His electric blue Harley shines so beautifully in the sunlight and it makes me smile. It’s beautiful outside today and I love the view of my fiancé in front of me. Fiancé. I’m going to marry him. I look down at my left hand on the steering wheel and smile. My ring shimmers on my finger and I’m still amazed that in less than a year I’ll be marrying the man who makes my heart whole.
Cass pulls down the driveway to the clubhouse and when we clear the trees, there are a few bikes out front already. It’s only four-thirty, and the party doesn’t start until six, so I have plenty of time to finish getting things ready.
Cass pulls up at the end of the bikes lined up out front and backs in. I pull off to the side where a few trucks are parked. From the looks of it, Linc and Mindy are here in her car, Snapper’s bike is out front, along with Mario’s bike, Scott is in his truck, and I think that’s Clayton’s bike out front too, but I can’t be sure. I know Cass said he wouldn’t be in town until tomorrow.
I step out of the car and the wind greets me, making me shiver. It’s so fucking cold. Cass is standing at the door to the club house waiting for me. Two of the newer prospects are standing out front, keeping an eye on the driveway and the bikes. I nod at them and smile as I walk past. They return my gesture and smile. One of them is older, late forties, long brown and gray beard that hangs to the middle of his chest, metal frame glasses and a beanie on his head. The lines on his forehead and around the corners of his eyes tell a story of a life with many smiles. The other one is a young man, who can’t be any older than twenty-three, with light blond hair and a light blond goatee. He has a cigarette in his hand and his dark blue eyes shine in the sunlight.
I walk through the door that Cass holds open for me, and the warmth of the club house surrounds me. It feels a million times better in here. Linc is behind the bar, where he always is. Snapper and Mario are sitting at the bar, both with a beer in hand and laughing when we approach. Mario smiles a wide, thousand-watt smile when he sees us.
“Hey, brother!” He stands up to hug Cass.
“What’s going on, man?”
“In town for the holidays, then back on the road again.”
Mario looks behind Cass and grins at me. “Hey, girl.” He pushes past Cass to give me a big hug. He’s grown fond of me since I’ve been making it a point to feed him when he’s in town. Since he doesn’t have an ol’ lady, and he and Cass are close, I figured when he comes in, I can make him a few home cooked meals. He’s been on the road so long that all he’s been eating is fast food.
“Hey, darlin’. It’s about time you made it in!”
“Well, you know. It’s a hectic life on the road.”
I offer a grim smile, and he turns his attention back to Cass, who’s talking to Snapper. I peer around the room and see that Mindy has already started decorating the tables with fake candles and red and green tinsel. I didn’t see her when we came in but I spot her in the corner of the room, arranging some of the gifts on the back table that’s decorated with a miniature Christmas tree that she and I put up a few weeks ago and Christmas lights lining the edges of the table.
That reminds me, I left the cookies, brownies, and gifts in the car. I see that Cass is in conversation, so I walk to the bar, motioning for Linc to walk over here.
“I’ve got to run to the car and grab a few gifts and the desserts. Cass is talking, so I figured I’d let you know.”
“No problem. Try not to get kidnapped, okay?” he says, grinning facetiously at me.
I flip him the bird before I walk back out to my car. I smile at the two prospects standing out front and just having the two of them makes me feel a thousand times more comfortable with being out here alone. Not that there’s much else to worry about since the Moccasins are no longer around. Well, most of them anyway. There’s still one of their members and their president who are missing.
I stack the cookies and brownies on top of the box of gifts and pack it back toward the club house.
“Whoa, let me get those for you,” the older prospect says, taking the box from me without waiting on an answer.
“Thank you,” I say, smiling.
I open the door for him and point toward the table in the back. I thank him and he sets it down for me and disappears back outside. Mindy is sitting at one of the tables, sipping on what I assume is a glass of red wine. I eye her suspiciously and sit down next to her.
“What?” she shrugs.
“Red wine?”
“Maybe,” she giggles. “One glass.”
“Okay, okay. Just one though.”
“I have all of the gifts organized and ready to go. The other ol’ ladies are supposed to bring their dishes any minute now. Food is over there, by the way, if you want to move the desserts. Oh, did you bring Linc’s gift with you?”
“Yes ma’am. It’s in the trunk, safe and sound where you left it!”
“Okay, good. Don’t let me forget to get it from you before you leave.”
“I won’t. How are you and my newest favorite little person doing?”
“We’re great. No sickness, no complaints. Other than I always have to pee.”
Mindy laughs as she takes another sip of wine. “Speaking of, I’ll be right back.”
