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“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”
Rory
He helpsme out of the RV then grabs Sassy’s carrier in one hand before lacing our fingers together. Tugging me forward, because suddenly a case of nerves has overcome me and I am dragging my feet, I focus on breathing. When he stops abruptly, I nearly fall, only to find myself in his arms as he kisses me, uncaring that we’re now surrounded by a group of bikers.
“Glad to have you back, Brother,” a deep voice says. Breaking away from Banshee, I look up to see a man wearing a cut that says ‘Brick’ on it and know he’s the president.
“Hale and hearty, too,” Banshee replies.
“Good to hear. Come on inside, we’ve got a party going on.”
“What do you mean a party?” Banshee asks.
“The guys from Tonopah Valley decided to come down. Seems Rael found some things he thought our baby was going to need,” Brick retorts. Looking at him closer, I see he has a resigned expression, and hold back any comment.
“Coulda used them in Dallas,” Scythe says, smirking.
“C’mon, I want to see my sister and introduce y’all,” Banshee states, looking down at me.
* * *
I’m unsure what I expected when we walked into the clubhouse, but seeing it decorated with tiny grim reapers, along with streamers and balloons, wasn’t it, that’s for sure. Apparently, despite having an ol’ lady of his own, Rael, a brother in another chapter, is fond of Ryleigh. Of course, after meeting her, I can see why.
She’s the sweetest, kindest person I’ve ever met, and I hope we’ll become great friends. Especially since we’re virtually surrounded by a bunch of men. Taking a sip of my punch, I watch as Ryleigh opens another gift. This time, it’s a mobile to go over a crib, and I can’t help the giggle that slips out when I realize it’s not the typical one. No, there are reapers around it and the music is one of those suspenseful arrangements.
“Fucking hell, you’re going to scare the hell out of my child before they’re old enough to speak,” Brick bellows. The guys who came from Tonopah Valley burst out laughing at his outburst.
“But wait, there’s more!” Rael singsongs. He then winks at Ryleigh who starts to giggle uncontrollably.
“Brick, it’s okay, really. They’re letting the baby know that they’ll be there, and have our back protecting our little one,” she says, patting his arm. “Besides, everything I’ve opened has been adorable.”
I’m lost in thought about babies, Banshee, and the future. It’s all swirling in my head when I hear Ryleigh ask me, “Do you want babies?”
Turning, I smile at the woman whose brother has captured me, heart and soul, and nod. “As many as your brother will give me.”
He smirks at the two of us, then says, “Well, I guess we need to make sure the house we build has plenty of room then.”
* * *
Later that night, as we get ready for bed, I realize that I haven’t seen Sassy. “Where’s Sassy?” I ask walking into the bedroom from the bathroom. “I haven’t seen her since you opened up the carrier and let her out earlier. Do you think she escaped the clubhouse?”
He chuckles while shaking his head. “I know it was a bit much when we walked in, but did you see the huge-ass cat tree in the one corner? It was hard to miss.”
I stop walking to my side of the bed as I mentally think about what Banshee said was the common room. There’s a bar, of course, then a bunch of tables where I guess everyone congregates for breakfast, a huge television with a bunch of couches and chairs. Snapping my fingers, I start to giggle, because the cat tree he’s talking about is one I’ve admired whenever I’ve seen it online.
“You mean that creation that takes over one whole wall? I always wanted something like that for Sassy.”
“RyRy wanted it too, so Brick got the plans and had the prospects build it. He figured it would be sturdier since he used real wood, not that pressed shit most of those things have in them.”
“So, you’re saying she’s there right now? Should we go get her?”
“No, while you and Ryleigh were talking, I took her into the kitchen and showed her where the water and food was, as well as the litter box. She’ll be fine tonight.”
Something else crosses my mind as I’m sliding into bed next to him. “Why does Rael care about your sister so much? I don’t understand, because I would think his ol’ lady wouldn’t like that at all.”
A grim expression crosses his face as he gathers me into his arms. “A long time ago, Rael had a younger sister, Willow. She was raped and murdered by a guy named Rancid, and from what I understand, Ryleigh reminds him of Willow. She went through hell before she was dumped in the bitter cold to die. While she wasn’t raped, it apparently hit Rael hard and ever since then, he’s popped in whenever the urge to see her hits. His ol’ lady understands and has even encouraged their friendship, as has Brick. Even his club president, Grim, gets it and never complains when he says they need to go for a ride.”
“So, she’s family to him,” I murmur. “I like that for her. I don’t know everything she went through, of course, but I suspect she needs all the love and care she can get.”
