Talon & Claree

by Liberty Parker

  I’m a badass biker.

  I ride a Harley, I do not drive a minivan.

  I’m a take no prisoners type of guy.

  Yep, dick is still in place, so my reputation is intact. Sometimes I have to double check with this group.

  “I’ll put your mom on this shit. Good luck proposing, Son.”

  “Thanks, Dad. Figured it was easier to call and ask you because she’d keep me on the phone forever and I need to get back to work.”

  We hang up and I head back into the warehouse. I’m torn between which job I prefer doing because I enjoy it when I get to work the construction sites as well. Until I’m forced to decide, I’ll just keep going back and forth. At least I won’t get bored by repetitious work.

  *

  Claree

  *

  We’re passing Cissy’s Place when I ask Mom to stop. Not sure they can fit me in because since she’s opened the salon, Cassarah has stayed busy. But I need to see if one of them can trim my hair up again. It’s been slowly growing out since she came over and did what she could to ‘fix’ my hair after they shaved a huge part off when they had to put the shunt in, but now that I’m mobile, I want to look good for my man. Walking in, I see that the only one without a client is Bridget.

  “Are you able to work me in, Bridget?” I ask.

  “Sure! My next appointment cancelled so I’m free right now. Whatcha wanna do?”

  “Let’s see if we can continue to even it up?” I question. I don’t really know what to say because Cassarah had to take that one side pretty much to the skin. She used a ‘number two’ blade according to her, and while it’s a cute cut, it’s not really me.

  She nods and helps me over to the shampoo bowl. With my head pretty much under water, I can’t hear anything and completely miss her question. “What?”

  “Oh, I just asked how you’re feeling,” she replies, “I know being pregnant and having others wait on you hand and foot has probably gotten old.”

  Wait…how does she know? Huh, guess the Mom Brigade has spread the news. Sometimes that aggravates me because it was our news to share. Then again, it’s probably Talon’s mom who spread the news. “Who told you?” I ask.

  “Your mom when she came in the other day to get her hair done.”

  That little rat! I lean up and give Mom the death glare and what does she do?

  She smiles.

  She fucking smiles at me!

  I shake my head because I know that I’ll never get anywhere with her. She’s freaking impossible sometimes. So sweet, you can’t help but love her. She’s the kind of woman you can’t stay mad at no matter how upset you are with her at the time. It drives me insane, insane I tell you!

  “It figures. If we ever want something spread around, we only need to tell her or DJ,” I say.

  “They’re so ecstatic, Claree. I don’t think she meant to share it but she had Steel and he said something about being a big brother and well, that cat jumped out of the bag. Your mom didn’t have much choice then.”

  I suppose she makes sense, but dammit, I wanted to make an announcement to everyone at once. I envision us having a family gathering and Talon and myself making the announcement. The men patting him on the back and the women bombarding me with hugs. Of course, leave it to my son and mother to take away all of my glory. I get out of my head and moan when Bridget works her magic on me, I always relax and enjoy being shampooed more than anything else…well, other than a monthly massage that is. I’m nearly asleep when she lifts my chair up and wraps a hand towel over my damp hair.

  “Let’s get to my workstation and see what kind of magic we can make happen,” Bridget announces, escorting me over with her hand on my back. Guess I better get used to everyone treating me like I’m an invalid. I want to shout from the rooftops that I’m pregnant, not suffering from any type of illness. Not that with this family it would make a bit of difference in the way they’ll treat me. They are all protective of us women, when one of us is expecting a baby, the women are sometimes worse than the men are. We talk about this and that as she works on me and has my back to the mirror, I’m not sure how long I’m sitting in this chair, but when she turns me around and I see myself in the mirror I gasp. My hair is much shorter, but it really looks good on me. I’ve never had hair shorter than my shoulders, but I may be changing my mind after today’s visit.

  “Oh I love it!” I exclaim. “Mom? What do you think?”

  She walks over and looks me over. “I think it suits you perfectly, sweetie,” she finally says. “And with what you’re getting ready to do, it makes sense to keep it shorter.”

  “Maybe. I wonder what Talon’s going to think about the drastic change?”

  “Take a picture and send it to him!” Cassarah says.

  I grab my phone and take a selfie and before I can chicken out, I send it to Talon. Seconds go by and my phone is ringing.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Damn, baby, you look fucking hot,” he says. Okay, I like that better than ‘hello’ because I can hear the huskiness in his voice.

  “Yeah?” I question him.

  “Fuck yeah. Putting that in my bank.”

  Wait, what bank? “Um, what bank, Talon?” I question.

  “The one I rely on when you’re not available.” Holy Hell! He means his spank bank! I look around to see if anyone can hear this conversation other than my side of it, that is.

  Oh my fucking God. Seriously? I’m surrounded by other old ladies including my own mom and he’s talking about that? “Talon, you can’t talk like that when I’m around my mom and other old ladies!”

  “Why not? You don’t think they realize we’re having sex by now?”

  “That is so not the point, Talon! Gah, my mom is here,” I whisper the last part into the receiver.

  Mom must have figured out what he said, either from my words or the fact that I’m blushing like I’ve got third-degree sunburn, because she suddenly says, “Immaculately conceived. All of them. Yep,” before she turns around and sits back in the waiting area.

  Her words have Talon laughing in my ear, and the other women in the salon laughing out loud. Fuck me. I mumble something under my breath and he says, “I’ll make it up to you this weekend, baby, promise.”

  “You’d better. I’m so embarrassed!”

  “Because everyone in there now knows I think my woman’s hot? Uh, think we burned that bridge a long time ago, Claree.”

  “I hope this one is a girl,” I say.

  “Fuck! Don’t do that, Claree, I mean shit, I’ll end up in prison if we end up having a daughter you know. There’s no way some little fucker will get anywhere near her before I put him six feet under. Don’t do that, don’t wish me to lose my fucking mind, babe.”

  “Nope. I’m praying right now that this little one is a girl. Then I cannot wait to see you, your dad and my dad lose your shit. Oh, and let’s not forget all of her uncles too,” I say, laughter now evident in my tone. “Hey, Mom, call Dad and tell him I hope this one is a girl!” I shout.

  “Why didn’t I realize how cruel you could actually be?” he questions. By now, he’s muttering and I’m laughing so hard I have tears rolling down my face and I’m having a hard time catching my breath.

  “Now, what goes good with the last name Hatchet?” I muse, twisting just a little more.

  “Harley, Macon, Trevor, anything masculine,” he growls out.

  “Harley Hatchet? Hmm, that would be a cute name for a little girl. I can see her now, a little princess cut and a tutu with tiny biker boots. Mom! We need to go shopping!”

  I hear him huff into the phone and he says to me, “Listen here, woman! We will be having this conversation later tonight. In bed where I can tie you up and make you see things my way, got it?”

  “Don’t let my dad know you wanna tie me up, Talon,” I tease. “He just started talking to you like he wasn’t plotting your death.”

  “Dammit, Claree. Don’t mention your dad in the same sentence as
us in bed again! Fuck, what a way to make me lose my boner. You’re going to pay for that one.”

  “Why are you discussing boners at work?” I hear through the phone. Fuck, that sounds like Braxton.

  “Axe,” I hear Talon say, “I think my old lady is trying to give me a heart attack.”

  “How?” I hear asked, and I listen intently to see what Talon is going to say in response to his question.

  “She mentioned her father, while I was discussing continuing our present conversation in bed!” That weasel! I’m going to make him bleed for this!

  I hear Braxton’s laughter ring through the phone and my grin grows bigger. Yeah, my man is gonna get heckled by his brothers.

  “Yeah, talk about a boner killer, man,” Talon states.

  “Talon! Don’t you dare say another word, not one more word mister!” I admonish him over the phone.

  “Baby, you started it with all this ‘I’m praying for a girl’ bullshit,” he states. “I’m just saying and making it clear…no girls. Ever.”

  “I’m going now. I’ll see you at home,” I reply. When I hang up the phone, I look over and see the others huddled together and snickering. I’m glad my personal life can give them the amusement that they seem to be missing.

  14

  Talon

  It’s Friday night and I can’t wait to get this time away with my woman. “Claree, is this the last of our bags?” I holler out, hoping that it is, we’re going away for a weekend and I swear she’s packed for a month…at the very least. Why does she need so much shit anyways? My plans involve minimal if any clothing!

  “Yeah, that’s the last of it,” she calls out.

  “I’m loading this bag, then it’s time to hit the road, woman!” I shake my head as I pick up bag number five and head out the door. I get it placed in the bed of the truck, then turn around ready to call for her again, and see her walking out the door with Steel in her arms.

  “Daddy!” He hollers out when he sees me, “I’s goin fishing with Grampy Chief!”

  “Grampy Chief is going to be so excited!” I excitedly join him in his enthusiasm. “Where is your bag, little man?”

  “It was the smaller bag you already brought out,” Claree informs me. Well, at least she’s down to four bags now instead of five. I’m sure my clothes are packed in one of those with hers as well. I did lay them all out on the bed before I left with Steel earlier today to take him shopping for his own fishing pole and tackle box. I can’t wait to see Chief’s face when he looks at what I found. Our boy is hooked on Cars, so I found a ‘Lighting Queen’ fishing pole and ‘Mater’ tackle box.

  “You did pack my clothes too, right?” I inquire, just wanting to make sure that I have something to wear home, I don’t plan to wear much in the way of clothing over the weekend.

  “Yes, Talon,” she says, rolling her eyes at me.

  “Keep on rolling those eyes at me, baby, and I’ll make them roll in a completely different way,” I tease.

  “I’m counting on it,” she whispers, coming up next to me and kissing my jaw. She’s so short next to me, it’s the only place she can reach without me bending over.

  I smack her on the ass and grab Steel, swinging him up in my arms. “Gonna miss you this weekend, buddy. You be a good boy for Grandpa and Grandma, okay?”

  “I is always a good boy, Daddy!” he exclaims.

  “You’re right, you are, buddy. But what kind of dad would I be if I didn’t remind you to mind your elders and mind your manners.”

  “If I is good, do I get a surprise?” he asks.

  “Maybe, I don’t know. You’ve got new fishing equipment, remember?”

  “That was for Grampy’s house, not here!” Huh, the logic of a three-year-old. Gets me all the time.

  “We’ll see, Steel. I don’t know all the plans your daddy and I have this weekend yet,” Claree states. “Let’s get you buckled up so we can go.”

  The drive is quick and before I know it, we’re pulling into their driveway. I grab Steel while Claree gets his bag. “Don’t forget my pole, Mama!”

  “I won’t, baby boy,” she calls back, and I laugh once again at his enthusiasm.

  “Not funny, Daddy! I needs my stuff!”

  “Not laughing at you, buddy, and yes, you do need your stuff so you can catch more fish than your Grampy.” He raises his hand to high five me. I accommodate his wishes and raise my hand so he can slap it. He’s pretty strong for his age and I feel the sting from where he hit. “Owe!” I call out, causing him to laugh in his little boy manner. “You’re eating too many vegetables, look how strong you are now. Maybe we need to stop feeding you all that good stuff, otherwise you’ll be stronger than your daddy, huh?”

  “Nope, I need to eat good so I can get big and strongers,” he admonishes me. His eyes narrow at me showing me how serious he is. Before I can say anything, Chief walks up to us.

  “Let me give you a hand,” Chief says, walking up. He immediately grabs Steel, leaving me holding nothing. Reaching back into the truck, I get the child-sized fishing pole and tackle box and that sets Steel off.

  “Grampy Chief! Looks! I has Lightning Queen and Mater,” he exclaims, patting Chief’s shoulders as he talks. “I is ready to go fishing!”

  “You get him any boots?” Chief asks. Boots? Why the fuck does he need boots?

  “Nope, didn’t know he’d need them.”

  “Good thing I got him a pair then.”

  “Wait, why does he need boots?”

  “Well, technically, they’re waders, but it’s so we can fish on the river’s edge. Got him a life jacket too, so y’all don’t have to worry.”

  “Schooled again by the old man,” Claree says, walking past me and bumping my hip with her own.

  “Watch who you’re calling old, little girl,” Chief growls at my girl causing her to laugh at him and rush up towards the front door.

  “Woman!” I mock-growl, “you’re gonna get it if you keep it up!”

  “Promises, promises,” she taunts now that she’s on the front porch where Trinity is waiting.

  “Steel!” Cora calls out. “Come play with me!”

  “I don’t wants to play dolls or have tea this time, Cora!” he hollers back. He begins wiggling to be let down out of his Grampy’s arms. “I don’t likes tea!”

  “Steel Hatchet! You love tea!” Claree states.

  “Not the kind her makes, mama, it was awful!”

  “This could be because she used half a bag of sugar,” Trinity says. “I turned my back for half a second and she had dumped it into the pitcher. And he’s right, it was awful.”

  “See, I told you,” he says, turning around and glaring at his mother. “Awful! I spit it out everywheres. I’m glad you’s don’t make tea like that, Mama.”

  “Mommy made it this time, Steel. I promise it’s better.”

  “Can we have grape Kool-Aid instead?” he asks his aunt. Seems kind of funny because she’s only a few years older than him, but then again, the age range for all the kids in the club is all over the place. I grin, thinking about the addition that’s coming along in a little more than five months now. Then, remembering what Claree said about having a girl, my grin fades.

  “Chief, your daughter is praying for a girl,” I tell him.

  “Fuck no! I’m getting too old for this shit and have two more girls here at home to survive.”

  “What do you mean ‘survive’?” Trinity asks.

  “Let’s see, Shelby is dating, Cora is nearly nine going on thirty and then there’s you, woman,” he replies.

  “Me?” she questions.

  “Yep. You’re still keeping me on my toes all these years later.”

  Fuck. He better not be talking about anything other than her shopping or I may puke.

  “Someone has to keep you on your toes, Turk Dennison,” she says.

  “Glad it’s you, sweetness,” he states, leaning in and kissing her. And… now I need bleach.

  “Grampy! Why is you
kissing Grammy like that?” Steel asks.

  “Don’t worry about it, Steel, they do that all the time,” Cora responds.

  “So does Mama and Daddy! Is disgusting. I am never kissing a girl,” he informs her.

  “Thinking he’ll change his mind in about twelve or so years,” Chief mutters. “Fuck, then I gotta worry about becoming a great-grandparent!”

  “Stop pushing time away, Turk! You act like you’ve got one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel for heaven’s sakes!”

  “Woman, my kids keep going the way they are, and these two,” he says pointing at me and Claree, “keep giving me grandkids, I might as well have one foot in the grave.”

  “I’ve got a way to resuscitate you,” she replies, grinning up at him. Fuck, now she’s trying to make me puke!

  “Can y’all um, I don’t know, cool it?” Claree asks. “The kids are too young for your nonsense.”

  Chief looks pointedly at her small baby bump and says, “And how did that one come along? Immaculate conception or something?”

  At his comment, Trinity and Claree burst into laughter. “I’ve been saying that very thing all along, honey,” she states. “No one’s buying it from me, but you’re a badass biker so maybe you’ll be more successful.”

  “What are you going on about now?” he asks her, so we then explain about lunch and Claree tells him all about their trip to the beauty salon.

  “You did not tell our president she deflated your hard-on, right?” the last part Chief growls out at me.

  “Maybe?” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “Don’t think I used those exact words, though.”

  “Fuck. You know you’re gonna catch hell at the next church, right? Especially if Smokey and Bandit hear the story.”

  I groan because those two, despite being older, love to cause havoc and play practical jokes. I can just see it now, they’ll have one of those ‘supplements’ sent to me or some shit. “You better not let them send me any shit,” I growl out in return. “Don’t need anything but your daughter to get my motor running.”