Page 148 of Insidious Heart
So, I called Cal Sr. and braced for the worst, only to find he and Penelope already knew all about me. They were devastated by the loss of my father, just as heartbroken as we are, but part of the grief and sadness they—I was on speaker as soon as I told them who I was—so deeply felt was over never getting to know me and only seeing the boys less than a handful of times during their young lives.
More bullshit that can be attributed to Beau Williams and his reign of terror.
They came to the funeral, my grandparents headed to Birch Creek the next day actually, and even though we met and got to spend a little time together during all of that, and we’ve talked on the phone weekly ever since, I’m super nervous to stay with them in Denver this weekend. It’ll be nothing but the two of them and the four of us for four whole days, and I’m excited, really excited, but the idea of doing this without any kind of buffer is terrifying.
“It’ll be fine,” Pope says with a nod. “You said they were really looking forward to seeing you.”
I blow out a breath and slump against the seat. “They are. They’re pumped, honestly, but I can’t help but be a little anxious about it.”
“I get it. Family stuff is hard.”
“Especially when you didn’t even know you had anyfamilyfor there to bestuff.”
Pope chuckles and backs up, gripping the door to close it for me. “True, but it’ll be good. You’ve had a lot of shit going on over the last year and this’ll be a nice break. No school, no work. You can check out and just be Stevie for a while. It’ll be good.” He shuts the door after I roll the window down, shaking his head with a slight frown. “Don’t really know why you’re bringing Tor, though.”
The laugh that bubbles out of me is one I couldn’t stop even if I tried. “Because I love him and want him there with me.”
“Don’t really get that, either.”
“Oh stop.” I giggle and roll my eyes. “You know damn well Victor has become one of your closest friends over the last year and I’d even go as far as to sayyoulove him, too.”
Pope just smirks with a shrug before rapping his knuckles against the door. “Better get a move on, Stevie. Don’t want to show up late to The Dollhouse and find Spider hanging yourghostfrom the chandelier right along with those Halloween decorations.”
Then the big oaf winks before lumbering off to his motorcycle, firing it up quickly then waiting for me to pull out so he can follow.
Such a good man.
But they all are, really.
My ghost, Little John, and the Kings.
All of them are good men, even if their favorite color happens to bemorally grey,and I’ve never been so happy to be a part of a motorcycle club before in my entire life. And that’s coming from a girl whowasa part of an MC her entire life. I just didn’t know how good it could be before.
With a smile that hasn’t left my face once today, I pull out of The Heart of Sabine and head toward the strip club to pick up my man, nervous butterflies flapping in my belly the entire way.
“Stevie!” Elias beams as I walk in through the front doors twenty minutes later. “You look ravishing this evening.”
I roll my eyes as he leans down and presses a kiss to my cheek. “And you look like a man who’s well-versed in flirting at anything with a pulse.”
“I am,” Elias says with a grin as he escorts me through the lobby and past the coat check. “But I have to try harder when they’re packing what I want. Someone like you, a natural beauty with personality for days who won’t reject my advances, you make it easy, babes.”
“I would never think of such a thing. Even if you are mostly full of shit.”
Elias barks out a laugh as we enter the main floor, the speakers blaringBlinding Lightsby The Weekend, and when I follow the terrifying though sweet head of security to the stage, my eyes land on something that makes me laugh along with him.
There, just beyond the pole in the center, next to one of the dancers—Tink, I think is what she goes by—shaking his ass and doing some kind of dance I’ve never seen before, is my ghost.
“What is he doing?” I snort as we stop at the edge of the stage.
“You’ve never seen that before?” Elias asks before we hear, “It was a TikTok trend.”
I turn to see Ember sidle up to my other side, a huge grin on her face and a box in her hands.
“No.” I turn back to watch Victor and Tink, the two moving perfectly in sync, throwing their arms up, shaking their legs and doing a bunch of other things I don’t understand but laugh at anyway. “I have no idea what that is.”
“It was super popular,” Ember says.
“Went viral. Everyone was doing it.” Elias adds.
