Joker (Hell's Ankhor #8) - Aiden Bates Page 0,74

and cleared my throat around the sudden tightness there. “Thank you. Really.”

Then Brennan’s arms were around my waist, and he pressed a kiss to my nape. “Thank you for telling me. Now come on, I need coffee.”

We made our way downstairs, and I put the coffee on while Brennan poked around his fridge to scrounge up breakfast.

“Hey,” he said as he cracked a few eggs into a bowl, “do your brothers know about the charity yet? And the volunteering?”

I shrugged. “I guess not. It didn’t really come up.”

The work I did with the kids, and the money I put into the charity, wasn’t something I did for accolades or attention. I just did it because I wanted to. Because it felt right. But until now, it’d felt private, too. I’d always been worried that if the guys found out I did it, they’d start asking why—and I hadn’t been ready to talk about Parker. But I guess now that wasn’t a roadblock anymore.

“I think you should,” Brennan said casually. “Seems like something they’d be into. And speaking of, are you taking suggestions?” He threw a grin at me.

“Depends,” I said as I poured us two cups of coffee. “What are you thinking?”

“Well, Halloween’s in two weeks,” he said with a shrug. “Do the kids get to celebrate at all?”

I hummed thoughtfully. “They usually decorate the ward, and sometimes they get to pick out costumes, and people bring by candy. But it’s usually pretty low-key.”

“You think the club would be interested in doing something with them? A trunk-or-treat, but with bikes? The kids seemed really interested in the motorcycles when I was there,” Brennan said.

“You have no idea,” I said with a low laugh. I handed him his coffee as he started cooking the eggs. “They’re always asking about it. Not just the bikes, but the club members.”

I took a sip of my coffee. Maybe Brennan was onto something with this idea. A way for me not only to involve the club in what I was doing, but to make the kids ecstatic. “What do you mean, a trunk-or-treat?”

“Have the club take over the parking lot,” Brennan said. I could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he thought about it, a slow smile spreading across his face. “The guys could dress up. Everyone brings their bikes. Maybe even decorate them, if that’s something they’d do. Then the kids could come out, wear costumes, and get candy from everyone. So they’d get to meet everyone, show off their costumes, and see all the bikes.”

The mental image made me laugh—I had a feeling everyone would get way too into it. I was already excited to see what kind of costumes they would cook up.

“You think they’d be into it?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“Hell, yeah,” Brennan said. “And we could make it a fundraiser, too. Invite the community out and collect money for your charity.”

“That’d be good for the club reputation, too,” I mused.

Brennan fixed breakfast, and we sat side by side on the couch. I leaned against him, smiling. It really was a good idea. And I was even more excited about it, knowing that Brennan wanted to help put it together.

“I think they’ll like the idea,” I said. “And this could be a way for me to let them in a little more.” I flushed again. “I was a member before, but now I really want to be—I want them to really be my family. The way they all are for each other. I didn’t realize how badly I wanted that. And how much I’d pushed them away.”

Brennan nodded, then set his plate aside to kiss me again. “You figured it out now, that’s what matters.”

“Sorry for being so stubborn,” I murmured.

Brennan laughed against my lips. “Quit your apologizing. I like how stubborn you are.” He kissed me again. “I like how funny, and sarcastic, and sweet you are.”

Then, with our plates and coffees safely set aside, he climbed onto my lap, straddling me with his arms looped around my neck. I smiled as I looked up at him, drinking in his smile, his bright eyes, his dark red hair tousled from sleep.

I slipped my hands under his shirt and rubbed circles on the soft skin of his hips with my thumbs. “I like a whole lot about you, too,” I said. I tugged him down for another kiss. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

“Knew we’d get here eventually,” Brennan said. “Just had a feeling.”

Here.