Page 22 of Whiskey

“She’s gorgeous. Ezra, I love the name change. It suits you.”

“Thank you. It’s a brand of whiskey, so my name fits with my dad’s.”

Justice laughed and rocked the baby. Vivi slipped her arm around Whiskey’s waist and met Justice’s President and other club members. They might call themselves outlaws and have the one percent patch on their vest, but she would always view them as heroes.

As their friends from Bluff Creek trickled in, Ezra ran over to Phoebe. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

Vivi glanced at Whiskey. “Did he just use Hennessy’s line on her?”

Bear stepped up to them. “Am I going to need to keep an eye on your son? And who let Justice hold her first?”

“Fuck off, Bear. Pit’s already called dibs next.”

“Swear jar,” Phoebe and Ezra yelled, turning and holding their hands out to Justice.

“What’s a swear jar?” Justice questioned.

“Well, you can’t say stuff like that around my baby sister. What if her first word isn’t Mama or Dada but a swear?”

Justice nodded his head, fighting a smile. Vivi loved the fact he was listening to both kids as if what they were saying was the most important thing.

“So, I’m guessing I owe money for the swear?”

“Yes. You probably won’t be around to need the subscription.” Vivi smiled at how close Ezra and Phoebe had become. The fact he had friends was such a gift.

“How about since everyone is our guest here to help, why don’t I give fifty dollars to cover any swears said here today? And you both, along with your siblings and cousins, will not comment on any swears. Deal?”

Vivi appreciated Whiskey offering a solution.

“Deal.”

“Now, why don’t you both round up all the other kids and head upstairs. A couple of adults will be up there in charge.”

Vivi waited until the kids headed upstairs before breathing a sigh of relief. She didn’t want Ezra to hear how horrible his grandfather and uncle were.

Pit walked up, holding out his hands. Justice backed away, shaking his head. “You’re next but I’m not done yet.”

Pit ignored him and lifted Bailey out of his arms. “I’ve already met everyone from Bluff Creek in person. Go do your duty and meet them.”

Pit grinned, then chuckled, “Sometimes, it’s good being President. She’s a beauty. I hope you guys have a good amount of guns. If not, we’re always happy to help provide. You’ll be fighting the boys off.”

Whiskey nodded at Pit. “Good to know. It’s always good to have friends who can help with the harder to find items. We’d thought we’d give everyone a half hour to eat and chat before starting if that works for you.”

Pit nodded. “I can eat one-handed and hold this beauty. I know one of the other guys will be stealing her as soon as possible.”

Vivi followed Whiskey over and sat down. Whiskey filled a plate with all her favorites and placed it in front of her before filling his. She listened as people chatted and soaked up the atmosphere. Even though they were here to solve her problem, she felt peace. It had taken her a while to identify the feeling that came over her when she was around Whiskey and what was now her family. Growing up, she’d never known she could feel this way. She was actually able to make plans. Whiskey had encouraged her to think about what she wanted to do. He was supportive of her devoting her time to the kids but also was supportive of her finding out if she wanted to do something else. Having a little one limited her time, but she had been researching different options. So far, she was thrilled with being a mom and helping in the bar sometimes. The women of Bluff Creek had come to visit a couple times.

Pit stood to explain what they’d found out, and Bear had the baby in his arms before Beth could take her. She’d gotten to know them all so well that she felt almost as close to them as she did to her Nelson family.

Ezra and Phoebe were best friends. Maybe a little too close after they’d decided to use Beth’s surveillance equipment and listen in on a meeting. Oh the uproar it had caused when everyone figured out that Beth had loaned Phoebe the equipment to train for surveillance. She’d learned whether she was at Bluff Creek or here at home, life was never dull.

She only hoped the meeting didn’t last too long. Once she and Whiskey had finally been able to consummate their marriage, she couldn’t get enough of her man. With two kids, they had to take every chance they had for alone time.

“I’m glad the kids are out of the room. You know that your father-in-law and brother-in-law were arrested for tax evasion and human trafficking. We think they paid off someone to be given bail because they were both a flight risk. A friend who has been looking into this for us found some disturbing postings on the dark web. There’s no easy way to say this. Your father-in-law posted you and Bailey for sale. The countdown clock shows he’d needs you both by the end of next week when the auction ends.”

Pit paused because the outburst from the group was so loud. It was a horrible thing to hear about, but all these people jumping to her defense had her knowing that her ex-family would not win.

Whiskey’s arms slipped around her, grounding her and reminding her that she wasn’t alone. A hand on her shoulder had her looking up. Her father-in-law, Peck, nodded at her. She’d gotten to know Peck very well because he and his brothers spent a lot of time with the kids. Peck was a man of few words, but his eyes and face could convey a multitude of things. Peck would not allow anything to happen to her children.

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