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“I’m not that far, Em. Once the baby’s here—”
“You’ll be too busy with new mom stuff.”
“I’m never too busy for you,” she corrects me, in her quiet but firm way. “You and Libby are always welcome here. Once I get the hang of thenew mom stuff, I’ll feel more comfortable driving up to visit more often.”
Sure you will.But I don’t want to guilt Serena for her happiness. I’m an adult. I can accept that things change. People move on.
Maybe one day, I will too.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Dex
By SundayI’m like an addict who needs his fix of Emily. Usually, I look forward to weekend church at the clubhouse—sitting down and catching up with my brothers. Afterward, everyone—ol’ ladies, kids, friends of the club—shares a meal together. Most weekends, Z and the guys from his charter join us and it’s like an extended family reunion.
This week, I jog downstairs early, dressed and ready to leave as soon as Rock declares the official meeting over. Sparky and Stash are sprawled across the sectional—looks like they never made it to their basement cave last night. Random girls—some I recognize, some I don’t—are draped over furniture or curled up in bundles of blankets on the floor. Some of my brothers really need to learn to sleep with their clothes on in public spaces. No one needs to see this shit in the morning. I toss a blanket over Hoot’s junk as I navigate my way through the maze of bodies.
Shaking my head, I walk to the dining room for a cup of coffee before church.
Bright light streams through the uncovered windows. To my right, the bar counter’s been set up better than a Starbuck’s.
“Perfect,” I mutter, grabbing a mug and pouring steaming black brew into it.
“You missed a wild night at Crystal Ball Friday,” a soft voice says behind me.
“Morning, Swan.” I turn and force a tight smile. Not a lick of guilt touches me for taking the night off. “I could say the same aboutyoulast night. Cece and Mona got into a fight over their lockers.”
She crosses her thin arms over her chest and rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t have gotten in the middle of that, anyway.”
Grinder pushes through the dining room door and heads straight for the coffee. Inwardly, I groan, not in the mood for another lecture. I scan the area. Too late to escape. He already saw me. But maybe there’s someone else I can sic him on.
“Morning, Grinder. Is Serena with you?” Swan asks.
He gestures toward the hallway. “In the living room with the girls. I didn’t want her walking all the way down here.”
“I’ll bring her some tea,” Swan offers, scurrying behind the counter to search for supplies.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Grinder takes a quick swallow of coffee. “Seems mean to have my coffee in front of her at this stage. I’m gonna finish this here.”
Lucky me.
Swan chuckles. “You’re a good man.”
As soon as she leaves, Grinder focuses his attention on me.
“Don’t start,” I warn. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Are you ever?” he asks. “What are you afraid I’m gonna start?”
“I don’t need any life advice today.”
His lips quirk into a knowing smile. “Guess not. From what I hear, you’re quite…skilled.”
I don’t want to contemplate the implication of his statement.
Then it hits me. Did Emily give Serena details about the other night?
I glance down at my boots, trying to wipe the smirk off my face.
