football for years now, he was still in incredible shape. I had no doubt that he’d just run from the parking lot all the way here.
More power to him.
I was more of a lifter. Cardio sucked balls, and I only did it on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I absolutely had to. There was no running for the fun of it.
I helped move the luggage with my feet, grinning when Rome had to do all the heavy lifting.
“You could help, fucker,” Rome grumbled as he got all the luggage behind the line where the security guard had indicated.
I pointed at the baby that was still snuggled deep into my jacket. “Sorry. I have a baby.”
Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at the gate that our plane would be departing from.
I was surprised to find Hoax and Pru, Bayou and Phoebe, as well as Linc and Conleigh.
I didn’t know the women all that well, but when Harleigh arrived holding Astrid, everyone was more than happy to see her.
Which made me happy.
I liked that she fit in amongst the women. I was still working on fitting in with the men.
One day it might happen, but I was still on the edge of the room looking in when it came to the group.
“Fuck, this flight is going to blow,” I said when I got a look at all the fuckin’ kids. Including the ones that were with the men and women of our party. “Are you sure I have to go?”
My sister looked at me with a grin on her face.
“It gets better,” she whispered conspiratorially. “I bought us matching shirts!”
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
“You’re shitting me,” I said. “I’m not wearing matching fuckin’ shirts.”
“Is that the same attitude you have when it comes to wearing the same cut as us?” Linc, one of the men I knew the least, asked.
I looked over at him, and then at Conleigh who slapped his arm with the back of her hand, before returning my gaze to him. “You got a problem?”
He eyed my bare back.
“Just noticing that you’re a part of this MC and you never show at any functions. You never bring anything to the table. You also don’t make an effort to get to know us or wear your cut delineating you as one of the MC.” Linc shrugged.
I stared at the man and said what was on my mind.
“I haven’t noticed you coming to Rome’s house,” I said. “But, in answer to why I never come to anything, I’m busy helping my grandmother at her bakery. When I’m not doing that, I’m working for Harleigh’s dad doing some private investigating. And when I’m not doing that, I’m enjoying not having to answer to anyone. Not having someone watch me take a shit. So, when you say ‘I don’t come to anything’ I mean it when I say ‘you can go fuck yourself.’”
Linc blinked.
Rome started to laugh.
Bayou sighed. “I told you to leave it alone, Linc.”
Linc grumbled something under his breath.
“I invited him to my kid’s birthday party last weekend, and he didn’t come. You invited him to a club party. He was asked to come to church. A club ride. I’m just not sure why you made him a member of the MC if he didn’t want to be in it.” Linc shrugged. “A man’s allowed to want to be his own man. It would’ve just been nice to see him before now. You know, when he’s getting a free vacation.”
Izzy growled.
“We had to force him to come,” Izzy snapped. “He didn’t come because he was getting a free vacation. He came because he loves me and he knew that it meant a lot to me that he be there. We’ve never been to Disney World before.”
I pulled my sister over to me and curved my arm around her shoulder.
“I’ll come to the next club party,” I said. “I’m sorry I missed your kid’s birthday. No, I don’t really want to be here, but I did bring a friend to help make the fact that I have to endure listening to y’all’s kids bearable.”
Harleigh snorted.
“Their kids aren’t bad,” she teased, holding Astrid close.
Astrid, who had Mickey Mouse ears on her head, turned quickly and smacked Harleigh in the face with one of the ears.
“You were saying?” I teased.
That was when the girl in my arms started to snuffle her displeasure.
“Your kid’s waking up,” I informed my sister.
Izzy promptly pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag she was still holding and handed it to me.
“This