“Love you too, Elijah. See you when you get back.”
I shoot a quick text to Axe letting him know I’m on my way before I put my helmet on and start up my bike. Hearing the pipes has me grinning from ear to ear...there’s no better sound in the world than that, that’s for sure. I hit my Bluetooth so I get some music playing through my helmet and head off to meet Axe at the trucking company. He’s waiting on me sitting on his bike when I pull in, instead of shutting off my bike to speak with him, he raises his hand in the air and circles his finger indicating it’s time to ride. I follow him through town and take in the town that I’m actually happy to be home and be a part of once again. I didn’t really get to get on my girl and take off when I was working seventy-hour weeks. The decision to not take on any new clients and basically just be the RGMC’s attorney, has given me time to sit back and enjoy the finer things in life. I’ve put the word out that I’m willing to do wills and that sort of thing, and of course, an occasional pro bono case if there’s a need. Axe, who hasn’t had much of an opportunity to ride either, motions that we’re taking the long way. I’m good with that, if I’m being honest. I know he’s having an issue envisioning Gino the same way after our church meeting the other day where all the brothers opened his eyes. He’s going to have to be a big boy and deal with his issues that he has about supporting his mother finding a good, honest man. And in my opinion, there is no better man for Nan than Gino. He’s the kind of man I can envision giving Nan everything her heart desires. Including himself, he’s more of a giver than a taker. Nan has a vision for her family, and I can picture Gino and his boy included in that picture. At long last, we’re pulling into the Barn House and we park our bikes, setting our helmets in our saddlebags. “Let’s see what we can accomplish,” Axe states. The look on his face is one of apprehension, almost as if he’s afraid of what Gino will say.
Walking in, we see Gino and head in his direction. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Did you bring any of your lovely women with you today?”
“It’s just us today, Gino. Wanted to see if you could cater Mom’s birthday next weekend?”
“It’s Nan’s birthday?” Gino asks. I hear what sounds like a growl coming from Axe at Gino’s question and have to work hard to suppress my grin.
“Yes,” Axe states. Maybe his road name should’ve been Grizzly because he sure is mimicking one. Shaking my head at my current thoughts, I nod at Gino, who is giving Axe a puzzled look. Poor man has no clue that he’s gonna have to deal with the son from hell if he wants to pursue Nan.
“Let’s go over there and have a seat. Do y’all want something to drink? Stephan! Get these two some drinks and please bring me a catering form.” Once we’re seated with glasses of sweet tea in front of us, Gino motions to the menu. “I know she likes the baked Italian dish, but what else do you want?”
Axe peruses the menu and says, “They come in those big tray things, right?” I notice him giving Gino a side glare and hide my hand over my mouth to capture the laugh that wants to exit.
“Correct.”
“What if we do one with chicken marsala, one with that baked Italian thing she loves, one with lasagna, and one with spaghetti and meatballs?”
Gino jots everything down then asks, “What about garlic bread and salad? Do you have a cake planned already? I can get one of those made for you as well. I think she likes the death by chocolate if memory serves.” Jeez, he’s paid attention to her, far more than I realized.
“That sounds good.”
“Now, what about drinks? I know she likes the blackberry margaritas, so I can bring the items needed for those as well.” He’s going all out here, I think he’s trying to get our Nan drunk.
“Fine,” Axe says, dragging the word out. He must be thinking the same thing as I was. A tipsy Nan is a fun adventure, and one I can’t wait to experience again. It’s only happened once before, and she was a livewire that night. “We’ve got large coolers that we can put sweet tea and lemonade in for those who aren’t drinking.”
“Maybe water too,” I add. Cassarah needs to lay off the sweet tea due to the caffeine. I know she’ll probably have a glass of it, and that’s okay, but she needs to switch to something healthier and lemonade has too much sugar. I don’t want her developing gestational diabetes. “Even bring some of that peach tea you make, it has no added preservatives or sugars, right?”
“Would you also like a variety of desserts besides the cake?” Gino has some of the best fucking desserts I’ve ever eaten, and I know without a doubt we’ll all be in a food coma by the end of the party.
“Bring some of those cannoli things, does my mom like them?” Axe asks.
“She does, yes,” Gino responds, completely oblivious to Axe’s behavior. “Okay, what time is everything getting started?”
Axe looks at me and asks, “We going to be doing Cassarah’s patch-in party too?”
“Not on the same day, brother. Let’s celebrate Nan. I don’t want the women to have to share their special days together, they each deserve a day to themselves.”
“Around three, then. Will that work, Gino?” Axe asks.
“I’ll make it happen. And will stay to serve so none of your lovely ladies have to miss the party. In fact, I’ll bring Stephan to help me.”
“Sounds good,” Axe states, and I hear the growl in his tone, I think I’m gonna call him Grizzly just to get his hackles up. “Here’s my card, put it all on that if you don’t mind.”
Gino jots down the information he needs and says, “I’ll be there around two-thirty to set up.”
“We’ll have tables arranged for you and a tent set up, it’s going to be an outdoor event,” Axe tells him.
“Wear cool clothing, it’s supposed to be a hot one,” I relay to Gino. He nods his head, but I have a feeling he’ll still be dressing to impress. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hair out of place on him before.
“Thank you for entrusting me with this, it means a lot,” Gino tells Axe. “Your mother is a very special woman and deserves every good thing.” Well, alrighty then. If Axe can’t see that, not sure what to say at this point. Because in his own way, Gino just let him know that he’s attracted to Nan.
“I can’t….I just can’t, brother, I need to know. Gino? You got a thing for my mother?” I have to turn around so I’m not a witness to Gino’s embarrassment.
“Would it bother you if I did, Axe? She’s a lovely, beautiful woman and I would enjoy the opportunity to get to know her better.”
“Not sure, Gino. Gotta be honest here, she’s been alone for so long I never thought about her maybe wanting to get involved with someone else. Nothing against you because you’re a helluva man, it’s just something I guess I need to get used to is all.”
“I’d like your permission to court your mother,” Gino states.
“You don’t need my permission, man, she’s old enough to make her own decisions, for fuck’s sake.”
“You are her son and as such, the head of the household even if you don’t live under the same roof. It’s a respect thing for me, Axe. I genuinely like her but won’t pursue anything if you have any objections.”
I can see Axe taking deep breaths. This is hard for him because Nan has been on her own for what seems like forever. “Yeah, Gino, you can court my mother if you’d like. Not sure what that is, exactly, just know if you hurt her, you have a lot of men to answer to.”
“It is not my intention to hurt your mother in any way, she is important to me, and I want to show her, and romance her. She deserves at least that much, from a man who sees the amazing woman she truly is.” They shake hands, and we’re out the door.
“Feel better, Grizzly?”
“Shut up! I didn’t growl,” he huffs out.
“The fuck you didn’t! I think we should definitely be changing your road name while Gino is ‘courting’ your mom, man.”
“Fucker, knock that shit off. It’s hard thinking of my mom in that kind of light is all,” he sta
tes as we head toward our bikes.
“What kind of light? A beautiful woman with years left to love again?” I ask. I’m genuinely curious because it’s been killing me that she’s all alone.
“Do not mention my mom’s name and loving in a sentence together, it gives me the heebie jeebies, man...fuck that shit!”
“It’s a good thing Parrott isn’t around because you’d owe the jar some dough,” I tell him.
“Who the fuck is Parrot?”
Grinning at him as I strap on my helmet, I say, “That’s what we’re calling Emma. She repeats every fucking thing, especially the curse words. I’m getting a swear jar for the house and for the clubhouse.”
He smiles before saying, “I remember those days well. Wait, why the clubhouse?”
“I figure the way some of our brothers are free with the f-bomb, I can afford her college tuition by the time she’s old enough to go! How long before she grows out of it?” I ask him.
“I’ll let you know when that day happens,” he replies, laughing. “C’mon, I gotta get back to work, but first I wanna hear what you found out so let’s grab lunch.”
“Are you fucking shitting me?” Axe growls out.
“I’m not lying to you, man, they found a journal and their entire plan was mapped out in it. They were going to have Luca hurt, claim that Cara wasn’t taking the death of her husband well and was neglecting Luca’s care. If that didn’t work out, they had plans on taking Cara out to where they would be the only living relatives.”
“But that’s not true! Cara has a brother and parents too,” Axe replies.
“One, brother, they aren’t as well off as the Jensens. Two, they had a contingency plan of a family auto accident if things didn’t go their way.”
“And they wrote all that shit down in a fucking journal?”
“Yes,” I state. I still cannot believe the shit I read that they wanted to do in order to gain custody of that little boy.
“And Starla?” he inquires.
“A pawn,” I inform him. “She didn’t know their whole plan, and was only brought in to help them gain the information they needed in order to proceed. She’s still gonna serve time, but her charges are far less than theirs. However, there is a permanent restraining order that she’ll have to abide by whenever she sees the light of day again. Given the fact that DJ scared the hell out of her, I don’t think we’ll see her ever again.”
“Fucking hell!” he shouts. “And she went along with it so she could get Hatchet, only she devised her own plan to take out poor Ralynn to fuck with DJ...this is the most fucked-up situation I’ve ever heard of. I feel like we’re living some type of fucking soap opera gone terribly wrong.”
“Yeah, but in this instance, we won. Everyone’s safe and sound and they’re where they need to be...behind bars. Keep that in mind, brother. Now, what’s really concerning me is the fact that Chief apparently has some bad eggs in his department.”
“And that’s the way it's going to stay, brother. I won’t have my family in fear or looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives. They...none of them will see the light of day again, including Starla. As far as the department is concerned, we’ll help him anyway we can. In fact, I need to get Bandit involved, have him do some in-depth searches on the folks in the department.” By the look on his face, I know he isn’t bullshitting me, he will take them out personally if the occasion ever arises. I’m worried for my brother’s sanity and soul and pray it doesn’t come down to that because despite the fact that we can all do it, we’ve chosen a different path in life and our MC is about brotherhood and family, we don’t break the law and I have a feeling I’ll be reminding him of that often.
Pulling into the driveway of my house, I’m happy because it actually feels like a home rather than a place I come to and lay my head down at night. A smile graces my face as I get off my bike and rush into the front door. My girls are cuddled up with one another on the couch watching some kids television show. Cassarah lifts her head up when she notices I’m in the room and her eyes are full of life and happiness. I walk over to them and kiss on both of their foreheads. “Something smells good in here, what’s for dinner?” I ask her.
“I found a pot roast in the freezer when I woke up and threw it in the oven with some red potatoes, carrots and finger-sized corn on the cobs.”
“Sounds delicious,” I say, as I nibble on her neck causing her to giggle and Emma starts pushing me away.
“Mine,” Emma says, burying her head into Cassarah’s neck.
“She’s a little fiesty I see,” I state.
“She didn’t rest well. She woke up in pain and I just gave her some meds a little while ago.”
“Awe, I’m sorry, lovebug.” I say patting her head, which she throws her hands up to block me.
“No,” she says, pointing her finger at me reprimanding me. “No Lah, no touching.”
“Alright, I won’t mess with you while you’re in a bad mood.” She gives me a dirty look, do women/girls really learn how to do that at such an early age? I feel like I’ve been put in place by a toddler, and I want to get on my knees and apologize profusely. She digs her face back into her favorite resting place and Cassarah gives me a look of sympathy. “I’ll go check on dinner and then I’m gonna hop in the shower.”
“Alright, baby, I’ll try to get miss grouchy pants in a better mood.” I give her a wink and go about my business.
Cassarah
I feel bad for Elijah, he loves Emma so much, and for her to reject him the way she did, has to sting a little bit. “Sweetie, do you want to lay on the couch so I can get some things done?”
“No,” her cranky butt replies. I haven’t had to deal with this side of her temper before, so I’m at a loss of how to handle it diplomatically. I don’t want to be the bad guy with everything she’s been through, but I don’t want to be that parent that lets her get away with everything either. I feel like I’m in a catch twenty-two situation and may need some guidance on this one. Before I have a chance to say or do anything, I feel Emma’s breathing even out and know she’s fallen fast asleep. Elijah walks into the room and sees me trying to move so I can get her off of me.
“Baby, stop,” he tells me, walking up to me and lifting Emma’s dead weight from my arms.
“Thank you, my arms were falling asleep,” I tell him, sighing from the relief. “I need to work out or something, I could barely move her.” I lift my arms and inspect them, I’m not sure what I expect to find, but they feel weaker and dammit they aren’t getting any firmer from all the lifting I do with her. I shake my arm and see some flab moving around and it instantly makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Look at this! My fat jiggles!”
“You’ve lost your mind! You’re perfect just the way you are. That’s not fat, I don’t see what it is you’re going on about, but you need to stop while you’re ahead.”
“You don’t see this?” I ask, jiggling it again.
“Are you sleepy, baby? Because you’re hallucinating or some shit. My woman is gorgeous and perfect. Do I need to remind you how well we fit together?”
“Nope,” I say popping my ‘P’, I have a daily reminder right here,” I say patting my ever-growing pooch. At least now, I have some form and don’t just look like I’ve gotten pudgy. Or fluffy, as my sister used to say when either one of us put on a pound, or twenty.
“Well, you keep offending my woman and I’m gonna have to do something about it,” he tells me.
“Like what?” I ask. My curiosity is now roused because what could he possibly do to me?
“Like put you over my knee, baby,” he whispers, leaning in close.
“Don’t think you could put me over your knee without hurting our child. Besides, it’s not as if I’m going to voluntarily lean over your knee and say, ‘spank me, daddy,’” I say rolling my eyes at him.
“I have my ways, woman. Don’t test me,” he growls out. “Let me
put this little cranky miss down for a nap and I’ll demonstrate a few of them.”
“Challenge accepted,” I reply. Suddenly, my body is in overdrive. I cannot get enough of him anyhow but if you add the pregnancy hormones in, I’m turning into some kind of nympho-slut or something.
“No, you’re not! You’re not a slut of any kind.”
“Fuck, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“It’s one of your endearing qualities, I find a lot of shit out that way,” he states. “Now, meet me in our room.”
“Fuck you very much.” I can’t stand when he gets all demanding and bossy, that’s a lie, I love it, but I can’t let him know that or he’ll take advantage of the situation.
“I plan to, beautiful. Fuck you, that is.”
“If you say so, come and get me and make me mind, Elijah.” I feel like I’m waving a red flag in front of the raging bull. Game on!
And he showed me multiple times how well he plays the game. Damn, I need to remember a riled-up Elijah gives the best orgasms.
Chapter Eleven
Law
We’ve been busy this past week getting ready for Nan’s birthday party at the clubhouse. Even with Gino catering everything, all of the women got involved, decorating the place and making other dishes they know that we all enjoy. The following day, we’re taking off to go finalize Cassarah’s life in Montana since her month is coming to a close.
“Elijah?” she asks, coming into the family room where I’m chilling on the huge-ass recliner I bought with the intention that someday, someone would be in my life I could share it with.
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