Before he can answer, I hear Donna Jo’s voice saying, “I’m supposed to be meeting her here, you big lug!”
Turning, I see that one of the men, I think his name is Boothe, has his arm up to keep Donna Jo from coming any closer. “Braxton? That’s Donna Jo and her little girl, Ralynn.”
“She’s okay to come through, prospect,” he calls out. She gives him a dirty look before walking over to me.
“Over-protective much?” she asks Braxton before engulfing me in a hug.
“Sorry about that, but we don’t let just anyone on our property,” he tells her.
“DJ? This is Braxton Callahan, he’s the president of the MC,” I tell her.
Her raised eyebrow tells me I’ve got some explaining to do and I shake my head at her. Now’s not the time. “Did you have any problems finding it?” I ask.
“Nope. My new GPS system actually gets me from point A to point B,” she replies. “It’s nice to meet you,” she says, turning to Braxton.
“Aunt Cararee?” a little voice says. Looking down, I see Ralynn and I crouch to give her a hug. “Where’s Luca?”
“Oh, let me take you over to where he’s playing, okay, sweetie?” Taking her hand, I motion with my head for DJ to follow me and walk over to the play area. “Luca? Look who’s here!”
“Ralynn!” he screams out, jumping off the swing and running toward us. “You gots to meets my new friends who lives here!” he says, taking her by the hand and running back toward Lily and Tig.
“Paisley? This is my friend, Donna Jo or DJ. DJ? This is Paisley, she’s Twisted’s old lady and Tig’s mom.”
“Pleasure to meet you. So Tig is the other little boy running around?” DJ aks.
“He sure is, he and Luca hit it off right away, Luca also has a friend, Lily, who happens to be Braxton’s daughter.”
“Braxton huh...there’s a story I want to hear about,” DJ says to me. I know that there will be no sleep until there’s a bottle of wine consumed and the complete story of Braxton told. Only problem is, I don’t know exactly what to tell her where it comes to Braxton and myself.
“Later,” I tell her and turn to Paisley, only to see a smirk on her face. “What?” I ask her.
“Just curious.”
“About?” I put my hands on my hips, taking my mothers pose of, ‘don’t mess with me’ stance.
“Whether or not you're gonna tell the watered-down version you tried spewing to me, or if you’ll be real with your girl DJ here.”
“Oh, she’ll be real with me. She knows better, I will pull it out of her if I have to.”
“Wish you two wouldn’t talk about me as if I’m not even here. And hey,” I pinch DJ’s arm, “whose side are you on anyways?”
“Yours, Caraleigh, always yours. But you have to learn to be on your side as well.” What in the world does that mean I wonder. “Don’t look at me like that,” DJ says. “You know what I mean, you always take care of everyone else, would you like me to give examples?”
“No!” I blurt out, like I need all these strangers in my business.
“Oh, I see a girl’s night in our future,” Paisley blurts out.
“Umm…” I stammer.
“Hell yes!” DJ eagerly agrees. How come I get the feeling I’ll be the topic of conversation during this girls night out?
“We should set it up, how long are you in town for, DJ?” They carry on like I’m not even standing here.
“For an undetermined amount of time. I can work from anywhere and Ralynn is homeschooled.”
“Give me your number and we can set it up.” They exchange numbers and I’m still standing here like a deer caught in the headlights. I look over and see Braxton watching me, he lifts his eyebrows in a silent question wanting to know if I’m okay. I shrug my shoulders and give him a small timid smile, which he returns. Only his smile is bright and does things to me that make my body quiver in anticipation of what’s yet to come.
“Earth to Cara,” Paisley calls out to me.
“Hmm...what?” I turn my attention back to the girls.
“We were asking what day is good for you so I can set up a sitter for the kids.”
“A sitter, why?”
“So we can go out, what happened did your brain fry while looking at Mr. Hottie over there?” DJ, the smartass asks me. I stomp my foot in exasperation, I don’t do well with being the center of attention...well, not any more I don’t. I used to be the outgoing one, until my deceased husband and his parents got me in their line of fire.
“We’re going to have so much fun!” Paisley announces bouncing around on the balls of her feet. “I don’t have many girlfriends, so I’m really looking forward to this.”
“Oh joy,” I mutter under my breath causing both of them to break out into laughter. I love being the object of attention...not!
“So, girl, tonight I want the whole story of how you met Mr. Hottie pants and explain those smoldering looks he keeps sending your way.”
“You're imagining things,” I tell her, “you’re seeing things where there is nothing to see.”
“Whatever you say, Cara,” Paisley says, “but I’m not buying that line of bullshit.”
“Whatever,” I say, because I can’t think of anything else to respond to that statement.
“Food’s ready,” we hear Braxton call out, giving me the perfect out to being the center of attention from my best friend, and her new partner in crime.
“Come on, ladies, let’s grab our kids and get their plates made,” Paisley says grabbing one of each of our hands and pulling us behind her. “You snooze you lose around here, it's first come first serve, and these guys are animals when it comes to food.”
“Hopefully it's not the only time they’re animalistic,” DJ says winking at me. I notice Hatchet walk up behind DJ, and I know he’s fixing to do something to set her ass on fire.
“Not the only time, darlin’,” I hear him whisper-shout in her ear, causing her to jump and screech. Everyone stops what they’re doing turning to look and see if there is danger in the area...I’m assuming.
“Asshole!” she screams at Hatchet causing him to laugh.
“Just answering your question, darlin’,” he replies with a wink.
“Well, considering I wasn’t asking you, maybe you should stay out of other people's conversations and mind your own business!” she huffs out. I can’t tell if she’s truly upset or not, she has the same look when she’s excited as she does when someone’s pissed in her cheerios.
“Don’t mind Hatchet,” Paisley tells DJ. “We don’t know what side of the funny farm he was raised on, he always has something smart to say.”
“That’s because I’m a smartass, darlin’,” he replies to Paisley.
“That you are...along with just plain being an asshole.”
Hatchet grabs his chest in a dramatic nature, “You wound me, darlin’, here I was thinking we were friends.”
“Ah,” Paisley moves her hand side-to-side, in a sorta gesture.
“Wounded, truly wounded, darlin’,” he says as he walks away.
“See, you just have’ta learn how to deal with these guys. You have to think on a five-year-old’s level.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard, since we have kids in that age range,” DJ tells her.
“Exactly.”
After we get in the long as hell line, get the kids and our plates made and get to the table, I’m utterly exhausted. It’s a workout in itself to get the kids wrangled, but when you add grown men who think they’re children, it's even more so. I’ve never met men of this age range that acted more like children than Luca. It’s a hard pill to swallow, even for me. The kids are sitting at the kids table and I’m sitting next to Braxton, whose hand has not left my leg since he took the seat to my right. On my left is DJ and next to her is Hatchet. I can hear his attempts at flirting, causing my friend to laugh, which makes me happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard her sound so carefree. Across from me are Paisley an
d Twisted, who has nibbled on her neck and ear as much as he has his food.
I want that someday, I want to experience that kind of deep devotion and love that he shows her...publically! Something I’ve never felt either. Public displays of affection were a big no-no in my previous marriage. I always felt so isolated and alone, other than Luca, of course. He was my saving grace, my reason to keep living and putting one foot in front of the other, so to speak. Graham, why couldn’t you have ever shown me that I meant something to you? There was a time that I would’ve done anything for that man, including losing who I was and who I wanted to be.
“Hey, beautiful, where’d you go to just now in that head of yours?” Busted! Damage control begins in... three...two...one.
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking of how much I’m enjoying getting to know everyone. I love the vibe of family I’m getting off of everyone here. You guys really are one big happy group. Thank you for letting me, Luca, DJ and Ralynn be a part of this today,” I tell him hoping he’ll buy that bunch of malarkey I just laid in his lap.
“I’ll let you have that play for now,” he says as his hand squeezes my thigh. Damn, I thought I’d been pretty convincing personally. I look over to DJ and see she has a look of concern on her face, I must’ve let my thoughts show pretty drastically for her to be worried. She knows me better than anyone, so she most likely knows where my thoughts were regardless if I tell her the truth or not.
I nod my head at her letting her know I’m good, although it looks like our dreaded conversation tonight will deal with ghosts I’m not in the mood to face. Story of my life, go figure. I wish I could bury the past and keep it there, but the damn thing keeps resurfacing every time I turn around. I mean Graham is buried, why can’t I keep the memories dead with him and move on?
Braxton
I don’t like the look on my girl’s face, or where her thoughts seem to be taking her. Yes, I said it, my girl, and she is mine. I just have to convince her of that fact and hope she takes it and doesn’t try to run from it. Though she won’t get far, I won’t let her. She was born for me, and I don’t let things I want escape my grasp if I have any say in the matter, which in this case I do. I will break down all those walls I see built around her...it’s just a matter of time.
As the night progresses, the bonfire is flaming and we have the kids roasting marshmallows. I look over at Caraleigh and her girl posse and see them all laughing being carefree and a sense of calmness and contentment washes through me. This is how it's meant to be...life that is. Not everything is meant to be a struggle. Life is exciting and sometimes downright fucking scary, it's what you make of it that matters most. I plan on making life good for Caraleigh and Luca, they’re now mine...my family.
I look around in pride at my brothers, they show me and everyone around them daily what loyalty, drive and commitment mean. They show compassion when it's needed and stand against injustice in the world when required. They may be goofballs, but they’re all good men, men I’m proud to have at my back and am honored to stand beside them. When Twisted and I talked about starting an MC, this right here is what I imagined it could be. Family, honorability, faith, loyalty and brotherhood.
We aren’t the one-percent club that you typically read and hear about. We don’t go out looking for a fight, we don’t get into wars over territory. No. Not us. We are about the ride, the wind blowing in your face, the road under your feet and the freedom of the open road. Don’t get me wrong, the guys have the capability to get rowdy at times, but every once in awhile, letting off steam is a good thing. I’d rather them have the typical barroom brawl, than be out there being a menace to society. We still fine them if they are out in public and cause problems, we have to in order to keep some semblance of control. But as my mom says...boys will be boys.
I’m sipping on a beer and laughing with my brothers when I feel someone standing behind me. I turn around and see my girl standing there. “What’s up, beautiful?” I ask her drawing the attention of everyone around us.
“Hey, it’s getting late, I need to get Luca home and in bed. Plus I still have to get DJ and Ralynn settled. The kids are tired and getting cranky. I wanted to come say good-bye and thank you for inviting us, we had a wonderful time.” I can’t help but smile at the pride I feel of how everyone behaved themselves so she and her friend felt like they are part of the family.
“You’re welcome, beautiful, let me walk you and DJ to your cars then if you give me a few minutes to grab Lily I’ll follow y'all home.”
“That’s not necessary, you don’t have to leave just because we are.”
“I’m not, beautiful, I’m leaving because I’m exhausted and need to get my daughter to bed as well.” I look around for my mom and see she’s had the same idea and is getting Lily’s things gathered up and ready to hit the road.
“Well...alright then,” she says and turns quickly away. I watch her ass, mesmerized by the beauty of its plumpness and shape. I bite my tongue to keep myself from moaning out loud. I can’t wait to get my hands on it, all of her if I’m being honest. I say goodnight to the brothers I was talking to and make my way to the group the girls are in. I see Twisted has the same idea and is gathering his family up to leave as well. Looks like the evening is winding down and the single men will be the only ones left to bring down the house.
One of my brothers catches my attention and I’m surprised at what I see. Hatchet is standing next to DJ, with a sleeping Ralynn in his arms. Her head is on his shoulder and she looks like she was made to be there...like she’s always had a resting place to lay her head. What surprises me the most is how comfortable he looks holding her. DJ has her hand holding his elbow as she waits to be led away. I hope he realizes she isn’t a throw away, she’s a keeper, someone to be cherished and honored. He isn’t known for staying in relationships and I hope this one is different. I don’t want any animosity coming between me and my girl. I have a feeling if one of my brothers fucks her girl over, we’ll be finished before we even have a chance to begin.
And that is something that is unacceptable. I guess I’ll be having a conversation with my brother tomorrow. Hopefully, he’s just feeling helpful and it’s nothing more than that.
Chapter Seven
Braxton
The next morning brings me more questions than answers where Hatchet and his feelings are concerned when it comes to DJ. “What do you mean you’re confused? You only met her last night, how can you already be unsure?”
“I just don’t know, Axe, I mean I’m fighting an extreme attraction to her on every level. Her looks are enough to drop me to my knees, but her sassiness and her personality have me wanting to egg her on one minute and pull her close the next. I desperately want to be buried inside of her. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before and I don’t know what to do with that!”
“So your answer to that is to ask me to send you away on a long-haul run? Since when do you of all people run away from your problems, man? You usually are the first one to stick around and figure things out. I just don’t get what leaving will accomplish,” I tell him honestly.
“I’m not running away,” he growls out at me. “I just need time to sort my head out and figure out what to do next, I’ve never had this shit happen to me before, give me a break, man.”
“I don’t know if I’d be doing you any favors by letting you leave. I really think you need to stay here and figure things out, if you don’t see her on a daily basis, how will you know what it is you’re truly feeling?”
“Fuck!”
“Watch your mouth, young man,” Mom says as she enters the kitchen where we’ve been sitting and talking. “We have a little girl who lives here with ears as big as a wolf and a mouth as big as…”
“Really, Mom, we get it, please don’t finish that sentence. I’m enjoying the bubble I live in when it comes to my daughter and the things that are capable of leaving her mouth.” I sigh in frustration. She got in trouble at the beginning of the school year fo
r saying ‘fuck a duck’ when she got an answer wrong to a question her teacher asked her. I got called to her classroom like I’d been the one to say that phrase, one might I mention that she heard from my mother and not from me. It made me feel like I used to when I was young and got called to the principal's office when I’d pull one of my pranks and would get caught. My ass still stings to this day when I think about the ass whoopins I would get from my dad once he’d get off the phone with the school.
I’m brought out of my memories when I hear Hatchet ask me, “What do I do, man?”
“You be a big boy, pull up them britches and face this like a man,” comes from Mom.
“Uh, Mom...this is between us, we don’t need your matchmaking advice today.”
“I beg to differ, Son, I think the two of you need all the help I can give. You’re both acting like stubborn fools...do yourselves a favor, march over to that apartment and ask those girls out to dinner. I’ll watch the kids...and for goodness sakes, don’t say anything stupid and stow the crazy antics, Hatchet. Trust me, no one wants to be on a date with a clown that’s escaped the circus,” she says as she marches out of the room.
The fuck! Did my mom just demand I go on a double date? This is ludicrous, the nerve of her.
“Dude, Axe-man, did your mom just demand I go on a date with you?”
“Not with me you moron, a double-date with the girls. No wonder she referred to you as the class clown.”
“She did not! She referred to me as an escaped clown from the circus.”
“Same damn thing, Hatchet.”
“So is not!” Is he seriously pouting at me like Lily did when she was two-years old? Something's got to give here.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m taking my mom’s advice and I’m going over there and asking my girl out on a date.”
“Do we date? We’re bikers, man, don’t we just pound on our chest and demand what’s ours?”
Braxton: Rebel Guardians MC Page 7