by Amy Davies
“She’s good, growing. I mean, cooking a baby takes a long time.” I laugh and he smiles at me.
I watch as his eyes flick over my shoulder, and his smile widens. Reaching his hand out, he greets Opal.
“Hey, man. I’m Kenny. I own this fine establishment for coffee lovers and dipshits who think they’re hard men around here.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Opal, her man.” Opal’s voice sounds calm, but I can see the curiosity in his gaze as it zones in on Kenny. “How do you know my girl?”
“She comes in here from time to time with her friend Estelle. They like my goodies.” He winks at Opal and I swear I hear him let out a mild growl.
“Oh yeah? She hasn’t said anything to me about coming in and enjoying your goodies,” Opal says, folding his arms and pinning me with a stare.
I swallow and laugh nervously. I don’t know why I do it. I know Opal won’t do anything stupid like mouth off or throw a punch. That’s not his style.
“Oh, you know, we just pop in for some juices and pastries. It’s nothing, honey.” I wave my hand like it’s no big deal that I come in here. And it isn’t.
“You never say that my goodies are nothing, Jodie babe. Now come on, tell your man how much you like my goodies in your mouth,” Kenny chimes, and I gasp. He winks at me, but I’m too shocked to speak.
Oh my God, he didn’t just say that.
“I, um… Kenny, I—” My stammering is stopped by Opal and Kenny bursting out laughing. They laugh so loud that the people sitting in the shop stop and stare at the sudden noise.
I look between the two men, shocked by their reaction. They both smile and move in to do the man hug thing, before parting and looking at me. Opal wraps his arm around my waist and leans in to kiss my neck.
Confusion is plastered all over my face, and both men chuckle again, before Opal explains.
“I know Kenny from back in my Army days, babe. We go way back,” he tells me, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Douches, the pair of you.” I point to Kenny. “You owe me a free juice and a tasty goodie for that.” I huff and turn to the counter, only to see Farrah and a young boy standing there. She’s smiling at us while the boy looks like he would rather be anywhere else but here.
“Hey, sweets, just ignore those two. What can I get you?” Farrah asks.
“I’ll have a slice of that amazing looking carrot cake and a berry juice, please. Opal is paying,” I state. She nods and looks to the boy.
“Gavin, can you make Jodie’s juice, please?” she addresses the boy, who shrugs.
“Yeah.” He turns to get to making my drink, when Kenny addresses him.
“I believe the answer is ‘Yes, Farrah’,” Kenny scolds. Gavin’s shoulders tense, then drop as he looks back at Farrah.
“I’m sorry, Farrah. No problem, I’ll make that drink now.” He looks like he means the apology, and that makes me smile.
“Gavin decided he didn’t want the thug life anymore and left his crew, but they’re causing shit for him. He actually wants to learn and make a better life for himself, but he’s still rough around the edges. He’ll get there. I believe in him,” Kenny says, and I can see Gavin’s eyes widen and his chest puff out with pride.
“Nice, man. Gavin, keep up the work, yeah,” Opal says to him, and he nods. “Can you double that juice? I’ll take one and a pastry that you recommend,” Opal finishes.
Gavin smiles and points to the display unit. “The chocolate cream puffs are dope. So are the fudge roll cookies.”
“Awesome. I’ll take one of each, please. Baby, let’s get a seat.” I nod and smile at them before letting Opal guide me over to a table.
I sit in the chair opposite him and he smiles at me. A feeling of peace settles over me when I look into his eyes. He reaches across the table, offering his hand, so I take it. Palm to palm, we sit and let the hustle of the coffee shop surround us. It’s a nice change from the clubhouse.
“This is nice,” I say, smiling at my man.
“Hell yeah, it is. Being alone with you is a joy in its own, babe. I want more, far more days with us like this, and more with our kids.”
His words shock me. We’ve talked some about the future, but never kids.
“You want kids?”
“Yep.” Gavin brings over our order and gives us a genuine smile before leaving. “I want as many as you will carry, baby. I think Tuck would be a great big brother.”
“Oh,” is all I manage to say, Opal completely rendering me speechless. He laughs and winks at me before tucking into his delicious looking pastries.
I slowly take a drink, forcing down the thickness in my throat. Having more kids was never a thought for me, but since being with Opal, I have wanted more, and I guess my man wants that too.
I lift my drink to him and give him a saucy smile.
“Here’s to trying for a baby. Lots and lots of trying.” I wink at him and he laughs.
Thirty-Two
Opal
My eyes focus on my woman across the yard while she chats with Estelle and Risky. She’s fucking beautiful in the light blue shirt and white shorts she’s wearing. She has the shirt sleeves rolled up, and it’s tied in a knot across her midriff.
Sexy as fuck, my woman is.
Bringing the bottle of beer to my lips, I smile at her over the rim when she looks up and winks at me. I lower the bottle and lick my lips, which she does in return, making my cock pay attention.
Shaking my head, I pull my gaze away from her and look over at Sarge, who’s nursing a bottle of Jack as he glares at Estelle. He needs to sort things out in his head before he talks to her, get the air cleared between them.
Today is about Jodie, Tucker and me.
It’s been a week since we went on our coffee date to Coffee Cove and it has been a-fucking-mazing. I’ve spent time with the club, sorting more business things out. Estelle showed Magnum and I the properties that she found.
One was for Risky’s foster animal academy, which she loved, so that’s now in full motion and opening in the next few weeks. The building is in great condition, so it just needs a face-lift. It’s on a shit ton of land, so the animals will have plenty of room to roam.
The other two properties that we’ve gone forward with will be turned into a pawn shop and a new bar.
Magnum wants to bring in more legit money and step away from the gun protection once and for all. To be fair, I think Risky played a big part in that decision, since she told him that she might want a baby soon.
“Hey, man.” I look up and see Slide sitting in the chair next to me.
“Brother,” I greet back.
“I got what you ordered.” He looks over to Jodie, making sure she isn’t looking as he hands me the black velvet bag.
I smile and give him a nod, my gaze focusing on the bag, knowing the contents in there will cement my future with Jodie and Tucker. When I talked to Magnum and Sarge about today, Magnum was in full support and Sarge tried talking me into waiting for a few months to make sure I was doing the right thing.
“It looks badass, man. She will love it, so will Tuck,” Slide says, smiling at me.
“I fucking hope so, Slide,” I reply.
“No doubt, brother. Hey, I meant to ask you, does Jodie have any single friends that I can taint? I know Estelle is off limits, but damn, I’m getting tired of the Regs.” He shakes his head in disbelief and leans back in his seat. “Fuck, what the hell is happening to me?”
I laugh at his face; he looks so distraught that he isn’t finding fucking the Regs a good thing lately. I slap his back and lean forward in my chair, resting my elbows on my knees.
“Brother, you need yourself a full-time woman. Get an old lady that likes to fuck as much as you. Then you’ll have sex on demand.”
He looks up at me, his eyes wide with both fear and wonder. He swallows hard before he speaks.
“You mean only stick my cock in one pussy for the rest of my life? Are you crazy or in a Jodie love-sexe
d bubble? Damn you, Opal, I can’t fuck one pussy for the rest of my life. I’m young and beautiful; this is too pretty to lock in with one woman. Hearts would break all around the world if I did that. Take it back!” he shouts, offended that I suggested such a thing. You’d think that I asked him to stick his dick in bleach. I laugh at him and his horrified face.
“Oh come on, brother, it isn’t that bad. I mean, I get to fuck Risky whenever I want. I fucked her on my bike again three days ago. She can’t get enough of my cock when we’ve been riding,” Magnum adds, grinning at a freaked-out Slide.
“Hell, brother, I can’t wait for Syn to come home and I can call ‘dibs’ on her officially, so I can fuck her whenever I want. I am so fucking over these Regs. No disrespect to them, but that just ain’t for me anymore. I don’t know about you,” Edge chips in.
“I feel you, brother,” Sarge adds.
“Are you going to find the answers to Estelle in the bottom of that bottle?” I ask him, and he flips me off. Me and the boys laugh at him.
“Boys, I think it may be time to call it on the Regs,” Magnum chimes in, and the boys nod.
We each take a seat and talk business.
“We need a name for the bar. I don’t want something linked to the club,” Magnum tells us. I look around my brothers and see each of them thinking of suggestions.
Edge smirks at us and says, “Tasty.” He chuckles.
“That’s sounds like a strip club,” Slide says, and we agree.
“What about ‘Junction Bar’? It’s where everyone meets in the middle,” Rookie throws out there.
The name rattles around my head, and I like the sound of it. I look over at Magnum, and he’s looking at me, his violet eyes bright as his smile creeps across his face. I nod at him and he winks.
“Boom! The new Rugged Skulls MC business ventures will be called Junction Bar and Rugged Pawn.” Magnum whistles and Risky looks over to him. “Baby, come here.”
“I am not at your beck and call, Joey Masters,” Risky bitches as she sits in his lap.
I look at my girl and tap my thigh, which she sits on. Rookie stands and lets Estelle take his seat, earning him a deathly glare from Sarge, but Rookie being Rookie winks at him and moves behind Estelle’s chair to massage her shoulders. Estelle, on the other hand, looks uncomfortable.
“My old lady decided on a name for her animal project that she wanted to start. Tell them, baby.” He kisses Risky’s cheek and she smiles widely at him before looking at us.
“So, I talked this over with the girls and even the kids in the club. I wanted something that was catchy and that the kids would find fun, so I went with Fort Academy Rescue,” she says brightly and proudly.
Everyone applauds and she stands up and bows, then curtsies for us. We all laugh. While the attention is on Risky, I nod to Lash, and he pulls his phone out to send the text to get things moving.
It doesn’t take long for Sweets to arrive with their three kids and Tucker. He bounces over to us and stands next to Jodie, smiling wide at her.
“You okay, baby? Are you behaving for Sweets?” Jodie asks him.
“Yep. Sweets is sweet,” he giggles, and I see Sweets smile happily. He brings his gaze to me and I wink at him and nod. He steps back and I tap Jodie’s leg, indicating that I need her to stand.
“Listen up, you bunch of misfits. I have something important to say.” Bringing my gaze back to Jodie’s, I take her hands in mine and pull her closer to me.
“When I was told that I had to go and see a doc about my ankle, never in a million years did I expect this beautiful woman to get me riding again. To say that you knocked me on my ass is an understatement, but damn, I’m glad that you did. No words can really express my love for you.”
My throat tightens when I see tears swimming in her eyes, but I press on. I kiss her and start again.
“I never expected to find a woman let alone a son as well. He may not be my blood, but he is my boy. You are both Rugged Skulls and mine. What I am trying to say is that I want you, both of you, as mine, forever.” I drop down to one knee and Jodie squeals, so does Risky, Sweets, and Ida.
“Will you, Jodie Simms, marry me?” I ask, popping open the black velvet box, keeping the bag tucked into my pocket.
You can hear a pin drop as I wait for her answer. Tears are streaming down her face, but she’s smiling. She pulls me to my feet and cups my face with her hands, before kissing me.
“Is that a yes, Mom? You guys need to get married because I want Opal to be my dad.”
Jodie breaks the kiss and looks down at Tucker with a bright smile on her face, which matches his. She pulls him to us and looks at me.
“Yes. You have protected us like no other, and for that, I will love you forever and always,” is her reply, and everyone erupts in cheers and claps. I hold my hand up and everyone goes quiet.
With another kiss, I pull back and empty the contents of the bag into my hand. Jodie sucks in a breath when she sees the two items.
“Every Rugged Skulls old lady gets a property cut, and yours will be here soon, but we also give our women a skull to symbolize our love, as much as the ring that you now wear.”
The ring I picked out is a white gold band with a stunning oval opal in the center and two dainty clusters of diamonds on either side.
I pick up the rose gold chain that has a small, delicate, rose gold skull as the pendant. The eyes are two small diamonds that set off the piece. Once I’ve placed the necklace around Jodie’s slender neck, I lean in and kiss her there. She leans to the side, giving me better access. She loves this.
Stepping to the side, I kneel so I’m at a better level for Tucker. Taking a deep breath, I talk to him; man to man, so to speak.
“This is for you.” I hold up the skull bracelet I got for him. It’s a black braided leather and beaded bracelet that has a silver skull cradled in the middle.
“I got your mom a ring and a skull necklace as a sign of my commitment to her, but this is me showing you my commitment to you. I will always love you, care for you and protect you. As will the members of this club.”
“I know, Dad.”
Jodie gasps and I smile up at her. This is the first time he’s called me that in her presence, and seeing her watery smile makes my heart swell with pride. Standing to my full height, I pull her into my arms and whisper in her ear.
“You okay with that, Mama?” My lips brush against the shell of her ear and she shivers.
“Definitely. I love you, Stefan Bryant,” she says, kissing me. Her tongue dances with mine as the chatter builds back up again. Pulling away, I kiss her nose.
“I love you too, future Mrs. Bryant.”
Cheers fill the air as we kiss and then part for the celebrations to kick off. The kids all run off, Tucker included, and race to the play area so the adults can chill, have a drink, and celebrate happier times.
“Four point five down. Who’s next?” Jase jokes. Slide chokes on his beer.
“You can fuck off as well. This is way too much to keep to one woman. I need to share the love,” Slide pipes up and we all laugh. I take a sip of my beer and see Rookie looking deep in thought from where he’s sitting on an old tractor wheel.
“Rook, you okay, brother?” I inquire. He looks up at me and adjusts his hat.
“Yeah, mate. Just like seeing my brothers finding their happiness, you know.”
“Oh, hell no, not you as well. Dude, no, not happening. We like to fuck; we need to go out and find some fresh pussy,” Slide yells at Rookie, who smiles at him.
“I don’t know, man. I like to shag, yeah, but I’m not getting any younger. I need me a woman.”
“You are twenty-nine, for fuck’s sake, Rook. I’m a year older than you. That’s it, we’re going out tonight. We need to get laid. Edge, you’re coming, brother,” Slide demands, finishing off his beer before calling a prospect for another round. Edge leans forward and shakes his head. Some of his hair falls from that bun-thingy he does, and he tells Slid
e straight.
“You know I don’t fuck around anymore. After what happened with Drix, it woke me the fuck up. I’m waiting for my Synclare to come home,” Edge states, keeping his gaze firmly on Slide.
“She won’t know, brother. Come on, one night,” he pushes.
“But I will. I’m done with random women,” he says with a finality to his voice, so Slide drops it.
“I love you, baby,” I whisper to Jodie, and she leans back into my chest, turning her head to kiss me.
I get lost in the kiss, the immense sense of peace sweeping over me and the feeling of home settling in my heart.
“I love you too,” she says.
That’s what I like to hear, and I will over and over again, over the next fifty-years or so. What Jodie doesn’t know yet, is that she will be Mrs. Bryant sooner than she thinks.
With everyone safe and happy around the firepit, we talk and plan for the future, because with the Rugged Skulls MC, no one stands alone.
Epilogue
Jodie
Taking a deep breath, I sweep the red lipstick over my lips one more time before setting the tube back on the countertop. My eyes have a darker look to them, and my lashes look long and thick, but oddly, they don’t hinder my vision. Little did I know that Opal’s sister, Suzie, is a makeup artist, so when she offered to do my makeup for today, I was more than happy to let her.
“You look beautiful, Jodie,” she coos, and I smile.
“That’s in large part thanks to you,” I tell her, and she waves me off.
“I’m happy to help. I mean, you’re marrying my brother today.” She smiles proudly. “Plus, you’re giving me a nephew that I can spoil, fill with sugar, and send him back to you, all without the diaper duty. Win for me.”
I choke up at her words. Opal’s mom and Suzie have taken Tucker in like he’s their own flesh and blood. I clear my throat and try to stop the tears.
“Oh no, don’t you do it. You look fucking beautiful. Do not ruin the makeup, woman.” Suzie scolds me but with a smile on her face.