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“I’m so glad to see you here, Winter. Do you want some breakfast? Blaze has it up and running. Should be out in ten minutes or so.”
“I’d love some. May I take Serelda a plate as well?”
“Of course! You never have to ask for that, Winter.” Iris looped her arms around one of mine and led me to a table where Sting lounged lazily. I knew better, though. He looked deceptively relaxed. He was very much aware of his surroundings, even if it was within his own clubhouse.
“Good to see you out and about, Winter. Is Serelda well?” Sting stood and held a chair for me, then for Iris before sitting back down.
“She’s good. Bit tired. She was still asleep when I left.”
“I imagine so. You had a long day yesterday.”
“Glad you came down for breakfast, Winter.” Roman approached us with two plates while a prospect followed him with two more. The other man set his plates in front of Iris and Sting while Roman put one in front of me before taking a seat beside me with his own. “You and Serelda sleep well?”
“Yes. Thanks.” I was so nervous there was no way I could eat. I pushed eggs, biscuits, and gravy around on my plate, nibbling at the bacon. I wanted to eat but was so nervous I couldn’t.
Roman dug into his food, forking enormous amounts of carbs into his mouth over and over. He made it look so good I had to try a little. I was glad I did, because the stuff was delicious.
Talk continued around the table. Nothing heavy. Just discussions about the girls Sting and Iris had brought with them back from Black Reign. Girls who’d been in the group home where Iris and her sister had lived. Sting had plans for him and Iris to adopt the three other girls along with Jerrica. Which was where I knew Serelda and I could be of use.
I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth carefully. “Serelda and I could help you with them, Iris. That is, if you need help.”
“Are you kidding?” Iris grinned broadly. “We can use all the help we can get! I’ve never been a parent. Not really, anyway. I’ve always tried my best to care for Jerrica, but two teenagers and a traumatized six-year-old are way beyond my ability to handle on my own.”
“Not sure I can do much with Clover other than be there to hold her when she needs it, but I’m willing to do whatever I can. I’m sure the others are bad off in some ways, too. Knowing Serelda and I went through something similar might give them something they need to stay strong.” I said the last softly, not really wanting to voice it but knowing it was the truth.
“I think you’re very kind to offer so much of yourself, Winter.” Iris reached over and squeezed my hand. She looked like she was near tears but didn’t look at me with pity. It was more gratitude than anything else. Maybe this is what Serelda and I were meant to do. Maybe we could help these girls heal and, as a result, help ourselves. “Thank you so much. I’ll be grateful for the help and the insight.”
“How’s Jerrica doing?”
Iris squeezed my hand once more before letting go. “Surprisingly well. She has nightmares sometimes, and it’s hard for her to be away from me at night, but she wasn’t hurt physically. Just traumatized mentally.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t worse for her. No child should have to go through anything like that. Are the others doing OK, too?”
“So far. They have nightmares too, but the one I’m worried most about is Clover. I have no idea what kind of past she has, but she doesn’t speak and rarely interacts with anyone. Only her stuffed bunny. I think that’s her imaginary friend, but she still doesn’t talk. At least, I’ve never heard her.”
“This is going to take more than love to fix.” Brick pushed his empty plate back and crossed his hands over his belly. “We need to think about finding a good shrink for kids. You know. After the legal shit’s done. Don’t want there to be a chance of someone decidin’ they need to be somewhere other than an MC compound.”
“A solid plan.” Sting brought Iris’s hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “We’ll do whatever we need to, so those girls get the right help. Can Stitches take care of that?”
“I’ll talk to him about it.” Brick scratched his chin under his beard. “I’m sure he’s got connections.”
“Good. Keep me posted.” He and Iris stood, Sting taking her hand and leading her from the common room.
“You want to take Serelda some breakfast?” Roman rested his hand on my back, rubbing up and down in a soothing gesture. To my surprise, I soaked up the touch. Was I starving for affectionate human interaction? I’d never wanted anyone to touch me at Black Reign, though there were several men there I adored. They were more like older brothers or best friends than anything else. With Roman, I actually leaned into his touch. It surprised me how much I liked it. And those kisses we’d shared…
I nodded, not sure I could speak. I stood and reached for our plates, but Roman stopped me. “The prospects will take care of that. Come on. We’ll take Serelda something, then take advantage of the warm weather and go on a ride. How does that sound?”
“I -- I’m not sure I should leave Serelda…”
“Go with the man.” Brick stood and gathered all the plates, shoving them at a passing prospect. “He’s just gonna keep at it till you give in. I’ll keep an eye on your sister.” He winked at me before leaving.
“Why is he so interested in Serelda?” While I didn’t disapprove, I was worried he’d scare my sister. She’d seemed to be fine around him, but that could change if something he did gave her a flashback. It had been a while since she’d had one, but they still happened occasionally.
“Not sure. He’s protective of her, and she couldn’t do better than Brick for protection.” Roman took my hand. “Come on. You ever ridden a bike before?”
“I rode with Rycks a few times. Before Lyric came back into his life. After that, sometimes Iron and Tank would take me and Serelda out. Not often.”
“You enjoy it?”
