I turned to look at Crystal still sprawled on the floor, “This is my Old Lady, Annabelle. You know the rules.” I arched my eyebrow and waited for her to spew more of her bullshit.
She surprised me and did what she was supposed to. “My apologies, Annabelle. I didn’t know who you were.”
“It’s probably best if you head on out for the night,” I informed Crystal.
“Yeah, sure thing.” She rose to her feet, said something to one of the other club whores, and left.
Annabelle gave me a hard look. “We’ll talk about this later. I’m going to go dance with the girls. Should I pee on your leg before I go?”
The guys laughed hysterically. I did my best to ignore them and cleared my throat to hide my own amusement. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Annabelle
After the party, Phoenix and I discussed the Old Lady thing. I knew it was the equivalent of a marriage in most biker clubs. I also knew that once a woman was claimed in front of the club, she couldn’t do anything about it unless her Old Man unclaimed her. I wasn’t sure if once unclaimed, one could be reclaimed. Not that it mattered, Phoenix would never do that. He had claimed me, I was his Old Lady, and there was nothing I could do about it, not that I wanted to.
The next morning, I had to get up while it was still dark outside, which was rather difficult given the party the night before. I had an early flight to L.A. to catch. I knew Nathan’s schedule was tight, but he said he would have some time for me over the weekend. After Ember confessed that she really wanted Nathan to be at her wedding, I made the decision to tell him the truth about our past. That was most definitely a conversation that had to happen in person.
Phoenix drove me to the airport and walked me as far as they would allow him to go. He hugged and kissed me, fawning all over me. “I love you, baby. Be safe. Call me when you land, okay?”
I smiled. “I love you, too. I promise to call when I land.” I laughed, “You’re acting like I’m going to be gone for weeks or months. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
“Sorry, doll face. I’m just not ready to let you out of my sight again. The last time we were at an airport saying goodbye, I didn’t see you for 20 years,” he said sadly and squeezed me even tighter to his chest.
“Oh,” I replied. I hadn’t thought about it that way. Determined, I said, “Well, that won’t happen this time. I’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”
The flight to L.A. was uneventful, though I did manage to catch up on some missed sleep. When I landed, I was pleasantly surprised to see Wave and Token waiting for me at the terminal. I was planning on taking a cab to Nathan’s hotel. “What are you two doing here?”
“Good to see you, too, Tater tot,” Wave said with a laugh.
I waved my hand dismissively. “Oh, shush it. You know I’m happy to see you. I was just surprised.”
“Your man called and asked if we could pick you up at the airport. He sounded a little worried and we didn’t have anything going on, so here we are. You ready to go?” Wave asked.
“Yep. I’m just staying the night, so I’ve got everything I need in my backpack,” I answered.
On the drive to the hotel, I learned that Phoenix had not only asked Wave and Token to pick me up from the airport, he asked them to stay at the same hotel and return me to the airport the next day. Basically, he arranged 24-hour personal security for me. I wasn’t sure if I should be angry or flattered.
I also decided that Wave and Token needed to know what I was going to tell Nathan so they could be there for him if he didn’t take the news well. They were strong male figures in his life and he may need to talk to someone after this had time to sink in.
I kept the story short and to the point. I didn’t go into details about my feelings and all the other crap that went along with the worst period of my life. I just told them the facts of the past.
“You flew out here to tell him what you just told us?” Token asked. I nodded my head. “I’m going to make a suggestion. Maybe a little less robot and a little more human when you tell him that sordid tale you just shared.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Sorry, I was trying to keep my emotions out of it.”
“I get that, but he’s going to need to see the emotions to understand.”
We arrived at the hotel and checked into our rooms. I wasn’t the least bit surprised to learn my room, as well as theirs, had already been paid for and were located side by side. I shook my head. That man needed to learn some boundaries, but I couldn’t blame him. Honestly, I didn’t like being away from him either. If having Wave and Token nearby eased his worries, I had no problem with it.
After getting settled, I picked up my phone to send a text to Nathan when it started ringing in my hand. Phoenix’s name flashed on my screen. Crap. I forgot to call him.
“Hey, Nix. Sorry, I forgot to call when I landed. Everything is fine. I was just shocked to see Wave and Token waiting for me,” I rushed out.
“I was worried, doll face,” he rumbled.
“I know and I’m really sorry. If you had told me you were having them meet me there, it wouldn’t have thrown me for a loop, and I wouldn’t have forgotten to call you,” I retorted.
