by Erin Osborne
“We’re leaving,” Renee says, walking over to our table and leaning down for a kiss before they walk out the door. Dylan stands up in his chair, so she doesn’t have to bend over as far when she gets to him. I watch as he wraps his little arms around her neck and squeezes tight. It’s going to be an adjustment for him when she goes back to work. But we’ll make it work.
“Have fun. Let me know when you’re on your way back and we’ll meet you at the house,” I tell her, watching her ass as she walks away from me.
Renee
We’ve been at the restaurant for a little while talking and laughing like old friends. Kim is telling Alice and I stories about things that have happened in Benton Falls since she’s been there. Apparently, Wood is just as clumsy when Darcy isn’t around. Yeah, I’ve heard those stories. Just as the waiter brings our food out to us, there’s a loud commotion at the door that has Pops and Fox ready to jump into action. They don’t need to worry when we watch Harley, Darcy, and Riley walk through the door. As soon as they see us, they make their way to our table.
“Hey guys,” I say, looking at each girl as I take a sip of my water.
“Are you just getting your food?” Darcy asks, looking at the empty table next to us.
“Yeah,” Kim answers, shoving a forkful of green beans in her mouth. “Are you joining us, or getting your food to go?”
Harley and Riley don’t even answer, they just start pulling the next table over to ours so that we can all sit together. I look over and see Pops shaking his head with a huge smile on his face as he watches the two try to move a table. Before he can get up to help them, the table slams into ours so hard that I’m surprised that nothing spilled. We all crack up and can’t stop the laughter as the waiter walks back over to get their order. After giving them a disapproving look. Pops and Fox saw it too.
“Listen here asshat,” Harley says, standing up from her chair. “It was move this table for a little while or you move all of their food and drinks to a larger table. These girls are our sisters and we’re going to enjoy a nice lunch together. Now, take our order and don’t look at us like that again. You got me?”
“Yes ma’am. I’m sorry for the disrespect,” he says, ogling the rag that she’s wearing. He just realized his fuck up and I’m trying not to laugh at his discomfort.
The three girls give their orders and the young waitress practically runs away from our table. While I do feel bad for him, he should know better than to treat customers rudely until he sees something that shows he better treat them with respect. If Darcy, Riley, and Harley didn’t have their rags on, I’d be worried about him doing something to our food. Now, I think we have nothing to worry about. We shouldn’t with Pops and Fox standing guard, but you never know. Anyway, today is my day and I’m going to enjoy it. Even if no one knows it’s my birthday. Just the way I like it. I don’t like a fuss made over a day that just marks the fact that I’m a year older.
“So, what do you guys have planned for the rest of the day?” Riley asks, sitting back as the waiter brings their food over to them. They called and placed an order before they left the salon.
“Well, we were going to make our way over to you guys when we were done here,” I respond, taking a bite of my chicken.
“Shadow’s letting you out of his sight for that long?” Harley asks, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t he?” I ask confused.
“We all see the way he looks at you. That man has been out of his mind since your accident. He’s going to do whatever it takes to protect you and letting you out of his sight isn’t one of those things,” Darcy answers, taking a bite of the food in front of her.
“What do you mean? I don’t see him looking at me any type of way,” I answer defensively setting down my fork.
“It’s not a bad thing,” Riley says. “He looks at you like you’re his entire world. He’s a man starved when you’re in the same room with him and the only thing on the menu is you. He looks at you like a man in love.”
I take a few minutes to think about what Riley just said. I’ve never thought about him being in love with me. Yeah, I know he cares about Dylan and myself, but I never thought he could love me. I see the women he’s surrounded by at the clubhouse and I have nothing on them. At the same time, I know that I have strong feelings for him. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given him the second chance that I’m giving him. There’s no way I’m going to get my hopes up about what he feels for me. It will crush me if he doesn’t really feel that way.
“I can see you thinking a mile a minute over there,” Kim says, pushing her plate away from her. “Don’t overthink this thing with Shadow. Let it happen naturally and you’ll know when you know.”
I nod and push my half-eaten lunch away from me. The girls look at me with questions all over their faces and I just shrug my shoulders in response. Everyone has a past and I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak, betrayal, and people using me. Now, I’m going to keep the walls up a little bit and let the cards fall where they may. But I will not continue to keep people locked out. I won’t be used as a door mat, but I’ll take each situation into consideration before I just write people off. Otherwise, I fear I might have a very lonely existence. One that I’ve already been living in with barely any friends and no one to talk to. There’s only so much that I’ll share with my sister.
“Well, I’m ready and it looks like everyone else is too,” Harley says, standing up after placing some money on the table to cover her bill and tip. “Let’s head to the salon and we’ll see you two when you get there.”
“Sounds like a plan. See you soon,” Kim answers, turning to look at Fox to see if he’s ready to head out.
Kim, Alice, and I remain at our table until Fox is finished doing whatever it is, he’s working on. I’m not going to ask because it’s none of my business. Just like I haven’t asked Kim why she had to go in church when I’ve been told that no one but the guys are allowed in there. Not even the prospects can step foot inside those doors when there’s a meeting going on. If she wants me to know, she’ll tell me. Pops pulls his phone out just as Fox finishes putting his computer away before nodding for us that they’re ready to head out. I’m not sure if we’re going right to the salon or not, but they’re going to be awfully bored sitting there while we’re getting our hair done. I feel sorry for them and wish they weren’t stuck on babysitting duty.
The afternoon at the salon was hectic and filled with laughter and talking about the guys. Everyone wants to hear the details about Shadow and me, but I can’t bring myself to talk about him. The only thing giving me away is the telltale blush that creeps up my neck and face. This leads to them coming up with all sorts of ideas and reasons why I could be blushing the way that I am. Looking over to get some much-needed help from Pops, I see that he’s not going to do anything. He’s laughing too hard to say a word. Instead, I sit there and listen to all sorts of things from the size of his dick to possible piercings he may have. Harley is the one that takes the conversation to a whole new level as she begins to tell us all about Steel’s dick piercing. Pops and Fox leave the salon as soon as she starts talking. I can’t help the laughter that breaks out as she goes into detail causing men to leave the area. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Especially since I’ve never really had girls to talk with and have a good time.
“What are you guys doing the rest of the day?” Kim asks, as she sits in Riley’s chair.
“I’m going home to spend the evening with Dylan. I have to get my time in now before I go back to work,” I answer as Darcy continues to cut away my hair and add layers to it.
“When do you get to go back?” Darcy asks, never once taking her attention away from the work she’s doing.
“I go back to the doctor tomorrow so I’m hoping that she cuts me loose then. I’ll spend the next few days home and go back next week,” I tell her, letting a smile take over my face at the thought of going back to work soon. I’ve missed being ther
e to help patients that are sick.
We spend the rest of the time talking and laughing about things that are off the wall. Harley is telling us that Steel wants to have more babies and she’s trying to stop it. If he has his way, they’ll have a baseball team before they stop. When the topic of babies comes up, Darcy gets really quiet and I leave it alone. She’ll tell us whatever news she has when she’s ready. I’m not going to push her. They even try once again to get me to spill the details on Shadow. Kim, thankfully, takes the attention off of me with her announcement that she’s going to go back to school. She doesn’t know what she’s going to study just yet, but Fox is completely on board with the idea. Hell, if it were up to him, he’d find a way to give her the moon and stars if that’s what she wanted.
Finally, my hair is done and Darcy turns me to the mirror at her station to check it out. She’s done an amazing job. Not only did she cut it the way I wanted, she added just enough blonde highlights to my dark auburn hair to make a difference. I love it! Now, I just want to go home and chill with my son and Shadow. It’s been a good day, spending time with the girls, but I am ready to just veg out and relax a little bit. Maybe I’ll order takeout tonight because I really don’t even feel like cooking. We’ll see what the guys in my life think when I walk through the door.
“Thank you so much Darcy! I love it!” I tell her, looking at my hair again from all angles.
“You’re welcome! I’m glad that you like it. It’s already been paid for,” she tells me, as she pulls the drape from around my shoulders.
“What do you mean it’s already been paid for? I didn’t even know what I was doing until I got here,” I ask, confusion clearly written all over my face.
“Shadow stopped by earlier and told me to do whatever you wanted while shoving a handful of bills into my hand,” she replies, shrugging her shoulders like this is a daily occurrence. I’m sure it is with these alpha males in our lives.
I should be surprised by the fact that he paid for my hair to get done, but I’m really not. When we were talking before, he wouldn’t let me pay for anything if we were together. Hell, he wouldn’t even let me pay for lunch if he came to see me at the hospital. None of the guys I was ever with paid for anything. I was the one that ended up paying for everything. It’s taken some getting used to, but I don’t think he knows any other way to be. I can see the fights in our future about money if we make it to the point that we’re living together. I’m ready for it though.
As Kim, Alice, and I walk out of the salon, I run right into a solid wall of someone’s chest. Looking up, I see a man dressed in a dark suit with sunglasses shielding his eyes from us. “Um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you,” I say, taking a step back as Kim goes to stand a little bit in front of me almost as if she’s shielding me from the man in front of us.
“It’s okay Renee. Just be careful where you’re going next time,” the man says before stepping around us and walking fast away from us.
I stand there in stunned silence as the thought that this stranger knew my name. I’ve never seen him before a day in my life. He’s someone that I’d remember for sure. Not only was he tall and muscular, there was a jagged scar that ran down from his hairline to curve around his ear. While I couldn’t see his eyes with the dark sunglasses that he was wearing, I know that he shouldn’t know my name. Before I can say or do anything, Pops and Fox are standing with us.
“What’s the matter?” Pops asks, wrapping an arm around my waist. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or somethin’.”
“That man knew my name. I don’t know who he is, but he called me Renee,” I get out as my fear ratchets up a few notches.
“What man?” he asks, instantly on alert.
I turn to point and notice that Kim has a distant look in her eyes and she’s lost all color in her face. What the hell is she so upset about? He didn’t know her name, it was mine he said. Fox is talking quietly to her as Pops leads me away from them and toward the SUV that we’ve been riding in. Kim got one when she moved in with Fox and I don’t have a car right now. I miss my car, but I’ll have to wait to get one until I go back to work and know what everything is going to cost me. Yeah, I have insurance, but I don’t know what’s going to happen as far as any of that goes.
Once Pops has me secure in the SUV, he runs around to the driver’s side as I watch Kim climb on Fox’s bike behind him. Now I’m even more scared and confused about what just happened. This is not normal behavior and I can’t sit here and do nothing about it. I’m not a weak woman when it comes to knowing what’s going on, so I can help protect myself and my son. Turning to Pops, I see him concentrating on the road as he races toward my house. Maybe this isn’t the right time to try to find out what’s going on when he obviously needs to pay attention, so we don’t get into an accident. I’m not scared with the way he’s racing through the streets. I feel safe and secure with him behind the wheel. I’ll bite my tongue until we make it back to the house. Then I’ll find out what’s going on from Shadow.
As soon as we pull in the driveway, I see Shadow loading up an SUV that’s sitting in my driveway. I didn’t realize that the club had so many different ones the members could use. Anyway, I see Mike sitting on the porch with Dylan as Shadow runs back and forth between the house and vehicle. I’m really concerned now. It looks like he’s moving my son and I out of our home. This has got to be the craziest half hour I’ve ever been a part of in my life. And I work in a damn hospital emergency room! Pops pulls in and parks behind the SUV Shadow is at. He looks up at us and rushes to my side of the vehicle. Shadow pulls the door open so hard that I’m surprised it’s still attached.
“Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?” he asks, his words rushed as he helps me unfasten the seat belt and pulling me out.
“I’m fine. I don’t know what’s going on right now so that scares me. And I really don’t like the fact that some random guys knows my name. What’s going on Shadow? Please, I need to know?” I ask, wrapping my arms around him so that I can try to get him to calm down a little bit.
“I don’t know the whole story, but for now, I think that’s it’s best if you and Dylan stay at the clubhouse with me. There’s not enough protection here at the house. Please let me take you two there until I know more about what we’re dealin’ with?” he asks with a pleading tone to his voice as he pulls my body as close to his as we can get with clothes on.
“Yes, I’ll go there. But you need to promise me that as soon as we get settled in, you’re gonna tell me what’s going on. I don’t want anything left out,” I tell him, knowing that I need to know this information.
“I’ll tell you what I can. I think I have enough stuff for now. We can stop back for anythin’ I forgot,” he tells me as we walk toward the house where Dylan is playing with Mike.
“Let me run in and make sure that nothing is forgotten in our rooms. I’ll be two minutes,” I answer as I place a quick kiss on his cheek before rushing toward the bedroom. Well, as fast as I can go with a boot on one foot.
I can hear Shadow, Pops, and Mike talking as I make my way into the bathroom to make sure that toothbrushes and other necessities were gotten. When I look in the door, I see that the counter has been cleared of everything and so has the tub. Shadow definitely made it look like we were moving out in a rush. Fox must have called him after Pops took off because I know he never touched his phone. Alice didn’t have a chance to as she was rushing after us to get in the SUV.
Before I know it, Dylan and I are loaded into the SUV and we have an escorted ride to the clubhouse. The prospects are waiting on us to park so that they can start taking everything inside and to Shadow’s room for us. There’s such a whirlwind of activity going on that I can’t seem to wrap my head around everything. So, I’m going to stay out of the way until I know that the guys are done doing their thing so that I can put everything away while we’re in our temporary home. I’m not even sure at this point how long we’re even going to be here. Especially
with my doctor appointments, rehab appointments, and hopefully going back to work. Not to mention that this is a lot of change for Dylan to take on. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll adjust just fine, but it’s still a lot to take in.
Right now, Dylan won’t leave Shadow’s side. He’s trying to help the guys bring bags and boxes into the clubhouse, but I think he’s spending more time getting in the way of everyone. Not a single one of the guys bitches or complains about him being underfoot. Instead, they all talk to him and try to find little things for him to carry in. Since I don’t have to try to get him to stay out of their way, I park my butt at one of the tables littering the common room and wait to talk to Shadow.
One of the guys drops a bottled water off as I sit and wait. It doesn’t take long with them all working together for the SUV to be unloaded and everything in Shadow’s room. When I walk in, it looks like a closet threw up as boxes, bags, and clothes litter every available surface. Including the bed that’s now covered with half the stuff Dylan and I own. Man, something must really have him spooked for us to be whisked away here so suddenly like this. We’ll make the best of it as I start putting things away. Shadow helps me after turning on some cartoons and dumping out Dylan’s blocks on the floor. That should keep him occupied while we take care of this stuff. Then, when my son is asleep, we’re going to be having this talk!
Dylan didn’t want to go to sleep tonight thinking that when he woke up, we’d be back at the house. He thinks this is an adventure we’re on and doesn’t want it to end. Thankfully, Darcy and her guys are staying here with us, so she took him to help her ‘watch’ her kids. While Shadow finishes up some business, I’m going to take advantage of the peace and take a long, hot shower to wash the day’s events away.