“Okay.”
“I don’t care if our kids wanna be doctors or fucking mechanics. I don’t give a shit if they wanna go to community college, or not go to college at all. Long as they’re happy, who gives a fuck?”
“You’re just so much smarter than me—” I whispered, reaching up to grab the hair falling down his face. “You’re smarter than anyone I know.”
He leaned down to kiss me softly. “Right—smart enough to know a good thing when I have it. I fucking love our life. Get to wake up to you every day, hang out with my brothers and fix shit, play with my kids when I want—not after I get done at some nine to five that sucks the life out of me.”
“Sometimes, I just wonder if I held you back, or—”
“You gave me purpose, Ladybug, before I got patched in, before we had our kids. You gave me a reason to push forward, make something of myself, take care of business. You’ve never held me back. Alright?” He leaned down to kiss me gently, his tongue gliding along the inside of my lips before pulling the top one into his mouth and sucking softly.
“Alright,” I murmured when he’d pulled away again.
“Where’d this shit come from?”
“I don’t know.”
“You realize he’s not even movin’ out,” Cody teased, his lips pulling into a
small smirk.
“Yet,” I grumbled, pulling away and climbing out of bed.
“Ladybug, he’s not even eighteen yet and he’s got the club to take girls—”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better!” I yelled, throwing a dirty shirt from the floor at his face.
He started laughing as I stomped toward the bathroom.
Within minutes, Cody was following me into the shower, crowding me against the wall as he leaned over me to get his hair wet. We showered in companionable silence, brushing our hands against each other at every opportunity, but never passing the point of no return. I loved showering with Cody, it was my favorite part of the day. Even if we didn’t make it anything more than getting clean, there was a comfort in starting my day with him.
“Got about thirty minutes before we gotta leave,” he warned me as I plugged in my hair dryer.
“I still have an hour,” I argued. “Get the girls ready for me?”
“Thirty minutes, Ladybug. Gotta pick up Trix on our way and parking’s gonna suck.”
“Shit!” I scrambled for my hairbrush. “Why the hell are we picking up Trix?”
“You serious?” he asked, pausing on his way out the door.
I shot him a dirty look.
“He wants her there.”
“I don’t know why.”
“Hell, I don’t know either— she probably asked him to go. Dragon’s up north with Nix and Brenna’s got shit with Leo today, so he asked if we’d pick her up.”
“Fine.”
“Don’t be a bitch, Ladybug,” he said, stepping forward to kiss the side of my neck softly.
“She follows him around like a damn puppy, of course she’d want to be there today.” I sighed and ran shaky hands through my wet hair. “I’m not pissed, I just thought I’d have more time to get ready.”
“You got time, baby. Put on your war paint and I’ll get the girls ready.” With another kiss, he turned and walked through the doorway.
I turned the hair dryer on the minute he closed the door behind him and flipped my head upside down, hoping for a little body when my hair dried. I didn’t worry about my appearance as much as I had when Cody and I first met, but I still took care of myself. Some days, I didn’t even wear makeup, which my man freaking loved.
But today was a big day. I was already anxious, and anxiety brought back old habits.
I was going to be full-on fifties housewife today. I thought it fitting.
It wasn’t every day that my oldest child graduated from high school.
Poet and Amy
Years after their happily ever after…
Amy
“It’s pissing rain, ugh!” Farrah complained as she herded Cecilia and Lily into the house. “Why the hell do we live in Oregon again?”
“Quit bitching, Ladybug,” Cody ordered, slapping her ass as he stalked toward my kitchen.
“Okay, kids in the living room! Nan rented movies and made popcorn!” I called out cheerfully. I couldn’t help it—I was excited.
There were a ton of boys in the club, and lots of families—but the kids that I’d come to think of as mine and Patrick’s were all there under one roof for the first time in six months. Nix, Brenna and Dragon, Asa and Callie, Cody and Farrah, and all the babies were piling into our little house for what the men tried to refer to as poker night.
It’s not like we ever got around to playing actual poker, but the girls and I let them call it whatever they wanted as long as they showed up.
I loved having everyone there and it was obvious. I’d popped popcorn, made a ton of food and stocked the fridge with beer, so even though it was raining like the damn sky was falling, I was happy as hell.
As soon as I’d gotten the little ones settled in with their movie, I followed the sound of voices into the kitchen, where the adults were crowded in around the table.
“I’ve been all over, but I fucking love riding up the Gorge. The view is insane,” Nix was saying as I stepped into the kitchen.
“The wind through there is a bitch,” Cody argued, starting off a round of insults from the rest of the guys.
“The Amphitheatre is boss, though,” Farrah piped in, nodding her head. “We’ve been up there a few times for concerts.”
“I like Edgefield in Troutdale,” Callie murmured. “It’s kind of small. Intimate, ya know? Even though you’re outside.”
“What are we discussing?” I asked as Patrick noticed me standing beside him and pulled me onto his lap.
“Where we wanna take a trip when the weather’s nice again,” Dragon answered with a small smile.
“And we’re basing the destination on concert venues?”
“Outdoor concerts are the shit,” Farrah informed me seriously. “If I’m gonna go numb from sitting on the back of a bike for days, I’m getting something out of it.”
Cody leaned over and whispered something in Farrah’s ear, making her laugh happily. “That, too,” she murmured, looking down at the tabletop.
“Why can’t we go to Texas? Weather’s warm, lot’s to see—” Nix tried to say before being booed.
“It’s too hot in Texas,” Brenna argued, before glancing at me. “No offense.”
“Why the hell would I be offended?” I laughed.
“Well, you lived there for a long time…”
“That’s just where we ended up,” I said with a shake of my head, leaning heavily into Patrick when he squeezed my hip. “I didn’t exactly choose it.”
“Montana?” Asa asked.
“You know of any venues out there?” Farrah asked him, making him shake his head. “Then Montana is out.”
My eyes widened as Asa threw a chip across the table at her, but before she could retaliate, a soft, “Don’t even think about it, Ladybug,” had her relaxing back into her seat.
“Not sure what the plans are for summer, but we’ll figure somethin’ out,” Patrick announced. “Got Doc’s boy comin’ out to stay with Slider and Vera for the summer. Not sure how that’s gonna play out.”
“Where are Charlie and Vera?” I asked at the same time as Callie said, “How old is he?”
“They had some other shit goin’ on,” Poet told me before glancing over at Callie. “Think he’s about a year younger than Will.”
“Who woulda thought the old fuck had it in him?” Dragon said jokingly, a small smile playing on his lips.
“Hell, he seemed old as fuck when we were kids.” Grease shook his head.
“Ugh. It was probably some club whore,” Farrah commented, wrinkling her nose. “Gross.”
“I can’t believe he could even get it up,” Nix said in disbelief.
??
?I can’t believe someone young enough to have kids had sex with him.”
“He’s lucky he didn’t have a heart attack when he found out.”
“Hey, didn’t he have an older kid, too? Like, older than us?”
“Dirty old man—”
“Enough!” I snapped, slamming my hand down on the table as Patrick’s body went still beneath me.
I didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as the table went completely silent. Doc had died asleep in his bed at the clubhouse six months before, and even after all the loss I’d encountered in my life—his death had hit me hard. He’d been good to me. He’d been the one to wrap bandages gently around my mangled fingers, and help me shower after I’d been attacked. He’d looked at me like he could understand my pain, and he’d do anything on earth to take it away.
I couldn’t stand the thought of the kids joking about him—the man who’d patched me back together when I’d been bloody and broken.
“Excuse me,” I murmured, pushing away from Patrick as I stood from the table.
I walked slowly back to our bedroom and closed the door softly behind me before sitting on the bed. I just needed a moment to gather my thoughts and get over the embarrassment of my outburst.
“Okay, me love?” Patrick asked, slipping quietly into the room.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I sighed. “I overreacted.”
“Ye didn’t overreact,” he reassured me as he sat next to me and entwined his fingers in mine.
“I can’t believe he has a son that young, either, but I just—”
“Didn’t want ‘em bein’ disrespectful. Nothin’ wrong with that.”
“I miss him.”
“Me too, love.”
“We’re getting old.”
“Not that old,” he murmured in admonishment, making me chuckle. “The man took care of ye when I couldn’t. Owe him for that.”
“Me, too.”
“We’ll make sure his kid has what he needs.” He leaned over and kissed the side of my head.
“I wonder why we never knew about him.”
“His mum’s not interested in the club shit,” Patrick said, turning to face me. “Lives in Salem, raised the boy there.”
“Did Doc see him, you think?”
“When he could, aye.” Patrick reached up and cupped my cheek while he looked at me tenderly.
“Is his mom—”
“From what I remember, she’s a good woman,” he assured me with a nod.
“That’s good.”
“It is. Now, you wanna get back out there with our kids?”
“Yeah, we probably should before Asa and Farrah come to blows,” I replied dryly.
“Ach. He loves her, and she him.”
“They fight constantly!” I argued as he stood and pulled me to my feet.
“Like brother and sister.”
I tilted my head to the side and thought about it. They did fight like brother and sister. Huh.
“Should kick ‘em all out so I can take ye to bed,” Patrick murmured with a smile, reaching up to run his palm over the back of my short hair.
After I’d cut my dreadlocks off years before, I’d kept it short. It was easy to take care of, and I still didn’t like the thought of anyone but Patrick getting anywhere near it.
“Dirty old man,” I said with the same inflection of the words I’d heard at the table.
“I’ll show ye dirty,” he said wickedly, leaning down to take my mouth in a wet kiss.
“Nan?” Trix interrupted from beyond the bedroom door.
“Be out in a minute,” Patrick called back hoarsely.
“Oh, gross!” I heard her complain before she ran back down the hall.
Patrick and I both started to laugh until tears ran down my face.
“What the hell did she think we were doing?” I gasped, bending at the waist.
“And how the hell would she even know to think we were doin’ somethin’ ‘gross’?” he asked in disgust, making me laugh harder. “Her fuckin’ parents…”
“Let’s go,” I ordered, kissing him quickly before leading him out of our bedroom.
“You,” Patrick growled, pointing at Dragon the moment we’d walked back into the kitchen, making me snort with laughter again.
“Is Cam coming?” Trix asked in exasperation as she walked in behind us. “He said he’d stop by, but it’s getting late and—”
“Think he was goin’ to the club tonight, sweetheart,” Cody said softly.
I watched Trix’s face fall before catching herself and carefully hiding her emotions. Her uncanny ability to show absolutely nothing must have come from her dad, because I’d always been able to read Brenna like an open book.
“Oh, okay. No worries,” she said with a bright smile, her hands clenched at her sides. “I was just hoping to have a little help with all the monsters.”
She turned and left the room while we all watched her, and the minute she was out of earshot, Farrah was reaching over to pinch what I was pretty sure was Cody’s nipple.
“The fuck was that for?” he hissed, grabbing her wrist.
“Really, Cody? The club?”
“That’s where he’s at!”
“She needs to get straight with it,” Dragon interrupted them, watching the empty doorway for a few seconds before glancing at Brenna. “He’s too old for her. That kid shit was fine when they were young, but he’s a grown man now and she sure as shit ain’t grown.”
“You don’t know—” Brenna said quietly.
“Know what I see. Know my kid,” Dragon cut her off. “She’s still a child, much as she wants to grow the fuck up. Maybe she sees that he’s not waitin’ around and she’ll figure that shit out.”
“Or she’ll just want him more,” Callie murmured, meeting Grease’s eyes.
The room went silent before Patrick spoke up.
“Either get out your money so I can beat yer asses at poker, or get the hell out so I can fuck my wife.”
“Pop! I don’t want to hear that shit!” Brenna screeched while Nix made puking noises and the rest of the table laughed hysterically.
I loved poker night.
Acknowledgements
Mom and Dad: As always, thanks for the coffee and babysitting! Let’s do this again soon! :-)
My girlies: Thanks for being patient with me. I know it’s annoying when you have to go to bed early on the weekends so mom can work! You two are by far my best accomplishments.
Sisters: Love you.
Toni: Thanks for listening to me ramble and complain and bounce around ideas. Now get to work, so I can do the same thing for you.
Ashley: You rock dude. Thanks for never sleeping so I can write you in the middle of the night and you respond in seconds. I would have lost my mind without you.
Donna: You’re going to get an acknowledgement in every single book I write- because without you, this book wouldn’t even be written… or it would still be an unfinished novella. You keep me on track, and I’m sure dealing with me is a lot like herding cats, but you’re still patient and you still kick me in the tush to get me moving. You’ve been in my corner from the very beginning—I won’t ever forget that.
My Betas: Kimberly, Gina, Tracy, and Aunt Deana- thanks for your input, your eagle eyes…and your crying voice messages. I needed those. Ha!
Nikki: Thanks for going over CRes with a fine-tooth comb. You practically spit shined this book, and it’s a thousand times better because of your help.
My cover models who shall not be named: You guys went out of your comfort zone and totally kicked ass. Thank you so much.
Kara and Sommer: Once again, you’ve made my cover a thing of beauty. Thank you.
Dani: Thanks for always stepping up and making my chapter headings and paragraphs look awesome. You’re usually working under a tight deadline, and you always come through.
Bloggers: Thanks for signing up, every time, to read and review my books. I know that blogging takes a lot of time and effort, and I hope you k
now that I appreciate every single word you write.
And you, person who’s reading this: Thank you for reading The Aces MC Series. I hope you loved it. I hope it made your stomach churn and your heart race. I hope you loved Brenna and Dragon; Callie and Grease; Farrah and Casper; Patrick and Amy as much as I do. Stick with me kid—I’ve got more up my sleeve.
About The Author
Nicole Jacquelyn is the mom of two busy little girls. She hasn’t watched television in well over a year, she still does things that drive her mother crazy, and she loves to read. At eight years old, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she told people she wanted to be a mom. When she was twelve, her answer changed to author.
By the time she was eighteen, when people asked her what she wanted to do with her life, she told them she really wanted to be a writer, but the odds of that happening were so slim that she’d get her business degree “just to be safe.” Her dreams stayed constant. First she became a mom, then she went to college, and during her senior year—with one daughter in first grade and the other in preschool—she sat down and wrote a story.
Nicole may be found on social media at:
Facebook: Author Nicole Jacquelyn
Twitter: @AuthorNicoleJ
Nicole Jacquelyn, The Aces MC Complete Collection
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