Turning her attention to me, she demands, “Do Coal and Bolt know what you do?”
“Um...” I shake my head. “Not as far as I’m aware. Bolt and I touched on what I did back in November, but I’m not sure he remembers that. Why?”
Maggie and Thea hesitate for a minute, then Thea says, “I can’t say yet, but you need to speak to Coal about what you do.”
“Okay,” I agree with a small shrug, understanding that this more than likely is club business, and I don’t know all the rules of this club yet.
“I’ll give him a nudge,” Thea says with a smile. “It’s all good, though. Now tell me more about this Christmas gift giving thing the Crows do. Can we help in anyway?”
“I’m not sure if they need help, but I’ll ask Ben,” Ally replies before explaining everything that the Crow MC does for their village and how it all started.
“I wish Father Christmas could arrive on a sleigh one year,” I muse dreamily. “I’ve always wanted to ride in a sleigh, but we don’t have enough snow for that.”
“Oh, that would be nice,” Maggie agrees just as dreamily. “We had plenty of snow in the States, but we also never did anything like the Crows do for the community. Maybe I should speak to Stacey and Lizzie, see if they can start something. I mean, they do toy drives but that’s it.”
“We could do a poker run,” I say. “The Crows don’t do anything like that, and Southampton is too big to do a Christmas giftgiving, but we could do a charity run instead. We could choose a different charity every year and donate to that. At least that way people get to know you.”
“We could do that,” Maggie agrees. “We could start at the roadhouse and finish there.” She looks at Ally. “Do you think the Crows would agree to us using some of their businesses as stop off points?”
Ally nods. “For sure.”
“And you can use the O’Shea businesses too,” my Mum volunteers.
“Fantastic. I’ll start putting together some information, and we ladies will arrange a get-together,” Maggie states with a decisive nod.
“What are you ladies plotting,” Tinman asks, walking into the kitchen and straight to Maggie. Pulling her up from her seat, he sits and then guides her onto his lap. I love that Bolt’s family is so much like mine when it comes to their women. Tinman is followed into the kitchen by Coal and Bolt, who follow Tinman’s lead, and Thea and I are soon sitting on their laps.
“Plotting? Absolutely nothing.” Maggie informs him. “Planning absolutely. The Crow old ladies, the O’Shea ladies, and the Queens Wraiths old ladies are planning.”
“Ah, fuck me.” Coal groans, tilting his head back. “Reaper, Liam, and I are going to regret you ladies banding together, aren’t we?”
We all burst out laughing at his aggrieved tone. He’s more than likely right. We all know it even as Maggie tries to reassure her son, “You won’t. At least, I don’t think so. You’ll have to wait and see,” she smirks at her Coal.
“Sam,” Coal shouts out. Sam walks into the kitchen with the rest of the brothers following. Cross has Shea, and she’s fast asleep on his shoulder. It makes my heart happy that these tough men are marshmallows when it comes to her.
“You called?” Sam comments, tugging Ally up from her seat. Sitting down, he guides her onto his lap; she bugs her eyes out at me, and I have to bury my head in Bolt’s neck to hide my laughter, my shoulders shaking.
I’m even more amused when Dad walks in and does the same thing with Mum.
We really do have a type.
“You need to get Beau to open a separate account for the Crows, O’Sheas, and Queens Wraiths to put money in every month. Our ladies are collaborating, and we may need bail money,” Coal gravely informs him.
Sam laughs. “Way ahead of you, brother. We’ve had an account like that for years, ever since Molly became an old lady. I’ll have Beau contact you.”
Ally and I gape at Sam, but Mum and Dad nod as if they already knew.
“No way.” Ally looks both intrigued and horrified. Well, I’m assuming that’s the look on her face because that’s what I’m feeling.
“Way,” Sam chuckles. “You have met Molly?”
“I can see that,” Maggie snorts with laughter.
“We began adding to it when Sera and her squad arrived,” my Dad admits.
“Holy fuck,” Coal groans, his head thumping onto Thea’s back for a minute before he lifts it and glares at his men. “The rest of you better pick nice, easy-going women; do you hear me. No more kickass ladies. Maybe a sweet and gentle nursery school teacher,” he orders with a decisive nod.
“Fuck me, pres, you’ve done it now,” Blue mutters, shaking his head sadly. “You’ve jinxed us.”
