Page 59 of Jake's Angel

“Skyler seems nice enough. I can’t imagine anyone being afraid of her. She seems sweet to me.”

“Skyler is sweet.” Sadie says, “But she’s also lethal. Not only did she marry a fighter, but she’s also one herself. Not in the ring or anything, but she doesn’t take shit from anyone.” She’s beaming with pride.

“Yeah, and she got into it with a Mountain Heights club girl a while back. The way Xander and Cash told it, the club whore had to have her jaw wired shut for a while, rendering her ‘half as useful,’ Cash’s words.” Jayde throws her hands up in a placating manner and whispers, “These men like all holes to be readily available.”

“I’m not worried about any of them. As far as Jake’s concerned, what happened with us was a onetime thing.”

“Hold the fuck up!” Sadie spins on me, pinning me to the wall. “What do you mean ‘what happened between you and Jake?’”

Shit.

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“Oh, no, no, no. I know that face. You have dirt to spill, now spill it.”

I’m about to tell them about my momentary lapse in judgment and the scorching hot kiss Jake and I shared at Magpie’s when a short, dark-haired woman comes storming through the bathroom door only to stop dead in her tracks with the same haunted look on her face as the men had in church a short while ago.

“As I live and breathe.” Her hand flies to her chest, tears fill her eyes while she appraises the three of us. More specifically,me. I take the opportunity to do the same. She’s a small woman, slender, wearing skintight blue jeans, a tight-fitting black tank top, a black Harley Davidson apron around her waist, and leather boots. She has her long black hair, peppered with some gray, pulled up in pin curls and a black bandanna holding it all up in place. If there was ever a complete opposite of Eleanor West, this woman is it.

“Are you just going to stand there sizing me up, Bug, or are you going to come give your grandmother a hug?”

Before I could catch myself, I blurt, “I wouldn’t hug the wretched bitch if my life depended on it.” I hear Sadie clear her throat. Looking back at her, I see she’s raising an eyebrow, nudging her chin toward the woman before me.

The older woman let out a loud burst of laughter. She opens her arms and says, “While I don’t suppose I blame you. It’s been sixteen years, child. I’d love it if I could hug my granddaughter again. I can assure you I’m not half the wretched bitch the other woman is.”

“I … Wait … What? Did you just say you’re my grandmother?”

I’m so lost. I never knew. I mean, obviously if Gabe is my father and he has parents, they would be my grandparents, butthis woman hereis not what I would have pictured.

“Oh, come here.” She takes me into her arms and hugs me. It’s not one of those bring you in and pat your shoulders polite hugs that people do at social gatherings. No.She has her arms wrapped as tightly as they’ll go around my shoulders, squeezing me, holding on for dear life.

After a minute or two, she finally loosens her hold and takes a small step back. “Let me get a good look at you, honey.” She looks me over like she’s taking in every freckle and stray hair. She has tears spilling from her eyes when she finally speaks again. “Good Lord, do you ever look like your mama. You’ve filled out nicely, too.”

Nope, definitely not something my prim and proper Eleanor West would say.I clear my thoughts and focus on the woman in front of me.

“So, if you’re Gabe’s mother, do I have a grandfather, too?”

She laughs a loud, hearty laugh, tossing her head back as she does. “Oh, yes, child. But you’ve already met him. Caleb’s the one who called me to come get you after my son did such a bang-up job of introducing himself to you.”

“Caleb?”

She nods. “Come on, girls. Let’s get you all back up to the house. We have a party to plan, and I’ve got a granddaughter to get to know. Plus, it sounds like I walked in just in time to get the dirt on the men and the warnings about the club whores.”

My chin drops open at her brashness.

“Oh, child. I’ve been around the club for a long time. I know all about the whores, the strippers, the hookers, and the hang-arounds. Not much goes on here I don’t find out about.”

“That’s true!” Jayde and Sadie shout in unison.

“Come on. Let’s go home, girls.”

I follow blindly, still in shock at all that’s happened today. One good thing I can pull out of all of this is the woman before me is nothing like the woman I once feared. I think I’m going to like staying with her a lot better.

All four of us walk out together. Jayde and Liz are sharing a smug look. When I see Jake’s face, I understand why. Jayde did an amazing job of making us look like we have our shit together. You’d never know our entire world was rocked less than an hour ago.

Jake can’t stop staring at me. He’s devouring me with his eyes from five feet away. Wearing his own smug grin, licking his lips, taunting me. He adjusts himself, not so subtly. He sees I’ve noticed and smiles wider, enjoying the heat of my embarrassment and the soft rosy glow creeping up my neck and face.

“You might want to wipe your chin there, brother.” Hawk nudges Jake’s shoulder with his. “You’ve got a little something …” He taps his chin with his finger, as if wiping his own drool away. I’m pretty sure Jake’s about to tell Hawk where he can put his fucking finger, but his retort is cut off when a slender hand slithers over the top of his shoulder from behind, and another around his waist caressing his abdomen.

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