“So, I guess the question is,” I waited for the noise to settle, “John, can you ride a horse?”
“I can.” He nodded.
“A bull?”
“Perhaps.”
“Interesting.”
Savannah looked at the both of us with a sparkle in her eye that snapped us out of our moment. “And as much fun as this is, it’s time for dinner.”
“So, Sloane,” Mark wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked over to the table, “I’m not one for being subtle, so I figured I should just dive in. I notice your left is naked.”
“What?” I laughed as he pulled back a chair for me while John slid into the chair to my right.
“I’m sorry, Sloane.” Mia looked mortified. “He doesn’t have a filter.”
I shrugged. “It’s refreshing, actually.” Mark shot her a look, and she rolled her eyes. “No, no, it’s complicated, no, and no.”
“Complicated how?” This time Mark was ready for Mia’s hit and grabbed her hand as it came at him. Damn, he was a charmer.
“Sloane,” Frank stepped in for the rescue, “I leave tomorrow but will be back in a few days. Is there anything you need before I go?”
“Actually, there is.” John handed me the mashed potatoes, and as I took the heavy plate, he was ready for me to struggle, so he kept his hands on it. “Heavy and hot.” He chuckled and moved it to sit in front of me.
“Thanks.” Having him so close made my mind foggy. I stumbled to remember what I was talking about. “Ah, I would like to interview Brick from the Devil’s Reach.”
The table went quiet, and I wondered what the deal was with this club.
“I can pack a bag and make day trip out of it. I just have some questions.”
Frank glanced at Cole uneasily. “When does Irons return?”
“Not sure yet. He and Keith are finishing up the paperwork.”
“I don’t need an escort, Frank,” I interrupted before Cole could say anything else. “You know what and who I’ve been up against before. A motorcycle club doesn’t scare me.”
Frank’s lips pressed together like he wanted to say something, but the room was full, so I didn’t push it further.
Suddenly, a stampede could be heard, and a door slamming brought a chorus of groans from around the room.
“Hey,” Mark grabbed one of the little boys by the shirttail as he attempted to scoot by and wrangled him to his side, “Liam, meet Sloane. She’s going to be here for a while.”
“I know, Dad.” He rolled his eyes. “We already met.”
All eyes swung over to me, so I stuck up my pinky and pointer finger and screamed through a whisper, “Call of Duty!”
“Mark!” Mia hit his arm. “I told you they are too young to play that game.”
“I can’t help it if they find my games. Just be glad they don’t find my porn or your toys.”
“Oh, my God, I can’t.” She gave a pleading look to Savi, who was still staring at me with a smirk.
“Call of Duty!” Liam returned my hand gestures before he escaped his father’s hold and raced away yelling, “See ya tonight, Sloane.”
Cole was the first to laugh, breaking the moment.
“I think I’m a little turned on right now,” John joked as he sent me an interesting look, one I couldn’t quite interpret.
“You and me both.” Mark let out a loud laugh before Mia shook her head. “So, you’re kinda single?” Mark suddenly flipped topics again, and I started to laugh—so hard in, fact, that I teared up. He was relentless.
“At least she thinks I’m funny.” He pointed a finger at Mia.
“Excuse me, Uncle John?” a young voice rang out, and a small version of Savi in a sweet black and white dress approached. A bright red ribbon was tied in her hair, and she wore shiny black shoes with a silver buckle on the side.
“Yes, little lady.” He reached out and brushed the back of his finger down her cheek.
She leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
“I see.” He nodded, and she continued to softly chat in his ear.
“That might be a Daddy question.”
She gave a quick glance over to Cole before she spoke out loud. “Oh, Uncle John, you know what he’ll say.”
“What would I say?” Cole asked.
“Daddy, it’s rude to come into a conversation that you’re not a part of.”
Cole turned to Savi. “Whoa, who does that sound like?” Savi covered her mouth to