“Maybe I shouldn’t go…” she said, recoiling a bit.
“Nah, it’s not like that. He’s not angry-angry. Just irritated. He’s usually a pretty stoic and calm guy. Something must’veriled him up. The club’s been on edge since everything went down with the Hell’s Artillery.”
“What happened?”
“I wish I could tell you, but I can’t right now. I need to get to the clubhouse. Are you sure you’ll be okay with joining me?”
“Wasn’t it you that said I need to get out more?”
Chuckling, I held the door open for her. “Yeah, that was me.”
“Well, this is me getting out. Now leaving the safety of your vehicle, that’s a different story.”
“Baby steps, baby girl. Baby steps.”
She stiffened a little.
“Hey, did I say something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just that Chase used to call me baby girl. It caught me off guard, that’s all.”
“Sorry, I’ll make a mental note not to call you that anymore.”
“No, it’s okay. It didn’t bother me. I just was taken aback by it a bit. You’re good, Cap. Call me whatever you want.”
“Okay, Ruby, you got it.” The pet name I previously called her was like a festering sore on my tongue. I wanted to call her it, but I didn’t because I knew it would cause more damage than good.
The smallest blush encompassed her cheeks as she brushed past me and moved toward my truck. This time she didn’t wait for me to open the door for her, she just slid in and got inside, almost zombie-like in a way. I don’t know what possessed me to call her baby girl in the first place, but now I was kicking myself for doing so.
“Hey now, a gentleman always opens the door for a lady.” I held the door open as she carefully clicked on her seatbelt.
“Sorry, force of habit. I’m not used to men holding doors open for me. Chase was sweet, but debonair he was not.”
Chuckling, I wouldn’t call myself debonair either, but my parents always told me that you hold doors open for people, especially women. After a short drive back to the clubhouse, Inoticed that Ruby was on edge, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip with worry.
Instinctively, I reached over, holding my hand over hers. “You don’t have to go in, remember?”
She carefully pried her hand away and smiled. It was genuine and small, but at least it was a smile.
Every bike was parked at the clubhouse, and none of my brothers were outside. I wasn’t sure who was manning Stars and Strips, but if I had to guess, they left one of the girls in charge, probably Liberty.
My hand reached over to roll down the windows so she could sit in the car, but she stopped me. “I’m okay, Cap. I think I want to go inside.”
“Are you sure?”
She shook her head. “No, but I have to try, right?”
“You can come back to my truck at any time.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
We started to make our way inside, but was immediately stopped by Tess who came flying out the doors with her arms wide open. “Oh my gosh! Hi, Ruby! Are you okay? I heard what happened to you on the fourth, and I can’t believe that happened to you.” She embraced Ruby in a hug, and Ruby stayed stiff beneath her arms.
“I’m okay. Thank you so much for asking.”
“Absolutely.” She turned toward me. “They’re waiting on you, Cap, you better hurry.”
I nodded, but turned to Ruby before I rushed inside.
