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“It’s been a long time since I was in that phase and I’ll tell you with full honesty that I hated that stage,” I remark and take a sip of my drink.
“Melissa is like the baby whisperer when it comes to calming down the boys,” Sutton voices as she drinks from her cup.
“That’s probably because Crusher is slipping the little boys brandy to numb their gums,” Raegan divulges. Both Sutton and I whip our heads in her direction in shock. She bursts out laughing after seeing our horrified faces. “I’m totally kidding. Crusher would never do something like that. In fact, he’s the one always up our asses for letting Jett cry it out when we put him down at night. He believes we should walk him around until he falls asleep every time he cries.”
“He told Beckett and I the same thing,” Sutton admits with an eye roll.
“So, are you and Raegan related or are the husbands brothers?” I ask, curious about the dynamics.
“No. Blaze and Stone are blood brothers but not Beckett. He’s the VP of the club. Crusher is their father and Melissa is the stepmom and club doctor. When you become part of the club, you’re family. Blood doesn’t matter around here,” Sutton tells me.
“It’s been a long time since I had any family,” I admit after finishing off the last bit of liquid in my cup. Raegan wastes zero seconds before filling it back up.
“Well, now you’ve got dozens of them!” Sutton gushes.
“Does Ryder like to fish?” Raegan asks randomly.
“I’m not sure, why?”
Having to work to keep a roof over our heads and food in his stomach has always been the main priorities. Everything else has fallen by the wayside, well, except for baseball.
“Just a heads up, I overheard Crusher and Mom talking about buying a big fishing boat yesterday. Said that it’d be the perfect bonding experience for him and Ryder to do during the summer,” Raegan tells us.
I suck in a breath and my eyelids start to blink rapidly. A wave of emotions flood through me. I’m not sure if it’s the wine or the enormous change that has happened over the last week and a half. It has only ever been just the two of us but now it feels like we’ve been gifted this large community where we can finally hang our hats up and not struggle at every turn.
“I think we’re overloading her,” I hear Sutton tell Raegan, and it brings me back to focus on the conversation.
I wave my free hand towards them. “No, it’s fine. I’m just trying to wrap my head around all this,” I say. “It’s always been just the two of us so hearing all this just doesn’t seem real.”
“Well, you should probably get used to it. Ryder has just acquired a lot of uncles and a set of very involved grandparents,” Raegan says.
We talk for a while and it feels different here than all the other places Ryder and I have lived. For so long we were living on what felt like borrowed time at each place we stayed, never putting down roots. But here, it almost feels like a place that could be permanent.
“I heard you make jewelry,” Sutton voices after Raegan finished telling me that she not only is a secret hacker but is a retired illegal racecar driver.
“Oh, I used to dabble in high school,” I answer, trying to wave off the notion.
“Really? I’ve seen Reaper’s chains and his leather strap on his wrist and they look amazing,” Raegan chimes in. “I’d love to have a few pieces done for me and then a few for my man.”
“Me too,” Sutton agrees. “Beckett has mentioned several times how he likes Reaper’s leather strap.”
“Thanks.” A flush of heat sweeps up my neck and face. I’m sure it has to be from all the alcohol. “Rhett had mentioned that I should start that back up now that I’ve got some freedom and time on my hands for a bit.”
“You really should,” Raegan says.
“I’ll think about it,” I say but make no promises.
Over the next several days Ryder and I are busy from the moment we wake up to the time we lay down at night to sleep. Between painting his room and other walls in the house and furniture being delivered, I’m exhausted. The only sign of Rhett is the indentation and ruffled sheets on his side of the bed when I wake up in the mornings. I’m trying my hardest not to be a clingy, nagging person but if we don’t see him at all today, I think he and I are going to have a heart to heart about this situation. I don’t need his time but our son is a different story. This is the time he should take every moment to be with him and he’s not.
I’ve caught Ryder on the phone with Cole several times and my heart is breaking. I thought if we moved here that my son was going to be getting quality time with Rhett and that they would bond and become family. I’m wondering if it would’ve been better for us to stay up in Montana and only come down here during designated times so that they could focus on shared time together.
I hear the sound of a motorcycle and the garage door opening as I check the time on the wall. At least the sun is still out, I think to myself. Hopefully, Rhett will be able to spend some time with his son for the next few hours.
“Hey,” Rhett greets me the moment the door opens and he steps in. He’s covered in sweat and is a dirty mess.
“Hey.” I try to hold in my temper. I’ve been trying to play Switzerland but the more upset I see my son, the more I want to fix this between them. Rhett comes over and presses a sandy kiss to my forehead. “Can we talk for a moment?”
“Sure, but can it wait? There’s something that I have to do,” he says as he passes by me and heads down the hall to our son’s room.
