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I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy at the thought of Imogen spending the next two weeks with the ol’ ladies of the RBMC. Now, that sounded like one hell of a vacation.
“Hey,” Mace interjected, his voice teasing. “She’s coming to spend time with me, not you.”
Rayna waved him off with a dismissive wave. “Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that.”
“Babe,” Barracuda called, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Chill.”
“Don’t even start with me, Cuda,” Rayna muttered, shaking her head. “I’m still ticked off at you for buying that damn drum set.”
Barracuda threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Willem has rhythm. I thought you would like me to encourage him.”
“He is ten months old,” Rayna snapped, her tone exasperated. “I think we should focus on him walking, and not his drumming.”
“Hey, if he can sit, he can drum,” Barracuda reasoned with a shrug. “If the kid becomes a famous drummer, you and I will be set for life.”
As I watched the playful banter between Rayna and Barracuda, I couldn’t help but feel another pang of jealousy. These people were more than just a club—they were family.
My gaze drifted back to Rocco, who was chuckling along with the group, his easy smile lighting up his features. He didn’t dress like he owned a funeral home. I mean, neither did Imogen and I, but with Rocco, it was different. There was something about him—a hint of mystery, a touch of danger—that set him apart.
I wasn’t lying when I said he looked like a hottie from the city with a hint of bad boy to him, and that bad boy more than fit in with two bikers. He seemed comfortable in their presence.
And then it hit me—I was noticing Rocco. Like, I really noticed him—not just as my boss but as a Hottie McHotpants. And that realization sent a shiver down my spine.
I quickly shook my head, trying to dispel the sudden surge of awareness. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by thoughts of Rocco. Especially not now, with Imogen going on vacation for two weeks, and it was just going to be me and Rocco.
Oh, boy.
It was just going to be me and Rocco.
I hadn’t thought this all the way through.
“Hey, you okay?” Rayna’s voice cut through my thoughts about Rocco.
I blinked, realizing that I had been lost in my own thoughts. I quickly nodded and forced a smile onto my face. “Yeah, I’m great. I didn’t know you were going to be coming with. We should go out for dinner before you guys leave.”
Rayna sighed and pouted, her expression one of disappointment. “I wish we could. Barracuda and I have to get back to Sacramento by four. We have a meeting with a daycare.”
“Daycare?” Imogen’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she glanced between Rayna and Barracuda. “I thought you guys always had Willem with you.”
Rayna glanced at Barracuda, her expression hesitant, before lowering her voice. “Yeah. Barracuda has been busy with the club, and it’s been pretty hard for me to get my work done with Willem. We’re looking into putting him in daycare at least for a couple days a week to help give me time to get my work done.”
Imogen’s frown softened into understanding. “That’s actually a good idea. It’s good for Willem to have time with other kids. If he’s constantly surrounded by adults, he won’t learn how to behave around kids his own age.”
Rayna and I exchanged surprised glances at Imogen’s words. It wasn’t often that she offered parenting advice, and her sudden insight caught us both off guard. I mean, she wasn’t even a parent yet. That would be like me telling DaVinci how to paint.
“Uh, well, with Mace not around all of the time, my nights I spend reading every parenting book I can get my hands on,” Imogen explained with a shrug. “Some of the stuff I read is bupkis, but some of it does make sense.”
Rayna nodded in agreement, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, I’m sure some of it is crap. I seem to be learning on the fly with Willem. I don’t have time to work, let alone read a book about how to be a good mom.”
Imogen cringed slightly. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do with Willem.”
Rayna waved her hand dismissively. “Girl, you did not offend me in the least. If anything, you make me feel better about putting Willem in daycare. I love the little guy more than my own life, but I do need a little bit of time to myself to make a little money. I was feeling guilty about putting him in daycare.”
Mace walked over to Imogen, a soft smile playing on his lips. He kissed her gently on the lips and grabbed the duffle bag from her hands. “This is all you need?” he asked, glancing down at the bag.
Imogen shrugged nonchalantly. “I mean, are we planning on going to a masked ball or something? If we are, I guess I’ll need to run back upstairs and pack my ballgown.”
Mace chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, no plans of doing that, babe.”
