her. “Huh? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about my first lockdown.”
Reyn snorted. “I bet it was better than mine.”
Sage laughed. “I doubt that.”
“Oooh, do tell,” LuLu chimed in.
“Well, let’s see, I was stuck here for four days watching my drunk husband try to stick it in anything with tits and a twat.”
LuLu choked on a piece of bacon and began coughing while Reyn gave Sage a wide-eyed stare.
“Sorry to speak poorly of the dead, but that man was weak,” Glenda stated in a very matter of fact tone. And this was why Sage loved Glenda. As her mom used to say, “The woman suffered no fools.”
“Look on the bright side, at least you didn’t cause the lockdown,” LuLu said, once she’d stopped coughing.
Reyn held her hand up. “Been there, done that. Have the t-shirt to prove it.”
Smiling at their banter, Sage said, “I didn’t cause that lockdown. I can’t say the same for this one.”
Glenda snickered. “When Doc and I first met, it seemed like the club was on lockdown every other week. Then again, that was back in the days of drugs and running guns. We’ve come a long way since then.”
“Yeah, now we’re running from psychopathic murderers, corrupt cops, and drug cartels,” Reyn sarcastically pointed out, drawing laughs from the group.
“I’m glad ya’ll think it’s funny because I sure don’t!” Alice shouted from the other room. “I’ve been displaced from my home, and what’s with all of this hoity-toity furniture? This is a biker club, for Christ sake. Grizz would roll over in his grave if he could see what’s become of his club!”
Sage bugged her eyes at Reyn.
Glenda rolled hers. “Ignore her,” she told LuLu, who looked as if she was about to cry.
Glaring in Alice’s direction, Reyn muttered, “Who names their dog Sprinkles? If I had a dog, I would name it Scrotie McBoogerballs and call it Scrotie or Scrotes for short.”
Hilarious, Sage thought, nearly spitting her coffee. “You’re a South Park fan, I take it?”
“You know it.” Reyn held up her fist and Sage gave it a bump.
LuLu scowled at Reyn. “That’s a horrible name. If I had a dog, I would name it Oscar.”
Glenda added her opinion into the mix, “I like the name Oscar. Scrotie sounds too close to ball sack, but McBoogerballs isn’t bad. It has a certain ring to it. I can envision you standing on your front porch screaming, “McBoogerballs, where are you?” She laughed. “Even better, take off the Mc and shorten it to Boogerballs.”
“Boogerballs,” LuLu giggled. “Your neighbors would hate you.”
“It would be epic,” Reyn cackled.
“What’s South Park?” Glenda asked. Reyn was in the middle of telling her about the iconic show when the men rolled in from the basement.
Sage wondered where Alex was and then spotted him hugging Petal. The look of love on his face as he held her daughter made her heart melt.
Later that afternoon, while she was in the middle of blow-drying her hair, Alex walked in.
“Hey, babe, I was wondering where you were.” She tilted her head back and he gave her a kiss.
“Sledge and Aimee are here, and Steele wants to grill burgers and dogs tonight. Ink’s making a grocery run. Is there anything you’d like?”
Sage thought about it. “Are we having fries or chips?” She preferred fries but would take chips.
He let out a gasp. “A burger without fries? Is there such a thing?” She loved goofy Alex. “Oh, before I forget, the kids want sundaes for dessert. Do you have an ice cream preference?”
“Mmm, I can’t remember the last time I had a sundae. I would love some vanilla ice cream with lots of hot fudge.”
His lips split into a wicked grin, and her pulse jumped. “I’ll tell him to buy extra, so I can lick it off you later tonight.”
“Yes, please,” she breathily replied.
He gave her a wink, and she stared at his ass as he exited the bathroom. She had it bad for him.
October in Texas felt like June everywhere else. Summer jumped straight to winter, and winter turned back to summer, making fall and spring practically nonexistent. This October was different. For once, fall actually felt like fall. She loved the cooler weather. She was thinking about this as she made her way upstairs in the new jeans and cozy, cotton sweatshirt Lucy had purchased for her. She needed to pay Alex back. She was surprised Carlos hadn’t drained her account. Then again, he’d never asked for her pin number, not that he needed one. She