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Marcella laughed before she could think not to. Then her son was frowning at her, not understanding, and she didn’t know what to say. Not that the idea of Eight Ball Johnston, old-school redneck and president of the Brazen Bulls MC, sitting down for a meal at a soul food restaurant in Greenwood had made her instantly laugh. Not that Greenwood was turf to a different gang and she didn’t completely understand the dynamics of that. Not anything except, “I don’t think he’d like the food there, tiger.”
“How could he not like the food?”
“People have different tastes, Ajax. No matter how popular a food is, there’s always somebody who doesn’t like it.”
“Oh. Like I don’t like coconut.”
“Yeah, like that.”
“Then we should pick a place with lots of different kinds of food, maybe.”
Laughing again, without the punch of guilt this time, Marcella pulled her son close. “I’m sensing a food theme here. You must be hungry.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. Someday, no doubt, he’d decide he was too old and cool to hug his mom in public, and that day would break her heart. But it wasn’t today.
“I am,” he said, “but also it seems like it’s easier for people to talk when there’s something else to do.”
How was this kid only ten? “That’s a good idea. You’re a smart kid, you know that?”
He grinned up at her.
They really didn’t need anybody else. They were perfect, just the two of them.
She thought so, at least.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Eight Ball came around the corner of the hospital corridor and saw Willa standing at the nurse’s station. Since she’d been promoted to chief nurse or whatever her title was, she didn’t wear scrubs to work any longer. She stood there in a skirt, blouse, and high heels, looking like a lawyer or something.
She was talking with two nurses in scrubs, all of them looking over something on a tablet. Since this was JJ’s floor, he didn’t know if she was here as his mom or as the other nurses’ boss.
It mattered little to him either way, so he went over to her to say hi and check in on the kid.
Seeing him come, she said something more to the nurses and then walked to meet him. “Hey, Eight.
“Hey there.” He reached out, meaning to hook his hand around her arm and bend down to kiss her cheek, but she stepped in and put her arms around his waist.
That threw him for a second, and he had to tell his arms to hug her. Women didn’t normally come to him for comfort. “Jay okay? Rad called while we were gone and said he woke up.”
She let him go and looked up with a weary smile. Dark crescents rested beneath her eyes, and she seemed paler than normal. Probably shit like this was hard for a mom.
“Yeah, we took him off the vent and brought him out of sedation. He’s doing well, considering. His doctor thinks he’ll be able to go home, on bedrest, next week, if things keep going as they’ve been.
“That’s good news.”
“It is, yes.” She sighed. “He’s awake now. Rad and Zach are in there with him. I’ve got to get back to work.”
“You okay, Willa?”
Her eyes narrowed. “My baby almost died, Eight. Right now, no, I’m not. But I will be. Once Jake’s back on his feet.”
“I get it,” he answered. But that wasn’t really true. He had no idea what it was to worry about one’s own child, or to come so close to losing him.
Her scoffing little laugh said she knew he was full of shit. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” She patted his chest and walked away.
Eight watched her go. Willa had a very nice ass that looked especially good in that skirt. He wasn’t stupid enough, or so much of an asshole, to make a move on a brother’s old lady—anymore—but he enjoyed the sight of a good-looking woman. No harm looking, since Rad couldn’t see him do it.
He didn’t actually know how old Willa was, but she had to be in her fifties; Zach, her oldest, was twenty-three. She lookedgoodfor her age. Still blonde, still slim, not too many wrinkles.
