Thunder pushed his shades back up on his nose. “There’s got to be more to it, and we need to gather some backup we can count on. Atlas is sending a few guys to Sturgis to rally some support.”
“Who?” I’d been the past couple of years and knew that behind all the parties there was some serious club business going down.
“Arrow, for one.” One side of Thunder’s lips curved up in a grin.
“Why’s that so funny?” I didn’t know Arrow very well, but he was one of the most loyal guys I’d met so far.
“You know how the guys have been giving you shit about your nickname?”
“Yeah.” I’d tried telling them I got the nickname Juice because I liked to juice up the engine on my bike and push it to the limit. Last month, the truth came out that I got my nickname back in my stripper days from letting women do body shots of sweet fruity drinks from my abs.
“You didn’t hear it from me, but the reason everybody calls him Arrow is because he’s on the straight and narrow. Guy’s still a virgin.” Thunder arched a brow. “An almost forty-year-old virgin. Can you imagine him in Sturgis?”
People thought Vegas was a party… that’s only because most of them hadn’t seen the shit that went down at Sturgis.
“If he’s looking to lose his v-card, that’s the place to go. I hope he has a good time,” I said.
“What about you?” Thunder lifted his chin. “You going after your girl?”
I couldn’t imagine being without Sammy. When I kissed her last night, I felt like I’d come back to life. “Yeah, I am. Think you and some of the other guys could do me a favor?”
“We’re family. All you need to do is ask.”
My heart revved in my chest as I turned onto Sammy’s street. I knew she was still at the house thanks to one of my MC brother’s cousins who lived in the area and had been keeping an eye on her place for me. Sirius whined as he caught sight of the car in the driveway, and Hades joined in. For some reason, the wolf had been standing outside the gate as we left the clubhouse and jumped into the backseat when I stopped to make sure he was okay.
“Hang on, guys. We’re almost there.” I stopped at the curb, my nerves so rattled that I almost dropped the skull ring Sammy had left on my dash.
I rolled down the windows and signaled for Hades and Sirius to stay in the truck. The two of them grumbled, but obeyed. There was a pretty good chance I was going to fuck this up on my own. I didn’t need both of them bearing witness.
The doorbell didn’t work, so I knocked on the frontdoor. Oliver peeked out through the front window.. He smiled when he saw me. I was going to take that as a good sign. A few seconds later, the door opened. Sammy stood there in a pair of jeans and an emerald-green t-shirt that matched her eyes.
“Juice. What are you doing here? Are you okay? I heard you ran into some trouble on your ride today.” She pressed her palms to my chest like she wanted to make sure I was all in one piece.
“I’m fine, baby. I had to come after you, though. You forgot something.” I held out the skull ring she’d left behind.
She tilted her head back, breaking eye contact and letting her hands fall to her sides. “I don’t think this is going to work. Oliver and I are going to spend some time at my Aunt Agatha’s house and check up on my mom.”
“In Billings, right?” She used to talk about visiting her Aunt Agatha in the summers when she was little and how the whole place reeked of mothballs.
“That’s right.”
“Sammy,”—I reached for her hands—“please don’t leave. We lost touch once, and I can’t let it happen again. Not now.” Not when I’d finally found out we shared a child together.
“Maybe when things settle down, we can come back.” She lifted a shoulder, trying to downplay the weight of her decision. “I’ve got people I trust who can look after the cafe. I just need to know that we’re in a safe place.”
“There’s no safer place for the two of you than nextto me.” I set my hand on Oliver’s head and ruffled his hair. “Don’t go, Sammy.”
“That’s where my family is.”
“No, your family is here.” The roar of motorcycles prevented me from saying anything else. A dozen of my MC brothers rolled up in front of her house.
Sammy waited until they cut their engines before she stepped out onto the stoop. “What’s this? Shouldn’t they be back at the clubhouse?”
“They’re my family… our family if you’ll make good on that ‘yes’ you gave me last night.” I waited for her to say something. “Please, Sammy? Marry me. Let me take care of you and Oliver.”
“You want to be my dad?” Oliver asked.
I looked at Sammy. She had to be the one to decide when to tell him the truth. I wouldn’t take that decision away from her.
