“Prez, what can I get for you?”
“Coors works for me as well, Streak.”
After all of us had our drinks, I realized I haven't introduced anyone to Mad Dog.
“Damn, I've been so impressed looking at the Great Room, that I've forgotten to introduce my crew to you, Mad Dog.”
Mad Dog chuckled at my statement and nodded.
“The beautiful redhead is my Old Lady, Mia, and the equally beautiful blonde is my Old Lady, Jennie.
“Damn Viper, how the hell did you get lucky enough to have not one but two beautiful women? It's a crime, it surely is.”
I inclined my head at him and said, “I'm one lucky motherfucker for sure Mad Dog, and I know it as well.”
Then I said the boys’ names as I pointed them out, “Jace, Colton and Caleb.”
Each stepped forward as I said their names and shook Mad Dog's hand.
“And last but not least, the hellion of the bunch that you've already encountered, Jemma.” I said while smirking at her.
She just rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at me, then walked up to Mad Dog and eyed the hand he had stuck out to her. She then said, 'Nuh-uh,” moved his hand aside and hugged him. To say that Mad Dog was a little taken aback is an understatement.
“Sorry about that one,” I said to him, to which he shook his head and enveloped Jemma in a hug.
“Never had a daughter, this hugging shit is kinda nice,” he said.
Jemma just giggled and hugged him tighter.
He smiled at me and said, “Let me show you around.”
He took us on a tour of the Clubhouse and out back. It was everything the boys said and more. Outside there was a swimming pool with a lounge area, an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue grill, a fire pit, a playground for kids, and a horseshoe pit. I could see a medium sized garage off to my right as I looked out across the grounds. About a thousand feet behind the Clubhouse was the start of the wood line and a blacktop road led up into the middle of the trees.
“Fuck, Mad Dog. I'm seriously impressed.” I stood there shaking my head. “I've never seen anything like this ever before.”
As I take it all in, I'm seriously wondering how the hell they are able to have a compound like this. This was beyond fucking nice. It's like a private resort, and an expensive one at that.
“Well, thank ya,” Mad Dog said. “And I can tell by the look on your face, you're wondering how we can afford all this. I'll just say one thing, when my old man was the Prez, he put some money for the MC in some local stock years ago and that stock blew up and multiplied. Before it was all said and done, he'd made the club enough money so that we never have to worry about money again.”
“Damn that's fucking unreal,” I muttered.
“Tell me about it. But it sure is nice not to have to worry about money for the MC. We have used it to make sure that we're comfortable here. We'll talk more about this later if we have time when we have our meeting with some of the Brothers tomorrow. I figured tonight, we'll have a little barbecue and let y'all meet everyone.”
“Sounds good, Brother.”
“Okay, now let me show you where you will be staying. Let's head back out front and then y'all just follow me.”
I looked at him in surprise, I figured we would be staying in the Clubhouse.
Seeing my surprise, he said, “We have several single men that live here, and I don't want to embarrass your women or daughter if they get up and encounter a half-naked or naked man.”
Appreciative of the consideration, I nodded at him as we made our way through the Clubhouse and out to the front.
Once outside, he got on a black Harley and waited till we all loaded into the Suburban. He then pulled out and took the blacktop road that went around the right side of the Clubhouse.
As we drove through the trees, there were driveways off to each side about every two hundred feet or so and sitting about equal distance back were houses in various styles and sizes. We turned in a driveway that led toward a farmhouse style two-story house. The house was white with yellow trim and a wraparound porch. There was a three car garage off to the right side that looked like it had an apartment above it.
“Oh my god, this is gorgeous,” Jennie murmured. “I love it.”
Mia replied, “It is nice, isn't it?”
Mad Dog got off his bike, walked up to my window, leaned down onto the window seal and said, “I'm gonna leave a key with you, so y'all just go on in and make yourself at home. House is new, but some of the Old Ladies and club girls have put some things in there. I know there are enough beds, and I'm hoping there is enough bedding. They were supposed to stock in some food supplies as well. But whatever you are lacking, just let me know and we'll get it for you. I have some business to attend to before the barbecue. It should start about six, but if y'all want to swim or play pool or whatever, feel free to come back down to the Clubhouse. Oh, and the pool is heated, so the water's not too cold for the kids.”
With that he leaned back, handed me a key, strode over to his bike and headed back the way we came.
I pulled up in front of the garage, parked, then we all headed to the side door of the house. After I unlocked it, I stepped back to let my crew go in before me. As Mia and Jennie stepped inside, I heard gasps of shock.
“Holy smokes,” Jemma said. “This freaking place is awesome, Dad come look.”
At that, I walked in behind the boys and saw what had my girls in such a tizzy. I entered a mudroom the likes of which I've never seen before. Along one wall was a bench that had storage space underneath it for shoes, and over it about head high were hooks to hang jackets on. The floors were some kind of tile, I'm sure my Old Ladies would know what kind, but the brown and rust color of them flowed up to an opening that appeared to go into the kitchen. Wood floors met the tile and ran throughout an open concept kitchen, dining and living area. The place was stunning. I don't know anything about design unless it has to do with bikes or vehicles, but even I knew this place was a huge step up from our house at home.
“Oh my gosh, Mia, did you see that travertine tile in the mudroom? And these dark oak floors are simply to die for.” Jennie said as she walked over to the kitchen island and ran one hand over it. “And this butcher block countertop is stunning.”
“I know, Jennie, check out the Shaker cabinets. Those are my favorite style of cabinets and I love the off-white color of them as well.”
Yep. Called it. Knew my women would know this shit. But I might be in big trouble when we get home. They were going to look at our kitchen, hell our whole house, and want to totally redo it. Damn.
Mia walked over to the kitchen sink and ran her hand over it.
“Jennie, look at this farmhouse sink. I think it's a cast iron one,” Mia raised her head and looked out the windows that were over the sink and drew in a sharp breath, then softly whispered, “Oh Jennie, oh Jennie, come look outside.”
Jennie walked over, gasped and put her hand over her mouth. I strolled over to them to look outside at what was making my women so emotional. Past the wrap around porch, that I now knew went all the way around the house, was a landscaped backyard. It had all sorts of flowers that I didn't know the names of, but I did know what had caught my women's attention.
Slightly off to one side of the yard was a pair of apple blossom trees that were in full bloom. Under a small arbor, sitting behind the trees, sat a wooden bench. The whole thing was an almost exact replica of what sat in our backyard at home. I had built it after both of my women had a miscarriage within months of each other. Jennie first and then Mia.
For any family, a miscarriage is a hard thing, but both my women having miscarriages the same year only months apart had affected us all. While it had been hard on me to lose two children, Mia and Jennie's grief had devastated me, and I had felt helpless to know what to do for them.
I turned to the kids and told them to go find a room to drop their bags off in, grab a towel and go swimming. Not one of them argued with me.
I could hear a little arguing in amongst their laughter as they each hunted for a room. About five minutes later, they were all running outside with cries of 'race you to the Clubhouse.'
~*~
1988
Not having a clue in the world how to go about helping my women with the loss of our children, I felt like I was going to come undone. I was struggling with my own grief and I felt fucking helpless not knowing how to help Mia and Jennie deal with their pain. I felt like I was failing them as their Old Man. Needing to release some of my own anger and grief, I went on a bike ride, the only place I truly found pure peace.
While out riding down a small country road I had never ridden on before; in the middle of a field behind an old farmhouse I came across two apple blossom trees with a wooden bench sitting slightly behind them. It struck a chord with me at how peaceful it looked. I pulled off the road and just sat and stared at the picturesque landscape in front of me.
The longer I stared, the stronger the feeling came over me that I needed to do this for my women. As I rode home, a sweet peace entered me. The next morning, I took my Blazer and trailer, drove to a nursery the next town over, pulled in and right in front of the building sat two blooming apple blossom trees and a wooden bench. I walked inside and told the lady behind the counter that I wanted to buy the trees and the bench. She had freaked me the fuck out when she said, “Ah, so you're who I've been waiting on to come get them.”
I looked at the woman and said, “What the fuck you talking about? I didn't call and order anything.”
She smiled at me and asked, “You ride a black motorcycle, don't you?”
I nodded at her, wondering how the fuck she knew that and where the fuck this was going.
She continued, “Well, I live in the farmhouse. I watched as you sat outside on your bike and stared at those trees and bench. When I first heard you coming down the road, I walked over to my front window to watch you ride by, my husband used to ride and I would always ride with him. Then to my surprise you stopped your bike and sat and stared at those trees. You appeared tense, but the longer you sat there, I saw you start relaxing. You turned off your bike, pulled off your helmet and just stared at those trees. You sat there for over an hour before you left. By then, your whole demeanor had changed, and you appeared serene.”
I was staring at this lady feeling like I was in the middle of the damn Twilight Zone. What were the fucking odds of me stopping in front of her house and her working at this nursery, much less know that I would be coming here or what I would be coming for? I swallowed hard. A cold shiver went down my spine.
“I know I'm probably freaking you out right now.”
“That's a fucking understatement, lady,” I replied.
“Sometimes I feel like God is talking to me and when I woke up this morning, I knew you would be here today for two apple blossom trees and a wooden bench.”
Talk about feeling like someone just walked over your grave. I was feeling that in spades.
“You know,” she continued. “My husband planted those two trees and put that bench there for me when I lost the twins I was carrying. After that, I was never able to get pregnant again.”
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
“I used to sit out under those trees for hours and hours. It soothed me deep in my soul. And I finally came to term with losing my babies.”
I was speechless. I totally didn't know what to say. I mean was there even anything to say? There was clearly something much bigger going on here than me just wanting to make a serene place for Mia and Jennie.
“Umm... how,” my voice cracked. I might or might not have been a little choked up at that moment. I coughed, cleared my throat and asked, “How much do I owe you.”
“Nothing, Son, nothing at all.”
I shook my head. I was paying for those trees. I pulled out five one hundred-dollar bills and laid them on the counter. She smiled and shook her head at me. I almost felt like a kid who knew he was being humored. As I turned to go, something made me turn around and ask her one question.
“What's your name if you don't mind me asking?”
“Mia Jennifer Taylor.”
I felt frozen to the spot. I felt like a fuckin' pussy because I thought I was going to pass the fuck out. I realized I was holding my breath, so I exhaled deeply. With my hand shaking slightly, I opened the door then turned and said, “Mrs. Taylor, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“No thanks necessary, Son. You have a blessed day.”
I don't remember much about loading up those trees or the bench, nor do I remember the trip home. I vaguely remember pulling around to the back of the house, unloading the trailer, and sitting on that bench staring at those two trees. God had been with me and no one would ever convince me otherwise.
After planting the trees and placing the bench where I wanted it, I went in, got Jennie and Mia by the hands and led them outside. I remember the exact words I spoke to them.
“Each of these trees represents one of our babies. That bench is for you to sit on and talk to them. To let them know that we will always love them and will never forget them.”
Both of them had cried as they walked to the bench and sat down, then they had held on to each other. I walked over and kneeled down in front of them, wrapped my arms around both and told them how much I loved them, and I was so sorry that we had lost our babies. Then, I had cried with them and hadn't cared one fuck that tears were running down my damn face.
~*~
June 1997
I pondered briefly on the fact that neither Mia nor Jennie had ever gotten pregnant again either. From that moment on, if I couldn't find one or the other of my women, I could always walk outside and find them sitting on that bench visiting with our babies.
I realized I had been locked into the past and the house was quiet. As I made my way upstairs, I noticed the landing emerged into a hallway that went to the left and right. Seeing a set of double doors at the end of the right hallway, I made my way down that direction. As I entered what was obviously the master bedroom, I saw Mia and Jennie with their arms wrapped around each other and staring out the back-bedroom windows. They were rocking back and forth as they held each other. I walked over and wrapped my arms around them both.
“Oh Cole, I know the boys had something to do with this, but this simply takes my breath away.” Jennie said.
Mia tilted her head in agreement with her.
Why the MC had done this, I hadn't a clue.
Then Jennie whispered, “I feel like I've come home.”
“Ditto, Jennie,” Mia murmured.
And oddly enough, that was exactly the way I was feeling too.
I turned and looked around the room. There weren't any furnishings except for a California king size bed. It had a chocolate comforter on it and was loaded down with pillows. I saw a door in the wall to the left of the bedroom’s entry doors and walked over to it. It led into a hallway that had three doors off it, as I walked by each open door, I saw that they were closets.
When I walked into the bathroom itself, I saw along one wall a double vanity and across from it a single vanity. There was the biggest fucking Jacuzzi I had ever seen sitting just past the single vanity. I walked to the door past the Jacuzzi and found a toilet room. Fuck, this was all beyond fancy.
Then I turned and looked at what for me was the piece de resistance, a fucking walk-in shower. It was done in white subway tile and had a fucking bench that looked about five feet long. Centered above the bench was an insert into the wall about four inches deep, eighteen inches high, and three feet long. There were three rainfall shower heads coming out the ceiling and twelve fucking shower heads coming from the back two perpendicular walls. There was about a four-foot opening on the left front wall that transitioned into about a six-foot-long glass wall that tied into one of the back walls. Perpendicular to the opening was another glass wall about five feet long that transitioned into a solid wall, upon which the bench was built into it. All in all,
the whole thing was about a ten by ten-foot shower.
Heaven. I was in fucking heaven.
Call me a pussy, or whatever, I really don't care. But I'm a man who truly loves his showers and has always wanted a huge ass one. And this motherfucker was the Cadillac of showers. Oh, the fun I could have in here fucking my women was endless.
Bingo. I looked down to find that my cock was rock hard. One thought was all it took of them and I was raring and willing to go. For about a minute, I pondered on the situation and thought about the placement of the upstairs bedrooms. The kids had taken rooms far away from the master bedroom, plus they were swimming right now. A smile crossed my face and all I can think was: Fuck. Score!
I stripped out of my clothes, walked into the shower, and realized that I could turn on the water without getting wet and that I could digitally adjust the water temperature. After setting that, I stuck my hand into the water to see how long I thought it would take to heat up and found to my amazement it was already hot.
Oh. Fuck. Me.
It had an instant hot water heater. Yep, Heaven. They may have to drag my dead ass out of this room. My women have always laughed at how long I stayed in the shower. But I don't give a rat's ass, for me a shower was a sacred thing. And no one should ever mess with my shower time.
~***~
Chapter 9
The mark of a real man, is a man who can allow himself to fall deeply in love with a woman.
~C. JoyBell C.~
Viper
June 1997
I briefly thought about waiting for my women, but I knew they would be in here soon anyway, so my happy ass stepped under the middle shower head. Ah, fuck, it felt good. I looked at the dials on the wall and quickly figured out which to use to turn on the wall shower heads and once they hit me, I was in heaven. I saw a dial that had different modes for the wall heads and chose pulsating massage.
Oh. My. God. Nirvana.
I held my arms out and slowly turned in circles, feeling every pulsating massage as it hit my body. I was never gonna want to leave this motherfucker. I was so involved in my feelings of how good this fucking shower felt that I didn't notice that anyone had even come into the room with me until I heard a snicker.
Viper (Angel’s Rebellion MC: #1) (Angel's Rebellion MC) Page 10
