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She laughs. I’d called her in a panic early this morning to say I wasn’t sure I was going to make my flight. Cade and Travis were fighting; Meredith was unwell; Robbie was threatening world peace because I refused to give him money to go out drinking with his friend over the weekend; Zara was a crying mess thanks to hormones; and Holly, who was lined up to babysit the younger kids for the weekend, had fallen and potentially broken her ankle. It never rains but it pours at my place.
“Thank god for that,” she says as we head for the luggage carousel. “King wasn’t great this morning. I think he’d lose his last thread of sanity if he knew he wasn’t coming back to you tonight.”
I frown. “You spoke with him?”
“Yeah. Just quickly before all the guys left for the day.”
“How is he? I haven’t heard from him today.”
Her features turn serious. “He’s okay, but I think the situation they’re dealing with isn’t good.”
My chest tightens. “How bad is it?” King never says much, and I don’t push him. I know that if the kids or me are in any danger, he’ll let me know, but he hasn’t said anything like that this week.
“Did he tell you there was a drive-by shooting at one of Storm’s restaurants last night?”
“No. We haven’t had much time to talk since he left because of him being busy and the kids keeping me busy. Was anyone hurt?”
“No, but from what I know, it’s made an already tense situation tenser.”
I stop walking and turn to her, my gut beginning to churn with fear. “You’re worried?”
She nods. “Yeah, I am.”
I take a deep breath.
This is the part of being married to a club president that I usually have to keep under wraps. Friends and family outside of the club have no idea about this stuff, which makes me so grateful to have all the Storm girls to share the burden with. Today, I am more than grateful to have Madison and to be going to the Brisbane clubhouse where I’ll be surrounded by people who are coping with the same things.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s go. I need some of that cake Harlow promised me.”
Madison grins. “Same.” She falls into step with me as she says, “I actually think it’s my favourite cake she’s ever made.”
“Wow. Now I really need to taste it.”
Her smile doesn’t leave her face. “Yeah, you really do. Although, if Harlow keeps making cakes like this, we’re all going to have a problem with our health soon.”
As Madison shifts the conversation to sugar and then to perimenopause and all the ways it fucks women over, I think about the fact this is how we cope with the fear and worry that being married to a club member sometimes brings. The Storm girls band together and fiercely look out for each other, making sure everyone is okay. The Brisbane girls do it. The Sydney girls do it. The Melbourne girls do it. It’s like the unwritten promise when you become an old lady: always have your girls’ backs.
We collect my luggage and are on our way out to the car when King calls.
I grip my phone a little harder than usual when I answer. “Hey. How are you?”
His gruff voice comes through as bossy as always. “You should be more worried about your son than me.”
I frown. “Which one? And why?”
He details the problem Cade has gotten himself into and once he’s finished, I say, “Honestly, I thought girls were harder than boys until I had a son with you. Now, I think Cade may give us more headaches than all our other kids combined.”
“He’s a good kid, Lily. He just needs guidance.”
I sigh. “I know, but guiding six children through the world can get exhausting at times.”
“I’ll handle this.”
I smile as I think about the fact that parenting with King is one of the best things in my life. Yes, I’m exhausted most days, and I do grumble at times, but King makes it so much easier because he steps up at all times. He never falters or lets me down.
“Thank you for being the best father I know. Tell me you’re okay.”
“I am. You don’t need to worry about me, but don’t stop on your way to the clubhouse. I want you there as soon as possible.”
