Old Ladies Club Book 3: Rebel Guardians MC (The Old Ladies Club)

by Darlene Tallman

  “Ashton! You’re amazing to get the men to agree to this. I so wanna be you when I grow up,” I tell her. She pulls me into her arms and I can feel her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

  “You will be more than me when you reach my age, Lizzie. I see great things in your future,” she tells me, and the heaviness from her words choke me up a little. To think just a few short weeks ago, I was on her permanent shit list, and now, she protects me as if I’m one of her own.

  “Thank you, Ashton. I have no words to show the gratitude of what you just said to me means. I wish my mother could have been as strong as you are,” I tell her, meaning every word that just left my lips.

  “Well, you have me now,” she states, and I see a glistening sheen to her eyes. I wish we’d always had this relationship, however, I’m grateful to have it with her now.

  “I could use some help getting things finalized, I’ll need you to take charge and get a head count from the other women so I can make sure the accommodations I’m making are correct and we have plenty of room for everyone to stretch their legs and not feel as if we’re on top of each other.”

  “I can do that!” I exclaim.

  “I know you can, now, let’s talk to these women and make sure that the rules are understood, no need for poppa bear to come in all grumbly and beating on his chest.”

  The picture of Wasp doing what she just described, once again has me laughing so hard that actual tears leak out of my eyes. “We wouldn’t want that.”

  I send out a mass message: Ladies, can you believe it! We’re all going to get to meet each other and get a chance to hang out while the men are hard at work. Ashton has put me in charge of gathering the head count from each of your clubs. If you can get back with me at your earliest convenience so we can make sure everything is in place, that would be awesome!

  I put my phone down and look over and see my man staring at me. He winks at me, and I know he must’ve helped convince the others of what a fabulous idea this is. He is so getting lucky later tonight when we make it home. He must be able to read my thoughts on my face, because I notice him adjust himself in his jeans. Oh yeah, he knows exactly where my head is at.

  Rainey

  I can’t believe the guys have actually agreed to letting us out of their sights. They’re usually so protective of us, Ashton sure knows how to play her cards right. I need to pay more attention to her and learn how to deal with these men the way that she does.

  The block that the shop my sisters and I run together, Diva’s Ink House, has a power outage from the storms. We have some roof damage as well from the strong winds. It could take weeks for the power to be restored and the insurance adjuster is so overwhelmed with claims that it could take just as long to get our claim filed as it will be to get the power back on. Ariel said she’d take care of that part, because some of our supplies and tools may be damaged with the debris and weather that got in where the roof is missing. Since we all use the same tattoo guns, I know if something’s wrong with mine, she’ll have my back.

  “You don’t look so hot,” Trevor, my adopted son says to me.

  “Yeah well, if you were carrying the fruit of Levi and Carson’s loins, you wouldn’t look so hot either,” I respond, causing him to chuckle.

  “I can’t wait to find out if I’m gonna have a baby brother or sister, how long will it be until we know?” he asks me.

  “We have a bit yet, but you’ll be the first one we’ll tell.” He beams at me, he hasn’t been with us long, but he’s grown by leaps and bounds. He’s more self-confident, his new school he started has been a godsend. He’s made friends and is acting more his age, that of a teenager than that of an adult. He no longer hides from fear, but faces life head on. He’s become such an intrical part of us, that I can’t even remember what life was like without him.

  “So, uh...I’ve been thinking about college and stuff.”

  “Yeah, what are you thinking you’d like to do, where do you wanna go?” He wasn’t looking to go to college when he first came into our lives. He was willing to settle for whatever he could to get him out of his situation.

  “My buddy Steve and I have been talking, and I think...I know, that we’re going to go and speak to a recruiter. The Marines are top of our list of choices,” he clears his throat. I realize this is a hard conversation for him to have with me, and one that I can see is weighing heavily on his chest.

  “Have you weighed all of your options?” I’m hoping he says no so I can change his mind. The American in me is proud of the choice he’s making, the mother in me however feels a cold chill down her spine at the thought of her son going overseas and fighting a war that could have damaging effects on her son.

  “Yes, Uncle Marcus was a Marine, it’s also where he got his training for the fire department. I want to be a firefighter and this is a fast track to getting me there,” he replies.

  I’m choked up, and am fighting with everything I have not to break down and beg him to change his mind. Damn pregnancy hormones, they really mess with a girl and her emotions. I’m normally steady as a rock, only this time, I’m trying not to become a blubbering mess. “I guess you need to talk to Levi and Carson and let them take you down and speak to someone,” I say, clearing my throat.

  “They’re my next stop,” he states.

  “Good, they’ll want to be with you every step of the way.” I kind of at this point want to wiggle my hand in my face, with my thumb to my nose and say, nanana booboo, he picked me first. Yeah, my men and I are crazy like that. We love to give each other shit all of the time. Our life together most definitely won’t be dull. “Make sure to tell them you came to me first,” I add.

  “Oh, okay,” he drags out. “Any particular reason why?” he asks, but he knows it has something to do with getting one over on them.

  “Meh, just need to remind them who’s on top of the food chain in our house,” I shrug my shoulders.

  He smiles at me, “I’ll make sure and remind them of that fact.”

  “Yeah, you do that,” I respond. He stands up and leans over me to give me a hug then walks towards Levi and Carson. I see him gesture to the table and chairs and they walk over there. I watch them the entire time and Levi keeps shooting me looks. The first one is concern on how I’ll take the news. I have to hide my smile behind my hand. The last look I get, lets me know he’s told them that we’ve already spoken. Levi squints his eyes at me and I give him a small finger wave. Yeah sucker, I knew before you. Carson’s head hangs down, he smacks Trevor on the back and they do their man hug thing. I swear, if someone smacked me on the back like that, they’d be eating their teeth. That shit sounds painful as hell. Once Trevor walks away, Carson beckons me with his finger to come to them, I shake my head no and see his eyes widen in shock.

  “Gotta go, girls,” I call out and rush out of the room with two Alphas chasing behind me.... yeah, life is good. I laugh the entire way to our room where I hear the door slam behind me.

  “Strip,” Levi demands.

  “Make me,” I reply. I hear two growls and then, well make me that they do...all night long.

  Thirteen

  Savanna

  After a long and relaxing meditation, I feel much better. I know Ty and I have many things we need to work through, but I’m feeling more confident now in our ability to completely overcome this.

  “Hey, you! Your pops has called us all into the common area to have a talk,” Jenalyn pops her head inside our room and tells me. “You look much better than earlier, but don’t think you’re getting out of telling me whatever it was that had you in tears.”

  I rub my forehead before I just nod, letting her know I heard her. Walking out into the common area, I see everyone, both men and women, nestled against their significant other. My father is the only one standing apart from me, so I quickly scan the room for an empty seat. My eyes meet Ty’s and he pats his lap, encouraging me to come sit with him. I quickly make my way to him and plant my ass square in his lap and
he loops his arms under mine and rests them on my thighs.

  “Ahem!” My father clears his throat, ordering us he’s ready to speak and silences the room. “I’m gonna make this fucking short and sweet. It’s no damn secret our town is now mostly a goddamn lake and devastated. It appears you ladies found some good friends in the women you’ve met online. The clubs they belong to and their men care a great deal about helping us and our town rebuild as we overcome this tragedy. I’ve spoken with them all on a conference call and the president of the Rage Ryders’ ‘Ol lady, Ashton, is putting together some sort of vacation or retreat of sorts for y’all to attend while us men stay behind and do the heavy lifting. Now, each of your men have set forth their individual rules for you. Not one of you are fucking new, so I think it goes without saying that you all should know by now what you can and cannot discuss. If you find yourself having to question whether or not you should be discussing it, that’s your cue to shut your fucking mouth immediately. Road names are fine because I know y’all are probably all just itching to talk a load of shit about us men. Leave it at that. I’m allowing them to come in wearing their colors, so don’t go freaking out and shooting the first set of different colors and cuts you see if you happen to even see them. I’m talking to you, Jenalyn.” Everyone averts their attention to her and she just rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh. “Patch and Heavy will be going with you all. GPS is already in all your phones, so don’t get any wild hairs up your ass and try ditching them.” He turns his gaze toward Jenalyn once again.

  “Okay, seriously? This is getting…” she begins, but Justice reaches around and covers her mouth with his hand. I rub my brow because I just know these two will be going to war once this is over.

  My father nods his head at my brother showing his appreciation to control Jenalyn before he begins to speak again, “Ashton will be getting with you ladies as soon as she gets y’alls little retreat planned out. Feel free to help her out in any way you can, but something from our call earlier tells me this is something she’s looking forward to doing herself. I’ve offered the funding for wherever it is she wants to meetup at. None of you want for a damn thing, and I’m sure whatever you want during or for this retreat, your men will make sure you have. That’s it. Go have fun. Get all your trash talking out, because when you come home, you’ll be coming home to a brand new Sundown!”

  Cheers erupt around us and the men all head toward the bar, except Justice who’s busy chastising Jenalyn. Ty pats me on the thigh and I stand. He lowers his head until his lips meet my cheek. “I love you, blondie. I’m gonna go talk to Pres. There’s a few things I need clarity on before these other clubs start rolling in. Meet me in our room tonight? Say, eight o’clock sharp? I’ll bring the beer, you bring some snacks?”

  I smile at him. “I think I can manage that.” I roll on my feet to the tip of my toes and lean into him, pressing my lips firmly to his. “I love you too, sexy,” I say into his mouth before pulling away.

  He turns and walks over to the other men at the bar and I see all the women but Jenalyn who happens to still be arguing with Justice, congregating by the kitchen, so I decide to join them.

  Jenalyn

  “My god, woman! It’s one thing when you begin your mouthing and sassing with me. We’re talking a whole new brand of crazy when you disrespect our president,” he growls out, loud enough for me to hear but low enough that nobody else can hear. “You’re my ‘Ol lady, Jenalyn, and everything you say and do is a representation of that. I’m the fucking VP, and it speaks volumes if I can’t even keep your ass in check.” I fold my arms across my chest and scoff because I know he’s right. “You wanna go to this retreat and meet all your little friends you’ve made, right?” I nod my head. “Then start acting like a future matriarch of this club. Now!” he shouts, causing my body to jump. “Otherwise, count yourself out. Now, I have club responsibilities before this all kicks off. Know who you are, and your place. We’ve been over this plenty.” He grabs a hold of my head and lifts it up until my forehead is within his range. He plants a kiss on my forehead before he turns and walks away. My gaze follows his backside, and he turns to look back at me over his shoulder and winks in my direction. Thank fuck I refrained from offering him the two-finger salute or the sticking out of my tongue. Instead, I offer him the gift in the form of a sarcastic grin.

  As I approach the other women, they’re already deep in discussion about the possibilities and how grateful they are at the selflessness of the other clubs. Tess turns to me as she places her hand on my arm. “The Moms have offered to stay behind with the children. As gracious of an offer that is, I’m nowhere near ready to leave Carter. Not yet. Nor am I ready to take him traveling around other kids who could potentially be ill,” she explains, as she looks for understanding from Mila in particular. Mila smiles and just nods.

  “I understand, Tess, and can’t say I blame you. I call it ‘first Mom syndrome’. Our house consisted of a hand sanitation station in every room, and I barely let anyone touch her besides Justice. Hell, even he had to fight with me sometimes to get time with her. I was afraid of every little germ possibility. Took me until Cami was nearly a year old to let Justice take me to a movie. Even then, he had to trick me.” I shift my eyes to my mom. “Remember that? He’d called you and you happened to be back in Texas. He knew I’d never leave the house willingly if he explained it upfront. So, he told me we were just going to a restaurant. Instead, I found myself at the movie theatre and my mom and Joker standing outside waiting for us. Justice grabbed Cami before I had the chance to grab her and run.”

  My mom interrupts me with a laugh and truthful accusation. “Yep. He knew if given the chance, you would’ve bolted like a bull out of the gate with Cami in tow. We all knew this and came prepared. Sweetie, you needed that time with only Justice and yourself whether you realized it at the time or not.”

  I giggle before I glance down at the floor. “Yeah. But, he never pulled that shit again. You know why? Because I spent the entire movie texting you and fretting about all the little things.” I look back up at Tess because I know she can relate. “The usual, ya know? Did you change her diaper? Did you make sure you applied the diaper rash cream? How much did she eat? She’s only got four teeth, so don’t feed her potato chips.”

  My mom places her hand on my arm. “All of which I simply replied that I’d managed to raise a child without killing her, so leave me alone.”

  “True, but it’s different with your first baby, and I was your only baby.” I swallow hard before I realize how hurtful my words just now must’ve been for her. Fuck. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  She looks at me with nothing but love in her eyes. “Don’t be, sweetie. I’ve got you and these little rascals. That’s more than most get in a lifetime, so I’ve got nothing to complain about.”

  I lean in and let the warmth of her embrace comfort me. I might be grown with children of my own, but I still need my mom. She’s the only parent I have left. Hell, the older I get and the more kids I have, I realize how hard this whole being a mother gig is. It only makes me respect and love her more. She’s been exactly where I’m at, and one day, this could very well be Cami and I. “So, I thought about doing an online auction with some of the most prized possessions in our collection,” I say to Tess. “Figure we could contribute in our own way to the people of this town. Depending on how much we raise, we can decide exactly where to donate the funds. What do you think?”

  “Sounds great!” she replies excitedly. “So, if I’m not going to this retreat, and Stormie can’t because, well, that’s self-explanatory, I can work on that while y’all are gone. Who all will be going exactly?”

  Looking up, I tap my chin with my finger as I mentally make a headcount. “Well, me, Vanna.” I pause and glance over to her considering she’s been awfully quiet this entire time, and she nods her head, letting me know she’s still in.

  “Don’t forget me!” Sidney chimes in, raising her hand as she sips on something cl
early alcoholic as her excitement and semi-slurred speech has given away. “After spending time in what I now call the closet spawned from hell, I need a getaway. I’m a general practitioner and surgeon. I’m not an obstetrician, and if you saw what I did, now you know why.”

  Savanna jumps in, “Oh, I witnessed, I cringed, and I’ll never be the same. Nope. Having kids was already something I was fairly certain I never wanted. Now? That’s a hard pass from me.”

  “Same,” Sidney bursts out. “Plus, I’m busy enough keeping all these fuckers alive. I’d never have time for a baby.”

  I snicker at both of their statements and the conviction in their voices. “Sure,” I say with a grin as I pat them both on the back and walk away, pulling my phone from within my denim pocket to check the site and at least send out a general message.

  Jenalyn: It’s really happening, ladies! Omg! I’m so excited and can’t wait to meet you all! Tess, Stormie, mine and Vanna’s Mom’s won’t be making it, though. Mine is watching my kiddos, and let’s just say the rest is complicated at best. Stormie’s reason is obvious, need I say more? Maybe another time. Looks like it’s just myself, Vanna, and Sidney. I can’t thank you all or your clubs enough. Money is no problem, and I can’t offer anything really other than money. Unless you put a blank canvas in front of me. I’m an artist. Shit, so is Vanna. She’s a tattoo artist, though. Sid’s a doctor, so if god forbid we find ourselves needing one, she’ll be there. Let us know how we can help facilitate and move this along. Y’all are already doing so much. Please know that wherever we can help, we’re willing. <3