13. Chapter 13

13

Chapter 13

Pops

Marx bangs his fist on the long table, signaling he has something to say. We’ve just finished with the dessert course and I am full as a bull. I’m fucking glad I don’t have to sing and dance anytime soon because I have the meat sweats and there’s no room in my pants for any hip thrusts.

“I just wanted to quickly say Merry Christmas DRMC!” Marx yells, raising his beer bottle to cheers from around the table. “This year is the first year in a long time that we’ve sat down to a real, home-cooked Christmas meal. Thank you, Mama Debs, for looking after us like we’re your sons. We appreciate you and everything you do for us.”

I bang the table a few times as the brothers all clap and cheer for her. Debs is blushing and waving her hand at them, trying to get them to stop but I’m not having it. Leaning forward I whisper in her ear. “You deserve it, sweetheart.” She beams up at me and I grin back. She’s worth all the praise and more.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten the rest of you ladies. You all stepped up majorly, helping with the toy drive and backing up Mama Debs in the kitchen with the Christmas meals and tonight’s menu. Thank you, Remy, Nat, Ana, Lovely, Blanche, Debs and yes, you too Chewy.” Snickers are heard around the table as Dayz’s head pops up from where she’s been concentrating on hand feeding Chomper bits of turkey. “I used to think that the DRMC was a bunch of retired brothers in arms who came home and built not only an MC, but a family. But I was wrong. You Ol Ladies, having your loyalty, kindness and your support is what made us a family.”

“The one million kids that joined us didn’t hurt, either!” Switch yells, the table all laughing at his comment.

I mean, there are a shit ton of kids in a very short time. If I’m right about what I’m seeing across the table from me, Tav and Blanche grinning like fools and whispering to each other, I’m sure the number of kids in the compound is going to rise.

“So, thank you everyone for making this Christmas fucking awesome!” Everyone claps, Blanche puts two fingers in her mouth and lets out an ear piercing whistle and all the brothers hoot and holler and make almost as much noise as Cove did this morning opening her presents.

I throw my arm around Debs and pull her in close. “Merry Christmas, love.” I whisper, then kiss her on the temple.

She turns her big brown eyes on me searching my face for something, I’m not sure what. She must see what she’s looking for because a smile spreads across her face as she leans in, and presses her lips gently to mine before pulling back and repeating my words. “Merry Christmas, love.”

I gaze around the table, my eyes meeting Rider’s. He narrows his eyes then gives me a single nod. It’s about to be game on.

“Come on, ladies and Littles, let’s retire to the couches and let these guys start on clearing the table, yeah?” I say loudly. The MC brothers all nod at my cue, pushing their chairs back and getting to work.

Even the Bigs are eager to join in, as are Gus and Jules knowing full well what’s about to happen. In any normal circumstances a group of men cleaning the dining room and kitchen would drag, and fights would break out. Not tonight, tonight is all about Debs. I give Dayz the signal and she gives me a salute, shoulder tapping Elio to follow her. It’s important in pyrotechnics to run your checks one last time before showtime. There is no room for any mistakes tonight. I want this to be perfect for Debs. I want her to know how special she is to me. No matter how much time we have together, the risk is worth the reward.

Within half an hour the bloat has started to subside and the room is sparkling clean, put back to rights. “Babe, would you mind getting your coat on and coming outside for a walk with me?”

Debs gives me a funny look. I can tell she’s suspicious. I would be too. The poor woman probably thinks I’m love bombing her. She squints at me a moment, then flicks her gaze to Ana who is grinning and giving her the thumbs up. “Ok, Sid. What are you up to?”

“Nothing,” I reply as innocently as I can. I’m not sure she completely believes the innocent act, but she gets up anyway and wanders to her room to find her coat. As soon as she’s out of ear shot I spin around to address the MC. “It’s showtime you fuckers, don’t let me down!”

“Yeah, yeah. I told you already you silly old fart, we’ve got this.” Rider says, rolling his eyes. Marx is trying hard not to laugh, the bastard.

“Half of you head out there now, the rest of you follow behind me and Debs. At a distance. We don’t want her to be suspicious.”

“They’ve got this, Pops.” Marx’s giant hand lands on my shoulder, and he indicates the box with her cut in it that I’ve been keeping in his office since I had a close call with her finding it earlier in the week. “Remember, if you hurt her, we hurt you.” He winks at me but I feel the threat down to my toes. And then I shake it off because we all know I’m scarier than these young bucks.

Half of the MC skedaddle outside just as Debs’ footsteps can be heard coming back down the hall. I know they have costumes that the Ol Ladies helped them with, they’re all being kept in the gym so I need to buy a little time for the first men out to suit up. Then buy more time once we’re in place for the second group of men to suit up. Holy shit this surprise is a logistical nightmare, but it’ll all be worth it in the end to see her face.

“Ready my dear?” I hold my elbow out and Debs takes it, still studying my face to find out why the hell I’m acting weird. Or normal. Because I guess this is normal romantic courting. I think. I’ll have to ask someone who isn’t related to me.

“You’re up to something. I can tell. You’re all squirrely.”

“Nah, it’s just the Christmas spirit. Are you kids and ladies coming for a walk? Get rid of some of that energy?” I ask the Littlies who all jump up and busy themselves putting on coats. And then trying to find their shoes. Lovely helps them look, little Bee fast asleep in her front pack. Chewy is putting a hat on Chomper and Ana and Nat are making sure their babies are snug as bugs in rugs. “Ready?” They all nod and we set off.

Thankfully the kids decide to piss around in the parking lot, wanting to know which bike Debs thinks is the prettiest. The consensus is that Remy’s bike is the prettiest, what with her having a new paint job. The bike she acquired after Snake’s timely demise has been given a new lick of paint. Not pink for our Remy. Her’s sports a hard candy purple paint job that Cove and Jovie like to oooh and ahh over.

“I wonder if Remy will take me for a spin?” Debs muses.

I shut that down real quick. “If you want a ride you ride with me, no one else. Got it?”

She stares at me for a moment then rolls her eyes. “Alright cave man. Your bike it is. When are you gonna take me for a whirl?” she asks, patting my chest.

“Whenever you like, babe. But first, I want to show you something, it’s just around the corner.”

I wrap my large leathery hand around her small soft one and tug her toward the back. The kids dance either side of us as we’re met with Marx, Gus, Jules, and the Landrys standing in front of a makeshift stage.

“Sidney, what’s going on?” Debs looks around wildly as I lead her to one of the Game of Dong’s throne’s that were set up for the baby showers a couple of months back.

“Take a seat and all will be revealed.”

She sits in the throne, the other women sitting in outdoor chairs around her. We wait a moment and nothing happens.

“I said, take a seat and all will be revealed!” I say, louder this time. Come on fuckers, that’s you’re cue. Nothing happens again and I’m starting to look like I’ve lost my marbles. “ALL WILL BE REVEA-OH!”

Debs

Pops’ shout is interrupted by the twanging of a guitar. The stage that is sitting in the backyard is a little dark, and I can’t quite see who it is that steps up clearly but I think it might be Switch.

“This is going out to a special woman,” he starts off, the voices of the other brothers making deep “oooohhhh” sounds as he continues. “A kind woman, a proud woman!”

The lights go up and Switch is center stage in tight black shorts and a leather jacket with sequins and tassels. No shirt underneath, his red chest hair out for all to see.

“ Aue! What in the heck is going on?” I stare wide eyed at the vision in front of me.

Switch brings the microphone up to his mouth and in a smooth, rich voice he starts to sing.

“ Left a good job in New Zealand, working for the man every night and day-”

Takoda’s impossibly deep voice blends in with him and it’s then that I notice the MC all dressed the same as Switch making shoop shoop motions behind him.

“ And she never lost one minute of sleepin’-” They all twirl in synchronicity, and I must say the choreography is well done. For a bunch of men that I would never have thought would even know how to dance.

The Ol Ladies beside me whoop and holler, Nat even has a wad of cash out and is yelling at Savage to “Shake that ass!”. Dayz is in a makeshift booth with Elio so I’m guessing they’re the lighting and sound crew. We hit the big wheel part and I can’t help but shimmy in my seat as I join in singing with my boys.

Holy crap! Eleven male voices all harmonize perfectly and I’m blown away, so surprised that I get to my feet and clap loudly. Hooting and hollering for my boys. Switch slows it right down and I know what’s coming up. It’s my favorite part of this song. I hold my breath and wait for the beat and what’s going to happen next. Switch doesn’t disappoint as he does a high kick and the drum and trumpets blast out, Chewy and Elio’s lighting show flashing to the beat of the music.

“ Oh left a good job in New Zealand,” Switch sings again, strutting from one side of the stage to the other, giving high fives to both the Bigs and the Littles as he struts his stuff, a big, ginger replica of Tina Turner. Me and the ladies yell “Turnin” at the appropriate time at the top of our lungs, nowhere near as harmonized as the men on stage but we don’t care. “ Proud Debs keep on burnin!” I throw my head back and laugh at the change of lyrics.

I’m breathless not only from dancing, but from watching eleven big, burly men in short tight pants and tassels all pump their arms as they act out the “rolling” part of the song. They roll their arms then stomp to opposite sides of the stage to roll them once more, Switch is wiggling like his rent is due and all the men are singing at the top of their voices. It’s the most magnificent sight I have ever seen in my life and I know whose idea this was.

“You did this, didn’t you?” I look up at Sid, who has a look of awe on his face. Not for the men in front of us, but for me.

He cups my face and smiles softly. “You deserve this and so much more. Probably a whole concert.”

I grin up at him and then turn just in time to see the boys “do do do do do” and my god, can some of these boys shake their asses! The whoops from the women are ear piercing, the kids are laughing themselves silly and I can’t take my eyes off how loose Sniper and Dex’s hips are.

“Good lord ladies, look at those hips!”

All seven of us women are mesmerized as we watch Sniper and Dex gyrate on the stage, Magic Mike style. Is it hot in here?

“Hey, I have hips right here for you to ogle,” Sid grumbles.

“Yeah, but they don’t move like that,” I reply, the ladies cackling next to me.

“Holy moly, I need to get them to teach me how to do that,” Lovely says in awe.

“No you don’t, your hips are fine,” Marx says briskly, before turning back to look at the stage, as if he didn’t speak at all.

I side eye Remy who rolls her lips between her teeth, and we try not to laugh at Marx’s statement. Lovely isn’t bothered however, she’s holding Bee’s head to her chest as she wiggles what her mama gave her anyway.

The men are breathless from their non-stop thrusting and hip rolling, Switch is hitting the high notes and the ‘audience’ are in fits of laughter. Who knew that shiny shorts would bring this out in the men?

“Marx, I think we’ve just seen our next fundraiser. DRMC in Concert. Think about how much you’d raise!” Ana says.

Nat makes sounds of agreement, but not taking her eyes off her man. “It’s lucky I’m out of action for a few weeks. Seeing Savage like that, all shiny and tassle-y in those tight little shorts is making my ovaries weep. Weep I tell ya!”

“Oh hell,” Pops says, running a hand down his face.

“This is all your fault, Pops,” Marx accuses.

The music starts to slow and all the men, at Switch’s instruction start circling one arm around, in an Elvis-like move as they thrust in time to the fading music before lining up, and taking a deep bow. I rush to the stage, clapping all the while and pull Switch in for a hug.

“You were fabulous! Thank you! Thank all of you!” I work my way down the line, hugging them all one by one. First Rhodie, then Rider, Tank who’s shorts are almost indecent, Judge, whose shorts are most definitely indecent, then Fox, Nitro, Flack, who is too old for his shorts. Almost. Savage, gives me a quick squeeze then hightails it to his appreciative wife, as does Wire as soon as I let him go. Loose hips Dex and Sniper get hugs, then Tav, Takoda and the other prospect, Jimmy.

“I don’t deserve your time or the effort that went into this, but I very, very much appreciate it and love it with all my heart. Thank you, my boys. You made me proud,” I sniffle, wiping my eyes.

They all beam at me as they step down from the stage, then turn to watch Pops climb up and come to a stop in front of me, reaching out to clasp my hands.

“Debs. I knew you were something special the moment I laid eyes on you, all fresh faced and looking for adventure. I knew I could offer you that adventure, but what I couldn’t offer you was anything more than fun. We’ve both lost love in the past, and at my age you know that death is always breathing down your neck.”

“Death can’t catch the Devil, old man,” Rhodie’s rough voice calls, the boys sniggering. Pops answers them by holding up my middle finger, not taking his eyes off me.

“Sid, we spoke about this. No one is guaranteed a long life. Or even a tomorrow,” I implore. This silly man thinks he’s saving my heart by not committing. But it’s too late, my heart already belongs to him.

“I know, sweetheart. I was just being old and stubborn and a fucking idiot. You are the light in a lot of people’s lives, but especially mine. And the thought of you not shining that light on me everyday, me being in the dark because I was a stupid fool who lost the best thing that’s happened to him, well, that’s a life not worth living.” My heart thuds in my chest and I feel all gooey at his words. He cups my cheeks in his large hands, gazing into my eyes. He swallows and licks his lips, “Debs, will you be my Ol lady?”

The tears that were dancing along my lash line break free and my throat is thick so I nod and throw my arms around Sid’s neck, pulling him close. “Yes, yes you silly old man, I’ll be your Ol Lady.”

I pull back and kiss him, pouring all my feelings into the kiss. For months now I had felt I was in limbo. I love my new home and my new family. I love this man but I was starting to feel as if our relationship was a little one sided, as if I was forcing it to be more than what it was. With this surprise from Sid, the concert he forced the guys into and his declaration, well, everything feels the way it should. Settled. Perfect. Forever.

Marx steps up beside us with a large box in his hands, holding it so Sid can open it. He moves the tissue paper, grips whatever is inside and slowly pulls it out of the box, revealing a buttery leather cut with “Debs” on the front where the brothers names go, and “Property of Pops” underneath.

I look out into the crowd and see so many smiling faces as Pops slips my cut on. The weight feels just right, wrapping around me, just like Sid’s arm across my shoulders.

“SHOWTIME!” Chewy yells and loud popping noises ring out just moments before the sky lights up so brightly I’m sure I’ll be seeing stars for the next few hours.

“Holy shit it’s like watching a nuclear bomb go off!” Nitro yells.

“Wait, does that spell out ‘Suck it losers’?”

“Yes, because I have the very best Ol Lady!” Sid crows, cackling at the brothers’ protests. I give him a gentle jab in the ribs, trying to hide my smile.

“Here’s the best part,” He says, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

The sky goes dark for a moment and then whistles and pops split the air, the sky lighting up in a brilliant pink, with the words “I love you Debs.”

“I love you too.”

Marx

I lean back in my office chair, the leather creaking slightly under my weight. Today was a good day. I chuckle to myself thinking over the highlights in my mind, especially Pops and his damned surprise. The guys worked hard to gift Debs something she loved and I’m fucking proud of them all. I pour myself another three fingers of whiskey and swirl it around, spinning to look at the photos on the wall. Pictures of my dad Mad Dog and the original brothers. Pictures of me and my brother in the military, group photos of the men that make up the MC and my closest friends. I didn’t know what we were missing until Chewy broke into our compound and showed us that the love of a good woman lifts you up and gives you something to grasp onto with both hands. All my men who have an Ol Lady have grown in ways I would never have expected. They’re better men, hell, all of us are better men for it.

“Knock, knock,” a voice quietly calls out.

Spinning in my chair I’m met with Lovely’s soft smile. She’s gently rocking back and forth in the doorway, most likely to settle Bee, although I’ve noticed her doing it even if Bee isn’t with her.

“Lovely, come on in.” She gives me a little nod and carefully walks into the room, slowly as if something is going to jump out at her.

“You missed your gift from Santa, so I thought I would deliver it to you. Merry Christmas, Marx.” She hands me a brightly wrapped box and turns to leave.

“Please, stay. Let’s see what Santa brought me, huh?” I gesture to her to move closer. I offer her the chair across from me but she shakes her head, patting Bee and swaying gently. I nod in understanding.

Carefully peeling off the wrapping a laugh bursts out of me at what is revealed. “It’s Mr Potato Head! I always wanted one of these as a kid. I wrote so many letters to Santa asking for Mr Potato Head, told all my family and friends and yet never got one.”

“Well, now you do. Must be a Christmas miracle.” She beams at me, her eyes glistening.

I stare at her, her dark hair shining in the light. “Thank you, Lovely.”

“It was nothing. I was just delivering what Santa dropped off.”

“Ah, yes.” I say, stroking my beard. “Santa. The same Santa that snuck into the common room early this morning to put the gifts under the tree? That Santa?”

She smiles and nods. “Yup. That same one.”

“Huh. I’m sure that Santa was wearing a baby front pack.”

Her cheeks turn pink and her lips twitch up at the sides. “Santa is a multitasker.”

I smile at her. “Thank you, Lovely. But you shouldn’t have wasted any money on me.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” She asks, her eyes sparkling.

“You can tell me anything,” I answer her honestly.

She leans forward, eyes darting side to side. “I’m kinda rich.”

I burst into laughter, knowing full well how much her and Blanche are worth. The sisters have requested an audience at Church in the new year. It seems they have an investment idea they want to run by the club.

I stare at her, looking pleased with herself, smiling down at her daughter snuggled against her chest. “Lovely?”

She looks up, settling her dark eyes on me. “Yes?”

“Merry Christmas.”

* * *

Merry Christmas from the DRMC and Tombs family.