He just shakes his head and gets up, leaving us in the dining room.
“I don’t have suitors,” Bailey says to me with her hands out, like she’s afraid I’m going to bolt.
If I was going to do that, it would have been when I heard her call the mammoth Black man at the door her dad. The guy is freaking huge. Makes me wonder if he could put Mad Max to shame. He’s got height and bulk. I’m sure it’s more muscle than fat, but with the way his wife seems to feed him, he might have a few extra pounds.
To say it was a shock that dinner at the neighbors’ was with her parents is an understatement. But since he took one look at me with my hand laced with his daughter’s, grunted, and let us in, I decided to just go with it.
Three dinner rolls later and here I am. I haven’t had a family dinner in longer than I can remember, and I’ve never had one with a girl’s family before. This is a first, and despite a bit of awkwardness, I’m enjoying the hell out of it.
Her dad comes back and places a beer down in front of me, then sits and drinks from his own. “You’re going to need that,” he says as he puts his down and picks up his fork.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bailey’s mouth hanging wide open. “Seriously? That’s how you’re going to help?” she asks. He just shrugs. “I don’t even get one?”
“You know where they are,” he says with another shrug.
I can’t hide my smirk anymore as I drink my beer, noting it’s one of the club brands we brew, and watch as Bailey throws her napkin on the table before she exits the same way her dad went, grumbling all the way. Fucking cute is what it is, and I follow her out with my eyes.
Till I look back and see her dad glaring at me. Maybe checking out his daughter’s ass isn’t such a good idea right now. But I’m not going to hide that I want her. If this goes where I hope it does, I know I’ve got to make sure they like me enough not to downright hate me. Sure, I would have loved a bit of warning before I met Bailey’s parents, but it’s got to be a good sign that she brought me here at all. It’s obvious that they’re close. Don’t know anyone else willing to live right next to their parents.
Bulldog might have his mom living with him now, but that’s only because her place blew up, and he can’t bear the thought of her living on her own after going through all that. No matter how much she gets on his nerves. He’s always complaining about needing more space, not that I’ve seen him actively looking for a new home for his mom.
I know Bailey bought her home. It wasn’t a gift from her family. She chose to live here, meaning she likes to be close like this. Me and Dad talk, but before his car accident, it was only a few times a week. Got a feeling my Troublemaker talks to her folks daily. Which is another thing I just find adorable. Makes me think she would do the same with my old man, bringing him back a bit from the loss of Mom. Not that he would ever say he needs changing, but a woman like Bailey just brings out the best in people.
I know she does that for me.
“How long you been a Hound?”
Been wondering when her dad was going to ask about the club. He’s eyed my vest a few times, but other than curiosity on his face, I see no disrespect.
“It’ll be two years in a few months.”
“So you ain’t had that patch for long,” he says, and I raise my eyebrows.
“Oh hush, dear. I’m sure he doesn’t want to talk about work. You want more greens?” Dionne stands to grab the green beans, and I cover my plate.
“No, ma’am, I’m already full.”
“What? You don’t have any meat on your bones. Here, have another roll.” She plops another two biscuits on my plate.
“Dammit, woman, stop feeding the boy. He’s grown like me. We can fill our own plates.”
She eyes him, and I sink back in my chair a bit to get out of the line of fire. I know that look. Bailey’s used it on me plenty of times to put me in my place. “Didn’t hear you complaining the last forty years. Don’t get all high and mighty just ’cause we got a guest in our house, mister. If you want to keep getting fed, then you’ll eat what I put on your plate, and you’ll like it. Or there won’t be anything else I’m putting up on a platter for you.”
My eyes almost come out of my head at the way she speaks, and Avery goes bright red. I’ve heard of guys dogging others for putting a pussy on a pedestal, but never heard about one being served on a platter. I guess Dionne is classier than the rest.
“Oh my God! Did you just insinuate that you have Dad put your—” Bailey flails her hands around as she walks back into the room, ’cause she probably can’t say the wordpussysince it’s referring to her mom’s. “—on a freaking platter?”
I look at her with pleading eyes. She has to make it stop. Old people and sex isnota conversation I want to be around, like ever. But now it seems to be the only topic.
Her mom straightens in her chair with all the dignity of a queen and nods. “Yes, dear. How else is he going to eat what I give him?”
I think I’m going to be sick. I’m all for muff diving, but I do not need to hear about it from the parents of a woman I’m truly invested in.
I push my plate away from me and watch a pale Bailey slowly sit in her chair. She looks at her mom, then her dad, then me. I don’t know what to say, so I do the next best thing.
I drink. As does Bailey. And Avery.
“So, dear, how’s work?” Dionne asks Bailey. Everyone else seems to breathe easier with the question. I, for one, really don’t want to go back to the subject at hand and am happy as a kite for the new topic.
