“Hey!” Charlotte bounces off the couch cushion and peers up at me. “I thought maybe you were going with Rock.”
“Nah, he doesn’t want to overwhelm Grinder.”
Her mouth shifts into a sympathetic smile. “I hope all this is okay.” She sweeps her arm toward the crowded clubhouse.
“Yeah, although Sparky and his Emotional Pineapples might not thrill Grinder.”
“Emotional Palm Trees,” Heidi corrects.
“You better not go near that stuff,” I scold, gesturing toward her barely noticeable baby bump.
She rolls her eyes.
“You realize she’s an adult who’s already had one healthy baby, right? I think she knows what she’s doing,” Charlotte lectures me, using her lawyer voice.
“He can’t help it, Charlotte.” Heidi points to her left ear, then her right. “I’m able to tune him out with precision now.”
The two of them snicker at my expense. I smother a smile. Nothing better than the most important women in my life joining together to razz my ass.
Groaning, I wrap my arms around Charlotte’s waist and pull her closer. “Is this what I’m in for? Years of the two of you poking fun at me?”
“Decades.” She loops her arms around my neck and reaches up on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “And decades of verbal grenades lobbed your way.”
“Can’t wait.” I lean down and catch her lips in a quick kiss.
“Ugh, my ears may have adjusted, but my eyes can’t deal with the horror.” Heidi stands and pushes past us. “I’m going to see if Trinity needs anything.”
Charlotte pulls away, staring after my sister. “I should go help too—”
“No.” I curl my fingers around hers. “Stay with me.”
She tilts her head and studies my expression. “Everything okay? Are you nervous about seeing Grinder on the outside?”
Nervous isn’t the right word. Guilty doesn’t quite capture what I’m feeling either. I was a teenager when Grinder went inside. Not a whole hell of a lot I could’ve done to prevent it.
“You were just a kid,” Charlotte says, as if she’d read my mind. “From the stories I’ve heard, you’ve done a lot to turn the club into what Grinder envisioned before he went inside.”
I hum a noise of semi-agreement. Maybe that’s what’s bothering me. It’ll be too many changes for Grinder.
Almost an hour and a half later, I catch Wrath slipping out the front door. I crane my neck to look out the window. “I think they’re here.”
A few minutes go by, and then they enter. I slap Murphy’s arm. “Let’s go.”
Murphy leans into me as we approach. “He sure looks a hell of a lot better than he did last time I visited. Like he aged backward about ten years.”
“Freedom will do that to you,” I answer. “I’m just glad the parole board stopped jerking him around.”
Mindful of what Rock said earlier, I wait until Rock and Z back away to introduce Grinder to Charlotte.
She clutches my hand tighter. “I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
I watch in amusement as his eyes widen when they land on Heidi. “Jesus Christ, you’ve grown up.”
Heidi reverts to her five-year-old self, blushing and ducking her head.
“You even remember who I am?” Grinder asks.
“Of course I remember you.” She reaches up to give him a hug. “Welcome home, Grinder.”
I swear his eyes water from the contact. Uncomfortable as hell to watch a man you’ve looked up to get emotional.
They introduce him to Alexa. “Well, don’t you look just like your momma did.”
Heidi beams. “You think so?”
“Absolutely,” he answers. I seem to be the only one who notices the grief invading his voice. Going to prison ended his marriage, and he never had children. A bunch of rowdy bikers to discipline doesn’t count.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Heidi
The front door closes with a solid click. A serious air follows Blake inside.
“Hey, how was church?”
“Fine.” His gaze darts around the kitchen, but he doesn’t ask what I’m making. “We need to talk.”
“About?” I raise an eyebrow. “You seem tense. What’s wrong?”
Blake rubs his hand over his beard for a second before meeting my eyes. “Serena’s back… I don’t know the details. But she’s with Grinder and it sounds like they’re serious.”
“Wow, that’s wild.” It doesn’t explain why he looks so…guilty. “Why are you being all twitchy about it?”
“I’m not twitchy.” Blake shifts his weight from one foot to the other but holds my gaze. “I wanted to warn you so you’re not surprised or upset or anything—that’s all.”
Is he for real? I slam the towel on the counter with an unsatisfying thwack. “You know, it’s bad enough everyone else still acts like I’m the same sixteen-year-old brat who can’t deal with complicated grown-up relationship stuff, but for you to do it too sucks extra hard.”
His deep green eyes transform from concerned to amused. “You’re being a little bratty right now,” he points out, pinching his thumb and index finger together.
I fire a glare at him.
His teasing smile fades. “No one thinks that about you.”
“Sure. Then why are you here telling me this like I’ll go on a rampage if I run into your ex?”
“I can’t help it.” He gives me a helpless shrug that makes me want to kick him and hug him at the same time. “I love you and want to protect you from anything and everything.”
I flash my ring finger at him—although I kinda want to flash a different finger. “I have the wedding rings.” I sweep my arms around me in a wide circle. “The house.” I rub my hands over my stomach affectionately. “Your spawn taking up space in my uterus. I’m a hundred percent secure about my place in your life, Blake.” A worse thought occurs to me. “Are you upset about it?”
“No,” he answers without hesitation. “Nothing like that. He seems really into her. Like, he tried to choke Steer for saying—”
“Ugh, what the hell did Steer say?” I can only imagine it was something crude and gross. “Why can’t he mind his own business?”
“Exactly.” Blake chuckles. “The old man’s still got it. Practically lifted Steer off the ground with one hand.”
A gasp slips past my lips. “Wish I’d seen that.” Steer’s a boulder of a guy. Then again, so is Grinder.
“Grinder’s been through a lot,” Blake says. “I want him to be happy.”
My annoyance with Blake vanishes. I can never stay mad at him for long. I step into his space, and he curls his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.
“But I can’t help it. Your happiness is always my priority,” he whispers.
Sacrilege, some would say. The club should always come first. Even if Serena hooking up with Grinder bothered me, I’d be expected to keep my mouth shut and not cause the brothers any trouble. I nuzzle my cheek against his soft flannel shirt. “You always make me happy.”