creatures, and kick-ass heroines that live inside her head. A San Francisco Bay Area native, JC has also called both Texas and Louisiana home. These days she rocks her flip flops year round in Northern California and can’t imagine a climate more beautiful.
Find JC Emery on the web . . .
http://www.jcemery.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/jc_emery
http://www.facebook.com/jcemeryauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/jc_emery
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Epilogue
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Jc Emery, Thrash