“He’s been so busy with his new job at the club, whatever it is. I think he said it was security or something…” I scrunched up my nose and I tried to remember what he’d said. He was always so cryptic when it came to club matters. My nights with Shay were few and far between. He wasn’t home as often as he had been in the past, but he still tried to make it to as many of our game and movie nights as possible. I was glad he was still trying to keep that tradition alive, but sometimes, his job at the club took him away. The only time I was guaranteed to see him was when he snuck into my room in the wee hours of the night or morning to sleep, and I was usually too out of it to have a conversation with him, or I never woke up until morning only to find him passed out beside me.
I pulled on a fuzzy white pom-pom hat that was too big for my head and almost fell over my eyes. But it was super comfy and warm, so I quickly combed the static out of my long blonde hair. Gathering the cookies, I followed my mum outside to the old bug James had bought for her after she crashed her old vehicle. It was always breaking down, completely unreliable. It’s only use was for local transportation. Once, Mum had tried to take it out on the highway, but as soon as she pushed past 50 miles per hour, the thing conked out. So it restricted her to town only. But I was glad to see her in good spirits today, and I knew why.
Christmas was only a week away, and it was a time of year my mother always looked forward to. Her drinking was minimal, as were her mood swings, and she and James were getting along much better lately, much to my relief. I hated it when they fought.
We quickly climbed into the car and after several tries, she got the engine going, and turned the heat on full blast to ward off the cold December air. Luckily, it roared to life and we headed off to the club.
The Celtic Beasts Clubhouse was on the edge of town on private land, and it was only about fifteen minutes from our home. I was so excited to get in and see my big brother that I was practically jumping up and down in my seat. As soon as we parked, I jumped out, the containers of my mornings work in hand, and hurried up the steps to the main door of the rather ominous concrete structure. I knew better though. The inside was cozy and warm. Before I could knock, the door opened and Shay’s friend, Cody, grinned down at me. Cody Miller had grown into a good-looking guy, with dark hair and eyes and a dimpled grin. When he saw it was me standing there in my pink parka, rosy cheeks, and huge smile on my face bearing baked goods, he chuckled and reached out with a thick, muscled arm and tugged me in. “Hey, Precious, what treats did you bring us this time?”
“Cookies!” I beamed up at him and he led me inside as Mum followed.
Cody lifted me up into his arms, leaving my feet dangling off the ground facing me forward as he trudged down the hall into the main, spacious lounge. I didn’t object. The guys liked to haul me about like I was a ragdoll or something. I’d just gotten used to it over the years. A few of the older guys were there, having some lunch and beers, and Shay and all his buddies were in the back corner, gathered around a pool table, laughing and cussing each other out. But when Cody stepped forward with me in his arms, they quieted down. I smirked. Most likely trying to spare me from the bad words they were using. As much as everyone tried to keep their potty-mouth’s under control around me, they slipped up more than they realized and I enjoyed calling them out on it.
Shay’s face broke into a huge grin that made my stomach jump around like I’d swallowed a bunch of frogs or something. He dropped his pool cue, and hurried forward, snatching me from his friend, his arms wrapped around my thighs so that I was looking down at his face. I giggled and basked in his attention, taking in his handsome face. I was proud when I caught the club girls checking him out. Shay and all of his friends had grown up gorgeous, tatted, and muscled. Shay’s body was becoming a canvas. His right side has a shoulder armour tattoo that turns into a looping Celtic tribal design down his forearm. His left side has a Celtic dragon on the shoulder tracing down his entire arm. He also had a massive Celtic cross over his entire back. I was fascinated by his ink and often found myself studying them when uncovered, usually at night when we were lying in bed together.
“Well, if it isn’t the prettiest girl to come bearing gifts!” His silver eyes flicked down to the containers that I still held in my hands.
“I made your and James’ favourite.”
“Rocky Road!” He placed me carefully on the ground as I held out one of the Tupperware boxes to him. Shay opened it and inhaled before snatching one up and taking a huge bite. “Goddamn, Mina. These get better every time…”
“Don’t hog ‘em, asswipe.” Aron shook his longer, honey blond hair out of his eyes and winked at me. I rolled my eyes in return, far too used to their playful teasing ways by now to let it affect me.
Gavin reached around and snatched two cookies for himself, then dodged Shay’s arm quickly while hurrying to the other side of the table with a smug look on his face as he took a bite. “You’re the best, sweetheart,” he moaned around the treat. “Seriously, whatever guy is lucky enough to land you as his girl, I’m jealous of.”
“And that’s the end of that,” Shay snapped at him and turned back to me. “You going to hang out for a bit, Sweetness?”
I glanced over to see where my mum had disappeared to. James had an office near the back of the building, along with the VP and the President of the club. “When Mum wants to leave, I’ll go with her. I don’t know if she’s staying long.”
“Well, you can hang out with us until then.” He reached for me but I stepped away, intending to quickly visit James first. When I looked back to Shay, I was startled at the dark shadow that crossed over his features when I’d moved away from him. It was only for a brief moment, and then he smiled, all trace of aggression gone. He relaxed his expression and smiled at me.
“I need to bring James some cookies, too. I’ll be right back,” I said a little timidly, still caught off guard by the dark look I saw. Leaving one of the containers with him, I crossed the room towards the hall. As I passed the tables where the older guys were sitting, they reached out and affectionately patted my head when I stopped to say hi, sharing the treats with them, too, before continuing down the hall to my stepfather’s office.
But as I neared, a girl wearing a scantily clad dress came hurrying from James’ office. I didn’t recognize her but she looked like she was in her twenties, her hair dyed a white blonde and she wore heavy makeup. She looked upset and embarrassed and didn’t even seem to notice me standing there as she hurried by in her insanely high stilettos. I looked over my shoulder, watching as the girl disappeared into the common room of the club where all the other guys were hanging out. Huh, Okay? Shrugging, I kept going. But as I neared James’ office, I heard the familiar shouting and screaming that always caused my heart to clench and my breathing to quicken.
“…the FUCK do you think you’re doing?!” Mum was screeching at the top of her lungs.
“…Didn’t know you were coming by…” James’ voice sounded uncomfortable.
“Oh no? So that makes it all okay then? You fucker! Screwing some slut behind my back… again!” Mum was hysterical. I froze and shrank against the wall, listening to them as they yelled. This was becoming a little too frequent in our household, and I hated it. But I couldn’t help but want to listen in. I just wanted to know why they seemed to be always going at each other. I thought things were better lately?