After Clash and I had directed the movers where all of the furniture belonged, Clash had sent Wrecker the address and told him to come over.
Now the whole club had invaded my house, and we had just finished eating the first meal in it.
None of the girls had demanded to know where I was or what had happened the past three weeks. It was like they didn’t care what had happened as long as I was back.
“Ugh,” Alice moaned. “I have the worst heartburn. I swear to God, this kid is going to come out with a full beard and Elvis hair.”
Karmen choked on her beer, and Mayra smacked her on the back. “Keep it together, woman,” Mayra giggled.
Karmen wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I just pictured a bearded Elvis coming out of your vajayjay.”
Everyone busted up laughing.
“Oh, my God,” Alice wailed. “I can’t wipe that from my mind.”
“Do I even want to know what hell you guys are laughing about?” Wrecker called through the screen door.
The guys had camped out on the porch, and the girls and I were sprawled out on my butter-like couch.
“We’re just discussing what your baby is going to look like,” Karmen wheezed. “You might want to invest in hair gel and beard conditioner.”
“Fucking Christ,” Wrecker grumbled.
Alice rubbed her stomach and looked at Wren. “Don’t you have killer heartburn?”
Wren shook her head. “I’m great actually. I had a couple days of morning sickness but other than that, I don’t even feel pregnant.”
Alice groaned in disgust. “I hate you.”
Karmen raised her hand to Alice. “I’m with you, Alice. When I was pregnant with Cole, I was absolutely miserable. It was a good thing I loved Nickel or I might have kicked his butt for getting me pregnant.”
“You loved being pregnant,” Nickel protested. “You’re the one who keeps saying they want another one.”
Karmen cradled Cole in her arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “How could you not want another one like him?”
“Every two hour feedings, leaky boobs, and no drinking for nine months,” Nickel thundered.
Karmen squinted and wrinkled her nose. “Though I do think if you two have babies, there really isn’t a reason for me to have another one.”
Nickel laughed and leaned forward to look through the screen door. “Now remember that when you think you want another one.”
Karmen stuck her tongue out at him. “I hate when you’re right.”
Nikki got up and stood at the screen door. “Now stop eavesdropping on our conversation or come in here so we don’t have to scream.”
The guys streamed back into the house and managed to cram themselves either on the couch or on the floor.
Wrecker nodded at me and walked into the kitchen.
“I’ll be right back,” I muttered to Clash. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and I followed Wrecker.
He was standing by the large sliding glass door looking into my backyard. “This place is nice, Raven.”
“It is, isn’t it?” I cleaned up the empty pizza boxes and set them next to the back door for me to take out to the garbage can later.
“You’re doing good, Raven.”
“Eh.” I folded my arms over my chest and stood next to him. “It was touch and go there for a little bit.”
He looked down at me. “But you made it through, Raven. No thanks to anyone but yourself.”
I had made it through a lot. I was still dealing with some of it, but I was definitely on the other side of it now. “You would have been there if you would have known, Wrecker.”
“You believe that or being a smartass?”
I laughed and bumped into him. “I believe it. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t piss me off every now and then.”
“You pissed off? Never,” Wrecker chuckled. He sobered and stared into the backyard. “So this means you’re sticking around for a while, right?”
“For a while,” I mumbled.
“Good, good.” He cleared his throat. “And you and Clash are good?”
I glanced up at him. “Is this you being the protective good brother?” I laughed.
He nodded.
“Clash and I are good, Wrecker. We got some stuff to work through too, but it’s good.”
Wrecker put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Good, brat. But just remember, if he pisses you off, I’m good at busting kneecaps and making it look like an accident.”
*
Chapter Twenty-Six
Clash
“I don’t know why the hell you are nervous.”
Raven smoothed down her hair and glanced at me in the bathroom mirror. “Uh, because they’re your parents.”
“And you’ve already met my mom.”
She fidgeted with her nose ring then bared her teeth in the mirror. “Is tea an in ma teth?”
“What in the world are you doing?” I laughed.
She closed her mouth and rubbed her lips together. “I asked you if there was anything in my teeth.” She slathered some clear shit on her lips and turned to look at me. “What if your dad doesn’t like my nose ring?”
“Why wouldn’t he like it? It looks good.” I squirted toothpaste on my toothbrush and ran it under the water.
“Because he’s an engineer.”
I glanced over at Raven. “You say that like it makes sense. He could be a fucking astronaut and he would be okay with your nose ring. My parents aren’t judgy, Raven. You said yourself my mom loved you when you were at the bakery every day.” I brushed my teeth and watched her fluff her hair then pat it down.
“She liked me when I was a stranger. Now I’m dating her son.”
“We’re dating?” I asked around a mouthful of spit.
“Aren’t we?” she asked.
I shrugged and spit. “We live together so I guess we’re dating.”
Raven rolled her eyes and stormed out of the bathroom. “You’re an idiot, Clash,” she laughed.
I rinsed my mouth and turned off the water. “But I’m your idiot.”
“That you are,” she agreed. “We need to get going. The barbeque starts in half an hour, and we still need to load up all the crap I made.”
I walked out of the bathroom and caught a glimpse of Raven’s bare stomach while she changed her shirt for the fourth time. “Back to the first one?” I laughed.
She flipped me off and tugged the shirt down. “I’m trying to make a good impression.”
She turned sideways and looked at herself in the mirror on the back of the bedroom door.
I pulled her into my arms. “You look beautiful. My dad will love your nose ring. My mom already loves you. The pasta salad tastes good. I ate six of the deviled eggs last night. Your hair looks amazing. Your ass looks amazing in these jeans.”
She melted into my arms for a split-second but then smacked me on the shoulder. “I told you to stay out of the deviled eggs, Clash. Those are for the picnic, not your midnight snack,” she scolded.
I tipped her head back and pressed a kiss to her lips. “They were good and you made eight dozen. It’s safe to say you have enough and everyone is going to need a wide berth after eating that many eggs.”
She wrinkled her nose and cringed. “Gross, Clash.”
“Why do you think I used the downstairs bathroom this morning?”
“Oh, my God,” she laughed. “I think this means the honeymoon stage is over for us.”
“Nah.” I delved my fingers in her hair. “Pretty sure it’s always gonna be a honeymoon for us, beautiful.”
She wagged her finger in my face. “Cut the sweet talk. We don’t have time for it.”
I kissed her quickly. “Then let’s hit it.”
“Maybe one more kiss wouldn’t hurt,” she whispered.
“There’s my sweet girl.”
One more kiss turned into us being ten minutes late to the picnic but it was totally worth it even
though Raven bitched at me the whole way to the clubhouse.
*
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Raven
“They just pulled up.”
I fanned my face with my hand and tried not to hyperventilate.
“Girl, what in the hell is wrong with you?” Alice laughed.
“I’m meeting Clash’s parents and I actually want them to like me.” I pulled on the hem of my shirt and fluffed my hair
Alice stuffed a deviled egg in her mouth and watched me fidget. “You look good. Not bitchy at all.”
“She’s right,” Karmen agreed. “I think the pink makes you look approachable.”
This was not helping my nerves at all.
Clash walked into the kitchen of the clubhouse and pulled me into his arms. “My parents are here, beautiful.”
“Cool. I’ll just go hide in the bathroom.”
Clash held me tightly, and his body shook against mine.
“Can you please not laugh at me?”
“It’s so hard not to.” Clash leaned back and looked down at me. “You normally take no shit and don’t give a fuck what people think.”
“This is your parents,” I stressed. “They’re not just anyone.”
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “And that’s why I love you.”
“No,” I gasped. “No, no no. You do not get to tell me that right now. You do not get to do this to me right now, Clash.”
Of course, Clash would pick just seconds before meeting his parents to tell me he loved me.
“Can’t help it, beautiful. I love you.” His eyes connected with mine, and I could see he meant each of those three words.
“I’m such a bitch, Clash,” I cried. “You told me you loved me and I told you no.”
Was I ever going to have the right response when something good happened?
“It’s part of your charm, beautiful.”
“And you’re so nice to me even after I was a bitch. That makes me an even bigger bitch.”
I was going to mess up this relationship before we really got started.
“I love you, Raven,” he repeated.
I closed my eyes and sighed. “I love you too, Clash.” My eyes popped open, and I realized I didn’t even know Clash's real name. “I take that back. I want to say your real name the first time I tell you I love you.”
“You can’t take it back, Raven, but you can totally say it again.” He leaned close and pressed his lips to my ear. “My name is Brent, beautiful.”
Totally not what I expected it to be. “I love you, Brent,” I whispered. I wrinkled my nose. “Okay, that’s the only time I’m going to say that. You are definitely not a Brent.”
He chuckled. “That’s why I go by my road name.”
“Okay,” I sighed. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Everything was good, and it was only going to get better. I opened my eyes and looked at the man who loved me, bitchy attitude and all. “Let’s go meet your parents.”
*
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Clash
“She’s pretty.”
I glanced at my dad. “Mom?”
He chuckled. “Of course your mother, but I’m talking about Raven.”
Raven and my mom were sitting around one of the picnic tables with all of the other ol’ ladies. They didn’t go thirty seconds without laughter erupting and Alice yelling she was gonna pee her pants if she laughed anymore.
“She’s definitely easy on the eyes,” I agreed.
“And you love her.”
I nodded. “Yeah. She’s the one, dad.”
Dad patted me on the shoulder. “Then don’t ever let her go, Brent.”
I had no plans of ever letting Raven go.
She may be tough as nails and be a sarcastic smartass, but that really was all part of her charm. Raven was the perfect blend of sass, spitfire, and sweet.
A white sedan pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, and I looked over at Wrecker.
Everyone who we expected to show up for the picnic was here.
Wrecker warily watched the car, and I got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Both the driver door and passenger door opened. Two women stepped out of the car.
Mayra jumped up from the picnic table she was sitting at. “Carnie? Wendy?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carnie
I looked over the car at Wendy and gulped.
We had tried to avoid coming here, but Carnie and I had nowhere else to go.
Bobby was back, and he wanted me dead.
The End
Continue the series with Freak, Slayer, and Brinks in the next Fallen Lords MC Boxset.
Fallen Lords MC: Books 4-6 Page 46
