Saylor

The hours Player was holed up with the officers, and then the other men going over their plans almost drove me insane. I was used to being in the midst of those kinds of plans during my time in the Marines. Since getting out, when there were things at the VA, such as working out new programs, policies, or such, I found I was included in those discussions, even if I had no final say in them. It drove Noah crazy to know I was asked about those, and he wasn't. He often complained about how he should be helping to shape policies and programs as the resource person, not me. I thought it was telling that he wasn't. If they didn't respect him enough to take his advice, why keep him? I would never understand bureaucracy.

I tried to help wherever I could. With so many extra men around, there was food to prepare, rooms to get prepared, and more. I was getting frustrated that I wasn't able to be hands-on doing that work. Being blind hampered me. I spent some time with Freya to make sure she was doing well. I helped with the kids and babies, but it wasn't enough. Seeing my frustration, Demon rescued me from losing my mind. He put me to work on helping with guard and patrol rotations and things of that nature. My blindness didn't hamper my mind or ability to think strategically. I enjoyed it and got lost in thinking of logistics, what we'd need, and who should go where.

I was so into it that when Player and the guys finally came out of church, I was startled. They came walking into the common room in a loud wall of noise. Heavy footfalls, voices, laughter, and more filled the room. They had great timing. Food would be ready shortly for dinner. At lunchtime, they'd had sandwiches and such delivered to church so they didn't have to stop and break up their momentum.

On top of helping where I could, I got a good rundown from the old ladies on what it meant when they talked about something being club business and how they were sheltered in a lot of ways from the details. It was supposedly to keep them safe and free of being sucked into things if their man or the men were ever arrested or anything along those lines.

I did find out that some knew more than others, depending upon their man. Jocelyn, as the president's old lady, knew the most, although she kept it to herself. None of the others held it against her. It was something each couple had to figure out for themselves. I was praying Player would involve me more. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle being left half or more in the dark.

I was getting to my feet when an arm wrapped around my waist. I didn't recognize the touch. I barely kept from lashing out but being in a room full of Warriors and their friends held me back. I did stiffen, though. The arm dropped instantly.

"Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to startle or feel grabby. The room is so damn full I thought I'd help guide you. Are you searching for Player?"

I didn't know the voices of the new guests, so I had no idea who this guy was. He sounded contrite for touching me, and I knew they had no idea how I navigated. I smiled in his direction.

"Thank you, but I've gotten pretty good making my way around here even without Freya. Although, by the sounds of it, I'd be tripping over people. I wasn't actually gonna attempt to walk. I was standing so it would be easier for him to see me. Sorry, I know we've probably met, but I can't place your voice."

"Shit, I'm really screwing things up. I'm Razor. I understand you know my in-laws, the Flynns. I'm married to their daughter, Talia."

"Oh, yes, I've heard your name! It's great to meet you. I worked with Talia a few times when I was getting Freya retrained, although Vex did some too." I held out my hand to him. He took it.

"Yep, Vex is my brother-in-law, although don't tell him I claimed him," he said in a pseudo-whisper. I found out why when Vex protested nearby.

"You talking shit about me again, Razor? If you don't stop, I'm telling your kids that you're being mean to their favorite uncle."

"Favorite my ass. They tolerate you at best."

They snarked at each other a couple more times. I laughed. I couldn't help it. When they settled, I had to ask. "How many kids do you have, and how old are they?"

I heard them both laugh. Player was the one to answer me. "Babe, Razor has three. Tell her about their ages," he said with a snicker. I was lost.

"I have two boys and a girl. They're three-and-a-half."

It took a couple of seconds for what he said to soak in. I gasped. "You have triplets?"

"I do. Talk about a shock. Talia hasn't let me forget it either, and she said once was enough. I had to agree. With our luck, we'd have triplets again or more. Our three run us ragged enough."

"Oh my God! You didn't tell me you had triplet nephews and a niece," I bitched at Vex. "What're their names?" I asked Razor.

"The boys are Cooper and Colton, and the princess is Charleigh," he said. You could hear the pride and love in his voice.

"You're a proud papa. I thought it was crazy that Bull and Bear have twins, but wow."

"Don't worry, we'll see if we can add to the multiples over here. Dublin Falls has three sets of twins and then his triplets," Player said.

I gasped and smacked him in the stomach. "Don't you dare do that to us! One at a time will be a challenge, and you go saying that!"

"Saying what?" Another voice I didn't know asked.

"Player is trying to convince Saylor they need to have multiples to compete with us," Razor said to the new man.

"Oh damn, well, if it makes you feel better about it, I have two sets of twins and a spare. We haven't met yet. I'm Law."

Player guided my hand into Law's. I shook it as I shook my head. "It's very nice to meet you, but my God, five! Your poor wife."

He laughed. "Tonya was used to taking care of twins and the middle son before I met her. She's the pro. I damn near fainted when we found out about the last set, but she was a champ."

"So, are the first three older by a lot?"

"Let's see. Daniel and Dena just turned five a couple of months ago. Dylan turned three last month, and Demi and Dalia are nine months."

My head was whirling at the thought of five kids five and under. I was speechless, which had the guys laughing at me. I got a little background on Law and his old lady and how they met. I also discovered how he got the name Law. I had no idea that police officers were actually in motorcycle clubs, which showed how much I didn't know. It wasn't long before more came over to say hello. Most I'd met already. They seemed to want to get to know me better.

We were sitting down about a half hour later to eat when the door opened. I heard Demon shout, "Here comes trouble."

I was shocked to hear a woman's voice respond. I assumed it was one of the men. "Demon, don't make me kick your butt in front of all these people. I swear. You get worse the older you get. Zara, how can you stand him?"

There was excited chatter and laughter. I was about to ask who she was when I found out.

"What're you doing here?" Terror asked.

"I came to see this Marine you've been hiding from me. Player, you haven't brought her to meet me, so I came to her. It's not often I get to meet a tough Marine like me." As soon as she said Marine, I knew she had to be Harlow, Bull's daughter.

"Hey, you know several tough Marines," another guy objected.

"Devil Dog, I meant a really tough one. You know, a woman," she said back. This caused a loud uproar.

Player whispered in my ear, "Devil Dog served with her in the Marines. She loves giving the rest shit. She's how he found the club and joined. He's close to her like Demon is."

"Okay, out of the way. Let me at her," Harlow shouted.

"Temptress, where are the kids?" Terror asked.

"Outside trying to decide where they can stand guard. I knew I'd never get away with coming to see their grandpa and granny without them."

I heard groans, but I wasn't sure who it was. It was chaotic as footsteps and muttering got louder. I was about to ask Player to tell me what was happening when Harlow's voice stopped me. She was close.

"Hello, I'm Harlow, Terror's better half and Bull's oldest. You've got to be Saylor, from the way Player is hanging onto you unless he has a death wish."

I held out my hand. She claimed it. As we shook hands, I greeted her. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. And yes, he'd be in a world of shit if he had his hands on some other woman. I'm already having to put bitches in their places," I automatically said, just as I would to anyone I served with.

"Oh God, I love her! Yep, we're gonna be great friends."

"Temptress, please don't tell me you brought others with you. We're not here to have fun," Terror said. I couldn't tell if there was a note of reprimand in his tone or not.

"Terror, I've been with you for over ten years. I know that, and I didn't. I promised to check her out for the others and give them a report. Also, I thought you might need an extra guard. You know I can help with that, and if not, I can cook and help wherever Momma Jocelyn needs me."

"I swear, one of these days, Harley, I'm gonna strangle you. She says that out where people who don't know us can hear her. She walked through the mall the last time she was here, calling out, ‘Hey, Momma, look at this.' People were gawking and whispering. The kids calling me grandma or mommy is fine. People see her, and they look at me like we're crazy," Jocelyn said. I heard the mirth in her voice, though.

"Momma!" Harley yelled.

I knew she was probably slightly crazy, but she was also helping to release some tension. I didn't know the details yet of what they had planned or when it was to go down, but this kind of playing around was common in the military, especially before a battle.

And that was how I was caught up in the world of Harlow. I laughed so much that my stomach was sore by the time we were done eating. I met her and Terror's three. Hunter, the oldest, was nine and a half years old. His sister Emerson was just over six years old, and the youngest, Justice, was turning three years old in less than a month.

As things began to settle and cleanup was done, Player took my hand and led me out of the clubhouse.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To the house for a while. I need alone time with you. We still have some things to talk about."

He was right. Not only did I want to know what they planned to do, but we hadn't talked about his attitude last night about my clothing and then the whole debacle with Clover. Lord, it seemed like it had been at least a week since that. We were greeted as we made our way to the townhouse. Walking inside and into the quietness was a relief. I knew this was needed.