CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

-:- JIG -:-

Now that we’ve decided Kenzie will be moving into the cabin with me, what a whirlwind decision that was. I’m going to ask Amelia about me, or us, buying the place outright. Even if we decide on a place being built on the compound, we could flip this and sell it or keep it as a rental. If we chose to flip it, I’d get Amelia in on the deal. I wouldn’t be good buying it off her and then making a profit out of it.

Raven and Cora have had their eyes on me all morning. They know something is going on and they are desperate to find out what. It’s lunchtime soon, so I’m going over to collect food for everyone from the Coffee House. I rang an order through so it will be a quick trip, and while we’re all eating I’ll let them know that Kenzie’s moving in.

The ride to the Coffee House isn’t a long one, but I enjoy any ride on my hog, she purrs along at any speed and sounds deep and throaty. I need to speak to Web at some point as Kenzie is dead against two wheels, and convincing her to ride behind me is going to be a challenge, but if I can get her on a trike, I think she’ll grow to love the wind in her hair.

Walking into the break room, I dump the bags on the table. Keeping one bag for myself, I take out a double cheeseburger with bacon and devour it.

“You’re included this time, Grease. Dig in.” Giving him a chin lift, I see him look back at me suspiciously. “I’m in a good mood. What can I say?”

They all take their chosen lunch, and it’s unusually quiet while they are all chewing away. Taking advantage of the silence, and now that I’ve finished my burger, I tell them my news.

“You all know about Kenzie being my Ol’ Lady. We’ve decided that we’re going to make it legally binding and get married at some point. Also, she’s going to be moving into the cabin with me as soon as she can ditch the condo. Can you all keep an ear to the ground for any jobs that you might feel are appropriate for her as she’s quitting at the doctors’ practice this week?”

“What sort of thing is she looking for? Is she a receptionist there or medical?” Cora asks.

“She’s currently the receptionist, not medical, but I’m sure she could turn her hand to most things.”

“Congratulations, Jig. It seems to have been a long time coming, but I’m happy for you, brother.” Grease offers his hand and we shake. Raven and Cora are a bit more excited, and both give me hugs and a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll have to have a girl gang night now, so we can find out what sort of wedding Kenzie wants,” Raven says to Cora.

“I’m fairly sure she will want something low-key and quiet. She was shocked to see the photoshoot so I don’t think a big biker club-type wedding will be on the cards. I don’t see her turning up at a church in white jeans, white blouse, and kutte on the back of a bike at the head of a procession of brothers, somehow.” Shaking my head as the mere thought has me grinning.

“They say the quiet ones are the worst. Look at Jo, for heaven’s sake. Talk about butter wouldn’t melt, it’s a wonder there aren’t mini-Jo’s and mini-Knuckles’ running around the compound like darn rabbits.” Cora smiles at her own description, and I have to admit, I’m surprised Jo hasn’t been churning out babies the way that pair go at it. Research, indeed!

Getting cleaned up at the end of the day, I’m surprised by Kenzie’s voice from over my shoulder. “Hey, handsome. Need a ride home?”

“Hell yes, Beautiful. I’ve worked so hard, I don’t think I can walk across the street.”

Raven and Cora suddenly appear, and Kenzie is bombarded with congratulations, and then questions about the wedding. Looking at me with a bewildered expression, I just shrug my shoulders and walk home, leaving her to the tender mercies of wedding planning.

I’ve already showered and changed by the time Kenzie gets home. Smiling like a lunatic, she attacks me with kisses as soon as she sees me.

“I’m not complaining, but what’s with the welcome?”

“You told people already about us getting married, moving in, and everything. I’m happy with that, no second thoughts, no doubts. I feel the same. It all seems right.”

“So, have they planned our wedding, then? Anything left for us to do?”

“Not really. I think my two maids of honor have everything under control,” Kenzie replies as she laughs and shakes her head. “It will have to be three maids of honor. I can’t leave Kayla out. She’d be heartbroken.”

“Doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a small, intimate affair, then.”

“We’ll see. I put my notice in at work today, the senior partner was shocked, I had to have a long talk with him to explain my reasons. He wasn’t happy about the gossip, I don’t think he believed me at first, well I know he didn’t. I suggested he hang out by the break room and listen in on a few conversations. To my surprise, he did, too.

“He overheard some gossip about Dr. Edwards, as well as about me. He called a staff meeting in a free period they had showing for the afternoon. He dismissed two women with immediate effect and announced that he was disgusted with certain behaviors by both doctors and staff. He outlined his expectations of his professionals, and also his staff members. Anyone who didn’t think they could uphold his standards was invited to leave. He took no prisoners.”

“Good for him. Didn’t that give you cause to rethink your resignation?”

“Not one bit. The thought of being here with you just outweighed everything else. I have to be honest, it just feels so right. How about we go and research the bedroom, ready for when I move in?”

“Research the bedroom? What do we need to research in the bedroom?”

“Research, Jig. As in Jo and Knuckles' kind of research.” She rolls her eyes at me in despair, I’m sure.

“OH! RESEARCH! Yes. Let’s definitely do some research.” Scooping her up, I throw her over my shoulder and run for the stairs. In my haste, I bang her head on the lounge door frame.

“OW! I’m going willingly, no need to knock me out.”

“Sorry, Beautiful.” Heading for the stairs, I turn to one side so I don’t bang her head on the handrail. In doing so, I get one of her feet stuck in the railings and almost break her ankle in the damn thing.

“Okay... Stop... The mood's gone, damn it, put me down.” Putting her down on the stairs, she rubs her ankle. “No more caveman stuff, you’re just not good at it. Maybe, if we’re already in the bedroom, you could be ‘cavemanly’. Now, I just need coffee.”

Offering to carry her to the kitchen has her shaking her head vigorously. “No... I’ll limp my way there, thank you. You’ve done enough for one evening.”

Sitting at the kitchen table with coffee, she laughs at me. “What’s so funny?” I ask.

“You are. You couldn’t just take my hand and run to the bedroom with me, it wasn’t like I wasn’t willing. When we get to bed later and I say, ‘Not tonight, Darling. I have a headache,’ that will be your fault, so don’t be moaning.”

Laughing at the way she says ‘Not tonight, Darling’, I spit my coffee all over her.

“SERIOUSLY! I can’t believe you just did that! I’m reconsidering my life choices right now, you understand? Does your elevator go all the way to the top floor?” Laughing, she just sits there, staring at me.

I can’t stop laughing. I’m not giggling, I’m full on, tears in my eyes, pig snorting, belly laughing. I’m struggling for breath. Standing in front of her, I put my arms over her shoulders, reach round to hug her, and my watch strap hooks in her hair and yanks her head back.

Screeching like a banshee, she jumps from the chair and tries to free her hair. As she does so she turns her head, leans forward and headbutts my nose. Seeing stars, and still laughing like a lunatic, I tell her to stand still while I disentangle my watch.

Once we’re separated, she goes to the opposite side of the table and tells me to stay away from her. Chasing her around the table shouting, ‘Give me a hug’, she does two circuits and then runs upstairs. Following her, at a safe distance, I slam the bedroom door behind us and spend the next hour being her caveman and occasionally shouting, ‘Wilma!’

In the morning, and with Kenzie safely off to work, I call Web.

“Hey, bro. How’s things?”

“Good thanks, Jig. I hear you're doing good, too. So... Is it a bike or a trike I’m looking for?”

“Trike, but nothing like the other Ol’ Ladies have. She isn’t good with bikes, so I’m looking for a trike that doesn’t resemble a bike. That make any sense?”

“’Course it does. Custom build or off the shelf?”

“Well, either. You sound like you already have something in mind?”

“I think you should go with a boom trike, otherwise known as a Rewaco. They’re basically a three-wheeled car with handlebars. Low down riding position. Normal car shifter, manual or automatic, car engine and rear axle. Anything from a Volkswagen Beetle to a Ford Mustang. Beetles were the original.”

“Start looking at the Mustangs, then. Let’s see what you come up with.”

“Next time you’re at the clubhouse, come see me and I’ll have some photographs for you to look at.”

“Cheers, Web.” That was far easier than I expected. I’ll sit back now and see what he comes up with.

Getting to the end of the day, I notice I haven’t had a filthy job in two days. Either Grease is over his tantrum, or Raven and Cora having words did the trick.

Back at home, I wait for Kenzie to arrive. She’s cooking dinner tonight, and I’m doing a few of the jobs on her Jeep in the driveway that I haven’t gotten around to yet.

Kenzie kisses my cheek as she rushes past me to the cabin, which leaves me to spend a couple of hours working before Kenzie tells me dinner is ready to be served. Heading inside, I get washed and sit at the table. Seeing her put a huge steak on my plate, followed by mashed potatoes and gravy, my mouth waters. The steak is cooked to perfection, the gravy has onion pieces and tastes divine, the mashed potatoes are buttery and fluffy. As I’m eating, I must make noises that say I’m enjoying my food because Kenzie is positively beaming at me. Once my plate is clean, and I mean clean as I had bread to wipe up the last of the gravy, she takes the plate to the dishwasher and heads back to the oven. Placing a large pie on the table, she takes vanilla ice cream from the freezer.

“You want a slice of apple pie?” She asks, with a knife hovering over it, ready to cut away.

“I’ll take a slice of pie, any day of the week, Beautiful. That steak was to die for, by the way. I can see I’m going to be working out more if you cook like this all the time.”

Giving me almost half the pie, and herself what can only be described as a thin slice, she places ice cream on top of the pie and passes mine over to me. By the time I’ve devoured my dessert, I’m positively stuffed.

“Go get showered and changed. You stink of oil and grease. I’ll get the kitchen cleaned up and then we’ll chill out with a movie.”

Getting showered and changed only takes a few minutes. When I get back downstairs, Kenzie is scrolling through the TV to find a movie for us to watch.

Settling down to watch a western, I was half expecting a chick flick, we cuddle up on the sofa. It doesn’t take long for me to feel so relaxed and comfortable that I start to nap. Hearing a gentle snore, like someone smoking a pipe, I realize that Kenzie is sleeping. Closing my eyes, and with a huge happy smile, I join her in slumber.