Alexandra nodded.“Cool.We’ll get you set up first, but you have to meet Rainey and Vamp.She’s in charge of mortgage lending at one of the credit unions and she’s got a close friend who’s in real estate too.”
Within an hour, I’d met close to twenty people.If it weren’t for the unique road names, I wasn’t sure I’d remember them all.
I was sitting on a couch in the common room sipping my second beer watching Simone, Volt’s daughter, rocking her one-year-old daughter to sleep.It would be a while before I’d be ready for that…but at the same time I was envious of that connection.For that matter, I couldn’t imagine how her little girl was able to fall asleep in a room with so much noise.The music wasn’t overly loud, but it felt like the people talking were growing louder by the minute.
“You can hold her,” Simone said, looking at me.
I held up my beer and my other hand in front of me.“Oh, I don’t want her to wake up.”
Simone smiled.“She’s out, and it’s almost impossible to wake her once she falls asleep.”
Alexandra turned her face to me.“That’s the truth.I wish I could sleep that deeply.”
I set my drink down and took little Felicity into my arms.Like Simone said, she didn’t wake at all.I got her situated against my shoulder, and marveled at her soft skin and her immense body heat.There was something soothing about holding a sleeping child.
Ryan and his brother wandered into the common room, but only Ryan stopped short with his eyes fixed on me.From the struck look on his face, I wasn’t sure if he liked what he saw or wanted to bolt for the hills – not that there were many hills around here.
Simone looked over her shoulder and saw Ryan staring.“Oh, that’s my cue to get her into her Pack-n-Play.”
Ryan blinked then came closer.“No, Simone, it’s fine.”
Simone lifted both hands and pointed her index fingers at him at an angle.“No, Nickel, things are about to get wilder around here, and I want Felicity in her own space.”
I stood and carefully handed Felicity over to Simone.
“You want another?”Alexandra asked, grabbing my empty cup before she stood.
“We’re not drinking beer,” Ryan said.
“I see.”Alexandra turned to me.“Have fun.I’m going to find Bluff.”
I slowly stepped closer to him.“Are you upset?”
He took a deep breath.“No.That would never upset me, Ivy.”
“But you were shocked,” I said, not sure why I couldn’t let this go.
He paused.“I’m not ready for a family—”
“Neither am I,” I blurted.
With a grin, he nodded once.“Yeah, but I like seeing you holding a baby.A lot fuckin’ more than I probably should.”
I leaned toward him and put a hand on his chest.“Don’t tell me your biological clock’s ticking.”
His eyes went up and to the side for a beat.“How many beers have you had?”
I laughed.“Two.But I haven’t had any food.”
He nodded.“That’s why I came in here.If you like crab legs, the low-country boil is done.If you want something else, there’s burgers, dogs, brats, and pulled pork out there, too.”
“I’ve never had a low-country boil, so lead the way.”
Two hours later, it struck me that Simone had called it.The party had become increasingly wilder.It also didn’t take me long to see the difference between the Devil Lancers and the Riot MC.There were plenty of people getting their drink on, and some were smoking weed, but the moment a Devil Lancer brought out harder drugs, the air went tense.The Devil Lancer with the drug wandered off the patio and out to the farthest edge of the backyard, three of the others following.
The vibe quickly went back to the raucous party mood.My gaze darted around the backyard and I saw Jasmine talking to a Devil Lancer with corkscrew curls similar to mine.He nodded at her, then hurried away, but he didn’t go in the direction of the Devil Lancers who were hitting harder drugs.
Music was blaring from speakers set up on stands.Somehow, a Bruno Mars song came on after an alternative rock tune and Alexandra raced to me.
