Page 64 of Clint & Ivy

“I’ll bring her along to the next Sorority House party, so she can meet everyone.”

“Why don’t you bring her around sooner? Who are you embarrassed by, her or us?”

“Neither. I figure slowly introducing Ivy to people will help her learn names easier.”

“Fuck that,” Goldie said and settled next to Rock who was now sitting in a chair after peeling himself off the ground. “Dump this fox into the deep end and see if she can swim.”

“She can’t,” Rowdy announced from the ground where he lit a cigarette and dodged dog licks from Death to Missouri. “Ivy’s an itty-bitty thing. She’s also really young.”

“I thought she was twenty-three,” Goldie said to me.

“She is.”

“This chick is a full-grown adult.”

“No, I think she’s still growing,” Rowdy replied, feeling feisty since his brawl with Rock. “She’s really small.”

Goldie smiled at me. “Now, I’m extra curious. Bring her here tonight.”

“No.”

“Well, I’ll have to stick around for this Saturday’s party then,” she said and rested her head against Rock’s arm. “Afterward, I’m driving to that shithole state to see my brother.”

“Take someone with you.”

“No.”

“Take Zadie.”

“No.”

“It’s what Boone would want.”

“He told me to come alone,” Goldie insisted said as her brown eyes studied me. “He specifically stated how I shouldn’t bring anyone.”

Knocking back the rest of my iced tea, I grinned at her. “I like when you fail at lying. It makes me feel smart.”

Goldie yawned and nearly toppled into Rock’s lap. He frowned down at the fox, who was like his cousin. They grew up together at the same townhome complex. Goldie’s mom, Yarrow, was a member of the Everything Nice Crew, and her dad, Blackjack, was the VP for Rawlins Heretics MC.

That was how it worked in the Crimson Guard. We were all tangled up in family binds and shared memories.

Someone like Ivy was unusual in our world but not unheard of. Sabrina met Moe at a Little Rock bar. They dated long distance for a year before Moe moved to Little Memphis. I ran that sweet blonde through the paces for another year before she got patched into the club. By then, she was living with Sabrina and Xandy at the Sorority House.

With Ivy, I saw no benefit in taking things slowly.She was mine.Why set her up in a separate life, just to claim her back inside mine again? I wasn’t keeping her from trying new things. I wanted her to have friends and hobbies. She could get everything she wanted while wrapped up in my love and protection.

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