15. Sunday Family Picnic, Part Deux

Chapter 15

Sunday Family Picnic, Part Deux

S abre

The sun set over the family picnic. It had been a good day. The club had come out in full force to welcome my woman. They were my family, and I didn't realize how much their support meant to me. She'd already won over most of the brothers that lived in the clubhouse, but the rest would fall. Thunder had been right. I owed him a favor for reminding me that the club was family, and family was everything.

It was getting dark, and I wanted to be by Grace's side when the nocturnal festivities started. I'd noticed that the first round of regulars had already arrived. I wasn't interested, but I also didn't want Grace to experience culture shock. Although, she had watched a threesome in a church. Chuckling to myself, I scanned the yard, looking for her. The last time I had seen her, she was sitting with the other old ladies.

Walking over to where they sat, I leaned in between Raven and Bear. Mama Bear had been my mother's best friend, and I had spent as much time at her house growing up as I had my own.

"Ladies," I greeted them.

"You better not fuck this up," Bear said as she turned towards me in her chair.

"Thanks," I replied dryly.

"No, I am serious, Sabre. Don't fuck this up. She's cute as a button." Bear used her finger to drive her point home into my chest. She was the only one I would have ever allowed to disrespect me like that .

"You approve?" I asked. It wouldn't matter either way, but I was curious.

"Yeah, and your mom would have, too."

It stung in all the right ways. I'd been thinking about my parents lately, reliving the good times and wishing they were here. I couldn't bring them back, but I knew they were looking down on the club, smiling.

"You going to show her your parent's house?" Raven asked me. "I've heard you've been fixing it."

"As soon as I find her."

"Girlie took off for the bathroom," Dee said with a wicked glint in her eye. "Didn't take too kindly to this morning."

"I doubt that." I laughed. "She wasn't complaining," I said, standing up and heading towards the bathroom inside the clubhouse. Their laughter followed me all the way to the back door. I was sure they were having a good time at my expense, but I didn't care. They thrived on gossip, coffee, and nail polish.

Shaking my head, I headed for the clubhouse's bar inside. It faced the bathroom, and I'd be able to snag Grace when she finished. I didn't see her, so I sat next to Grizz to wait. He was busy trying to forget the one that got away at the bottom of a bottle.

I wasn't Meredith's biggest fan. Unless something changed, I'd never excuse her behavior. I was still pissed that she hadn't taken a five-minute phone call the night Grace had left. Not only had she brushed her off, but that stunt at the dining room table had irritated me. Grace had never said a word about either. It was like she brushed it off as typical Meredith behavior. It was a speed bump that we avoided discussing.

Looking at Grizz, I could tell he was almost to the point in the bottle where regret sets in.

"Don't do something stupid. Grace is here, and one day, they will speak again."

"Take your own advice," he said as he nodded towards the bathroom.

"Fuck! "

The blonde girl that I had called over to blow me was walking out the bathroom door.

Grizz snorted as his head hit the bar.

"Go to bed." I elbowed him in the side. "You're drunk."

"We're not together. I can fuck whomever I want. Maybe I'll go with that chick."

"That's a lie," I said. "There's only one frigid pussy you want, and she ain't here."

I stood up from the bar stool and dug my heels in, bracing myself in case he took a swing at me for that comment.

"God, she fucked me up." He took his bottle, and I watched him walk upstairs towards his room alone. At least that was one crisis adverted. I didn't need Grace seeing him fuck some other chick and then telling Meredith.

Fuck my life. Grace walked out of the bathroom. Her face was blank, and there was no doubt in my mind that they had talked. We hadn't been together then, but would Grace see it that way? I wasn't about to lose her. I turned towards her, watching her approach me. "Hey," I said, kissing her forehead.

"Hi," she replied. Her face was still blank.

"Walk with me." I held my hand out for hers. At least she didn't shrink from my touch.

I led her around the back and walked down the dirt path behind the clubhouse. My father had made sure that when he had built the house for my mother, it sat far enough from the clubhouse for privacy but close enough that it was secure. It wasn't ready, but I hoped by the time the baby arrived, it would be our home.

I tried to find the right words to say, but I'd never cared about a woman's feelings before. I didn't want Grace to be hurt over something insignificant to me. I knew I needed to grovel for her forgiveness, but I didn't know where I should start.

I glanced at her, my mind racing. "Grace," I began, my voice uncertain. "Did she say anything to you?" That probably wasn't the best thing to say .

"Should she have?" I realized Grace was well aware of who I meant. That probably wasn't a good thing, either.

As we approached the house, I had an idea. Making sure I had a good grip on her hand, I led her up the steps of the porch to the swing I had fixed. My mom had loved to sit outside, surrounded by the clubhouse sounds but far enough not to be involved. I had thought Grace might like the same thing.

Sitting on the swing, I gently pulled Grace to sit next to me. Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I made sure there wasn't any space between us.

"Fucking Grizz," I muttered. Grabbing my phone, I pulled up the picture that Grizz had sent me the night he'd shown up to dinner at her aunt's house. "This started it." I handed Grace my phone to show her the picture.

Scrunching her nose, she turned towards me. "When was this taken?"

"The night Grizz met your family."

"Why would he take a picture of me?" She was still staring at my phone.

"To torment me," I groaned.

"Why would a picture of me putting away the dishes torment you? I am not even showing skin."

"I wanted you from the moment I sat next to you in the bar." Was she serious right now?

"I don't understand. There was plenty of time in between now and then to forget me when you have a harem knocking at the gate."

How had she gotten that impression by what I had said? I held her chin, making her look at me. "You know that's bullshit." I went for broke. "Mama, I've always wanted you. I should have tried harder that first night. You should have come here and never fucking left, but I was a fucking idiot. I pretended like you were just some out-of-towner that I'd never see again." I pulled her closer to me, and she laid her head on my shoulder.

"When Grizz started seeing Meredith, I made sure he'd check in with you. I wanted a full report the minute he stepped into the yard. Were you alright? Had he seen you? I should have known you were important, but I was busy fighting it." I scanned her face for any sign we were okay. She made no movement, and I was getting scared.

"Grizz sent that picture, and I tried to play it off. We weren't together, even though you consumed my every waking thought. She was just a blonde that night. I called her over, and she blew me. I had a hard-on when she started, but it didn't last long. She was trying, but I was going soft. If I had been anywhere else but the main room, I would have walked away, but we'd have never heard the end of it if I hadn't come. I let my mind wander to you, and I was so absorbed into the fantasy, I accidentally called her mama without even realizing it." I grabbed her chin and turned her so that she faced me. "You're not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere. This was just a speed bump, and not even a big one."

She smiled, and the twinkle was back in her eyes.

"You played me." I held her tighter to me, so that she couldn't escape.

"No, I didn't. I just didn't let you off the hook easy. You sweated." She leaned in to kiss me, breaking the hold I had on her chin. "Do you even know her name?"

I didn't answer. As long as Cyph had cleared her to hang around, I didn't need to know her name.

"It's Kelly, and she wants to be a nurse." Grace kissed me again.

"Please tell me you didn't make a new friend that's going to haunt me."

"No, but she's hoping that one of you will take notice of her."

"It won't be me. I only notice one woman these days, and she takes all of my focus." I kissed her this time, deepening it.

"Cute," she said.

"I prefer dead sexy." I couldn't help it. It was easy to tease her.

She laid her head on my shoulder as I gently rocked the swing. "I wasn't sure I wanted to know, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She told me what happened and how she'd put it together when you called me mama today."

"It was before we were together. You know I will not cheat on you, right?" She made a non-committal noise. That wasn't acceptable to me. I turned her chin again, forcing her to look at me. Grace was stunning in the moonlight. "Mama, I will not cheat on you."

Staring out into the yard, she rambled, "I am not afraid of that. We spend time apart, and it hasn't crossed my mind until today. I let someone else change me to fit their mold, and as I find myself again, I like who I am. I don't want to lose that. If you leave, or we don't work out, I don't know what will become of me emotionally. That's the part that scares me."

I made a noise in the back of my throat and held her tighter. I understood where she was coming from, but I didn't want to think about spending another day without her. Our current situation was temporary, thank fuck.

She was still staring out into the yard. "Tell me about your parents."

She couldn't see it, but I smiled at my memories of them. "My mom was a college senior when she lived in town with some friends over summer break. She met my dad at the grocery store, of all places, and he invited my mom to the clubhouse for a party. He told her she could bring her friends with her, but no one showed.

"The way my dad always told it was that he would ride up and down the streets looking for my mom, and when he found her, he'd 'randomly' bump into her. My mom would always laugh and remind him he chased her ass through town.

"They had a fling. My mom went back to school, and my dad continued to live the biker life. She found out she was pregnant with me the first week of school. She didn't tell anyone, but that December, she graduated early and came back here. When my dad saw her, he told her she should have listened when he said he'd keep her. It was a running joke between them. He'd tell us he'd keep my mom, but that we were expendable."

I looked down to make sure Grace was alright. She had a small smile on her face, as if she was picturing my parents and their antics.

"They sound like good people," she whispered.

"They were the best." I held her as I rocked the swing with my foot. "I was born in the club, and my parents lived in the clubhouse until my dad built her this house. By then, he had become president, and my mom supported his endeavors. However, there was always a piece of her that wanted solitude. You've seen it. There are people everywhere and constant noise. It's an amazing family, but it's not a place to actually raise one."

Maybe this was all too much for her.

"Mama? If you don't like it, we'll either build something else, or we'll buy something in town. Your choice."

She turned towards me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "Thank you."

I bent down and kissed her with fervor. I needed to know she was alright. If something was wrong, I'd die trying to make it right, but she was too quiet.

"Show me?" she asked as she pulled away from me.

"The tour awaits." I was trying to bring her smile back. I held out my hand to help her up from the swing, but she beat me to it. Leading her towards the front door, I unlocked it and flipped the light switch on. I let her walk in first, because I wanted to see her reaction. Her face wasn't as blank as it had been, but there were hamster wheels turning behind her beautiful brown eyes.

The front door led into the living room, and I stood in the entryway as she roamed around downstairs.

"It's warm in here," she said as she stood in the doorway that led to the kitchen.

I didn't think it was warm, but I wouldn't question her. I was still on thin ice, and if that meant I was going to freeze my balls off, then so be it.

"A family lived in this house. It carries warm memories," she repeated. "My mom was full of life, and when she passed away, she took all that warmth with her. It's so cold, which is why we meet at my aunt's."

I understood what was going on in her mind.

"I want to show you something," I said, gesturing for her to lead the way up the stairs. When we reached the middle stair, there was a creak. She paused, and I made sure that I was ready if she slipped. Rubbing her foot across the stair repeatedly, she made it creak.

"You didn't sneak anyone in here, did you?" she laughed .

"No. Wouldn't have mattered, anyway. The brothers would have snitched to my dad. If we wanted to..."

"Cause mischief?" she helped with a wide smile.

"Yeah, something like that. We did it away from the club."

Leading her down the hallway, I stopped at the first door on the right. I squatted, so that I was level with her belly. "This is for you," I told the baby, placing a kiss on her stomach.

I opened the door and moved out of the way. I had painted the walls a light blue, and there was furniture in the room. A crib, a changing table, and a dresser. Grace walked in and went straight to the crib. Running her hand along the edge, she turned towards me, tears in her eyes.

"My dad made these when I came along, and when Pretty was born, he used them. They've been sitting a while, even though Pretty hasn't grown up yet. I cleaned them up and gave them a fresh coat of varnish."

She waddled towards me and threw herself into my arms. Catching her, I made sure I had her attention. "What do you say, mama? Let's make some new memories here."