I wrap my arm around her. “Well, my mom and dad will be here, so I probably should have warned you about that.”
“Really?” she asks as I lead her to the entrance.
“Yeah, and the rest of my family.” I leave it at that, because any more and she will probably not walk through that threshold.
To be fair, tonight could go fine, without any hiccups. I told her that my ex is going to be here, so it could get a little awkward, but Cara isn’t a mean person, so Con has nothing to worry about.
So then why am I sweating?
Chapter Nine
Con
Rhett takes my hand in his, which makes me feel super comfortable and proud to arrive with him. I thought it was incredibly sweet when Rhett offered to do the drive to come and pick me up. I have to question if all men are like that, or have I just been previously dating the scum of the earth? I don’t know any men who would drive two hours to pick me up, then two hours back, just so I didn’t have to drive if I didn’t want to.
As we walk through the clubhouse, I take it all in, looking around and being quite surprised. The place is beautiful, spacious, modern, and looks to be newly renovated. They obviously love the finer things in life, like leather and muted colors.
When Rhett invited me to this party, I have to admit that I had a few questions. Like why didn’t he initially invite me? Maybe he was wondering if it was the right time to meet his family, which I understand. We aren’t even an official couple, so it’s all very new.
Or maybe he’s just going to introduce me as a friend, which I’m also okay with, because technically that’s all I am.
Okay, I need to stop overthinking this, and just let myself enjoy the time with him. The key to happiness is having low, or no, expectations, and I need to remember that. I just want to meet his people and find out more about him in this setting, which I am excited for. I made sure to look my best to make a good impression.
“This isn’t what I thought a biker clubhouse would look like,” I admit, eyes on the expensive-looking paintings hanging on the white walls.
Rhett laughs and gives my fingers a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, we get that a lot. It’s been done up over the years, and everything was slowly replaced and upgraded.” He points to a wall that is covered from top to bottom in mug shots. “See, I’m not on there. I’m a good boy.”
I can’t believe they have so many mug shots, but hey, what did I expect coming into a biker clubhouse? I shake my head at him, hiding my smile. “Never say never.”
Rhett laughs, his beautiful blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “You know what? I think you’ll fit in fine here.”
That makes me relax even more.
Maybe these are my people, the ones who won’t judge my mother for having been a stripper, for my dad being a little shady of character and for me not being the perfect woman the world expects me to be.
I recognize the redheaded man from the restaurant when I first met Rhett as he approaches us. “Con, this is Dice. Dice, Con.”
He offers me his hand and I take it. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say, smiling at him.
“So you finally texted him back,” he teases, remembering when Rhett handed me his number that night.
“Something like that.”
He shares a look with Rhett and nods. In approval? I don’t know. “Birthday girl is out the back.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Rhett leads me through a bunch of people, all of whom he says hello to, and all of whom stare at me curiously. When we get past them, he opens the sliding door for me, still holding my hand, and I step outside to about twenty people, all of them surrounding a large, amazing-looking platter of food.
We take a few steps toward the group and I notice that everyone is staring at us.
Everyone.
I don’t know if it’s me squeezing the shit out of Rhett’s hand, or him with mine, but our grips are tight and unmoving.
A woman appears from the crowd, and I relax and smile when I recognize her. What is my sister doing at this biker party? I mean, I know she grew up with bikers of course, but I still wasn’t expecting to see her tonight.
Cara steps forward, but instead of her smiling and excited to see me, she looks confused and surprised.
Maybe even a little...hurt?
“Cara?” I call out in question, and Rhett’s head snaps to me instantly.
“You know her?” he asks. I frown at his harsh tone.
Clover appears next to Cara, and the two of them approach us.
“Cara,” I say, glad I’m going to have someone to hang out with while here.
“You’re kidding me, right, Rhett?” Cara whispers, eyes filling with hurt.
Clover’s eyes are pinned on me, filled with anger. I take a step back. “Nice to see you showing your true colors, Con.”
I’m confused. They both look so mad, and I don’t know what we’ve done wrong. I never want to see Cara upset, and I just want to fix whatever is wrong.
“What’s going on? Cara, I didn’t know you’d be here,” I say, but Cara refuses to look at me.
Another girl comes and joins us. She has beautiful green eyes, done with cat eyeliner, and long dark hair. She’s wearing a birthday sash, which lets me know that she is Natty, the birthday girl.
It’s then that a feeling of dread comes over me. Natty. Natalie. Cara’s sister is Natalie.
“What is going on here?” she asks, glancing between Rhett and I. “Who is this?”
“This is Con,” Clover informs Natty. “And she’s here with Rhett.”
Natty’s eyes widen, and her mouth drops a little. “Con? As in...?”
“Yep,” Clover says.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Rhett asks Cara, letting go of my hand, and I feel the absence immediately. “Cara?”
Cara looks between us and then just walks away, disappearing inside. Clover and Natty watch her leave, and then turn their fury onto us.
“I knew you wanted to be part of her life, but never once did I think you’d pull something like this,” Clover says, shaking her head. She could have slapped me across the face because her words feel that way.
She looks up at Rhett. “And you. I’m so angry right now I can’t even be around you. You have no shame. You’re so much better than this, Rhett.” She storms off after her best friend.
Natty crosses her arms and purses her lips together before speaking. “I don’t even know what to say right now.” She turns to me. “And Cara spoke so highly of you, Con.”