My mother pats Tucker’s shoulder. “Most of the crew are riding. Me and Sara are going to drive the kids in her minivan. There’s room for Tucker if that’s okay with you, Heather.”
“Sure.”
“Are you going to ride with Cody on his bike?” she asks.
I put a hand on Heather’s waist and pull her against me. “Yeah, she’ll ride with me.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.”
“Yay!” Tucker throws his hands in the air and runs off with Green’s son to an old pinball machine against the back wall.
I pull out a chair for Heather and take the one next to her. At the end of the table, Angel puts her phone down. “We’re booked. Fifteen rooms. We’re taking up the entire third floor. Check in is at three.”
“It’s only about a forty-five-minute ride over the mountain, so we’ve got time,” Cole says.
Sutton carries over a platter of pancakes and another with bacon.
Kyle follows with scrambled eggs and sausage, setting them on the table. “Eat up, folks.”
They take a seat, and soon dishes are being passed around the table.
I notice the light in Heather’s eyes as she looks up and down its length and squeeze her knee.
“This is nice,” she says.
“One great big family, and you and Tucker are a part of it. You need anything, you’ve got a lot of people who’ll have your back, and that’s a great feeling.”
“It is.” She leans her head on my shoulder. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For bringing me into the fold.”
We eat a nice breakfast.
“Where’s Cajun?” I ask.
“He’s staying at the clubhouse with Skeeter and the prospects,” my father replies.
When we finish, Heather and I swing by the clubhouse, grab a bag, and then meet the rest of the club at the restaurant. By then, the kids are all loaded into the van, and the guys are all just waiting on us.
I idle the bike, and that’s when it hits me. This is the first club ride where I’m not the odd man out. Since my brothers all got their ol’ ladies, I’ve been the only one still riding solo at these things. But not today. I grin and squeeze Heather’s thigh. It’s gonna be a great day.
We roll out and make it there in just under an hour.
It’s not quite check-in time, but Angel, Crystal, Mary, and Shannon head to the office to see if we can get our rooms early.
I wait by the van with Heather, my mom, and Sara. My father and Green stand off by the bikes talking with the others. Gigi, Harley Jean, and Fiona are at the back, changing diapers on their babies.
A few minutes later, the ladies come out with pass keys and hand them out. I grab one for Heather, Tucker, and me, and we go inside to check out the room.
We’re on the top floor, and the view of the pier and boardwalk is amazing.
Tucker points down the beach at the amusement park. “Look, there it is. Can we go?”
I ruffle his hair. “Sure, kiddo.”
We decide to just walk there, since it's so close.
