his neck, she leaned into him.
“I’m glad you’re home,” she murmured.
“Me too, darlin’. Where do you wanna go for dinner? I have a hankering for steak.”
“I’d rather stay home tonight. I’m kind of tired.” She brushed her mouth across his collarbone. “I can make you a steak and baked potato.”
Smokey gently tugged her hair so her head tilted back, then he kissed her. “You make the dinner and I’ll provide the dessert.” He winked and squeezed her ass.
She playfully smacked his chest, then pulled away. “And because you took such good care of me, I’ll fry up some mushrooms.”
“That sounds good.”
“I’m going to get a glass of wine. I’ll bring you a beer and a shot of Jack.”
A grin spread across his face. “You know me well, darlin’.”
Ashley went inside the house they were renting and ambled into the kitchen. After the attack, she couldn’t live at Zach’s place anymore; each time she’d walked into the kitchen, the image of Tanner’s body in a pool of blood invaded her mind.
Smokey found a rental in town, and he had his friends help with the move. When he’d brought his things over, she couldn’t have been happier, and they’d been living together ever since. The place was temporary, and they were working with Baylee in designing their home.
Ashley had liked Baylee the moment she’d met her at Steelers. The restaurant and bar was a favorite among the Insurgents for family night. At first, Ashley had been nervous about meeting the old ladies, but Smokey had reassured her that she’d fit in fine with them, and he was right. The women were nice and welcoming, and she and Baylee had hit it off almost immediately. They were both career women who were in love with outlaws, and Ashley admired the way Baylee juggled her career, her son, and her man so seamlessly.
“I brought out some cheese and crackers too,” she said, setting the platter on the table.
She settled down into a chair and brought the wineglass to her lips.
Reaching over, Smokey snagged two crackers, two slices of cheddar, and a few green olives. “I talked to Brady today about the fundraiser in July. He had the fuckin’ gall to tell me that he wants you to come back to the shelter.”
A ripple of surprise went through her at his words. She never entertained the idea of volunteering again at Mount Vista. The way Brady had acted with her left a sour taste in her mouth. But she did miss working with the kids.
“I don’t trust him. The way he acted at the office, and then stalking me at my house, I don’t know if I want to go down that road again.”
“I don’t blame you. Every time I see the pansy-ass, it takes all my willpower to keep my fist outta his face.”
A small laugh slipped through her lips. “You’re always trying to slay the dragons as they come at me.”
Smokey brought his shot glass to his lips. “Damn straight.”
“One of the volunteers I’m friends with told me that he’s dating one of the women in the office. I hope it works out for them. He was looking for companionship and a mother for his kids. The problem was he went about it the wrong way.”
“You should volunteer with Bikers Against Child Abuse. The club puts on a fundraiser for them every Christmas. Cara is the chairwoman, and all the old ladies get involved with the planning. You’ll be part of that this year.” He scooped up some more olives from the platter.
“That sounds like a lot of fun.” Am I an old lady now?
“It is. Give Cara a call and she’ll get you started.”
“Okay.” She took a sip of her drink. “How’s Ryan doing?”
“Pretty good. He’ll be out of rehab at the end of next month. I hope he can stay sober, but who knows? Willy’s got a job waiting for him.”
“He’s going to need a lot of support,” she said.
“And he needs to get his own place. My mom’s so damn negative and bitter that being around her is toxic.”
“Does he want to move out?”
“Yeah. We’ve talked about it a lot.”
Ashley picked up a cracker and a slice of cheese. “That’ll be hard on your mom. She’s never been alone.”
“Ryan won’t abandon her. He’ll drop by and shit like that. I’ll check in on her too.”
Smiling, she put her hand on his. “You’re a good son. You look out for your mom even though she didn’t do it for you and