“Sounds crazy.”
“Never said I was sane.” He moves to stand.
“Hey,” I tug on his hand.
James peers down at me. “What?”
“You forgot something.”
“Nope. Think that covers it.”
“You forgot to kiss me.”
My man smiles big and wide flashing me his teeth through the unruly jungle that makes up his beard. He comes in slow and sweet, cupping my jaw as he descends back to my bed. Mouth fusing with mine he makes love to my mouth softly.
James pulls away much too soon for my liking. “Know what?”
“Hmm?”
“I think we’re gonna be late.”
“Very.” I pull him in for another kiss knowing I must be insane. He’s giving me everything I ever wanted. I’d be a liar if I said I’m not terrified that I’m going to wake up and find this to all be a dream. Ruthie kept us apart for the past eighteen years. Put us both through hell. I never thought this day would come. He’s saying and doing all the right things, but every bone in my body screams for me to run fast and hard. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to give him my heart a second time. “Can it really be this easy?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“Ruthie...after everything. She’s just gone from our lives? She’s walking away and leaving you alone for good. I don’t trust it.”
“I’ve got Grudge tailing her. If she makes a move, I’ll know.”
“Okay.”
Brushing a knuckle along my cheek, he murmurs, “As natural and easy as breathing.”
“What is?”
“Being with you. I want to do it right this time, Alexa.”
“I think it’s a little late for that.”
“Just get in the shower. Wylla Mae will be there.”
**
James rides through the gates of the clubhouse and rolls to a stop in his parking spot. I reluctantly follow him off the bike and allow him to hold my hand as we go around back to where everyone is hanging out by the picnic tables. I’m only here because our daughter is supposed to be. I scan the crowd for Wylla Mae’s face not finding any sign of her.
“Heard the good news, Prez.” James let’s go of my hand to do some sort of weird back slapping hug with a brute of a guy. The name on his cut says Viking. I’ve seen him in passing but don’t really know the guy. He’s a tall blond with tribal tattoos running the length of both his arms in full sleeves. “Ding dong that bitch is gone. Fuck me.” His gaze roams over me. “Looking fit as fuck, Alexa.” He releases James and comes straight at me. Hands going to my hips, lifting me into a spinning hug. Viking plants a sloppy wet kiss right on my mouth.
“Hands off my Old Lady,” James snaps through his gritted teeth at the guy.
I slide down his tree trunk of a body and return to James’s side.
“Shit. Didn’t waste no time. No disrespect meant, man. I’m gonna go see about a beer.”
“Yeah you do that before I stick a boot in your ass.”
“He seems friendly.”
“Too damn friendly.” He tucks me into his side.
“I feel like everyone is staring at me.”
“That’s because they are.” He chuckles and I punch him in the rib.
“Ugh. This was a terrible idea.”
“Want everyone to know that after all these years I finally got the girl.”
“We’ll see.” I can tell he wants to argue by the way the corner of his mouth twitches under his facial hair. “You need a shave. Starting to look like a mountain man.”
“Didn’t hear no complaints when I had my face buried between them legs. C’mon. Let’s get some grub.”
We move through the crowd. James pausing every two steps to bullshit with another club member. Some of them I know. Many of them I don’t recognize. Holy must be new. I’m happy to see Slick is still around after all these years. He’s always been good to me. When I heard the news about Nickel it bothered me more than I expected it to. He was the club VP and always looked out for Wylla and me from afar under James’s orders, but I found comfort knowing I could always call on the man for anything. I hadn’t needed to for some time. Not with Easton Reed always ready to swoop in and save the day for Wylla Mae like some sort of damn hero riding on his Harley instead of a horse.
I should’ve seen it coming. East and Wylla Mae falling in love. The two of them were always drawn together like magnets. Even when she was nothing more than a child they had a bond no one else could compete with. I finally spot the two of them by the buffet style table. East is loading her plate down with macaroni salad. Her hands rests on each side of her baby bump. Their baby girl is due in a few weeks. I can’t believe I’m going to be a grandma. Seems like only yesterday I was pregnant with her. I squeeze James’s hand and motion to our daughter. He gives me a squeeze then a nod.
“You came.” Wylla smiles big and after all these years I’m still never prepared for the pang of guilt that hits me when I look into her eyes and see the resemblance she holds to Rochelle. Like my deceased friend she has her father’s big brown eyes.
“Your dad said you’d be here.”
“I told him to invite you. Grab a plate. Pam will be offended if you don’t eat. She’s been prepping for this all week.”
“Okay.” I don’t think Pam will be too torn up if I don’t pay my compliments to the chef, but I keep that to myself. Link’s woman never has liked me. Always turned her nose down at me because I was the other woman. Old Ladies don’t hold any love for a clubwhore. And though technically I never played the part that’s how she viewed me. I get it, but I never crossed that line. I only ever dated single club members. It was all to get under James’s skin. Not that it matters now. It’s all in the past. “I’ll meet you at the tables.”
East gives me a nod. I’m accepting of him as my son-in-law, but there’s still an awkward tension I’m hoping will fade soon. We never were compatible, and I’m glad my daughter has him. I’ve never seen a man more devoted than he is to her.
I grab a hot dog and squirt some mustard on it. Pam keeps giving me this funny side eye glance. I’m surprised she’s biting her tongue. She’s always been a woman who doesn’t hold back. I know James wants me to fit in and get along, so I make sure I get a heaping pile of her potato salad even though I don’t really care for it. When I get to the end of the table where the coolers are, she approaches.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself.”
“So you and Murder finally stepping out together. Ink isn’t even dry on the divorce papers and you can’t help yourself.”
“I get that you don’t like me. I don’t particularly care for you either, but what happens between Murder and me is none of your business.” I balance my plate on one hand and dip my hand into the cooler for a beer.
“Maybe not but we look after our own.”
“Then you should already know that he’s a man who gets what he wants. For the past eighteen years that’s been me. It’ll still be me till he says otherwise.”
“Be nice, big sister.” Roane’s Old Lady, Jules joins us, holding her boy Jasper on her hip.
“I’m nice,” Pam says with a grin that tells a different story.
“Right and I’m Santa Claus. Alexa, it’s nice to see you.”
“You too. Your boy sure is growing fast.”
“That he is. Big and strong like his daddy.”
I shoot her a friendly smile. “See you around I suppose.”
“We hope so. Don’t we?” I don’t miss the elbow she shoves into Pam’s rib as I move past them to join Wylla Mae.
Chapter Thirty-one
“So you and Dad seem cozy today.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know when you’re lying.” She smirks and shovels another bite of pasta in her mouth.
“We’ve been talking.”
“Judging by that hickey on your neck you’ve been doing more than talking.�
�
“What?” I gasp, hand flying to my neck.
“Gotcha.” She throws her head back laughing.
“Ugh. You’re grounded.”
“I think I’m too old for that now.”
“We’ll see about that,” I mumble.
“Oh, Mom. Don’t be such a sourpuss. It makes me happy to see you guys together.”
“It does?”
“Yeah. I mean I still have some things I need to work through where the past is concerned, but I watched the two of you as you came around the side of the clubhouse, and well I’ve never seen either of you look so freaking ecstatic. That dark cloud that seemed to hang over Murder’s head is gone.”
“That’s because he finally divorced Ruthie.”
“And he can finally be with the love of his life. That’s what he told me. That you’re the love of his life.”
I let out a breath. “You guys talk about me?”
“He’s tried really hard to make amends for the past. We aren’t all the way there yet, but I understand him a lot more now. Why he stayed away. Letting us go was hard for him.”
“He told you?”
“Parts of it. Not everything, but enough for me to fill in the blanks that Ruthie threatened you and he did what he had to so I wouldn’t lose you both.”
“You forgave him?”
“I forgive you too, Mom. I just want you two to find the happiness I have with East. He wants that for you too ya know.”
“Means a lot, sweetpea. I’m scared just...I’m scared. I’ve waited eighteen years to be with this man. What if he decides he wants to be single? He was married to Ruthie a long time.”
“I guess that’s a chance you’ve gotta be willing to take.”
“I want to. I do, but part of me wonders if the timing is right.” I glance in the direction I last saw him and my heart freezes midbeat. He’s chatting with one of his brothers, but his arm is around a much younger woman. The way she’s looking at him has me anxious. What if I’m not enough?
“If you two wait any longer for the time to be right you’ll be waiting till your dead. Life moves on. You’re allowed to be happy. So what he was married to that hag for years. He wasn’t happy. He didn’t love her.”
“You’re right. It should be easy, but we have a complicated past. I want it to work. I want it more than I’ve wanted anything in a long time.” I look back to where James was standing, but he’s gone and so is the woman.
“Good. Because I want you both at the hospital when this little girl enters the world.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything. Have you told him what you plan to name her yet?” I try to distract myself from wondering if he’s off somewhere with whoever that bitch is.
“No. Not yet. Was afraid of setting him off, but he’s been opening up a lot more about her.”
“I wish you could’ve known her. You two would have gotten along great or butted heads because you’re so much alike and yet different in your own right.”
“It wasn’t your fault. What happened to Rochelle and her boyfriend.”
“I know that now, but sometimes that old guilt creeps back in. I hope you know I’m sorry for how I was when you were growing up. I was hurting. I punished myself and everyone around me. It wasn’t fair.”
“Neither was what you went through. You’re one of the strongest women I know. I love you.”
I blink my eyes. The stupid wet stuff is trying to leak onto my cheeks. “I love you too.”
“I’d love you a lot more if you went and got me a slice of strawberry pie.” My daughter rubs her baby bump, looking ready to pop any minute now.
“One piece of pie coming right up.” I go to get up off the bench seat when Wylla makes a funny face.
“Oh.” Her hand moves to her lower back.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She hisses. “I think this wooden bench is just hurting my back.”
“You sure? Want me to get East?”
“No. I want my pie. Let him be. He’s having fun.”
I follow her gaze to the horseshoe pit. East is enjoying a beer and the game. “If you say so.”
“Just get my pie and put whip cream on it please.”
“Anything else? Want another water?”
“I’m fine.” She sucks in a breath but waves me off when I hesitate. “Go. Pie.”
I’m slathering whip cream onto Wylla Mae’s pie when an arm hooks around my waist. Furry lips brush along my ear. “There you are, pretty girl. You having a good time?”
“Mhmm.” I push his arm away.
“Babe.”
“What?” I snap a little harsher than intended.
“Did something happen? Someone say something?”
“Nope,” I pop the P.
I start back toward our daughter when he crooks a finger through the one of my belt loops, jerking me backwards against his chest. I nearly smash the pie against my tits but manage to save it. “Stop acting like that and tell me what’s eating at you.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine damn it. Don’t make me jerks them tight jeans down your thighs and bend you over my knee in front of the club. I’ll spank the truth outta you if I gotta.”
I lick my lips. “You want the truth? I think you’re rushing into this with me. You’ve never been single. Maybe you should be before we try to start up again.” His grip on me loosens.
“That how you really feel?”
No. “Yes.”
“I’ll give you time, but it won’t change the outcome. You’re mine, Lex. Always have been. Always will be.”
I hesitate a beat then stalk toward Wylla Mae. A part of me praying he comes running and the other hoping he stays away. I’m a step away from the picnic table when she cries out. I drop the paper plate and shout for East. James is first to reach us.
“I think my water just broke,” she whispers.
“Get your cage,” James barks at East when he gets close. He takes off running. Everyone clears out of the way so he can drive his truck through the grass. James helps Wylla Mae into the passenger seat, and I hop in the back of the cab. “I’ll be right behind you.” He nods to East then shuts the door without a word to me. Not that I expected any. I’m certain he’s pissed after my act of defiance.
I’m worried that he’ll change his mind. Realize that he’s never been on his own and want to sew all them wild oats he never got a chance at.
East drives to the hospital like a bat out of hell. I called ahead to let them know we were coming. The truck halts in front of the emergency room. A nurse is already waiting with a wheelchair. I go in with Wylla while East finds a parking space. She’s preregistered so the check-in process moves quickly and efficiently.
By the time East and James park we’re in her private room waiting for the doctor. The baby is a few weeks early, but I’m not worried. Her contractions are growing closer together. She’s trying to put on a brave face, but I can see the pain etched in her smile.
“I hear we’re ready to have a baby.” The doctor grins and goes for a pair of gloves. “If you guys will give us a minute, I’ll see how far Mrs. Reed is dilated.”
“Come on, let’s go grab a coffee. East, you want anything?”
“I’m good but thanks.” His attention never leaves Wylla Mae and my heart swells a little bit more for that man. The unconditional love he has for my daughter...I know I never need to worry whether or not he’ll treat her right.
James and I go down the corridor to the waiting area. I fix us both a cup of crappy, complimentary coffee. I hand off his and take up the seat next to him.
He takes a sip then stares intently at me.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Figured out why you were all in a snit back there.”
“I’ve not been in a snit.”
“You saw me talking to Holy’s sister. You were jealous and partly worried I’d want someone else. Since I first saw you in that d
amn red bikini, I’ve not wanted another woman. Have I fucked anyone else? I’m no damn saint and you’ve not been an angel. I know what you deserve, Lex. Baby, I’m gonna be the man who gives it to you. You can tell me all the reasons we’ll never work, but I’m asking you to think about all the reasons we will.”
“James...”
“No. Don’t start that. Don’t tell me it’s too soon or too fast or whatever other damn excuse you’re conjuring in that pretty head of yours. Waited my whole damn life for a woman like you. We met too damn soon, but I don’t regret one moment I’ve spent with you. One minute of loving you or wanting you unable to have you. It’s our time now. Ain’t no one or nothing gonna change that or come between us unless you let it. Marry me, Lex.”
“What?”
“You heard me, woman. I said marry me.”
I stare at him a beat. My heart is in my throat. Words I thought I’d never hear leave his mouth. My pulse races. I think I might faint. I place my coffee cup on the nearby table to stop from spilling it. “I think you’ve lost your ever-loving mind.”
“We both know I’m a crazy bastard. But I’m crazy about you. We can do it the easy way or the hard way. Either way this ends with you as my wife. If I gotta tie you up to make it happen I will.”
“Stop talking.”
“Lex...”
“I said stop talking, James.” I gaze into his eyes looking for a shred of doubt. I find none. He loves me. He always has. Deep in my heart of hearts I know it. My soul knows it. “I love you.”
“About fuckin’ time,” he mutters.
“I’m not finished.” I take his free hand in mine. “You had your say now it’s my turn. I’ve loved you as long as I can remember. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved. I resigned myself to the fact that we were never going to happen, and now here you are doing and saying all the right things. It scares the shit out of me. I’m not used to good, James. Bad is all I know. I want this, but I’m scared the moment I say yes to you that something bad will come to remind me of my place in your life and this world. I don’t get the happily ever after.”
Tempting The Biker (Royal Bastards MC: Charleston, WV Book 3) Page 19
