Page 14 of Whiskey

War chuckled, “Well, technically, I think he’s joining all three, but he needs help on what to do next.”

“Just thank your lucky stars, you weren’t like our president who had to crawl out of a hole and apologize to his woman. You just need to show her how you feel.”

“That’s it. If I knew how to show her how I feel, then I wouldn’t be asking you two.”

A pat on his shoulder had him turning. Locks, Baron, Rascal, and Scoop had joined them in the barn. Locks, Baron, and Rascal were original members of the MC.

“Hey kids, Regina has cookies and drinks on the picnic table out front. Wash your hands out there, then you can have snacks,” Locks directed them.

Whiskey waited while the kids left. Locks’ face didn’t look happy.

“We need to chat about something, but if you don’t mind an old man butting in, I’d like to offer my take on it.”

Whiskey was more than happy to have Locks give him advice. Locks had been married for thirty-some years before he lost his wife to cancer.

“The way to a woman’s heart is showing her she matters to you. You’ve already started showing her because you stepped up. You’ve shown her son he can trust you by your actions. You’ve taken them somewhere safe. I bet you’re doing things you don’t even realize that show your love.”

“Love?” Whiskey questioned. Was that what he felt for her? He liked her. He admired her strength in running. He wanted to finish at the bar so he could spend time getting to know her better. Was this what love felt like?

“Imagine a year in the future. Now, imagine Vivi isn’t a part of it. How do you feel?”

His heart clenched at the thought of not having Vivi with him. “Empty.”

Baron laughed along with Locks. “Locks was right. He said you were already deeply in love with Vivi and Ezra. I said I had to see for myself.”

Whiskey thought through what everyone had said. He honestly couldn’t see any future for himself without Vivi in it. He wanted Ezra to be his son permanently, not his pretend son. He wanted to help Vivi raise Little Tot and then add more kids to their family.

He wanted to hold her tight and reassure her she’d always be safe. If this is what love felt like, then he was going to make sure Vivi knew how he felt. He wasn’t letting her slip away after she was safe.

“Now, for the not-so-great stuff. Sarah and I did a deep dive into Vivi’s ex-husband’s family. They have a couple businesses, but their main source of income isn’t from anything legitimate. I think we found the reason they want Vivi and Ezra. Ezra’s dad left everything in his will to Ezra with Vivi as guardian of it until he is eighteen. From what we found, it was changed three weeks before he died. Also, I don’t think he died by accident. The coroner’s report says natural causes, but there’s nothing in the report. Where it should detail the condition of the body, there’s nothing.”

Whiskey had worried the situation would get worse, and it had. He was at a loss for what to do next besides hiding out. He was a bar owner. He’d done stuff for the MC but not on the level of organized crime, which is what Vivi’s ex-husband’s family sounded like.

“So, what’s your suggestion?”

“You all stay here until the threat is neutralized. I sent a message to someone I know in Kansas City and am waiting for them to get back to me. I know saying don’t worry is freaking meaningless, but there isn’t anything you can do right now.” Scoop nodded when he finished and headed out of the barn.

“Nothing we can do about it tonight. I’ve got supper on for everyone at the house. The ladies want their evening, and it will be good for Vivi to have fun.” Locks motioned toward the house and headed out to the kids.

“Whiskey, what’s the damage at the bar?” Rascal asked.

“They were able to get it out relatively quickly, but because we had curtains over the windows, the fire spread rapidly. Sealed cement floors helped, but Crewe and Hennessey estimated we’re replacing all the booths because of the cloth seats. Windows are being upgraded and replaced. I told them to do whatever upgrades we’d been wanting anyway since insurance has to replace so much. It’s going to be a chunk of change, but we’re upgrading to bullet-resistant glass.”

Whiskey appreciated Rascal and Baron’s pats on his shoulder. It wasn’t the same as having his dad and uncles here, but the MC had his back and would help him keep his family safe.

Whiskey wasn’t sure how to just wait and do nothing, but it didn’t sound like he had a choice. He had a lot to consider. How did he show Vivi his feelings for her had changed? He’d never considered himself a hero or even husband material. He’d wanted a family, but always worried he wouldn’t find one. Who knew all it took was taking a ride on his motorcycle to Bluff Creek?

Chapter Ten

Vivi leaned back against the couch, waiting for Beth to bring in the drinks. Beth’s sisters Remi, Sarah, Winnie, and Jesse had joined the impromptu girls’ night along with Regina, Stella, and her daughters along with Meg, who Vivi thought was with Rascal. Beth had told her they even had a code for it, Code Rachel, emotional backup needed. Since Vivi had never had a girls’ night, she didn’t know what to expect, but if it got Whiskey out of her hair, it was a good thing.

She couldn’t decide what was bothering her more about Whiskey. Was it his tendency to wander around in his sweatpants with his tattooed chest making her want to climb on for a ride or his over-protective nature that had him worried if she walked more than ten feet?

When she was pregnant with Ezra, she’d never understood what women meant about pregnancy hormones because she’d hated everything about her husband. Now, all she could think about was how Whiskey’s hands might feel gliding across her skin, or how his skin would taste as her tongue traced the designs on his chest.

She’d never ached down there in her life, but oh my, if this is what sexual frustration felt like, she could completely understand how people did crazy things. At night, she imagined walking down the hall to Whiskey’s room and crawling under the covers with him. Though it would have to be in the dark because hello, she wasn’t showing her beach ball belly and heavy breasts in lamp light.

She knew that Whiskey found her attractive because he’d been hard around her multiple times. Today, it was when she’d brushed by him to go down the hall. Her butt sliding close to his crotch had him hard behind his jeans.

---