leather and grease with just a hint of sweat. Just like the clubhouse in Eugene. Jesus, it was like coming home.
“Hey, mama,” a rounded woman with short, salt-and-pepper hair said as she reached us, giving my mom a sweet smile. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“You cut that glorious hair,” my mom replied, smiling huge. “And it looks goddamn fantastic. I hate you.”
The woman laughed as my mom hugged her, and something in me settled as they held the hug longer than necessary, whispering into each others’ ears as they rocked side to side. When they finally pulled apart, they both turned to look at me.
“CeeCee, this is Eileen. You probably don’t remember her, but when you were little, she used to carry you around all damn day.” Mom chuckled. “At one point, she strapped you to her back just so she could get things done.”
“You must be exhausted,” Eileen said. “Poor thing. Come on, I’ll get you settled in a room.”
Mark’s arm tightened and Eileen’s mouth twitched. “We’re not goin’ far,” she told him. “But she’s dead on her feet.”
“I’ll be in soon,” Mark murmured into my ear. “I need to have Forrest check on my shoulder.” I nodded. Part of me wanted to giggle at the fact that he thought I needed some sort of protection. I was as safe as I’d ever been in my entire life, surrounded by these people. It didn’t matter how far I’d run or how long I’d been gone, we both knew these were my people. My tribe. But the other part of me was comforted to know that he wasn’t just going to disappear now that I was safe. I didn’t let myself dwell on that realization.
“I can show you a room, too,” Eileen said to Lu, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Eileen.”
“I’ll stay out here,” Lu said politely. “But thank you.”
“She’s one of the boys, Ei,” my mom said with a smile at Lu.
“Right on,” Eileen said, nodding. “Well, if you need anything, you let me know.”
“I’ll do that,” Lu replied.
“Hey, what about if I need anything?” Eli asked, grinning.
“You come to me, pretty boy,” a large man replied, making Eileen laugh as she looked over her shoulder at him.
“Oh, honey, I couldn’t even keep up with this one,” she told the man, pointing her thumb at Eli.
The man chuckled. “Baby, you know that ain’t true,” he shot back.
Mark leaned down to my ear. “Home sweet home,” he said in amusement, giving me a little tap on my ass to get me moving. “I’ll find you in a bit.”
I followed my mom and Eileen through the room, and as we got to the hallway where the bedrooms were located, I felt my entire body grow heavy. I guess knowing that I was so close to somewhere I could rest had somehow triggered a physical response.
“Now, don’t you go tellin’ anyone, but I got a bathtub in our room and I keep it sparklin’ clean. You feel like a soak, you just let me know,” Eileen said. “I’d imagine that would feel real nice right about now.”
“Jesus,” I mumbled. “Are you an angel?”
Eileen laughed and looked at my mom. “She’s yours, alright.”
“I think she’s a clone,” my mom said proudly. “Didn’t even need Cody for this one.”
They both chuckled.
“You’re stayin’ in here,” Eileen said as she opened a door. “When your pop called, we got to work. All the boys with homes in town gave up their rooms and we got ’em cleaned and ready for visitors.”
“You mean they’re not staying here?” my mom asked, a thread of steel in her voice.
“Oh, they’re stayin’ here,” Eileen said with a smirk. “But they’ve got bedrolls they know how to use. The boys who’re here full-time have too much shit in their rooms, so we didn’t bother tryin’ to move ’em.”
“Ah.” Mom nodded.
“And some of the boys headed north to help with the search,” Eileen said quietly. “But we’ve got plenty left down here.”
“Thank you,” my mom said with a sigh. “When it rains, it fucking pours.”
“It’s what family’s for, mama,” Eileen replied, reaching out to give my mom’s arm a squeeze. She turned to me. “This one’s a queen, so you and your man should fit. Might be snug though.”
“Oh, he’s not—”
“He probably won’t be sleeping much,” my mom said, cutting me off. “I have a feeling they’ll be up most of the night trying to figure shit out.”
“You’re probably right,” Eileen replied ruefully. “I brought in a portable crib—”