Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
I nod, not sure if he's done. I don't think so.
“Anyway if you're sure, I think you could do a lot worse than these guys. What do you say?”
I look at them in turn, pretending to think it over.
“I'm gonna spank you,” says Phoenix.
The crowd chuckles, while Mom shakes her head.
“Of course,” I say.
Then I proclaim you old lady and property of Havoc, Phoenix and Sledge. If they ever give you trouble, let me know and I'll have the Cleanup Crew beat some sense into them. There were rings?”
Nothing happens until Liam gives Dante a nudge and they walk up, holding the boxes. The moment we take them from him, Dante plops down on the chair with Mia.
Guess it's up to me. I open mine first, one at a time. Each ring is made from titanium, engraved with the names of the others, because while I'm the old lady, this is a partnership, and we all do our share. One by one, I slip them on their ring fingers, before Havoc takes the last one and puts it on mine.
A cheer goes up and then we're swarmed with people eager to congratulate us.
Biker weddings are a thing of their own, but that doesn't mean they mean any less.
Once the ceremony is over, people are more attracted to Chef's burgers than they are to us. The guys surround me. Sledge sweeps Mia up in his arms. She hugs him tight and kisses his cheek. “Love you, Sledge!” she proclaims. At some point the Mr. slipped away when she was talking to them, which to me is just another sign that I’m doing the right thing.
Me, my little girl, and my three big bikers.
41
SHELBY
It's weird to be back at the Sledge’s house after spending so long at the clubhouse. But Mia and I can't just hop between their rooms forever, though they've all been great about adding a kid bed in each of their rooms for Mia to crash in while I bunk in with whoever's there. It doesn't exactly give us much time for nighttime fun. Fortunately the club is full of babysitters and Alessa is happy enough to have Mia over during the day. There are definitely benefits to having men who don't work nine to five jobs.
But after a lot of talk, Sledge has finally decided to sell his grandmother's house. We’ve put a down payment on a house near the compound where all five of us can move into. Mia can have her own room, and for ourselves, we can maybe knock out a wall or two to make room for a bed like Alessa has upstairs. I can't wait.
But first, it’s time to clear out the house.
“This is a lot of shit, not gonna lie.” Sledge shakes his head.
He's right. I had a few things, pictures and toys and stuff, but most of the furniture belongs with the house. His grandmother’s personal things have long since been dealt with, but it’s still a lot to get rid of.
Sledge and I rode here on his bike, so we got here faster, but now Havoc and Phoenix are turning into my driveway with a moving truck.
“You going to keep much of it, you think?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. There's some memories here, but most of this is gonna get donated or head straight for the dump. It's so old and worn, hardly anyone's gonna want it.”
It's a big job, but then we've got three big, strong guys to carry the big stuff. And me, to organize and direct them.
Fine, I'll do some moving too.
Clearing out the living room and kitchen actually goes a lot faster than expected. We're efficient. By lunchtime, we're down to the bedrooms.
Sledge looks thoughtful. “We're moving along real quick here, but you know what I never did while I lived here?”
“Showered?” Havoc suggests.
“Fuck off.” Sledge gives him a shove while Havoc laughs.
“I never had a girl over. Grandma accepted a lot of things in me, just about everything really, but no girls in my room, especially not while someone was home.” He gives me a look that I'm all too familiar with. Doesn't take a genius to see where this is heading.
Phoenix gives him the side-eye. “You can't tell me that you never fucking snuck a girl in here while Grandma was out. No fucking way.”
Sledge shrugs. “You fucking know me. Do you think I was any smoother as a teenager than I am now? Besides, I owed her fucking everything. It wasn’t a big ask. She was the only one in my whole damn family who really accepted me as I was. I was not gonna risk fucking that up.”
Havoc peeks into Sledge's old room, where there's just a single bed now—the one Mia has been sleeping in. “So you're saying… that this room's virgin?”