Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Alice

"I feel like we're in school with assigned seats." I grabbed my name card and wrinkled my nose. "If I didn't love you so much, I would be offended by being listed as Mrs. Wrecker Bloom and not by my own name."

Pipe held up his name card. "Bloom plus one," he grunted.

Nikki patted Pipe's arm. "It's your own fault because I told you that you needed to let the convention know at the beginning of the month that we were coming, and you didn't." She grabbed her name card. "For the weekend, we are both Bloom plus one."

I pointed at Pipe. "You are going to thank me."

"Uh, okay? Can I ask why?" Pipe laughed.

I grabbed my purse and pulled out a label maker. "Because give me thirty seconds, and I can get our name cards to say whatever we want."

"I'm sure you're going to have to do his name badge, too, babe," Wrecker grunted. "I was on his ass to let the convention know he was coming."

"Does that thing really work?" Pipe asked.

I rolled my eyes and powered it on. "Uh, yeah. I use it all of the time on the cows."

Nikki tipped her head to the side. "Um, what?"

I waved my hand. "Labeling their feed barrels and everything in the barns."

"Oh," Nikki laughed. "That makes sense."

"Just do Pipe," Pipe instructed.

I shook my head. "It's going to need to be longer than that, so it covers what is already on there."

"Do Pipe Derek," Nikki instructed.

"Hell no," Pipe spat. "Do not put my real name, Alice."

I shoved the label maker to Nikki. "I'm going to let you handle this one. Maybe you can just put Pipe like six times so it covers the plus one."

Nikki grabbed the label maker and smiled mischievously. "Oh, I think I know just what I am going to put." She turned her back to Pipe and typed quickly.

I elbowed Wrecker. "Who is sitting next to you?" I asked.

Wrecker shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't looked."

I rolled my eyes and reached over him. "Well, then, I will look. I don't know about you, but my anxiety doesn't like not knowing who is going to sit with us. Maybe they won't show, and we'll have the table to ourselves." I snatched the name card and plopped back in my chair.

"This is the biggest Midwest convention ever, babe; I'm pretty sure whoever that card says is going to be here."

I rolled my eyes and read the card out loud. "Mr. Logan Birch."

Pipe's eyes bugged out, and Wrecker's eyes opened wider.

"Don't know him," Nikki called. The label maker hummed in her hand, and it spits out a new name for Pipe. "But I do know Mr. Pipe, don't call me Derek, Monroe." Nikki waved the slip of paper in the air and grabbed Pipe's name card.

"Jesus Christ, Nikki," Pipe grunted. "Why the hell do you always have to do this shit to me?" he laughed.

She peeled off the protective back and plastered the new name on the card. "Because you only tease the ones you love."

Wrecker grabbed the name card I had nabbed and set it back where it was.

"You know him?" I asked.

Wrecker nodded. "Heard of him, never met him."

"That's because Wrecker would probably shit himself if he met Logan Birch. Dude is one of the best pinstripers in the Midwest." Pipe leaned forward. "I would say in the whole country, but there are some who would dispute that since he had his stroke."

Wrecker shook his head. "King will always be the best."

"I thought his name was Logan?" Nikki pressed Pipe's new name on his name card and set it in front of him.

I tipped my head to the side. "He's one of you."

Wrecker nodded. "He's the Prez of the Devil's Knights. No one calls him Logan to his face from what I hear."

I nodded to the card. "Then he's probably not going to be happy that his name is on the card." I snatched his name card and grabbed the label maker.

"What are you doing?" Wrecker asked.

"The same thing I would do for you if they had put your real name on your name card. I'm fixing it." I swiftly typed in King in all capital letters and printed it out. I peeled off the back and then pressed it over Logan. "Problem solved," I declared.

"Why the hell couldn't you do that with mine?" Pipe asked.

"Because your name is not King." I tucked the label maker back into my purse and handed the card to Wrecker.

"Not changing yours?" Wrecker asked.

I shook my head. "I'm good being attached to you."

Wrecker pulled me to his side and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. "Love you."

"Are you nervous that King is sitting next to you?" I asked softly.

Wrecker shook his head. "Nah. I've heard the guy is cool as hell."

"Good, good," I muttered, relieved. "I'd hate to have to punch him in the nuts if he was a dick." I patted Wrecker on the leg, sharing a silent understanding.

"Who are we punching in the nuts?" A voice interrupted, drawing my attention. A woman with vibrant purple hair had appeared beside us, eyeing the table with interest. "I think this table is going to be the perfect fit for us." She waved over to a man approaching and called out, "Lo, over here."

Oh, boy. Open mouth, insert foot.

"Have I ever told you I love going out with you?" Nikki whispered. "It's always entertaining."

Three people approached the table behind the woman. The older, good-looking man was obviously Lo.

Part of me wished I had bothered to look at all the names on the other cards. I felt clueless about who the woman was, let alone the two others accompanying Lo. They seemed younger than any of us, probably Lo's kids. I made a mental note not to get too comfortable with calling him Lo; Wrecker had mentioned he didn't like it.

Lo moved behind the woman with purple hair and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Babe," he called out softly.

She turned to him, her face lighting up. "Found our names," she said with a smile.

Lo leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. Watching them, I couldn't help but admire the palpable love between them. It made me hope that people could feel the same connection between Wrecker and me.

The younger guy, who was heavily tattooed, pulled out a chair from the woman with short, colorful hair who was also heavily tattooed. I was completely digging the vibe of these guys. After being married to a prez of an MC, these were the type of people I was most comfortable around.

For once in my life, I didn't know what to say. What on earth was wrong with me?

Pipe stood and held his hand out to the guy. "Hey, I'm Pipe, and this is my wife, Nikki."

The man smiled wide. "What's up, man? I'm Snapper, and this is my wife, Lennox."

Yeah, see? They even had kick-ass names. I made a mental note to talk to the girls when we got back home about maybe coming up with new names for us. Well, at least me. I mean Alice? Could I be lamer?

"Hi," Nikki called.

Snapper nodded to King and the woman. "And those are my parents, King and Meg. You would think after all of these years I would be used to them being all over each other, but it's still embarrassing."

King and Meg. Although she didn't have a kick-ass name like Lennox, her name really suited her, and I liked it.

"Easy, babe. We're coming," King called. He pulled out the chair next to Lennox and helped Meg sit.

King sat next to Wrecker, and I could feel Wrecker tense slightly. I knew he was playing it cool with me earlier about being impressed with King.

I had never met someone that Wrecker looked up to before. It was kind of fun seeing my strong, confident man being a little starstruck.

Meg and King weren't much older than Wrecker and me. Maybe five years, if that.

I bumped Wrecker. The man needed to introduce us.

He pointed at me. "Alice." He pointed at himself. "Wrecker."

Oh, my Wrecker. He was a man of few words, but maybe he could have added a few more in there. He was obviously taking on caveman mode tonight.

I waved at everyone. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Meg smiled wide. "I spotted your purple hair when we walked in and hoped we were sitting together."

"Meg likes to judge people by their hair color," King grunted. "You'll have to excuse her. It's a miracle she even looked my way all those years ago."

Meg rolled her eyes. "If that were the truth, then you know I would have fallen for Rigid." Meg held her hand above her head. "Rigid has a five-inch blue mohawk. Cool, but not my King. And I would have had to have fought Cyn for him. No, thank you."

Waiters started to move around the tables, laying down baskets of bread and bowls of salad.

"Oh, thank god," Nikki sighed. "I'm freaking starving." She grabbed a roll and slathered it with butter. "That line to check in was ridiculous, and then we only had twenty minutes to get dressed before we had to be down here."

Pipe put his arm around the back of her chair. "Imagine hauling a two-hundred-pound cooler around with you, too."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "We are not getting into this right now."

I had a feeling we were going to be hearing about the cooler for the whole weekend. I grabbed two rolls and set one in front of Wrecker. "Butter your own bun, man."

Wrecker grunted. "That's not what you said last night."

Yeah, of course, that would be Wrecker in front of new people.

Meg giggled and grabbed two buns; except she didn't set one in front of King. At least not at first. She buttered both buns and set one in front of him. He leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and she blushed softly.

The dynamic between King and Meg was hypnotic. I didn't want to look away from them.

I had never seen two people more in love, and I had literally only been around them for five minutes.

"Babe," Wrecker called.

I shook my head and looked at him. "Hmm?"

He leaned close, his lips next to my ear. "You're staring at them."

I nodded. I mean, I was. It wasn't in a creepy way or anything.

"You want to swap seats so you can try to get in on the action?"

"What?" I squawked, finally coming out of my stupor.

"I mean, I don't really think either of them are into sharing, but you can shoot your shot if you want."

I blinked twice, wondering if Wrecker had lost his ever-loving mind because I knew he sure as hell wouldn't be into sharing me, either.

A huge smile spread across his lips.

"You're joking," I whispered.

Wrecker nodded and pressed his lips to the side of my neck. "Yeah, babe."

"They're really in love."

Wrecker turned his head, and his eyes connected with mine. "Just like us."

"Why aren't you whispering in my ear like that?" Nikki asked Pipe.

I leaned back from Wrecker but kept my hand on his leg.

Pipe leaned close to Nikki. "I still can't believe you packed a two-hundred-pound cooler," Pipe announced loudly. "That's about all I have to say right now. I'm pretty sure I tweaked my damn back."

Snapper choked on his drink, and Lennox slapped him on the back while she tried to contain her laughter. King let out a loud belly laugh, and Meg smiled wide.

"Jesus," Wrecker mumbled.

"Yeah," Snapper croaked, "I think you were right, Meg. This is definitely the table we were meant to sit at."

"It's like we didn't even leave Rockton," King chuckled.

"You guys got crazy ol' ladies, too?" Wrecker asked King.

King nodded. "Brother, you don't even know the half of it."

Wrecker pointed to me. "She has a blender in her trunk at all times in case there is a margarita emergency. I think I know the whole of it."

Meg leaned forward. "King wouldn't let me bring my air fryer this weekend in case I wanted a late-night snack this weekend."

I shrugged. "I didn't know we were supposed to ask. I just shoved mine in my suitcase."

"It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission," Nikki and I sang in unison.

"It's like we're in a parallel universe," Lennox laughed. "These two are like you and Cyn," she pointed out.

"That's the damn truth," Snapper agreed.

"Next thing you guys are going to say is you love cooking and are always on the brink of being arrested when a group of you gets together."

I shrugged. "I don't mind cooking. Cows are more my thing, and we've only been arrested once. And, for the record, we didn't do anything wrong. We were wrongly accused."

King looked at me and then back at Meg. "Babe, I think we found your long-lost cousin or some shit. She's you, down to the purple hair."

Meg smiled. "How freaking cool is that? You always said you could barely handle me, and now there is someone else just like me."

"God help us," Wrecker drawled.

The waiters started circling again, and the speaker crackled.

"Hello, hello," a man at the front of the room called. "I just wanted to hop on and welcome you all to the largest Midwest Body Shop Convention! While you're all eating and getting to know everyone at your table, we're going to go over the plans for the weekend and introduce some of the speakers for the upcoming meetings and presentations."

Meg elbowed King. "That's you, babe," she whispered.

King shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah."

"You're the main reason why we came," Wrecker told King. "Been following your work for a long time."

King nodded. "Thanks, man. Just trying to keep up with the young guns." He nodded to Snapper. "I've been working with him to show him all of my tricks. He's always trying to show me new ways or shortcuts."

"Just trying to keep you up with the times," Snapper laughed.

"Yeah, but nothing can replace a steady hand and a good eye, right, King?" Pipe called.

King shifted in his chair, and I noticed Meg put her hand on his leg.

Pipe had mentioned before they sat down that King had a stroke, and I wondered if that had affected his work.

"Could you pass the salad?" I asked Lennox. "I'm in the mood for some rabbit food."

Lennox grabbed the bowl and passed it around the table.

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I could sense that a change of conversation was good.

"Speaking of salad, I hope the boys are taking good care of my babies," I muttered.

"Babies?" Lennox asked.

I nodded. "Elvis and Priscilla are my new additions. Wrecker got me them for Christmas last year."

Meg tipped her head to the side. "Uh, what kind of babies do you have?" she asked.

I smiled wide. "Highland cows." Now this was a topic I could get behind, and I was sure it wasn't going to make anyone uncomfortable.