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My head jerks up at that. We’re friends, really? I glance up at Abby, who has an eyebrow raised with a look on her face, and I decide at that moment these are my new friends. I walk into the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, then head back into the huge great room. The fireplace is roaring so I move to the ottoman right in front of it and sit down.
Trying to ignore the two women sitting with me, it takes maybe three to four minutes for my mind to shut down. My head is full of all the shit Cletus just shared. How can someone show you one side of them, but also hide the other side from you. Just as that thought floats through my mind I hear Winnie’s soft musical voice behind me.
“Lucy, I know we haven’t shared a whole lot together but if you don’t mind, would you listen for a quick second? I have no clue what’s going on because it’s not my business, and if this nosy one next to me would have just driven to the store you’d be by yourself. Saying that, being alone sometimes makes it worse. You know who my husbands are, right?”
Again my head jerks. Oh shit, that’s right, Winnie is married to both Chains and Jackson. How that works I have no clue, but damn did she pick really good. Those two are sex on legs. That thought makes me giggle.
“So I’m guessing by the giggles you know Chains and Jackson are mine. Well, we’ve been through a lot over the years. If anyone can understand that being with a person who is both good and bad, it would be me. No, not Jackson, he is all good. My golden man. Nicky, on the other hand—oh, you know him as Chains—is the direct opposite. He’s my dark knight. Just the little I know of his dark side actually makes me want to run away fast and never look back.”
That shocks me because the very few times I’ve seen the three of them together they look like symmetry. Again, open mouth…
“Winnie, what makes you stay? I mean, don’t want to get into your personal business, but Cletus dropped a few bombs on me just now and I have no idea what’s next.”
Abby and Winnie share a look before the tiny blonde makes her way to me. Abby stays behind but her eyes are watching me like a hawk.
“Lucy, what I did was weigh the pros and cons. And bottom line is no matter what my Nicky has done, to me he treats me like I’m beyond precious. I know he’d die for me, almost did a few times. And the thought of not having him in my life means I’m missing half of my heart. I don’t know if that helps, but I hope so.”
Hearing footsteps, I see Abby coming our way. She kneels in front of me, putting her hands on the top of my thighs while looking directly into my eyes.
“Sister, it takes a special kind of woman to be an ol’ lady to a Grimm Wolves brother. Now your man, Slick, has more to prove than most. My ol’ man, Wyatt, shit—Fury to you—is quite impressed with how far he’s come. Especially now that he’s stepping up to the plate to help the clubs out in Montana. He owes some penance to both clubs. Know this though, Lucy, he’s putting himself out there. That brotherhood of jagoffs won’t just let this go, so between the clubs and the sheriffs and FBI that are involved, hopefully when this goes down they can take most, if not all, of those assholes down too. That will protect Slick. Now, we’ve taken up enough of your time. Give me your phone, no, just give me your phone, Lucy. Damn another stubborn woman, just like Clementine.”
Winnie giggles as she stands and starts for the front door as Abby, I guess, is putting phone numbers into my contacts.
“We have your back, Lucy, even if you don’t want it. That’s how this club works, but we won’t push you either way, that’s your decision. Just know that you’re not alone and never will be, even if you leave Slick’s ass.”
With that both of them walk out, closing the door softly. I barely make it back to the ottoman before I collapse and burst into tears. That’s how Cletus finds me when he finally manages to come back. Cuddled up on the ottoman, still in front of a dying fire, my face red and puffy from crying, eyes closed, fast asleep.
CHAPTER 10
SLICK
CLETUS/CUPCAKE
Putting the box on the table next to the sectional, I quietly walk to where Lucy is asleep crunched up on the ottoman. My God, she’s so beautiful and looks peaceful, though I can see the evidence of crying for hours on her face. I crouch down and gently run my finger down her cheek, tracing where I imagine the tears ran down. This is my fault. I caused the pain she is in. Why can’t I get this relationship shit right? This time I’m truly trying and still I’m fucking it up, though Fury told me most men do.
I have a newfound respect for my VP. He sat and listened to me for hours going over every sordid event in my head. Never judging or looking at me with disgust. And when I finally was finished, he asked just one question. What did I want? When I said Lucy, he told me to get my ass back to the cabin and fix my shit then. Before I left, he handed off the box that was addressed to Slick and Cashmere. It was from Montana, and by the way I handled it Fury laughed, telling me it wasn’t a bomb. Then he explained it was from Raquel and Teddy. I almost hit my knees but just nodded, picked it up, and walked back here. He offered to drive me, but again, needed to get in the right headspace.
Now that I’m back, not sure how this is gonna go down. If Lucy tells me she wants nothing to do with me, then that’s it. It’s not that I don’t want to fight for her and for Atlas, it’s I’m just not sure how much I have left in me. It took everything in my soul to try and move on with Lucy. Then when I met Atlas, I was a goner. That’s why I had to be honest and upfront with her before I got in too deep.
“What’s the plan, Clet, to just watch me sleep or were you planning on maybe just leaving again? Watch out, I need to get up and I’ve got a cramp in my back.”
Carefully, not wanting to hurt her, I gently help Lucy to her feet. She immediately takes off to what I’m assuming is the bathroom. I stand up and walk to the fridge, grabbing two waters, then go and sit down to wait for her. I do something I almost never do, I say a quick prayer to whatever power there is to help me say and do the right thing, not only for me but for Lucy and Atlas.
Hearing footsteps coming from down the hall, I lift my head and see when Lucy hits the great room. The surprise on her face tells me she’s lost what little faith she had in me. Great, starting from the beginning again. Then her eyes settle on the box. OH shit.
“What’s that? Who’s it from?”
Just like an ol’ lady, questions on top of questions. Might as well rip that bandage off.
“Fury gave that to me. Apparently, Raquel sent that to him to give to me. He said that he was told it was from both her and Teddy. Bring it here, we can open it together as it’s addressed to the two of us.”
Her head jerks up and those gorgeous eyes get huge. She grabs the box and moves to where I’m sitting, putting it between us, then she sits down. I hand her the water, which she quietly thanks me for. Then silence.
“Okay, Lucy, I have no idea what to do to make this shit better. Gonna just put it out there. I was a motherfucker back then. I let power along with money guide me down the road to hell. And in the process hurt some really good people. I can’t change it and even if I could, not sure it would happen. Fury told me everything that happens to us in our past makes us the person we are right now. I’m starting to like myself, finally, so might be selfish, but I’m a work in progress. Now do you want to open this or not, it’s up to you? I’ll throw this shit away if you want.”
She looks at me then the box then back at me.
“Open it.”
