“Bring him with you.”
“To a party at your clubhouse?” she asked incredulously.
I nodded. “Several of the members have kids, so the clubhouse is family friendly. At least before dark. Even then, it’s probably nowhere near what you’re imagining.”
“I was picturing a dark, smoke-filled room with heavy metal music blasting through the speakers,” she admitted.
“Nah, Copper’s never allowed any smoking inside the clubhouse, but the music can get loud. A while back, when we converted one of the bedrooms to a nursery and playroom for the kids, we soundproofed the room and wired it with cameras. Which was sort of a waste of money because there’s almost always at least one adult in the room when kids are there.”
“How old are the kids?”
“The oldest is Riley. She’s around ten years old. And the youngest is Blue, who’s almost a year old. Braxton is seven years old, Sienna will be two in November, and Brinkley is four years old. Those are the club kids, but somehow, we always end up with other children.”
“Let me talk to my friend. If she doesn’t have a problem with it, we’d love to come.”
“There is one thing I should mention. The reason we’re having the party is to watch an MMA fight. A few of the club members are related to one of the fighters. He’s actually fighting in the main event, so it’ll be pretty late when his match starts. If you do come and stay for the fight, you’re welcome to spend the night in one of the guest rooms,” I offered.
“How late are we talking?”
“The main event will probably start sometime between eleven and midnight.”
“Yeah, that is kind of late,” she said but didn’t give any indication one way or the other what she thought about spending the night.
“Most of the brothers and their families end up staying at the clubhouse after one of Nathan’s fights. And like I said, we have a few guest rooms, so you and the baby would have your own room. You’re welcome to stay in my room, but I wanted you to know there are other options if you’re not comfortable with that,” I explained.
“So, if we did stay, you’d be there?” she asked.
“Of course. I wouldn’t leave you there,” I said.
“Just checking,” she grinned. “I’ll give my friend a call in the morning. Can I let you know sometime tomorrow?” she asked.
I nodded. “There’s no rush. You could let me know the day of and it’d be fine.”
“Great,” she smiled. “I don’t think she’ll have a problem with it, but I need to make sure.”
7
BLAKELY
“Keep smiling like that and you’re going to have some hellacious lines on your face when you’re older,” Landon said the moment he walked through the door the next day.
“Good. Deep smile lines indicate a happy life,” I quipped.
“Not if you’ve got a good plastic surgeon,” he teased and stopped by his desk before he headed to the break room.
I followed behind him. “I was up late with the baby last night.”
He rolled his eyes. “The baby might be the reason for your tired eyes, but he’s not behind the smile.” He lowered his voice and asked, “Did you get a new vibrator?”
“What? No,” I blurted and doubled over laughing.
“You want a cup of coffee while you tell me about your mystery man?”
“How did you know about him?” I gasped. “And yes. When have I ever said no to coffee?”
“It was only a guess, but your response confirmed it.” I could hear the laughter in his voice.
He filled two mugs with coffee and handed one to me before we returned to the front desk. “All right, tell me everything. And by everything, I mean only the good stuff. Save all the boring details for your diary.” He sipped his coffee and stared at me while he waited for me to share.
