“I was thinking so. This house should have been Ghost’s the moment he took the patch, but he let us stay.”
“And you don’t want him to feel like you’re watching and judging his every move?” Jenna added.
Steel turned his head and kissed the valley between her breasts. They hadn’t made love since the night before Melanie died. And that was okay. Jenna’s symptoms were sporadic and unpredictable. Some days, just the act of waking up exhausted her. Their intimacy came at times like bathing, cuddling, or motorcycle rides. And while Steel believed that he had to work towards and earn Jenna’s forgiveness, Jenna continued to insist that there was nothing to forgive.
“You know me too well.” Though it came out like a complaint, it wasn’t. Steel loved that he was predictable to Jenna. “Ollie’s done with school in a few weeks. Then Aaron leaves for basic. I think he’ll be happy to get away.”
“And when school starts up again?”
Steel tipped his head back to look up at her. “How do you think he’ll feel about homeschooling?”
“Honestly, other than leaving Bree, I don’t think he’ll mind. He’s got his eye set on Juilliard or NYU for drama, but he’s also been talking about starting photography after Aaron leaves.”
“Think about all he’ll be able to photograph if we do this.”
Jenna bit her lip. “I’m more than half convinced. Tell me more.”
The airaround the club’s property was somber at best. Aaron had left a few days before for basic training. Cage was going a little nuts, especially with more than one club baby making an appearance. Of the four club pregnancies, three had been born.
At the end of May, Abby gave birth to Winnifred “Winnie” Louisa Santiago. Two days later, Sophia gave birth to Charles Vane Sager, though Sophia would not admit if her son was named after the real pirate or Zach McGowan’s “fucking hawt” character inBlack Sails. And in the middle of Aaron and Scotty’s high school graduation ceremony, Dosia had gone into early labor with River Journey, or “RJ” to match his siblings JJ and SJ.
Angel had passed her due date and was now officially late. Aaron was off to basic, Bree was antsy about starting senior year, and Cage was acting likehewas the one who was pregnant. And as amusing as his antics were, it didn’t change what today was.
Steel handed the keys to the president’s house over to Ghost, which were a lot since nearly every member had a key, plus Jenna, Steel, Carter, Lucy, Jordan, Melanie, Ollie, and Lilly.
Lilly had stayed for a few days following Steel’s return, and then she’d departed. As much as she loved her brother andJenna, it was time for her to get back to work. She had plans on stopping in Europe on her way east to check in on Jordan, who had extended his trip on a more permanent basis.
Carter, Lucy, and Drew were also present. Lucy wasn’t due for another two months, but they’d been helping with packing up the house when they could.
A brand newNewmarDutch Star class A motorhome was currently idling in the clubhouse’s parking lot. The fifty-four foot camper was a beauty, and its most unique feature was the wheelchair lift on the side of the chassis.
Behind the camper was one of the club’s former SUVs. The exterior, though, was no longer black. The hood was now painted a striped rainbow and the rest a bedazzled gold. A new decal on the back windshield saidI’m so gay, I can’t even drive straight.
Following Ollie’s accident, it had taken a bit to get him comfortable driving again. When Jenna and Steel had sat him down to discuss the possibility of them going on the road as full-time RVers, Ollie had obviously had some questions. With Aaron leaving for basic, Ollie’s single regret had been leaving Bree behind for their senior year. Bree, though, had insisted that she not be the reason Ollie didn’t go on this great adventure. She’d even given a chunk of her swear jar money into purchasing Ollie aCanonEOS Rebel camera to show her support.
After that, things happened pretty fast. Steel and Jenna had never owned a camper before, so they wanted to do as much research as possible and talked to other families online who were full-time with kids. Additionally, Steel needed to know that the camper worked with Jenna’s needs. The dealership offered to let them take a used one that they had on their lot for a test run one weekend.
There were definitely some learning curves, but the biggest obstacle they found was that the mobility model did not have asecond bathroom. In the non-mobility models, most had half-baths in the units as well. The lack of a second toilet caused a bit of an issue, which resulted in Ollie having to pee outside in the middle of the night because he didn’t realize the campground’s bathhouse had a code that required entry.
So back to the drawing board they went. As much as all three of them liked the experience, the lack of a second bathroom was more of a problem than the fact that Ollie didn’t have his own bedroom.
They’d already planned on towing Steel’s motorcycle, either on a hitch rack or a flatbed,butthat meant two at max could go anywhere without requiring another vehicle. That led to the question of whether a motorhome was the best camper for them, if it left them without a separate vehicle. They looked into accessible fifth wheels and toy haulers, even traveling to a giant RV show in Tampa, Florida, to look at some.
But in the end, neither Steel, Jenna, nor Ollie liked any model as much as they had the Dutch Star.
Then Grumpy had called Steel up a few weeks ago and told him that he’d seen a small travel trailer for sale while out on a tow. From the outside, it looked to be in good condition, and he suggested Steel head over to take a look at it.
It was a small nineteen footForest RiverWolf Pup toy hauler. And even though it was a 2016, it was barely used, and the owner just wanted rid of it. Steel hadn’t even asked Jenna first before he bought the camper, and then called Grumpy to help him tow it home.
Some might consider needing two campers for a family of three extreme, but Steel didn’t give a fuck. Ollie got his own space and bathroom, though he was welcome inside the motorhome at any time for any reason. The toy hauler meant that Steel could store his motorcycle without needing additional equipment. There was more storage space, and because thetravel trailer needed to be towed, it solved their lack of a vehicle problem.
Ghost claimed he’d been meaning to upgrade the club’s SUVs anyway, so he offered Steel and Jenna one at value. Since Ollie would be the main one driving it, they were referring to the SUV as his, and of course, Ollie then had to make it his own.
It took several weeks of packing, organizing, and driving lessons for both Ollie and Steel. Ollie had never towed a vehicle before, and it had been a long time since Steel had too. Pumpkin and Grumpy set up an obstacle course in the club’s parking lot and made Ollie drive his new camper through the entire thingbackwardsbefore they proclaimed him road worthy.
And now, it was the big day. The club had thrown them a goodbye party the night before. Most of their furniture was staying in the house and being gifted to Ghost, so they were able to stay one last night in the home Jenna and Steel had remodeled nearly a decade ago.
Ollie was off with Bree, Scotty, Lila, and Cassie, who had actually come outside to see her cousin, aunt, and uncle off. Jenna was over with the ol’ ladies, all of whom were crying. Cage claimed it was the pregnancy hormones that were causing his tears.
