Page 46 of King
I exhaled deeply, trying to take in what he was saying.
“Brick and Theresa have made it work for over fifteen years. With the exception of the shitshow last fall, Rome and Abby make it work, too. Molly and Michelle are both gettin’ the hang of it. It can be done. It just takes a lot of reassurance from you, and a fuck-ton of faith and understandin’ from her.”
“I think the faith part is going to be tough for her, after the shit her asshole ex-husband put her through. The bastard cheated on her, more than once, I think. He’s put her through the ringer with divorce and child support, too.”
He reached behind him to get a bottle of water out of the fridge, then cracked open the top and took a big swig. “Yeah, havin’ been through that, I can see why she would be leery of the reputation MC’s have, especially with the club girls hangin’ around. Michelle tolerates ‘em, but she doesn’t have that kind of baggage in her past. I think it also helps because she knows I’ve never touched ‘em.”
He never had, even when he was single. He didn’t like the thought of having sex with women who’d been with most of the other men in the club. Can’t say I much cared for it either, to be honest. He munched on another cookie, looking thoughtful.
“She mentioned not wantin’ to just hook up. Does she know you want more?”
I shot him a look of surprise, and he laughed. “I know you man, and I’ve never seen you this sprung over a woman, not even that drug-addled, she-devil you married. Ella isn’t just one of your random fucks. The question is, does she know that?”
I stood up and started pacing around the small space, running my fingers through my hair in frustration.
“When the fuck would I have had the chance to tell her? When I was chasing Pic’s ass all over the country, or when Ella was giving me the brush-off and waltzing out the goddamned door?”
“If you want to see where this goes, you gotta make her listen to you.”
“Don’t you think I tried?” I shouted, swiping my pillow off the bed and launching it at the wall. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as throwing the beer mug in Jag’s office had been, but it was a lot less messy, and it didn’t leave a hole in the wall.
“So, try again.” Cowboy popped the last of the cookies in his mouth. “Hell,” he said as he chewed, “for cookies this good, keep tryin’ and don’t fuckin’ stop ‘til you change her mind.”
He heaved himself off the loveseat and ambled from the room without another word. I sat there for a while, thinking over everything and trying to come up with a plan because Cowboy was right. Hearing Ella tell me goodbye and seeing her walk away from me had brought things into focus for me.
She was much more than a hook-up. She wasn’t even a short-term fling. I had a feeling in my gut that she was meant to be mine and I was pretty damned sure that she felt the same way, if I could just get through those fucking walls she’d built back up again.
She was running scared, and I couldn’t blame her for that. In her eyes, I wasn’t exactly a safe bet for a woman who had been cheated on and taken for granted.
It was a good thing I’m a stubborn bastard who knows how to fight hard and fight dirty. This was one challenge I was going to win. I just needed to figure out how, exactly, to do that.
A few minutes later, I left the clubhouse and headed home, hoping the peace and quiet there would help me think. It didn’t, and I ended up tossing and turning for a good part of the night, only to be awakened by a text a little after eight in the morning. It was Rome, checking to see if I was home. When I responded that I was, he told me that he needed to stop by in a little while to talk something over with me.
“Put some clothes on, too. I’m bringing breakfast and I don’t need to see you in your boxers while I eat,” he demanded.
I snorted and tossed the phone back down on the nightstand. I hoped to hell that whatever he needed to talk about, it wasn’t bad news.
I took a quick shower to revive myself, then dressed in my usual jeans and T-shirt. I’d just poured myself a cup of coffee when I heard the sound of motorcycles nearing the house. I was pleasantly surprised to see not only Rome, but Jag, too, and they both had their women riding with them.
I opened the door to greet them, giving Abby and Molly hugs since they got to me first. Rome and Jag brought up therear, after retrieving paper sacks and a small box from their saddlebags.
“We stopped at that new bakery and brought all kinds of goodies,” Abby said as I stood aside to let her in.
“Their coffee cake is fantastic. I made Jag buy two, so we’d have leftovers,” Molly told me as she followed Abby inside.
Rome and Jag didn’t look nearly as chipper as their wives did, but they both trudged through the door and dutifully set the food on the counter as directed.
It didn’t take long for us to fill our plates and settle in around the table. I bit into the coffee cake, and Molly was right. It was damned good, and I idly wondered if Ella ever made any. If she did, I’d bet hers would be even better.
“So, what brings you all here at this time of the morning? Everything OK?”
Rome and Jag both rolled their eyes and reached for more food. Molly and Abby looked nervously at each other, clearly having some kind of silent conversation between themselves before looking challengingly at their husbands.
Rome jumped, and I suspected that Abby had kicked him under the table. He glared at her, and she tipped her head towards me, giving him a look that said she meant business. He sighed in defeat, then put his fork down.
“This is an intervention since our sweet wives have decided to stick their nosy asses into your love life – “
“Against our better judgement,” Jag interjected, and Rome nodded.
