Out of all of the women, Emily was unsure about Tate. There were times she liked her and then times she wasn’t sure she liked her at all. Her feelings confused her about this woman.
“You’re talking shit again,” Eva said. Tiny’s woman had a bowl resting against her waist as she was beating up a mix.
“Stepmom, I’m pregnant.” Tate pouted, but Emily saw the glint in her eyes. Tate loved Eva.
“You always talk shit. Has Tabitha talked to you? Don’t look all innocent to me, Tate. I know you’re close to Tabitha. If you think you can play me, think again.”
Tate rolled her eyes. “She’s like four years old. Nothing is going on in her little head.”
“What about Simon? She talk about him a lot?”
“Yes, she talks about him. I think you should worry when she’s a teenager and mooning over him. Really, what is your and Dad’s deal about this?”
“He’s worried if I don’t nip it in the bud it’ll flourish into something more.”
“There are worse things to happen. Devil’s a good father. Even Dad has got to admit that. I’ve seen him with Simon.”
Eva put the bowl down, adding flour to the mix. “I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“How is Daisy?” Angel asked.
“She’s fine. Her parents aren’t much good. Tiny has tried to get him a job, but nothing will take.”
Daisy was a young girl Tabitha’s age at the nursery where they’d started to take them. Emily had recommended the nursery in town near the church. It was a good place to take kids as Darcy had been there.
“Anthony likes her,” Angel said. “Actually, I don’t know if he likes her. I’ve watched the two together. Daisy will sit with a book in her lap telling a story. She’s not reading the words, but he listens as if she is.” Angel shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s such a shame as the girl is adorable.”
“Can I help?” Emily asked, rolling her sleeves up.
“We’ve got pastry in the fridge.” Sophia pointed to the large fridge.
She walked toward it as the women kept talking amongst themselves.
“Do you think Lacey’s got any idea about the honeymoon?” Kelsey asked.
“Nope, and we’re to keep it that way.”
“What honeymoon?” Emily asked, pulling out the pastry and taking it over to the cool table. She sprinkled flour over the counter and started to roll it out.
“Whizz is making all the preparations to marry Lacey on Christmas Eve. It’s going to be so beautiful. When Christmas is over, Whizz is taking her away on a honeymoon. They’re going to Spain,” Tate told her.
“Do any of you know what’s going on with the adoption agency?” Eva asked. “No one has found anything out?”
“No, he’s kept quiet about it,” Angel said.
“Poor woman. She’ll never know what it’s like to carry her own child.” Eva rubbed her own stomach.
“You got anything to tell us, Eva?”
“Shut up, Tate.”
“Rose can’t have children either,” Sophia said. “It’s sad what’s going on with her.” Sophia was pregnant with her second child as well.
Emily didn’t know if she could have another child yet. Darcy wasn’t a handful but a blessing. She wouldn’t risk the precarious relationship she was in with Blaine. They would have to actually have sex for her to get pregnant again. She thought about that morning and how he’d brought her to orgasm. All he’d needed to do was slide down and he’d have been inside her.
“Are you having any more kids?” Tate asked, looking at her.
Pulling out of her erotic thoughts Emily shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Why not? Darcy’s an angel. I’ve seen her, Emily. You’ve been lucky. Simon can be such a handful. He’s taken to throwing shit at the moment.”
“Tabitha throws tantrums that give me headaches.”
“Rachel’s taken up to ignoring me. She’ll only listen to Nash.”
They all turned to look at Angel. “Don’t look at me. Anthony’s wonderful. He doesn’t cause any problems.”
Emily chuckled. “I’ve seen him. He’s an intelligent boy, quiet, but there’s something going on there.”
“Why don’t you want any more kids?” Tate asked. All the women glared at her. “What? You all know I’m nosey. Stop pretending like it’s a problem.”
“It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with you being curious.” Emily stared down at the rolled out sheet of pastry. “What am I supposed to be doing?” she asked, laughing.
Angel handed her a round cutter. “We’re supposed to be making mince pies. They’re Lash’s favorite. I made my own mincemeat to go inside.”
“Come on, Emily, stop stalling.”
She worked from the outer edge and worked her way around to the middle. “I’m not stalling. It’s complicated. I was pregnant when Blaine went off the deep end. He started taking drugs, and he became a man I didn’t even recognize.” She stopped as Angel put the muffin tins down for her to put the pastry inside. “My parents were there for me when I gave birth. I don’t want to put any pressure on either of us to have another kid.”
“It’s not always going to be like that,” Tate said. “He really has changed.”
Emily shrugged. “I just want to enjoy my time with him without bringing another baby into the mix. The last three years have been pretty hectic. We’ve not really had the time to, erm, have fun.” Thinking over the last three years, she knew the club had been in so much trouble with on enemy or another. For the first time since she’d entered Blaine’s life again, it was finally placid.
They all agreed.
“So, Rose,” Kelsey said. “She has a right to be here.”
“I’ll invite her,” Eva said. “She’s finally getting on her feet. Tiny has told her she’s welcome back at the club any time.”
“What about Cheryl and Michael with Butch?” Sophia asked. “He’s not gone to Vegas yet.”
The women went quiet. Butch was still a hard topic.
“They’re going to be here,” Angel said, speaking up first. They all turned to look at her. “I believe he’s going to Vegas with Ned after Christmas. Until then, he’s staying at the club with Michael and Cheryl. Alex is going to be there as well. He deserves to see his son around this time of year.”
Emily loved Angel’s forgiving nature. She understood why Lash got so protective and worried over his woman. The world was not full of good people. There were bad people and there were worse than bad people. There were people out there who’d take advantage of Angel’s sweet nature. They’d tear her apart and spit her back out a shadow of herself. Emily truly hoped it never happened. Angel was beautiful to watch and listen to.
All of the women agreed. “It’s time we moved on. Gonzalez has taken enough from us. I agree with Angel,” Eva said. The other women nodded, and Emily saw them all relax. It was Christmas, and with Whizz getting married, the whole clubhouse together was stressful enough.
“Okay, next order of business,” Tate said. “We need to find a date for Baker. I need to see him smile at least once.”
Emily laughed as the mischievous group started to make plans involving Baker.
****
Hardy climbed off the back of his bike, throwing the cigarette he’d started into the snow. He stared up at the house he’d shared with Rose for the last ten years. They’d been together longer than thirteen years, but this was the house he bought after all the shit went down ten years ago. The guilt had weighed on his soul in ways he never thought possible. Rose was a beautiful woman back then and now. She’d only grown more beautiful over the years.
He ran fingers through his hair and walked up to the door.
Baker opened the front door. He was the one prospect who looked like he was going to get voted in first. Ink and Fighter were just as good, but they’d not been there when Gonzalez had sent a man to kill Eva. Baker had been there and showed everyone in the club never to underestimate a baker. He was
a strong man, and Hardy respected him. Everyone knew he’d lost his family and had nothing left in life other than the club.
“You’re not supposed to be here, Hardy. Tiny gave me a call that you’d left the clubhouse.” Baker closed the door, standing in front of it.
“Look, I just need to see Rose. I need to talk to her.”
“She asked not to be disturbed.”
“Are you fucking her?” Hardy asked, regretting the words once he said them.
“Are you for fucking real? You’re going to stand there and accuse me of fucking your woman when I’m here because of you?”
“Shit, I’m sorry.” He wasn’t used to this. Hardy wasn’t used to being jealous of any man. Rose had always treated him like a god. She never put up a fight with him in the past and always gave him what he wanted.
The more she fought him now the more Hardy realized what a shit husband he’d been to her.
“You’ve got to let it go.”
The door opened, and Rose appeared over Baker’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Baker. I’ll talk to him.”
“Tiny’s rule—”
“I’ve spoken to Tiny. It’s okay.”
Baker nodded and left them. Hardy didn’t doubt he was watching and he’d be close enough to interfere. Hardy stared at her. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Hardy had always loved her full red hair. She wore glasses again. Hardy knew it had been a long time since she’d last worn glasses. Was that his fault as well? He recalled asking her to wear contacts, but the glasses made her look sexy as hell.
“What are you doing here, Hardy? Tiny’s pissed that you’re here. I’ve told him to let it go. I left without even talking to you.”
“I got the divorce papers.”
“I only want the house, Hardy.”
“This isn’t about the fucking house.” He couldn’t give a shit about the house. Hardy stopped, staring down at the snow covered ground. He was bombarded by all their good memories. The last ten years hadn’t been shit. They were good together. He loved her with all of his heart and soul. Hardy knew he couldn’t lose her.
He took a step closer but froze as Rose took a step back.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I don’t want you near me. Stay there or I’m going back inside.” Rose held her hand up as if to ward him off.
“Okay, I’ll stay here.”
“Just sign the divorce papers.”
“Why? For ten years we’ve lived with this. Ten years I’ve proven I’ve loved you more than anything else.”
“No, you haven’t. All you’ve done is proven to me that if I’m there all the time, you won’t stray. I’m the only one who has changed, Hardy. I’m not going to keep changing. Sign the divorce papers. It’s time for us both to move on.”
She turned back toward the door.
“I’m not going to let you get away from me, Rose. Any man who touches you I’ll fucking kill.”
Rose turned back to glare at him. Even though he was standing a few feet away from her, he saw the tears in her eyes.
“Even now it’s always about you. You’re a selfish person, Hardy.”
“Don’t cry, baby.”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I like.”
The sound of a car approaching had them both looking toward the sound. He saw it was Eva and Emily driving up toward the house.
“What are you doing here, Hardy?” Eva asked, climbing out of the car.
“I’m just leaving.” It was pointless for him to keep trying to get closer to his woman. Rose wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. He’d just have to wait until she was.
Chapter Five
“I’m happy for you to get married after me. I’ll take Lacey upstairs. I’m not going to be waiting around to party. When I put my ring on her finger that’s it for me.” Whizz took a sip of his water as he made notes in a book.
“What are you doing?” Blaine asked.
“Tiny wants to invest into the town. He thinks we can open a gym in town. We’ve not got one, and from what he heard at the town hall, people want one. There’s a new health kick going on.” Whizz made a few more notes, scribbling shit fast. “I’m looking into the land.”
“You know the building that we burnt down is a great location for the gym,” Blaine said.
“I know. I’m not sure Lacey’s ready for that.”
“It’s our property now, Whizz. We bought it up. Build it back up and it’ll turn over a great profit. It’s got a large parking lot.”
“It’ll bring more employment to the area if we make it great. People will come just to work out,” Whizz said, agreeing.
“People come to Fort Wills just to see the fucking club.” It was no secret that The Skulls was also an attraction to the town. Blaine didn’t know why. There was a lot of danger getting mixed up with the club. They’d all had a lot of deaths to deal with.
“I know. Fighter would make a good instructor, but we’d need him to be voted in before we put him in there.” Whizz made another note before slamming the book closed. “Right, I’ve got everything ready my end for the wedding. Lacey doesn’t need any of that fancy shit. I’ve booked the priest, and I’ve spoken to him. He’d be happy to join you and Emily together. Lacey’s taking care of her stuff with Eva and the women.”
“Is there any way you can make Emily’s parents present during it? They’re, erm, they’re going away on a cruise.”
“Sure, we can open up a video link. I just need their email and I can get it all set up.”
Blaine handed over the email address, hoping Whizz could work his magic. “Thank you for letting me do this.”
“Hey, I’m only helping you out. You’re the one who has got to get the woman to agree.”
“Does Lacey know about the honeymoon?”
“Not yet. She’ll know when it’s the right time, and I want us both to enjoy Christmas. I’ve got everything covered here. We’ll be voting about this and other shit after this meet.”
Tiny opened the office door and called them all in. It was time for church, their group meeting. When he’d been a prospect Blaine hadn’t been allowed in the meetings. These meetings were a chance to vote on what the club was doing next.
They all took a seat. Alex was present as well. It had been a couple of weeks since Blaine had seen Alex. The older man had left the clubhouse a couple of months ago and only turned up when there were important matters to discuss.
Lash sat near Tiny with Nash taking the seat next to him. Beside Alex sat Murphy. Down the lines Hardy, Steven, Killer, Whizz, and Zero took their seats. Gash was one of the last men to arrive. Stink, Happy, and a couple of other brothers who’d been on the road took seats.
“What’s going on?” Lash asked.
“A couple of our Nomad brothers have requested a position within the club. They want to settle down. Happy is one of them. Adam and Twisted are another two.”
Blaine looked at the man with ink that went up to his neck. He didn’t look like the kind of man you wanted to meet on a cold night.
“Does anyone have a problem with them being voted in? They were part of the club over five years ago, but they left to join our Nomad team.” Cole Fowler had been part of the Nomad club. He’d not settled for any biker club but was settled down with his own woman, Sandy. It was probably a good thing as having two Sandys in the club would be so confusing. “Nomad” was a select group of men who didn’t patch into any one club but had all shown their loyalty to the MC life. They helped out when necessary but stayed on the road. Occasionally some of them would break off from the club and join one of the MCs that had settled in a town or city.
“I don’t see a problem. Whizz will run his checks and we’ll vote to see the three boys in action,” Lash said.
“Good. You can leave now.”
Happy, Twisted, and Adam left the room.
“Wait,” Nash said. “Why are you called Adam? Is it your real name or road name?”
Adam smiled. “It’
s a road name and because I’m the one that ends all happiness, mate.” His British accent would have the women falling over themselves.
“Stay away from Angel,” Lash said, firing out his warning.
“The blonde I’ve seen, she looks like an angel.”
Lash went to get to his feet.
“Sit down, Lash,” Tiny said. “I’ve got rules, and one of those is no poaching other men’s women. The sweet-butts can be taken by anyone, but the old ladies are not to be touched.”
“I got it. The old ladies don’t get to know how good I am.”
The three men left.
“I don’t like them,” Lash said.
The brothers started laughing.
“We’ve got to give them a chance. I heard Devil is recruiting more men as well.”
“This isn’t some kind of pissing contest, is it? You want more men because they’ve got more men.”
“No. I’ve heard the Trojans are also taking on more men. It’s something we’ve all agreed to before.”
The Trojans were a club that was well over three hundred miles away. They rarely had anything to do with the other club.
“Okay, let’s get down to the next order of business.”
“Let’s talk about the shit happening to the club,” Hardy asked. “I don’t like it. This is for the men, not women.”
“This is a family club, Hardy. We’re all a family. After all the shit that’s gone down, we’re all coming together for Christmas. Deal with it. I’m not going to be changing shit.” Tiny’s cell phone went off. “Rose has also agreed to be here. Your life with her may be turning to shit, but she’s still part of the club. You better leave her alone. She stopped me today from kicking you to the curb. Anyone else got any issue with what’s going on?”
Blaine: Christmas at The Skulls Page 6
