Chapter 25: Evie

25

EVIE

I was doing my best to hide it, but I was a nervous wreck. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if Edge had gone with Phoenix and the others to meet with the Mad Dogs.

"Are you okay?" Ember asked.

"How do you do this?" I blurted. "You guys are so calm, and I'm over here completely freaking out."

She laughed. "Trust me. We're all freaking out, too. We've just gotten better at hiding it over the years."

"Do you really think they'll be okay?"

"Anything can happen, but my dad is the president for a reason. He doesn't head into situations blindly. He makes plans and takes precautions."

"Mom!" Raven called from across the room. "Come look at this."

Ember sighed and got to her feet. "Excuse me while I go see what my grown-ass child needs."

She'd barely made it halfway across the room when Harper dropped into the seat she'd vacated. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired and a little sore, but it's getting better every day. How are you?"

"Nervous. Worried. Pretending like I'm fine."

"Yeah, I was just telling Ember I don't know how y'all do this."

"Stuff like this doesn't happen too often, but I think it helps to have others to commiserate with."

"You guys are lucky to have each other."

"It probably doesn't feel like it yet, but you're a part of this group, too."

"I'm surprised you guys don't hate me," I said and immediately covered my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that, but there was no way I could take it back.

Harper's face softened. "The club has had to handle stuff for a lot of us. Some of us asked for their help, and some of us didn't. Sometimes people got hurt, sometimes they didn't. But every time, they helped because they wanted to. Because their family needed help. You're family now. This is what they do. No one's going to hate you for that."

"I'm not family," I corrected.

"Oh, yes, you are. You're Edge's woman. Even if you weren't with him, I'm pretty sure Irene would claim you as her daughter. Since she's more or less Byte's mom, that'd make you Byte's sister. It doesn't matter how you slice it, you're family now."

I wasn't sure how to respond, so I nodded in acknowledgment while I let her words sink in.

"They were talking about watching a movie to pass the time, but I think story time would be better," Harper said. "I'm going to get some snacks and round up the old ladies. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back."

She came back several minutes later with a bag full of junk food. Reese was trailing along behind her carrying a bag filled with various types of drinks. While they were arranging the snacks and drinks on the table, Ember, Annabelle, Macy, Keegan, Gabby, and Irene joined us.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Harper smiled. "I thought it might be helpful for you to hear our stories. Somebody could probably write a book about each one of us."

I listened intently as each woman shared their story. Irene had told me a good bit about what happened with Gabby, but I had no idea about the others.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "Hearing your stories really did make me feel better."

"We just wanted you to know that we've all been through stuff, and we understand how you're feeling right now," Harper said.

"Did your husband put you up to this?"

She smiled. "He may have dropped a few not-so-subtle hints."

"Please thank him for me. I don't know that I would've reached out on my own."

"That's completely understandable. We're new to you, but now you know you can," she said and clapped her hands together. "So, how about a movie?"

"Sounds good to me." Even though I hadn't been doing anything other than sitting, I was exhausted. The doctors told me I would feel tired even with light activity for several weeks, and they were right.

"Do you need anything?"

"A blanket, if there's one around."

She lifted the top of the ottoman and pulled out a blanket for me. "You're going to fall asleep, aren't you?"

I grinned. "It's highly likely. Will you wake me if there's any news?"

"I will," she promised.

Shortly after the movie started, I was sound asleep.

"Evie, wake up," Edge said softly next to my ear.

When I opened my eyes, it took me a few seconds to remember where I was and why. "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

He smiled. "Everything's fine. I'll tell you what happened when we get back to the house."

"Fine," I grumbled and slowly got to my feet. After waiting all day for news, I didn't want to wait any longer.

"I can tell you now, but we might miss out on dinner."

"Dinner? What time is it?"

"Almost seven. Since everyone was busy all day, we're having dinner delivered. It'll be here any minute."

When we reached the stairs, I wanted to cry. After struggling to walk down them that morning, I didn't think I'd be able to climb them.

"I got you," Dice said from behind me. He gently scooped me into his arms and carried me to the top of the stairs.

"Thank you."

I turned to see Edge halfway up the stairs with Ink following along behind him. He was taking his time, but didn't seem to be struggling.

"I bet people in their nineties move faster than we do."

"You're probably right," Edge agreed when he finally reached the top.

We pulled into the driveway as the delivery driver was walking back to his car. "Looks like we're right on time," Ink said.

By the time everyone was seated and served, I was ready to burst. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one. "All right. We're all here. We all have food. Somebody start talking," Ranger said.

"The Mad Dogs were surprised to see us. Phoenix and Hound started talking. Hound's vice president, Mange, got pissed when some things Hound told their club didn't match up with what was being said. Things got heated. Guns were pulled. Then Mange shot and killed Hound. He said Muzzle, Snarl, and Hound had been a problem for a while and they were happy to be rid of them. He said the issues they had with us died with them," Carbon said.

"Does that include me?" I asked.

"Yes, it does. Phoenix specifically mentioned you, and Mange said you were no longer a concern for them."

"It's over?"

Carbon nodded. "It's over."

"What about the murder investigation? I was named as a person of interest."

"Mange said he would take care of that."

"He what? How?"

"He said they didn't want people asking questions and upsetting the crooked system they've got going on in Fairbanks, so he would make sure Muzzle and Snarl were named as the murderers and your name was cleared."

I looked down at my plate and struggled to hold back my tears of relief. I could start living my life again without the threat of the Mad Dogs hanging over me. But what did that mean? I had no interest in moving back to Fairbanks. I could stay in Cedar Valley and continue working at the diner when it reopened, or I could look for a job as a phlebotomist.

Edge placed his hand on my thigh and leaned over to whisper, "You okay, baby?"

Swallowing thickly, I exhaled slowly and nodded. "I'm good. It's just a lot to process."

After dinner, I moved to the living room, hoping to distract myself with some television before bed. I couldn't stop thinking about my future, and the uncertainty of it was driving me crazy.

A few minutes later, Irene joined me on the large sectional sofa. "Please tell me you're planning on watching something ridiculous and trashy because my mind needs a vacation from today."

"I was going to put on Hot in Cleveland . It's one of my comfort shows, but ridiculous and trashy works for me."

"Go ahead with Hot in Cleveland . I love that show."

I barely made it past the theme song before I asked, "Have you heard anything else about the diner?"

"Nothing official, but it sounds like the place is going to be a total loss."

"No," I gasped. "Oh, Irene, I'm so sorry. What does that mean for you?"

She sighed. "Insurance will cover everything, so that part isn't a problem. I just don't know if it's worth it."

"Why wouldn't it be worth it?"

"I'm not as young as I used to be. I was going to have to retire at some point. Maybe now is a good time."

I was at a loss for words. Irene and the diner had become a huge part of my life, and I couldn't imagine what my days would be like if she didn't reopen. The thought of not working with Irene put things into perspective for me. I was free to move on with my life and return to my previous career, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay exactly where I was.

"Instead of rebuilding in Cedar Valley, you could move to Croftridge and open a diner here," Byte suggested.

Irene opened her mouth to respond but closed it without saying anything.

Byte grinned. "Give it some thought. You've got plenty of time before you need to make any decisions."

We watched a few more episodes before I was ready to call it a night. It was just as well; my mind had been reeling the entire time.

Edge turned to his side, facing me. "You've been pretty quiet tonight. What have you been thinking about?"

"Everything. What's going to happen with the diner? Is Irene going to reopen or stay closed? Will I have a job? Will I have to move? I don't like the uncertainty of it all."

"No matter what happens with the diner, Irene isn't going to kick you out. And now that you don't have to hide from the Mad Dogs anymore, you could get a job as a phlebotomist at a hospital or doctor's office or find a job doing something completely different."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You don't sound so sure."

"I really enjoyed working at the diner with Irene. I guess I'm not ready for things to change."

"I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about it too much right now. Irene may decide to rebuild, and then things will go back to the way they were. If she decides not to, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"You're full of old people sayings tonight," I teased.

"They're called idioms."

"What?"

"Phrases like that. They're called idioms."

"How do you know that?"

He chuckled. "We do the Dirty Santa gift exchange at the clubhouse every year for Christmas. Last year, I ended up with a word of the day calendar."

"I love that you actually use it."

"While I find some words newfangled, my propensity for learning has made my vocabulary quite copious."

"If you keep talking like that, I might be forced to find your calendar and hide it from you."

He grinned. "Go ahead. I'm sure there's a word of the day app I can download."

"Who are you?"

"Your man, and I'm full of surprises."