“Fine. The kids are doing a career week of sorts. Reese even came to talk to them about the military.”
“You served?” This from her dad.
I nod. “A few years with the Army. My dad was a general in the Marines before he retired. Got a few Hound brothers who were in the Air Force and Navy.”
“Well, thank you for your service, dear,” Dionne says with a pat on my arm, and her husband nods in agreement. “And how is Troy liking the new position?” she asks Bailey.
“Prick,” Avery grumbles under his breath, and I just barely hold back my nod in agreement. But I find it interesting that he thinks that about Bailey’s boss. Makes me beyond curious to know how well she and her boss get along, or used to. The way he looks at her makes me think she was the one who got away, not that he seems to have pined for her.
Bailey shifts in her chair, and I can see the unease coming off her. “Fine, I guess. We really don’t talk much.” She looks at me for the last part and then plays with her food, pushing it around her plate.
“Good. Asshole doesn’t need to be wasting your time like he did before. He already got his money’s worth. He should just keep walking if he doesn’t want to end up at the chapel again, this time for a funeral and not a wedding, with him in the casket,” Avery grunts, then downs the rest of his beer.
“Dear, please. We have guests.” Dionne gives me a pointed look, and I really wish I could turn invisible right now so they can speak freely. “Besides, our girl knows not to get tangled up with the likes of him again. Don’t you, Bails?”
“Yes, Mom.” She continues to look at her food, not at any of us. Not sure if she doesn’t like the conversation or is still cringing about the prior topic. Either way, I don’t like it.
“All right, enough of this talk. Tell me, Reese, do you like babies?”
“Mom!”
“Dionne!”
Both Bailey and Avery yell at the same time, and I don’t miss the way Dionne hides her smile behind her water glass. I think I like her. At least I know where Troublemaker gets it.
“I ain’t opposed to them, if that’s what you mean. Don’t got plans for them right away, but if someone is willing to carry my kid around, I ain’t going to say no.”
“Oh, and you get many offers?” she says with a tilt of her head as she studies me over her glass.
“Moooom,” Bailey grinds out between her clenched teeth, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Nah, but I hope to one day. Just got to wait and see.”
“What are you waiting for? You aren’t getting any younger.”
“Mom, he’s still in his twenties. He’s got plenty of time.”
My girl mouths, “Sorry,” to me, but I just wink at her. Ain’t going to hold the interrogation against her. Parents got to do what they think is right. My dad put her through the wringer of his own Sunday night. One she passed with flying colors.
“It ain’t me I’m waiting on. She’s the one who needs to decide.”
“Decide what?”
“How long she wants me around for.” I look right at Bailey and hear her mom gasp from the end of the table.
I hear her dad grunt as well. “You keep looking at her like that and you’ll be the one putting her on a damn platter.”
“I’m sorry about my parents.” It’s the first thing she says to me after I stop my bike at a lookout point.
Dinner went well, if I’m going off how no one seemed to mind me being in a biker club and making it pretty obvious how interested I was in their daughter. As soon as it was over, I took Bailey for a ride. She looked like she needed to let off some steam, and I’ve found two ways work best for that—fucking and riding. Didn’t think she would be in the mood right after dinner with her parents, so riding it was.
“But are you really?” I say with a look down at her, even as I stay sitting on my bike and she’s a few feet away. She’s rocking back on her heels, and I can’t tell if she still has energy to release or the vibration of the bike got to her too much and she needs to shake out the jitters. “Could have warned me whose house we were going to.”
She bites her lip, and I have half a mind to lunge for her to get her in my arms and do the same, but with my teeth. “Where would the fun be in that?”
I shake my head with a laugh. “Troublemaker to the core.”
She shrugs it off, but at least she’s smiling. She must know that that name ain’t going away anytime soon. Like ever.
