set up on the stage and everyone chowed down. I’d joined my dad’s table with him, Laura, Spencer, Pippa, Delia and Rudy, plus Uncle George.
Deacon, Ella, Ella’s parents and little brother, plus Rider, and Jenna were at the next table over. The place was packed with bikers, wives, and kids.
“Jojo?” Beau, Ella’s little brother asked.
“Yeah, honey?”
“When I grow up and get my hog, I want a girl just like you on the back of it.”
“Like me?”
Everyone within earshot looked at us.
“You’re a babe, you ride a Harley, and you cook ‘n take care of shit while still bein’ a babe.”
I was speechless.
Beau lifted a piece of bacon from his plate. “You’re the whole pack, Jojo. If you’re still a babe when I get big, maybe I’ll put you on the back of my hog.”
There was laughter all around.
Beau looked at everyone like he couldn’t figure out why they were laughing.
"She's the whole package, you mean," Ella's dad Rob corrected.
Beau shrugged and shoved the bacon in his mouth.
“Well, Beau, " I said," if you’re half as hot as I suspect you’ll be, I just might let you.” I leaned over and kissed his forehead.
Laughter from our tables got eyes on us. I locked eyes with Christian at the far end of the place sitting at a booth with Jesse and Gianna, Bick, Nico, and Bronto. He looked the other way. I tried (and failed) to ignore the yucky feeling in my belly at that. I wanted his eyes on me. His hands. I wanted him at this table with us, with me. I wanted the banter Rider and Jenna had going right now, teasing one another. I wanted the sweet way Spencer went and found orange marmalade from the upstairs kitchen for Pippa’s toast when the restaurant’s brand was too sweet for her. I wanted the closeness Deacon and Ella had, practically attached to one another as she fed him bacon and he sucked on her finger with a sexy promise in his eyes. None of them were afraid to show affection to their significant other; I shouldn’t have to be afraid either.
I saw Sara giving Gianna evil eyes from behind Gianna’s back. I didn’t think Gianna had clocked it yet, but I would make it a point to go sit with Gianna after breakfast.
Dad got up at the end of the meal.
“Everyone, thanks for bein’ here. We appreciate you all droppin’ everything to come yesterday for an emergency meeting. It’s been confirmed that Alec Wylde has been released from prison for compassionate as he’s late stage cancer and expected to die at home. Like we’d all expect, he’s said to be workin’ on strikin’ a deal with the Freebooters to support a Wyld Jackals rebirth as a support club, meaning the Booters are now in a pending enemy status for The Dominion Brotherhood and a coupla allies. Me, Rudy, and two other brotherhood charter presidents as well as our VPs plus allies from two other MCs are workin’ on scheduling a meet with them to get confirmation or attempt to talk ‘em into puttin’ the kibosh on it, but meantime be sure to take extra precautions with your loved ones. Let’s all be sure to take extra care that we’re watching our backs and one another’s.”
Alec Wylde was Mantis’s father, former president and co-founder of The Wyld Jackals. This was bad, bad news that he was out of prison. That man was evil to his bones and would continue to try to strike out at us until his dying breath.
He and the brotherhood hated one another and that was obviously never truer since Mantis had been killed. I didn’t know much but knew Edge got his revenge for Jet and it’d been whispered that Mantis’s death had not been quick. I knew enough to know that the club made sure that those whispers got around, so they’d get back to Mantis’s father.
Up until this point, breakfast conversation was light and fun. Despite Dad’s comments the night before, he didn’t get heavy on me. Then again, there were a lot of people around so no chance for him to easily grill me about Christian Forker, if that’s what he wanted to do (which I suspected).
Not long after breakfast, I saw Beau over at Christian’s table first trying to arm wrestle with him and then saw Beau throw a little baby biker fit, trying to punch Christian in the nuts when Christian dangled him upside down.
I smiled at the sight of Christian