Page 62 of Ridin' True
“Remind me, when do you close on the house?” asked Winnie.
“Two weeks from today. Kade’s been staying at my place. All of his stuff is already boxed up. We did it in, like, two days. As for my house, I’ve been at it for a week, and it feels more like a million years.”
“I’m surprised Maverick hasn’t called the boys over to help.”
“Oh, we made a deal. I don’t want to take everything with me. I’ve been living there for a few years, and this is my chance to go through stuff and declutter. He promised he wouldn’t call in reinforcements unless I wasn’t done by my last day off before we close.”
“And when are you two getting married?” I asked before popping a chip into my mouth.
“As soon as humanly possible. I’ve got major baby fever, and Kade doesn’t really want to start a family until I’m not just his ol’ lady, but Mrs. Daughtry, too. Who would have thought my Wild Stallion would turn out to be such a traditionalist?” she said with a playful shrug.
Glancing between the women, I asked, “I heard Tess and Mustang are getting married, too?”
“Yes!” Jenna gasped. “He proposed last night. Total surprise.”
“That’s exciting. And Mary-Kate seems happy about it.”
“Yeah, she’s a sweetheart,” murmured Winnie.
“Speaking of children, I heard tonight was all about you getting to meet Marlowe and Ax. That’s exciting in its own right,” said Jenna.
“AndIheard you have officially been extended an offer to become the Stallions’ general counsel,” added Winnie.
“No way, that’s amazing!”
“Yeah,” I replied, smiling down into my drink. “It’s been quite the week.”
“So—you’re going to be, like, an inside man.”
I knit my eyebrows together as I looked over at Jenna. “What do you mean?”
“You’re going to see and hear and know things some of the guys never talk about at home. I know for us, Kade doesn’t really tell me anything about club business. If it’s dangerous, he’ll let me know, but that’s about as far as it goes. With Tess and Mustang, it’s need-to-know only.” She paused and shifted her attention onto Winnie. “I bet you and Bull have the most transparency.”
Winnie shrugged. “I take what he wants to give me, and I don’t ask for more.”
Everything they were saying sounded so veiled and slightly ominous. I remembered what Roy said about signing an NDA and pulling back the curtain that shrouded the club. I was cognizant of my ignorance but looking forward to what laid ahead and the job that would change the trajectory of my career.
I glanced toward the window facing the yard. The sun was setting, the light from the fire casting a warm glow onto the men who surrounded it. I wasn’t afraid of them. Neither was I afraid of what I might discover behind the veil. I was pretty confident what the Stallions stood for was noble, even if it wasn’t always above board.
I was a woman of the law. I respected it and honored it. But I was well aware the world was full of people who didn’t feel the same way. I was related to men who were felons. I understood that while the law was often clear and ordered, if not concise, people werenot. We were all messy and complicated in our own ways. At the end of the day, what mattered more than anything waslove—how one human being treated another.
If anything worried me about the Wild Stallions, it was how the job might interfere with my new relationship. I was happy.Reallyhappy. I wanted Jed more than I ever wanted anyone. He was everything I thought I desired in a man wrapped in a package I couldn’t have dreamed up. But from the sounds of it, the most successful relationships within the club operated with a certain level of secrecy.
“Hey,” Winnie called softly, resting a hand on my arm. I gave her my attention and she continued, “You and Wrangler will figure out what works best for you and Wrangler. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Besides, if they do their jobs the way they’re supposed to, there will be nothing out of the ordinary for you to know.”
“Okay,” Jenna said on a sigh, reaching for the margarita filled pitcher. “Enough club talk all around. It’s time we go crash that bro huddle. They’re hogging the fire.”
She poured each of us a refill, and then we walked outside to join the guys. Kade made space for Jenna in his lap, while Winnie sat on the arm of Roy’s chair, leaning into his shoulder. Every part of me wanted to cozy up with Jed by the fire, but I took the last empty chair instead, sitting between Benson and Hank.
In the end, it wasn’t so bad.
Jed was a master at flirting with his eyes.
It was a little after nine when Winnie insisted it was time to get Otto and Mary-Kate to bed. Roy helped corral the kids and then the four of them were off. Around ten was when Benson and Hank decided they were due for a change of scenery, and they left to go party at the clubhouse. Jenna and I tried to clean up a little in the kitchen, Marlowe and Axel helping at their dad’s insistence.
When Jenna and Kade left, I got a hug from the former before Jed walked them to the door. As the last guest standing, I wasn’t sure whether to go or to stay. I felt like I was in high school again, lingering until the last possible moment in order to get a moment alone with the guy I liked.
“Don’t go anywhere,” instructed Jed when he turned from the door. “Make yourself comfortable. I gotta make sure these kids get to bed, and I’ll be right out.”
