Page 3 of Bella

"I don't know. Are we?" I tease.

"Shut up," she counters.

Quinn, being who he is, has to embarrass Alba further. "You're lookin' a little flushed, sweetheart. What…"

Quinn is cut off mid-sentence when Gabriel stops beside him and smacks the back of his head. "Fuck off, Quinn."

"Damn, brother." Quinn rubs the spot Gabriel clipped.

"What's going on?" Jake strides into the room. "Charley wants to know where everyone is at."

I watch as Jake reads the room. He takes in Gabriel's annoyed expression and then glares at Quinn, still rubbing his head.

"Quinn, stop fuckin' around and holdin' everyone up."

"Why the hell am I gettin' blamed for everything?" Quinn looks shocked.

Jake gives Quinn anare you shitting me?look.

"You have the patience of a goddamn saint," I hear Jake rumble, his words directed at Emerson as I hustle out of the clubhouse with Alba.

By the time we get to Charley's, most everyone else has arrived except for Logan and Jake, who are swinging by the garage to get the bike they’re auctioning, and Gabriel, who’s grabbing supplies from his shop. Lisa and Bennett are set to arrive later with the kids.

"Look, there's Leah." Alba points toward the far end of the lot where Leah and Nikolai just pulled in.

"Great. Why don't you catch up with her? That way, you two can set your booth up together. Emma texted me earlier saying she was on her way too."

"You got it." Alba climbs from the car and sets off in their direction.

I take a moment to myself and take a deep, cleansing breath. Today's fundraiser is raising money for New Hope House. Kings Custom built a bike that we will auction off. Gabriel and Gray set up a tattoo booth. Grace has been in a baking frenzy for the past three days. Alba, Leah, and Emma will have a booth where they’ll do face painting for the kids and read them stories, and Remi got a bunch of kids from her school to organize a car wash. Lisa, Sofia, Raine, and Ember are in charge of the bounce houses and other kids' activities.

Then we have Quinn and Reid in charge of the grills. That alone should be entertainment since they’re so damn competitive regarding barbequing. Well, mostly Quinn. Reid, I think, just likes to mess with him. Either way, it's their thing.

I love having the Louisiana Chapter in town. Riggs and his men haven't returned to Montana since taking Luna back to their hometown, New Orleans. I smile. Now Riggs and Luna are married and have the most adorable little girl. That's not all that has changed. Wick and Tequila are married, and Nova and Promise are going strong too. I still can't believe Nova's daughter, Piper, is with Kiwi, but they’re great together. Then there's Fender, who found his way back to his high school sweetheart, Jo, and their daughter. The Louisiana men wasted no time diving in to help wherever needed.

"Hey, Bella." Promise calls my name as she jogs toward me.

"What's up?"

"We have a truck full of kids that just pulled up." She hooks a thumb over her shoulder. "They said they're here for the car wash and want to know where I should direct them?"

"Awesome. Right on time." I look to where she's pointing and spot a pickup truck with Remi and a slew of kids from her school waving at us from the truck's bed. I smile and wave back. "Have them pull around to the side of the lot over there." I point to where Everest and Blake are standing. "The men will tell them what to do, and all the supplies they need are already there."

"You got it." Promise smiles.

"Thanks for pitching in," I tell her.

"Anytime. Today is going to be a blast."

"I sure hope so. I don't know what I thought when I told Jake I would manage all this." I hold my arms out and sigh.

"You're doing great. Today will be epic; you'll see."

"Thanks for the pep talk." I laugh. "I really needed it.

"Hey, what are girlfriends for?" Promise smiles before turning on her heel and jogging off.

A couple hours later, the charity rally is in full swing. Bikers from all over Montana have rolled in to show their support. One of the biggest surprises was Jake's buddy, Grizz, and his men making the trek from Tennessee. I especially like his old lady, Noell. She’s sweet and shy and reminds me a lot of Alba.

---