Six snorted, and as soon as Ollie turned away, he slapped his butt hard enough some heads turned. Ollie gasped and covered himself, glancing back at Six with a mixture of shock and arousal.
Emmett and CJ exchanged a look, and then both started laughing. He had a feeling they were both thinking about how Ollie and Six had disappeared at the food drive, and it seemed likely to happen again.
A loud snore startled Emmett, and he stared at Tank in surprise. How could he sleep with all the noise around him?
“Oh, for fuck’s sakes. You can take the man out of prison…” CJ muttered, standing and hurrying over to his boyfriend.
Emmett turned wide eyes to Rooster. He’d found out about Tank having been in prison a few weeks ago at the drive, but hearing CJ mention it so casually drew him up short. Not that he thought he or Tank had anything to be ashamed of. It was just… Well, he wasn’t sure. It just seemed like something his family would try and pretend hadn’t happened, but he didn’t want to be like them, did he? He wanted to be happy and open like his friends. The Sub Club.
“Do you think the Sub Club comes with buttons?” he asked Rooster, moving their gifts to the floor and then turning to straddle him. His face got a little hot, knowing others could see, but they weren’t doing anything outrageous.
“If not, you could make some,” Rooster said, smiling and resting his hands on Emmett’s thighs.
“Maybe I’ll mention it to CJ,” Emmett mused, squirming closer. “He’s a really talented artist. He could come up with something awesome.”
“That’s a good idea, baby.”
The scent of some sort of meat filled the air as Ollie instructed Six, Houston, and another guy Emmett didn’t know on where to set the large lunch spread. He was pretty sure he saw cheesy potatoes too, and he loved them.
“Are you hungry?” Emmett asked, looking back at Rooster.
His daddy raked his eyes down his body, lingering on Emmett’s lap. “Starving.”
He snickered and tucked Rooster’s hair behind his ears. “You have to wait until we get home to have that. First, you have to feed me.”
“Whatever my little boy needs.”
EPILOGUE
Riding a motorcycle was just as terrifying as he’d expected.
But it was alsoexhilarating.
Emmett squeezed his arms a little tighter around Rooster as they went around a curve, giggling with pure excitement once they straightened out again. The sky was so clear and blue above them it didn’t seem real. All the fields they passed had corn or soy growing, the air full of the scent of summer in full bloom as it whipped around them.
It was just the two of them out for a ride before his appointment later. Usually, they went out with at least a couple of other guys from the MC, but this time, Rooster had grinned at him and said he wanted Emmett all to himself for a while.
Considering he’d moved into Rooster’s house a month ago, he had him all to himself anytime he wanted. Well, except when Roni popped over to see him because she was lonely by herself but kept putting off finding another roommate. She’d claimedshe was getting too old to break in anyone new, but Emmett thought it might be something more, but she wouldn’t admit it.
They also didn’t have alone time anytime Ollie dragged Emmett to waxing nights, even though Emmett refused to let anyone rip the hair from his privates. He hadn’t wanted to, and then Rooster had told him he preferred no manscaping, which had settled it for him. He still enjoyed going and hanging out with the others. They had movie nights and playdates too.
So he supposed Rooster may have had a little bit of a point.
Somehow, Emmett had not only found the best daddy in the whole world, but a group of friends who were like family to him. He was even more grateful as the months went by and no one from his own family reached out to him. When Easter had come and gone without a single text or phone call about coming to dinner, he’d cried on Rooster’s shoulder for a solid hour, appreciative of his daddy’s strong arms holding him tightly.
He doubted they would have gone—or that Rooster would have even contemplated it before saying no—but the way his flesh and blood family discarded him so easily tore his heart apart.
But he wasn’t going to waste time wallowing on what hedidn’thave when he had a perfect day planned with the most important person he did have.
They rode around for a couple of hours, stopping once for gas and so Emmett could pee, and then once more to grab food when they got back into Ridgewood. He was tired in that feel-good way you got after spending a lot of time outside, but he perked up as they parked outside of Rebel Yell. Emmett hobbled inside, still not used to riding for so long, while Rooster grabbed their late lunch from the saddlebag.
“Right on time,” Roni said, looking up from where she was prepping her station.
“I have to eat first,” Emmett informed, nodding decisively when she raised a brow at him. “Daddy’s orders.”
Someone snickered from one of the other stalls, and his eyes widened. He hadn’t noticed the man lying on the table in Knuckles’s area, getting his ribs tattooed.
Ouch.
