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“You must have felt a little sorry, since you kept it from me until now.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s just that I didn’t want this to happen. I love you, Lila, but I knew you’d give me shit.”
“That’s fine, Beatrice, you don’t have to worry about me and my shit. I’ve got places to be anyway. I’ll see you later,” I said haughtily, and although I knew I was being an ass, I couldn’t help it. My feelings were hurt.
“Don’t be like this,” Bea pleaded as I turned for the door.
“Later, Bea,” I said, lifting a hand in a wave, but not turning around. “And tell Shannon I said congrats.”
I figured jeans, a pretty V-neck shirt from Buckle, and ankle-high boots would be a good outfit to wear to the barbecue. Casual, but cute, and not too trashy. I wanted to be comfortable, but still look hot, and we’d be riding on Cade’s motorcycle, so safety was also a concern.
When Cade came to the door and took me in slowly, his eyes lingering first on my exposed cleavage, then on my hair and face, I figured I’d done good.
“Ready?” he asked, his voice deep and low, which always caused internal shivers.
“As I’ll ever be,” I replied, my stomach a riot of nerves.
Cade grinned and leaned in, stopping to inhale deeply. I was wearing his favorite perfume.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a barbecue.”
“Right,” I said sarcastically, knowing just how important his club was to him.
“Let’s go, babe,” he urged, when I still didn’t step foot outside my door.
I gave a sharp nod and let him lead me down and out of my apartment, to where his bike waited at the curb.
Holding on tight to Cade while the bike roared beneath us was one of my favorite things, so I gave in to the moment and relaxed enough to enjoy the ride. When we stopped and parked in front of the garage where Cade worked, Custom Motorcycles and Service, the nerves came back full force.
I knew the clubhouse was around back, from the little Cade had told me. I followed behind him through the double doors and into the shop, then back through the bays where they worked on cars and restored them. Finally, we walked down a long corridor and into another large area. The place was set up like a lounge with a bar, and there were a few people scattered around.
A few were bikers, and the others were scantily clad woman. There was also an older woman behind the bar, talking and serving up beer.
“Everyone’s probably outside at the barbecue pit,” Cade said softly, causing me to jolt in surprise.
“Sorry,” I whispered, embarrassed by how freaked out I was.
Cade just chuckled.
“You’re cool,” he said, and I squeezed his hand and let me lead him out, barely noticing his chin lifts to the guys at the bar.
As we walked outside, the sun momentarily blinded me, but after a moment my eyes adjusted.
There were a lot more people than I’d imagined.
Bikers, women, and children filled the space behind the clubhouse. There was a large barbecue pit with a pavilion of sorts, which had picnic tables underneath it, shaded from the sun. There was also a large playground full of kids, and a few scattered fire pits with various chairs and logs surrounding them.
There were people everywhere.
I was caught between full-blown panic and hoping that I’d be able to blend in with the crowd.
That hope was dashed when Cade pulled me toward a large group of men and introduced me.
“This is Lila,” he said, and even in my panic, I could hear pride in his voice. He was happy to be introducing me to his brothers.
That felt amazing.
I tried to pay attention as the guys smiled and introduced themselves. Some stepped forward and shook my hand, some just nodded, and the oldest man pulled me into a big hug. They all told me their names, but seconds after I was having a hard time remembering them.
