Chapter Seventeen

Fade

"We had groceries delivered while we waited."

Adalee's cheeks flushed, and she pressed into my side.

"Dove found a recipe," Sloane explained.

"Hopefully it's good. I'm not much of a baker, but I wanted cake," Dove shrugged.

"Adalee is a baker," I said proudly. "She's a cake decorator."

Sloane's eyes bugged out, and Dove's jaw dropped.

"I was a cake decorator," Adalee interjected. "Feels like it was in a different lifetime."

"Damn, girl, you've had all the cool occupations. Sloane and I just worked in an ice cream factory." Dove pulled out her phone and swiped a few times. "I'm sure this recipe I found is nothing compared to what you can make." She held the phone out to Adalee.

Adalee shyly took the phone and looked over the recipe. "Uh, it looks good. I would adjust a couple of things."

Sloane stepped to the side and motioned to the kitchen. "Honey, you are more than welcome to get into that kitchen and adjust away. Dove and I can be your runners to get you whatever you need."

"Uh, are you sure? I don't need to..." Adalee started.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I need to go check on the construction and check in with Yarder, cupcake."

She tipped her head back and looked up at me. "Are you trying to push me off onto Sloane and Dove?"

Fucking hardly. "No. I just figured you would have a better time with them than watching the construction crew."

She wrinkled her nose. "You're right. I'm good here." She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my lips. "Later."

Later indeed.

Earlier, she had unlocked something inside of me. It was a need I had for her, and it felt like I was never going to get enough of her.

I watched as Adalee's lips curved into a shy smile, her eyes twinkling with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. She glanced back at Sloane and Dove, who were already making space for her in the kitchen. It was clear they were eager to see her in action.

"Alright, let's get baking," she said, her voice a blend of determination and nervousness.

I gave her one last squeeze before heading out.

The sun was bright outside, and I squinted as I walked towards the construction site. Yarder was watching the crew hard at work, the sounds of hammers and saws filling the air.

"Yarder," I called out, catching his attention.

He glanced over at me and gave me a nod. "Saw your bike was here but didn't know where you were. Figured you would have wanted to be in the meeting with Garett and Mark."

I shrugged. "Got here with Adalee a couple of hours ago. I was getting her settled into my room."

Yarder eyed me knowingly. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what you were doing."

"I figured I was going to get shit from the guys, but not you." I couldn't help but chuckle.

Yarder shrugged. "That's about all you're going to get from me. I'm sure Smoke and Stretch will give you hell about shacking up with the production assistant."

"Yeah, can't wait for that," I grumbled.

"I will say you worked fucking quick."

"When you know, you know, right?" Aero, Cue, Throttle, and Yarder had all been quick to fall, too. Hell, Throttle pretty much hated Dove, and then suddenly, they were together.

Shit happened quickly around here, not just shit hitting the fan.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Yarder agreed.

Yarder and I stood in silence, watching the construction on the new garage. The sounds of hammers and saws filled the air, a rhythmic backdrop to our thoughts. I glanced over at Yarder, knowing he was thinking about Fallon, just like I was.

"Anything happen with Fallon overnight?" I asked.

Yarder shook his head. "She pretty much fell asleep as soon as Compass showed her to her room. She had to be right in the thick of shit with Russ. Being here probably feels like a vacation for her."

Yarder probably wasn't wrong. I'm sure having all of us around her made Fallon feel safer than ever. "You still think she's telling the truth?"

Yarder nodded. "Aero and Smoke found some information that might help us find Russ."

"Need me to run down any leads?" I asked.

Yarder shook his head. "Not right now. Fallon knows Russ has a cabin in Oklahoma, but that isn't a secret. He had to have gone somewhere no one knows about."

"Maybe we could ask Compass' cousin with the Bone Hawks MC to check out the cabin. To be on the safe side."

Yarder nodded. "Not a bad idea. That way, we can at least cross that place off."

"Yarder!" Poppy called.

Yarder glanced in Poppy's direction. "Yeah?" he called back.

"I need to flip the mattress."

Yarder furrowed his brow. "You need to do what?" he called.

"Flip the damn mattress. Just come to our room," she ordered.

Yarder sighed. "What did we do before our ol' ladies were ordering us around?" he asked. "I've never flipped my mattress in my life, and suddenly Poppy shows up, and I'm going to flip my mattress instead of watching them build a new garage."

"Life is crazy, man," I laughed. A few days ago, I was dodging Adalee and the camera, and suddenly she was warming my bed, and I never wanted to let her go. Sometimes you needed to just slow down and really open your eyes.

"Keep an eye on them," Yarder ordered. "The blueprints show six bays, but I told them to add on two more. Make sure they remember."

I nodded, and Yarder headed back to the clubhouse. I watched him go, thinking about how much had changed in such a short time. Aero had found Sloane at that crazy book signing, Cue Ball had Olive and Rocky, Throttle had fallen for Olive, Yarder had Poppy, I had Adalee, and Fallon was here, trying to help us find Russ. Life was unpredictable, but at least it was never boring.

I turned my attention back to the construction. The crew was progressing well, and it looked like the garage would be done sooner than expected. I wandered over to check on the plans, making sure the extra bays Yarder mentioned were accounted for. Everything seemed to be in order, but I kept a close eye on the workers just to be sure.

As the afternoon wore on, I couldn't help but think about Adalee. She was in the kitchen with Sloane and Dove, probably baking up a storm. The thought of her being part of the club and not just the camera crew felt right, like she belonged here with me.