“Zeppelin Molloy, what on earth are you calling me for? Is your ma okay?”
I smirk. “Mama’s fine. I need a favor.”
“From me?”
“My girlfriend, Misty, will be bringing her daughter in to get a dress for a dance tonight. I want you to give them whatever Bernie wants. I’m buying. Just let me know what it costs, and I’ll cover it.”
“Misty, huh?”
Smiling, I shake my head. “Yeah, Misty. She’s pretty amazing. And she’s going to fight you to let her pay, but don’t give in, okay?”
“Want me to pick out a corsage to match the dress for you to give her?”
Yep, never going to a single formal dance has made me stupid in this area. “Yes, please.”
“Swing by around five, and I’ll have it all taken care of. I think I see them walking now. Brunettes?”
“And the bluest eyes you’ll ever see. Thanks, Darla. I owe you.”
“You’ll pay, too. Don’t worry.”
Misty
Zep showed up tonight with a corsage for Bernie after he paid for Bernie’s dress. He wore his nicest jeans and a button-down shirt. No kutte. It looks weird but still really hot.
It’s about ten when a kick on the door makes me jump off the couch. I open it to find Bernie passed out in Zep’s arms.
“What in the world?” I ask, laughing.
“She can’t hang,” Zep says with a smile of his own. “She was a dancing fiend. And then she fell asleep as we took a break. Not sure anything will wake her up.”
“Let’s get her to bed,” I say, leading him up the stairs.
Watching him carry her to bed has my heart melting. He took her to her first dance, and he made sure she had so much fun she couldn’t stay awake. He makes her feel as safe as he does me.
Zep lays her on her bed, and he leaves to head downstairs while I get her ready for bed. Changing her into pajamas and slipping her under the covers, I smile as Bernie turns over and snores slightly.
“Glad you had fun, baby,” I whisper before kissing her cheek.
Downstairs, Zep sits on the couch, his boots off with his head resting on the back of it. He looks almost as tired as she is.
“Hey,” I say, leaning on the banister.
“Kids are exhausting,” he says with a smile. “But we lived it up. Drank punch that could have used a splash of vodka, ate finger food I don’t want to think about what kid touched every one of them first, and danced like fools.”
“You had fun.”
He winks. “I always have fun when I’m with you and Bernie.”
The wall around my heart crumbles, and I walk over to take his hand. “I can’t believe you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Big tough biker taking a little girl to a father-daughter dance. That might hurt your image,” I joke.
Standing, he pulls me against his chest. “Joke’s on you. I don’t fucking care what anyone thinks. Except you.”
My lips claim his, and he lifts me into his arms. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I grind my body against his, loving how quickly he comes alive.
