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Rowan
Saturday afternoon, Dusty had to practically carry me out of my office to get me to head up to my loft to pack an overnight bag.
“But I have to—”
“It can wait,” she stressed. “Go pack a bag. Your man’ll be here any minute.”
I dragged my way upstairs with Lord and threw a few things into an overnight bag. Nervous didn’t begin to describe how I was feeling, and I was about to text Scooby and bow out, when I heard him call from the front door. “It’s me, baby.”
“Bedroom,” I called back.
Lord trotted out of my room, returning with Scooby who wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
“You ready?” he asked, kissing me gently.
“How about we stay here and have a private party instead?”
He cupped my face and lifted my head. “You freakin’ out on me, Twinkles?”
“Definitely.”
He chuckled. “Why?”
“I’m not good in crowds, let alone crowds of people I don’t know.”
“Baby, you’ve already met half the club.”
“Not really. They’ve come in and had food, but that’s not really meeting them in their element.” I pressed my lips into a thin line as I gripped his cut and let out a sigh. “We also weren’t a thing before. There are stakes now.”
“Baby, they’re gonna love you.”
“What if they don’t?”
“Then you’ll never fuckin’ know.”
I let out a quiet gasp. “What do you mean, I’ll never know?”
“Because they’ll keep their goddamned mouths shut and never make you feel anything but adored.”
“Scooby, don’t be ridiculous,” I breathed out in exasperation. “If they don’t like me, they don’t have to pretend they do.”
“Yeah they abso-fuckin-lutely do,” he countered. “And they will. But you’re borrowin’ trouble, honey. They’re gonna love you.”
“I just don’t want to embarrass you.”
“Baby, you couldn’t if you tried.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” He stroked my cheek. “Now, are you ready?”
“Almost.” I looped my arms around his neck. “I just need to grab Lord’s stuff.”
“I have everything he needs.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I bought a few things yesterday and dropped them off at the club. He’s got a crate, food, bowls, everything you’ve got here, he’s got at my room there, that way, we can go back and forth without you havin’ to bring anything.”
“Really?” I slid my fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck.
“Really. Just bring one of Lord’s blankets and one of your old T-shirts and we’ll throw it in his crate, so he has familiar scents.”
“Thanks, honey, great idea.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled, leaning down to kiss me. “Now, we gotta go.”
“Okay, five minutes,” I said, releasing him and heading into my bathroom. “Dusty baked some pies for the party. They’re in my kitchen.”
“No shit?”
“Yep,” I said, walking back into the bedroom and dropping my toiletries into my bag. “Ten of them.”
“Well, then I better get them in my truck.”
“Might be a good idea,” I quipped as I zipped up my bag. “I’m right behind you.”
Once Scooby had loaded all of the pies into his truck, I leashed Lord, and we followed him outside.
We drove in silence to the outskirts of Monument, and the further we got from the diner, the more my stomach roiled, but when Scooby pulled up to a pair of giant wooden gates, I thought the panic might overtake me.
“Rowan.”
“Hm?”
“Honey, you’re shakin’.” Scooby linked his fingers with mine. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”
“I’m just really nervous. It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid.” The gates opened and Scooby drove the truck through, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing my palm gently. “But I promise, you have nothin’ to be nervous about.”
I nodded but didn’t believe him. Not one bit.
Scooby parked close to the giant cabin and other than rows of some of the most impressive bikes I’d ever seen, the parking lot looked more like an elementary school than a biker clubhouse as it was filled with sedans, minivans, and pickups.
“Don’t move,” he ordered, sliding out of the truck.
I had no problem staying put. In fact, I glanced around the cab of the truck wondering if I could find a way to hide in the floorboards. Lord pushed his nose between the seats and nuzzled my shoulder with a whine. I stroked his head and sighed. “Hey, buddy. Do you want to hide, too?”
I saw Scooby walk out of the building, a couple of young guys following, and then he pulled open my door. “Boner and Squeaker are gonna get the pies and your bag. You ready?”
“Nope.”
Scooby grinned, leaning in to kiss me gently as he undid my seatbelt. “You’re gonna have so much fuckin’ fun, honey. You’ll see.”
I grabbed his beard gently. “Do not leave me alone.”
“I won’t.”
Climbing out of the truck, I opened the back door and let Lord out, gathering his leash and commanding him to heel.
He let out a little whine and I smiled. “Okay, buddy, go do your thing.”
I unhooked his leash, and he ran into the trees, returning quickly, but sniffing every bike as he waltzed back to us.
“Oh my god, we’re going to be here forever,” I complained, leaning against Scooby.
He chuckled. “He’s just getting to know his surroundings.”
Lord threw his front paws up on a large bike that had a sidecar on it and before I could give him the command to leave it alone, he jumped inside.
“Oh, no. Crap. Honey, I’m sorry,” I said, rushing for the bike.
Scooby chuckled. “He found Shotgun’s ride.”
“Shotgun?”
“Wyatt’s brother,” Scooby said. “He’s Sundance’s brother-in-law. You’ll meet him tonight.”
“Lord, get out of there.”
“It’s okay, baby, he looks comfortable in there.”
“Won’t Shotgun be angry?”
“Don’t let the name fool ya, he’s the nicest one of all of us,” Scooby said with a laugh, taking my hand.
“Lord, come,” I ordered, and he jumped out, trotting over to us.
Scooby led us up the steps of the porch and through the front door and I held on tight as we walked further into the giant great room.
It looked like something out of a magazine with its log beams and wide planked floors and it was gorgeous. Bikers filled the room, along with women and children of all ages. One entire wall was filled with pinball machines which most of the kids were currently milling around, and I saw a very tall man standing with all of them, who appeared to be having more fun than any of them.
“That’s Shotgun,” Scooby said, following my gaze.
Before I could ask any questions, I heard someone squeal out my name from across the room. Lord growled beside me, and I knelt down. “It’s okay, boy. We’re good.”
“We can put him up in my room,” Scooby offered.
I stood and shook my head. “Let’s give him a little bit to get used to everyone. If he can’t deal, we’ll do that. But he needs to know I’m okay, and then he’ll calm down.”
“You just let me know.”
“I will.” I smiled up at him.
“You’re here!” Violet breathed out, pulling me in for a hug before pulling a tall rather Viking-esque looking man closer. “This is my husband, Aero. Honey, this is Rowan.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“You, too.”
“No way, you brought Lord,” a deep voice sounded behind me.
I tightened my hold on the leash as I turned to see Orion walking calmly despite the excitement in his voice, and I relaxed. As did Lord.
Orion made his way to my dog and the two of them greeted each other like two long-lost friends. “Hey, boy,” Orion crooned, hunkering down in front of him to lavish attention upon him.
“Puppy!” a little girl squealed, and I was once again a nervous wreck.
“Reagan, wait.”
I followed the sound of the booming voice and saw a giant man with a baby in his arms, a gorgeous blonde woman rushing to catch the little girl who was making a run for my dog. “Baby, you need to wait for Mommy, remember? Rowan’s dog is a guard dog, so we need to ask permission.”
Reagan stopped immediately and looked up at her mom. “Okay, Mama.”
“I think we should put him up,” I said to Scooby.
“Why?” he challenged, nodding to my dog. “Look at him. He’s totally in love with Ori and he isn’t showing any aggression toward anyone. You’re the only one who’s freakin’ out here, Twinkles. Trust your training.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt, honey.”
“No one’ll get hurt,” he promised. “I let everyone know about Lord, as you can see, and the adults will make sure their kids are careful.”
“Come here, RayRay,” Orion directed from his place on the floor. He held his hand up to me and smiled. “Give me the leash, Rowan. I got him.”
I glanced at Scooby who nodded, so I handed Orion the leash. Reagan walked slowly toward him and knelt in front of Lord.
“Reach your hand out, baby, and let him sniff you,” Orion directed, and Reagan did so. Lord licked her hand immediately, making the little girl giggle. She didn’t need any further urging and threw her hands around his neck.
Scooby pulled me close before I could ‘rescue’ her. “She’s good, Rowan.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” the big man said. “She’s our animal lover. We cannot keep her away.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt. Lord hasn’t had a lot of exposure to kids, so I was a little nervous.”
He smiled. “I’m Sundance, this is my woman, Wyatt, and this is Braxton.” He nodded to the baby sleeping in his arms.
“I’m Rowan.” I found myself leaning into Scooby, overwhelmed by the sheer number of people suddenly surrounding me. His arm tightened around me, and I felt instantly safe again as he introduced me to his brothers and their families. Orion had Lord well in-hand, so I was free to roam about the cabin, so-to-speak.
“Okay, you’ve hogged her long enough,” Violet decreed. “Our turn.”
I held Scooby a little tighter. “Um...”
Scooby leaned down and whispered, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“We’ll be gentle,” Raquel added.
“I’ve got Lord,” Scooby promised.
I bit my lip and nodded. Scooby gave me a gentle squeeze and I reluctantly left him, following the ladies into the kitchen.
“Okay, tell us everything,” Violet demanded, holding up a bottle of red wine in question.
“What do you mean?” I asked, nodding to the wine.
“You’ve obviously made things official with Scooby,” Violet said.
“Um, well...”
“I can only assume the reason you’re not on the back of Scooby’s bike is because of your dog, right?” Violet handed me a glass of wine.
“Is that significant?”
“Don’t freak her out, Letti,” Raquel admonished.
“I’m not trying to freak her out,” Violet said. “Seriously. I was just asking to get the lay of the land. Because you’re one of us now, so we need to welcome you properly.”
“Jesus, Violet, you need to take it down a few notches,” Indigo hissed.
“I’m okay,” I lied.
“You’re making it sound like we’re going to make her do some kind of initiation,” Sierra said before facing me. “We won’t, just to be clear.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Violet hedged. “It might be fun.”
“What’s going on in here?” Wyatt asked, walking in with a beautiful curvy brunette.
“Busted,” Sierra breathed out with a laugh.
“Letti, are you trying to resurrect hazing the new girls?” the brunette asked. She turned to me and smiled, reaching out her hand. “I’m Sabrina. I belong to Stoney. He’s the sexy as fuck one currently talking to your man.”
“Rowan.” I shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“And, no, there was no hazing,” Violet said. “I would never do that.”
“Lies,” the women said, in stereo, all bursting into laughter as they continued to tease Violet mercilessly.
I noticed Scooby move into the room with Lord beside him and smiled as my dog nuzzled my thigh. I slid my hand into his fur and scratched the back of his neck as he sat down, leaning against me.
“How’s your head?” I asked.
“Fuckin’ throbs,” Scooby said.
I frowned. “Why didn’t you say something? I’ve got Tylenol in my purse.”
He shook his head. “We’ve got better shit in the back, baby.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “Perks of owning cannabis shops.”
“You’re not really gonna smoke in front of the kids, are you?” I whispered.
“No fuckin’ way,” he whispered back. “None of us’d ever do that, Twinkles. Just wanted to check in and see if you were good so I could sneak out for a few.”
“Oh my god,” Violet breathed out. “You’re checking in with her. That’s so cute.”
Scooby rolled his eyes. “Stow it, Letti.”
She waved a finger in the air. “Um, nope. I don’t think I will. This is, like, the most awesome day, ever.”
“Aero!” Scooby bellowed.
“Yeah?” Aero called back, and I saw him walk toward us from the other side of the room.
Violet wrinkled her nose. “Tattling is such kindergarten-level bullshit, buddy.”
“What’s up?” Aero asked as he walked into the kitchen.
“Wanna share?” Scooby challenged.
“No, I’m good,” Violet said, taking a sip of her wine.
Aero grinned. “Are you conceding?”
“Nope,” she said, glaring at Scooby.
“You sure?” Scooby challenged.
“You’re a fuckin’ narc,” she growled.
“My job here is done.” Scooby laughed. “How long did she make it?”
“Two days,” Aero said, holding his hand out to Violet.
She slapped a twenty-dollar bill into his palm with a huff and then shrugged. “I think the takeaway here is that I made it two whole days. I’m a fucking legend.”
Aero wrapped his arms around her and kissed her quickly. “Yeah, baby, you’re right. You’re a legend. Two days without harassing Scooby about his love life. Good job.”
“Suck it. Both of you.”
I was fascinated by the interaction between the group of friends. There was no heat, no anger, just good-natured ribbing. Even with the women. They obviously adored each other. Their men were brothers in the club, but these women had formed a sisterhood and they were welcoming me in. Or they appeared to be, anyway. I wanted to believe all of it. I wanted to belong, but I’d been burned so many times before, I fully intended to go slowly.
Scooby grinned. “Still love you, Letti, even if you are a pain in the ass.”
“Only your ass.” She snagged a cookie off a plate on the island and chucked it at him. He caught it easily, taking a bite out of it with a chuckle.
“Go do what you need to do, honey,” I said. “I want to check your bandage when you’re done, though, okay?”
He nodded, kissing my temple before heading out of the room.
