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Z watches the door for a second, but I doubt he’s going to say anything with Priest lingering so close. The slow, what-the-fuck eye-slide he sends around the table says plenty.
Chapter Thirty-One
Serena
“Ready to hit the road?” Trinity asks me while we’re waiting for the guys to finish with church. Since she can’t seem to sit still, she’s sweeping and cleaning up random bits behind the bar. I grab a bottle of water and perch on one of the barstools to stay out of her way.
“Am I ever.” I’ve never been so eager to return to my non-MC world.
She frowns and sets her broom to the side. “Is something wrong?”
I shrug and glance around. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
She flashes a warm smile. “Sure. What’s on your mind?”
Hell, I don’t know how to say this without being offensive. But she’s the only one who I think has been in a similar situation. “Uh…you used to hang around the club before you and Wrath got together, right?”
Her smile flips to cool. “Not exactly. He and I met before I moved up to the clubhouse.”
“Oh.”
“What’s this about, Serena?”
Trinity’s always been so confident and in control, she’ll never respect me if I break down and cry. I steel myself, drawing in a deep breath. “How did you get people to stop bringing it up?”
“Who said something to you now?”
“Amanda…Tawny…Pants…Steer. God only knows who’ll be next.”
“Fuck ‘em.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you and Amanda supposed to be friends?”
“Kinda.”
Her lips flatten to an angry line.
“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. I just don’t want to cause Gray any embarrassment.”
Finally, she seems to soften. “Listen. If Grinder doesn’t have a problem with it, it’s no one else’s business.” She blows out a breath. “I really hate talking about this, so let this conversation be your sign that I care about you and accept you.”
Wow, that’s some raw honesty. “Okay.”
“Wyatt and I were young, stubborn, damaged, and really bad at communication when we met. I didn’t exactly come from a loving or safe family, so the idea that someone might actually care about me as a person and not a human Fleshlight was hard to wrap my mind around.”
That’s vivid. “I can relate to that.” Oh, how I can relate.
“I thought you might.” She sighs. “Anyway, we did a lot of stupid shit to each other and it took a while to get to a place of forgiveness.”
“Did people ever say anything?”
“I’m sure they did.” Her lips twist into a wry smile. “Heidi was younger, so she could be a little testy.” She touches the hammer patch on her cut. “She’s grown up a lot in the last few years. Charlotte and I had some words at one point but we got over it.”
I remember how territorial Charlotte was over Teller the first time I met her, so this isn’t a surprise.
“Here’s what I think might be the difference, though. Wrath’s the SAA. Not many people were going to risk giving him or me attitude once he patched me. Grinder, on the other hand, has been away for a long time. And while everyone will talk about how much they respect him—and most of the brothers absolutely do—some of them still have that urge to test him.” She stops and shakes her head. “To see if he still has what it takes to roll with the club’s code. And because, let’s face it, they’re assholes.”
This time, I laugh with her.
“But,” she continues. “Grinder’s handled it every time. Quickly and mercilessly. Word will spread. People forget. It’s really no one’s business anyway. I mean, it’s not like either of you knew the other existed until he got out.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“You love Grinder?” she asks.
I don’t even hesitate. “A lot.”
“Good.” Her lips twist into a pained smile. “I have a few vague memories of him from when I was a kid.”
“You knew him?”
“Sort of.” She waves her hand in the air like she’s batting away a pesky old memory. “My Dad was in a different club and they mingled from time to time. Anyway, I remember Grinder as sort of gruff with the guys but he’d always have a smile for me.”
“Somehow, I’m not surprised.”
“What I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you two found each other. You seem to make him happy.” She tilts her head. “And I like the way he looks out for you.”
“You mean, punching people when they call me a whore?”
She lets out a harsh laugh. “Yeah.” More seriously, she adds, “Anyone who thinks that, let alone says it, deserves whatever they get.”
“Thanks.”
“Stop worrying about the past, okay?” She pulls me in for a quick hug. “You can’t start reading the next chapter if you’re still focused on the last one. And you don’t want to miss all the exciting adventures coming up.”
“I like that. I’m going to write it down and tape it on my mirror with all my other motivational quotes.”
