“What now?”she asked as she watched Smokey push his own plate away.
“Now we wait and see,” Raven said.
“What do you mean?”Tania frowned.
“I’ve got my men doing research.The attorney is working on divorce papers.Once he’s got them ready, he’ll come in and have you sign them, then file them.I’d like to have a little insurance so that fuckwad doesn’t fight you on this.If he wasn’t so visible, and from one of the more prominent families in the county, then we’d just hack the system and plant the files granting you a divorce.”Raven met her gaze and held it for several seconds, as if he was willing her to understand what he was saying.She thought she got it but how could she be sure?How could she be sure she wasn’t reading more into what he wasn’t saying than he intended.
Tania took a deep breath and held it for several seconds.She’d accepted long ago that there were some things just out of her control, now she had to take a moment and accept that this was one of those things.She’d given up on being able to get away from Rod, now it was here and she would have to do what these people told her was best.Could she trust them?She wasn’t certain but she trusted Smokey, always had, and he trusted them so she would put her trust in them to, at least until, or if, they betrayed that.
“I think someone needs a bath, then you said something about him needing a bottle?”Smokey turned to look at her.Tania nodded.“He doesn’t eat enough to keep him growing, at least not yet.”She looked at Carter, with the red streaks along his face, his hands covered in red and white goop and more goop mashed into his hair.“And I’m not sure how to bathe him in the shower.
“That’s not a problem,” Smokey said.“I’ll take a shower with him.”
“Are you sure?He gets slick when you coat him with soap, and he wiggles and squirms.I’m too terrified of dropping him to take a shower with him.”
“Well, it’s either that or the bathroom sink and he’s too big for that.”
She stared at him for a moment before nodding.She didn’t see any other way.Plus, Smokey might not have known about him before this morning, might not have had any part in the last eight months of Carter’s life, but it was clear how much her old friend cared for their son.
Theirson.
That was a phrase she would have to get used to, at least as it related to Smokey and Carter.
“Come on, spaghetti monster,” Smokey said, lifting Carter out of the highchair.“It’s time to get you cleaned up.Then we’ll see about that bottle your mommy keeps talking about.”He picked their boy up and carried him up the stairs.
Tania was torn.She wanted to go up and help with the baby but couldn’t stand to leave the mess Carter had made for someone else to clean up.He was her son, his messes were hers.She needed to clean this up.
“What happened to that rag and spray bottle you had earlier?”Tania said to Taylynn.
Taylynn waved one hand dismissively.“Don’t worry about it.Go up and get that bottle ready, and be prepared when you get two wet, slick guys out of the shower.”Tania shot her a grin.
“Rene!”Raven called.
“Yessir?”came the call back from behind the bar.
“Clean this mess up.And keep the highchair handy.We’ll be needing it regularly for a while.”Raven turned to pin a look at Tania.“Now you have no excuse.And don’t feel bad about the prospects cleaning up.The mess Carter made is nothing compared to cleaning the bathrooms around here or cleaning up after a party, and both are part of prospecting.”
“Why do they do it?”she asked with a frown.
“To prove their dedication and loyalty to the club.”
“How long do they prospect?”She watched as Rene came in and fumbled with the high chair for a couple of minutes, until Taylynn took mercy on him and showed him how to take the tray off.After that, he made quick work of getting it cleaned up and moved it to a corner where it would be out of the way until it was needed again.
“I better go make that bottle.Thank you for the company, and especially for occupying the baby while I ate.That was very sweet.”She hugged Taylynn as the woman had been nothing but sweet to her from the very beginning, then headed for the stairs.She hoped she’d have a few minutes to herself to calm down and put a few things in perspective.Somehow, things were moving way faster than she’d ever expected.
