He pushed into the room and left the door hanging open behind him. “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.
“How was church?” Alice asked.
Slayer glared at her. “Why don’t you ask your old man that question?”
Alice laughed and rubbed her stomach. “Because you know he’ll growl, tell me it’s club business, and then I’ll have to work it out of him, and I’m not really up to working it out of him right now.”
Slayer scowled, and his eyes darted to Adley. “Really, Alice?”
Alice shrugged and tossed her hands up in the air. “Sorry, dude. I thought I had a couple of months left to be unfiltered.”
“You couldn’t let her sit on the bed?” Slayer asked. He motioned to Adley who was now looking up at us all.
“I offered. She didn’t want to.” I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest.
Slayer could fight me if he didn’t believe me.
“Well, thanks for keeping an eye on her for me.”
“It was a group effort.” In all honesty, watching a twelve-year-old wasn’t really that hard. Put on some teeny show, give her some pizza and soda, and she was good to go. “She’s pretty cool.”
“Yeah, she’ll make a perfect addition to the second generation of the Girl Gang.” Alice smiled wide.
Slayer paled at the thought, and I hoped this girl was going to keep him on his toes with any and all teenage angst and troubles. If only I could be there to watch him struggle through it.
“Where is she sleeping tonight?” Alice asked. “We have a spare bedroom at our house she can sleep in.”
“You sure you don’t want to run that by Wrecker first?” Carnie questioned.
Alice waved her hand and scoffed. “Oh, please. Why wouldn’t he be okay with it?”
Carnie and I exchanged glances. There were a number of reasons of why Wrecker wouldn’t like it, but the first one that came to mind was the fact Adley wasn’t Wrecker’s problem to deal with.
“I don’t want to leave,” Adley piped up.
We all turned to look at her. We were talking about her like she wasn’t in the room. She was twelve, not an infant who couldn’t talk.
“Why can’t I just sleep here?” Adley suggested.
“Because this isn’t your room,” Slayer explained.
Adley sat up. “But why can’t I sleep on the floor. I wouldn’t take Wendy’s bed.”
Slayer shook his head. “There are plenty of better places for you to sleep.”
“I want to stay with Wendy,” Adley insisted.
My head tipped to the side, and I was shocked as hell that Adley wanted to stay with me. “I…uh…” What the hell was I supposed to say?
“Aww, how sweet,” Carnie cooed. “You guys could have a slumber party.”
Alice clapped her hands together. “That sounds awesome!”
Wait? What? What was going on?
Slayer shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “Wendy is leaving tomorrow, Adley.”
“And?” Alice drawled. “That isn’t a reason why they can’t have a slumber party. I would want in on that action but my butt can’t handle anything but sleeping in my own bed anymore.” She reached around and rubbed her back. “Swear to God, this kid is killing me from the inside out.”
“She can sleep in my room for the night, and tomorrow, I’m going to find a better place for her to stay.” Slayer took a step toward Adley, and she scooted back on her butt.
She was scared of him.
Slayer drove me crazy, but I knew he wouldn’t hurt Adley. She didn’t know that, though. I gathered that she hadn’t really been around men so Slayer stalking toward her while he told her she couldn’t have what she wanted wasn’t good for her.
“Or she can stay in here.” Carnie’s eyes darted to me. I shrugged and looked away from her. “What would one night hurt, right?”
“I know there is a spare mattress down the hall. We could haul it in here so she doesn’t have to sleep on the floor,” Alice volunteered.
“Alice,” Slayer growled.
Alice clapped her hands together. “Perfect, it’s decided. Adley and Wendy are having a slumber party!”
“Wait? What?” Slayer sputtered. “I did not agree to this. There is no reason for Adley to sleep here. She can sleep in my room, and I’ll bunk on the couch in there.”
Alice waved her hand at Slayer. “Nonsense. My idea is much better than yours.”
Only Alice could say that to Slayer and not get snapped at.
Though it looked like Slayer was struggling to not bite her head off.
“I’ll wrangle up some of the guys and get the mattress brought in.” Alice waddled out the door without a backward glance, hollering for Pipe and Boink.
Carnie nervously shuffled her feet and stared at the floor.
Slayer was glaring at me with a scowl on his face. “This isn’t what I want.”
“Guess this is a good lesson for you, then.” I smiled wide and propped my hands on my hips. “You don’t always get what you want, Slushie.”
*
Slayer
This day was not what I had expected, and the night was not ending how it should, either.
I stared up into the darkness of my room and sighed.
Being a dad wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it sort of stung when your new daughter wanted to stay with someone else instead of you.
It stung even more because the person she wanted to stay with was Wendy.
The chick hated me, and God forbid she ever called me the right name.
Slushie.
Slinger.
Smoke.
Slinky.
The list of names she used was long and annoying as hell. Thankfully, I was able to repay the favor and call her every name that started with a W and wasn’t Wendy.
Now, she was stealing my kid.
But she would be gone in the morning, and then, I could figure out where Adley and I were going to live. And I would get the ball rolling on this DNA test.
I know I was shocked as hell when Adley was on the other side of the door, but as crazy as it sounded, I felt like I was the girl’s only hope.
I closed my eyes and pulled the covers up over my arms.
Tomorrow would be a new day, and I would figure out everything then. At least, Wendy wouldn’t be here to get in my way and think she knew what was best for Adley.
Tomorrow would be better.
*
Chapter Five
Wendy
“Why do you have to leave?”
I whirled around, my heart beating out of my chest, and a startled yelp escaped my lips. “You’re woke.” I shook my head and tried to calm the beating of my heart. “I mean, you’re awake.”
Adley raised up on her elbows and yawned. “Yeah, I’m awake. Why do you have to leave?”
Damn, Adley was not easily distracted, and she asked the hard questions first thing in the morning. “Uh, well, I don’t have to leave, but I think I’m just kind of in the way here. Plus, this isn’t really my home.”
“Then why are you here?”
Uh, did I tell her the truth that Carnie had dated a psycho who then tried to kill her and I got swept up in everything?
“I’m just here visiting Carnie. She hooked up with Freak, and I thought I would just come visit her for a bit.” Probably better not to tell her about psychos when she just got here. She seemed pretty scared the way it was without adding that in. “Now, it’s time to go home.”
“Do you know what my dad meant when he said he was going to find someplace else for us to live?”
I shrugged and grimaced. “No clue, doll. I’m sure whatever he had in mind would be good.” I honestly didn’t believe that but again, I didn’t need to scare or worry her anymore. Slayer maybe one good-looking man, but he hadn’t really instilled much trust in me. We just seemed to rub each other the wrong way since we first met.
“Will you come visit me when you visit your sister?”
&
nbsp; I turned away from Adley and opened the empty drawers of my dresser. “Uh, sure.” I had no idea when I would be back to visit Carnie, let alone visit Adley. I had only met her yesterday, but it seemed like she had taken a liking to me. I wasn’t sure why, though. Alice and Carnie had talked to her just as much, if not more, as I had.
A knock sounded at the door, and I was thankful we weren’t going to have to continue this conversation. Partly because I had no idea how to answer anything she had to ask.
“Morning,” Slayer called as he slowly opened the door.
I rolled my eyes and plopped down on the bed. “Good morning, Slugger.”
Slayer glared at me. “Hello, Winifred.”
Adley giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.
Slayer smiled at Adley. “Did you sleep well?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Yup. I liked sleeping in Wendy’s room.”
“Well, that was good enough for last night, but I promise tonight you’ll have your own room and bed that isn’t on the floor.” He crouched down in front of the mattress and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m looking at getting a place that will be just ours.”
She nodded. “How many bedrooms does it have?”
Slayer tilted his head to the side. “Uh, I think three.”
Adley smiled brightly. “That’s perfect. If we have three bedrooms, then I can have my own room, you can have one, and then Wendy can have one.”
Slayer’s face dropped, and even I was shocked. “I, ah, well…” Slayer looked over his shoulder at me for help.
“I told you I need to go home, Adley. I was just here visiting Carnie for a bit.”
Please just let her let it drop. Dear God, just drop it.
“Noooo,” Adley drawled. “You said you didn’t need to go home but you felt like you were in the way.” She stood up, moved past Slayer, and stood in front of me with her arms folded over her chest. “If you come live with me in our new house, then you won’t be in the way, and you’ll be able to see Carnie all of the time.”
“It’s not that easy, Adley,” Slayer and I said at the same time.
“Why isn’t it?” she insisted. “You adults make everything so complicated when most things are easy to figure out.”
“Because I have a life back in Pines Peak, and I can’t just expect Sloth to let me live with you guys.”
Even during a serious conversation, I refused to say Slayer’s name in front of him.
“If Wendy doesn’t live with us, then I’m not moving.” Adley turned to Slayer with a frown on her face. “I mean it.”
Slayer opened and closed his mouth two times but nothing came out. He looked up from Adley at me, and I could tell he was completely at a loss for what to do. “Let me talk to Whitney for a second.” He looked back down at Adley. “Alone.”
Adley nodded and plopped back down on the mattress on the floor. She reached for the remote on the side of the bed and started flipping through channels.
Slayer moved to the door, opened it, and stepped to the side.
I didn’t move and folded my arms over my chest.
“Please,” Slayer said softly.
I rolled my eyes and huffed. “Fine,” I grumbled. I stormed past Slayer and out the door.
He grabbed my arm, spun me around, and we headed down the hallway toward the backyard. “We’ll talk out here.” He opened the sliding door and once again motioned for me to walk out first.
“You do know it’s almost December, right?” I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed my hands up and down my arms.
Slayer looked me up and down. “Jesus Christ,” he grumbled. He worked his coat off his arms and draped it over my shoulders. “Better?”
I wasn’t sure if I was better, but I wasn’t cold anymore. I was enveloped in a warm leather coat that smelled like Slayer and had the Fallen Lords patch on the back. From my little knowledge of anything biker and motorcycle club, this was normally a big deal. Slayer had slung it over my shoulders like it was nothing at all.
“Uh, I’m good.”
If he was fine with it, then I was going to be fine with it. He was, after all, the big, bad biker.
He ran his fingers through his hair and paced back and forth in front of me. “What are we going to do about Adley?”
My eyes bugged out, and I pursed my lips. “Uh, we?”
Slayer stopped pacing and turned to face me. “Yes, we,” he stressed. “I don’t know what the hell you did during the night, but for some reason Adley is attached to you now.”
“And that is a bad thing?” I snapped.
“It is seeing as you’re supposed to be leaving today.”
“Just tell her no, Slayer.”
He was going to be the one to tell her no, not me. He could crush her hopes.
“Oh, gee, that’s so easy to do.” He continued pacing as if that was going to help him figure out what he was going to do.
I pulled his coat tight around me and buried my chin into the collar. “I don’t know what to tell you, Slayer.” I really didn’t.
“What if I paid you?”
“Paid me?” I sputtered. “For what?”
“That’s it,” he exclaimed. “I was worried about what I was going to do when I needed to do stuff for the club and she couldn’t come with, but this is perfect. This could work.”
“What?” I yelled. “What is going to work?”
I felt like Slayer was off his rocker and I was the one who was thinking straight.
“You’ll be my nanny.” He waved his hand and scoffed. “Not my nanny, but Adley’s nanny.”
My jaw dropped, and now, I was the one who was sputtering for words. “You…why…can’t…WHAT?!”
“This is perfect. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.”
I raised my hand as if that was going to stop Slayer. “Excuse me. I would like to get off this crazy train that you’re riding on.” I motioned between the two of us. “Did you forget that we hate each other?”
I mean, we refused to call each other by our given names, and most of the time, it looked like I had just sucked on a lemon when he walked into the room.
“I don’t hate you.”
My eyes rolled before I could stop them. “Right,” I drawled. “That’s why you barely talk to me and when you do, you act like you’re already annoyed with any word that is about to come out of my mouth.”
“That’s because I—” He shook his head and started over. “I’m not annoyed with every word that comes out of your mouth. I don’t hate you. I hated the fact I had to watch over you when I could have been doing something better.”
“Making sure I didn’t die wasn’t exciting for you? There is something better to do than keep someone alive?”
What did Slayer want? He was a member of an MC, not a fighter pilot dropping bombs and shit out of planes all day. It was so hard not to roll my eyes when he opened his mouth.
“Can we move on from this? I don’t hate you, and I’m not annoyed with you. I shouldn’t have been standoffish with you because none of what happened was your fault. You were caught up in it, and someone had to keep you safe. That was me.”
I folded my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. “I’m just supposed to forgive you like that?”
“Yes.” He pointed in the direction of the clubhouse. “Because a little girl was dropped on my doorstep yesterday, and you seem to be the only thing she likes right now.”
“She’ll adjust, Slammer.”
Did he expect her to just walk into the clubhouse and be fine with everything? This was going to take time, and he wouldn’t be able to rush it.
“I know she’ll adjust, but I don’t think telling her no to the first thing she asks for is a good idea.”
“What if she would have asked for a million dollars? Would you have given her that?”
His reasoning for me staying was dumb. Plain and simple.
“But she didn’t,” he reasoned. He stepped closer to me and sighe
d. “I’m at a loss here. I don’t know what to do, but it seems to me that if she wants you to stay until she gets settled in, then I don’t see what that will hurt. She lost her mom. Don’t make her have to lose you, too.”
I stuck my finger in his face. “That was completely below the belt.”
He shrugged and splayed his hands out in front of him. “I do what I need to do to win.”
“I’ll stay until she is settled. Once she gets into a routine and feels like she’s home, I’m gone.” I moved my finger lower and poked it into his chest. “Also, I am here for her, to help her. I am not your maid and cook.”
“I got it. Whatever you say, Whoopi.”
A growl escaped my mouth, and I dug my finger deeper into his chest. “The name is Wendy.”
A slick smile spread across his lips. “I know. I just like ruffling your feathers, Wynonna.”
“Stop it.” My lip curled, and I let out a deep breath.
“Wynette.”
“I’m serious.”
He licked his lips, and I swear he moved closer to me. “Winnie.”
I growled low, and he just kept on smiling.
“I can go all day and night, Wanda.”
I planted my whole hand on his chest and pushed him away. “You’re a dick, Slug.”
He placed his hand on his chest where I had pushed him. “You wound me, Waverly. At least I call you nice names.” He shook his head and rubbed his chest. “It’s a good thing I don’t have a heart, otherwise I would be offended by being called Slug.”
Gah. This man was going to drive me absolutely bonkers while I lived with him and Adley. Maybe I was already bonkers because I was agreeing to live with him.
“Where are you moving to?” I asked. “Why don’t you just stay here?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “You really think raising a kid in the clubhouse is the best idea?”
I shrugged and quirked my lip. “I mean, there are worse places to live. Granted, she really wouldn’t have a room to herself here.” I had taken the last empty room which had been Slayer’s but he had moved into Brinks’ room when he had left. There really wasn’t room here for Adley.
“I put a call into someone I know. I’ll hear back today if I have a place for us to move to.”
Slayer (Fallen Lords MC Book 8) Page 3