to have a good life, and to make his brother, who had been through a rough patch, happy.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
Kim smiled. “Just know that we’re all here for you and want you to be happy . . . especially if it’s with Bishop.”
I laughed along with the others. “Okay.” Realizing I was still holding the present, I handed it to Annabel. “I hope you know I didn’t mean anything by getting Rev something. Bishop said he loved nonfiction books on history.”
She smiled. “It’s fine. In fact, it would be pretty rude to show up at someone’s party without a gift.”
Kim snickered. “Of course you would say that, Miss Manners.”
Waving her hand dismissively, Annabel replied, “Whatever. Besides, Rev loves gifts. I swear he acts just like a little boy again on his birthdays.”
“So, what did you get him?” I asked.
“Eggs,” Annabel replied, with a dreamy smile.
I furrowed my brow in confusion. “Does he like to eat them or something?”
Alexandra and Kim busted out laughing at my remark, which earned them a disapproving look from Annabel. “They’re not chicken eggs to eat. They’re my eggs,” Annabel replied.
With a shake of my head, I said, “You guys like to give some strange gifts around here. I’m not sure he’s going to enjoy the book I got him.”
“Trust me, Rev’s a major history nerd.”
“That makes me feel a little better.”
Annabel smiled. “You want to hear why I’m giving my husband eggs for his birthday?”
Although I knew a lot about Annabel, this was certainly something that hadn’t been recorded. Teasingly, I said, “I’m not sure I want to, but I really need to get the whole story.”
After drawing in a deep breath, Annabel proceeded to tell me things that brought tears to my eyes. While I had known from the file that she had been kidnapped and sold into human trafficking, I had no idea the full extent of what had happened to her. The miscarriage that led to an emergency hysterectomy had been left out of the file, as well as the emotional toll it had taken on her.
When she finally finished, all I could say was “Wow.” Although I wasn’t a crier, especially when I was around others, I found moisture blurring my vision.
“Annabel is the strongest woman I know,” Alex said as tears sparkled in her eyes.
“All the credit for my strength goes to Rev. If it wasn’t for him . . .” She forced a tight smile to her face. “Well, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here in more ways than one.”
“That’s really sweet,” I murmured. It was hard imagining how the version of Rev that Annabel painted could also serve as the president of an MC. He seemed more like a college professor than a gun-toting vigilante. Once again, I realized that my preconceived notions were far off the mark.
“He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever known. That’s why I didn’t want to wait anymore. Rev thinks we’re waiting two more years for me to finish vet school and start a practice before I have my eggs harvested. But since I’m not carrying the baby and we have tons of helpers around, I see no reason to keep him waiting any longer.”
“Well, I have to say that my gift certainly pales in comparison to that,” I teased.
Annabel laughed. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t get to know about the eggs until later tonight when we’re alone. He has a simple gift from me in the pile.”
“That’s good to know.”
Willow returned with her arms laden with ketchup bottles. “Is this enough?” she asked as she started setting them down on the table.
“Yep. I think we’re good,” Annie said.
Once she was free of the ketchup, Willow turned her attention to Annabel. “Has Poe come by today?”
Annabel grimaced. “Shoot. I totally forgot to feed him today.”
Willow’s face lit up. “I’ll go feed him.”
“Thanks, sweetie.”
The next thing I knew, Willow had grabbed my hand. “Come on, Sam. I want you to meet Poe.”
“Okay,” I replied. Considering all the stories that Bishop had told me about Poe, I was pretty anxious to meet him. “See you guys later,” I called over my shoulder.
“We’ll let Bishop know where you are,” Alex said.
“Thanks.”
Willow dragged me down the hill at almost warp speed. I barely got a chance to take in the compound that I had read so much about. Of course, I had seen pictures in the files, but it wasn’t the same as seeing it for myself. It made everything so much