I chuckled. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“But you lived with your mom, right?” she asked.
Cecilia was handing the baby off to someone and I paused until I realized it was Eileen. “Yeah,” I told Lu distractedly. “But she worked two jobs, so I went to my pop’s a lot, and later, to different club members’ houses. I spent most summers there.”
“Like a big, extended family,” Lu mused.
“Pretty much.”
“Must be nice. It was always just me, my brother and my mom. Now it’s just me.”
“It’s not just you,” I argued, throwing my arm over her shoulder. “You’ve got your niece up north, and the team, too.”
“True—if her mother would answer my calls. Do I have to claim Siah, though? I’d rather not.”
“If I had to pick and choose, I’d leave out Wilson,” I joked.
“Nah, Wilson may be a pain in the ass, but he doesn’t go out of his way to irritate me.”
“Fair point.”
“We’ve got an audience,” Lu said under her breath. “Better keep your hands to yourself.”
I scoffed, but dropped my arm. I’d felt the stares, too, I just hadn’t paid them any mind. The club was like a big family, and because of that, everyone talked about everyone else. It was par for the course.
“In order to keep things simple, Casper told the boys I was Cecilia’s man. I’m always welcome, but I don’t know these guys like I know the ones in Eugene, so they would’ve been leery to let the team camp out here.”
“Politics,” Lu said, nodding her head.
“Something like that.”
“I’m telling you, don’t even make eye contact with any of the women,” Eli told Forrest as they strode toward us. “I thought that monster with the pot belly was going to gut me.”
“They don’t give a shit about me,” Forrest said, irritated. “It’s your pretty face that’s makin’ ’em jumpy.”
“And the way you check out every female you meet,” Lu added as they reached us.
“I can’t help it,” Eli complained, shrugging. “I love women, and every single one of them has at least one attractive attribute. Farrah, for instance—”
“I’ll stop you there,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Casper really would gut you—and no one would ever know because your body would never be found.”
Lu laughed, but Eli turned a little green.
“Casper likes me,” he argued.
“He don’t like anyone that much,” Forrest said with a chuckle. He turned to me. “We still leavin’ bright and early?”
“That’s the plan. Why?”
He jerked his head toward Cecilia. “Just thinkin’ that a little more time to rest and feel comfortable would be good for her. She can make another day trip, but by the time we get to Oregon, she’s gonna be worn the fuck out. Those antibiotics are only gonna do so much—she needs to rest.”
“Thought she’d be feeling better by now,” I replied. Cecilia was picking at her food, shoulders slumped and eyes tired, even though she was smiling at the people talking to her.
“A couple’a days here isn’t gonna hurt,” Forrest said. “Just a thought. Give us some time to hear from Wilson, too.”
“You’re forgetting that they’ve got an emergency up in Oregon,” I replied. “Cecilia’s cousin is still missing.”
“Right,” he muttered. “But she ain’t our mission. Your girl is.”
I nodded and slapped him on the back as I moved toward the group gathered around the massive pile of pizza boxes.
“You guys all know Doc’s son, Woody, right?” Farrah asked, smiling up at me from her seat next to Cecilia.
“Don’t think we’ve ever met,” an older guy said, reaching out to shake my hand. “I’m Throttle.”
“I didn’t spend much time down here,” I replied, as I shook his hand.
“Lost your old man pretty young,” he said in understanding. “Tough.”
“It happens when your old man was old as shit before you were born,” I replied, making him laugh a little.
“You got a point there,” he said, nodding in agreement. “Never figured out how the man did it—and I understand it even less now. Randy old bastard.”
A few others introduced themselves and I went through the motions, but my attention stayed focused on Cecilia. She was practically falling asleep in her chair.
The second time her eyes closed for a few seconds before she jerked them open again, I’d had enough. Rounding the table, I didn’t bother arguing with her, I just grabbed her hand and tugged her up beside me.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a yelp.
“Takin’ her to bed,” I told Farrah, ignoring Cecilia. “Can you bring Olive in?”
“Yep,” Farrah said with a nod. “As soon as she starts fussing. Give you guys a little time first.”
“Perfect.”
Cecilia was silent as I towed her through the clubhouse. I wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t want everyone hearing our argument, or if she was just so wiped out that she was relieved I’d made the decision for her. Probably the former. She used to hate when her parents would get into loud arguments in front of everyone—it embarrassed the shit out of her—which was actually pretty funny since nothing else seemed to phase her.
“You need sleep,” I told her as we had some privacy.
“I need a shower first,” she said with a sigh. “I’m not climbing into bed like this.”
I thought about it for a moment, wondering just how far she was willing to argue. By the mutinous set of her mouth, pretty far.
“Alright, what do you need from the truck?”
“I can go,” she said, reaching up to rub at her eyes. “I need a bunch of crap and it’s all in different bags.”
“What do you need?”
“I can—” Her eyes met mine and her mouth snapped shut. She sighed. “I need a new pair of underwear, another sports bra, shirt, pants, and socks.”
“You need that baby soap we got at the store?”
“No.” She sat carefully on the bed. “My toiletries are in the diaper bag.”
“Alright.”
“You don’t have to wait on me,” she said softly.
“I don’t mind goin’ to get your stuff,” I said, reaching out to run my hand over her hair. God, she looked so worn down. I’d never seen her look so drained. “I’ll be right back.”
It took me longer than I wanted to find everything she’d asked for because my shoulder was throbbing like a bitch and I had to baby it—but eventually, I’d packed her an overnight bag and headed back toward the building. I didn’t notice Casper standing outside until he called my name.
“What’s up?” I asked, stopping a few feet away.
“Can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done,” he said, his words coming out with a billow of smoke. I glanced down at the joint in his hand and he raised it in invitation.