“My stomach’s a little upset.” She pushes away from the table.
“You need us?” I ask.
“No.” She glances at the head of the table, catching Hope’s eye.
Hope drops her napkin on the table and rushes over. She and Heidi talk quietly for a few seconds, then Hope leads her into the house.
“Is she all right?” I ask Trinity.
She points to her stomach and mouths the word ‘baby.’
Right. Duh.
Charlotte returns to her chair on the other side of our table. “Where’d Heidi go?”
“Bathroom.” Trinity goes through the patting her stomach routine again. Charlotte nods and sips her champagne.
The live music kicks up and couples start using the middle of the courtyard as a dance floor. Angelina waves to me from her table and jumps out of her seat, walking behind the chairs until she reaches our side.
“Hey.” She hugs me. “Told you I’d be back.” She drops into Heidi’s chair. “Are you guys having fun?” she asks all of us.
“This house is amazing.” I twist to absorb as much as I can from where we’re sitting. “Are there a lot of castles in New York?” I’m not sure how else to describe the house.
“Maybe downstate, closer to the city.” Angelina glances around as if she’s so used to the fancy structure she hardly notices it anymore. “I remember when my dad found this place. We already had a nice house not far from my grandpa.” She nods to the big, gnarled biker at the head of the family table. “But Dad swore his queen needed a castle.” She laughs softly.
“That sounds like Chaser,” Trinity says.
Angelina raises an eyebrow.
“I knew your mom and dad when I was a little kid,” Trinity explains, holding her hand three feet above the ground.
Angelina smiles. “Truthfully, I think it had more to do with having a place large enough to stash my grandfather when he visited, so my dad didn’t have to run into him.”
I vaguely remember Rooster explaining that Mallory’s father was some kind of mob boss. “They don’t get along?”
“They tolerate each other.” She giggles. “Barely.”
My gaze strays to the middle of the dance area. Lots of couples have joined the couple of honor, but Chaser and Mallory seem to be in their own world, completely absorbed in each other.
Angelina sighs. “I used to be such a brat and tease them because they’re always so affectionate with each other. None of my friend’s parents were like that, you know?”
“Mine sure weren’t,” I blurt.
“Neither were mine,” Trinity adds, which makes me feel less stupid about my comment.
A flash of guilt creases Angelina’s forehead. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I pat her hand. “Go on.”
She shrugs. “Now, it just makes me happy they still love each other so much. The way my dad treats my mom is apparently rare.”
“You haven’t met anyone special yet?” Charlotte asks.
“Just lots of porn sick limp dicks.” A flash of disgust crosses Angelina’s face. “Or video game addicted limp dicks.” She raises an eyebrow. “Why are their dicks always limp?”
Charlotte, Trinity, and I burst into giggles.
“Angelina, I assure you, that’s not a problem over here,” Ravage says, wiggling his eyebrows. He sets the drinks he’s carrying on the table and angles both hands toward his crotch.
From the little time I’ve spent around Ravage, that’s a tame statement. Must be his version of showing respect to another biker’s daughter.
Angelina flicks an annoyed stare his way but ignores the comment.
I grab my soda and sip through the teeny-tiny straw, then fish out one of the cherries and pop it in my mouth.
“After my last disaster of a relationship, I decided I’m not settling for anything less than what my parents have,” Angelina declares with a defiant chin lift. “My dad set the bar too high to settle. I’m going to work on making myself happy first and only date men who enhance my life. That’s all there is to it.” She jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “Anyone who doesn’t meet my standards can hit the road.”
“Smart woman,” Charlotte says.
“Right? I ain’t build-a-man,” Angelina says with a whole lot of sass. “If he’s not fully-functional, he needs to go.”
Ravage leans forward, resting his weight on his elbows. “But what if your standards are too high? What if you end up dying alone, surrounded by a bunch of cats?”
Angelina blasts him with an arctic glare. “If that time comes, it’ll mean I did the calculations and decided a furry animal who shits in a box was better company than a man.”
Trinity and I howl with laughter.
Lilly squints at Ravage. “Why is dying alone with cats the go-to insult, anyway? Cats are awesome.”
Rav sputters but has no answer.
“I like how you think.” Charlotte reaches over the table and high-fives Angelina. “I need to tell my friend Mercy that one. She attracts a lot of losers using online dating apps.”
Angelina groans. “I deleted my profile off of all the apps. They’re full of vagina-drying troglodytes.”
“Again, Angelina, that is not a problem over here,” Ravage says, this time indicating himself and Stash.
“Good looks are only a quarter of the battle.” She flicks a disinterested glance their way.
“Could you stop encouraging your hot single friends to stay single, Charlotte,” Ravage moans.
“I’m not encouraging her to do anything,” Charlotte counters. “Your gender does the job fine on its own.”
“Wait,” Trinity holds her hands in a time-out T. “Rav, shouldn’t you want the hot girls to stay available?”
“Ohhh, burn!” Stash zings Rav’s arm. “She’s got ya, bro.”
“That’s not what I mean. Not how I meant it,” Ravage backpedals.
“Hi there, Trinity,” a deep voice rumbles behind us. “Good to see you again.”
“Dawson!” Trinity hops out of her chair to shake his hand. “It’s good to see you. Wow, I’m shocked you’re here.”
“Chaser and I go way back.” He glances down at me. “Hey, Shelby.”
“Are you following me?” I tease, standing up to give him a quick hug. “Good to see you.”
Rav and Stash stand and stare at Dawson like they’re measuring him for a hole they plan to dig out back. “Dawson’s a friend,” I warn, placing myself between Dawson and the guys. “And kinda my boss.”
“I prefer mentor,” Dawson says.
Ravage points to Dawson’s hand on my shoulder. “Keep your hands off my brother’s woman, and we’ll be fine.”
“See what I mean, Shelby,” Angelina says. “It’s one thousand times worse when your dad’s the prez.”
Ravage blinks rapidly, his gaze shifting from Angelina to Chaser.
“Something just occur to you, Rav?” Trinity asks sweetly.
“No comment.”
Dawson’s not intimidated by the guys one bit. He holds out his hand to Angelina. “I’m happy to see you again. Would you like to dance?”