Page 29 of Ironside
“Well, that’s true,” Lena said with a laugh. “I meant…bringing me home to meet the family. Introducing me to friends. I’ve never made it that far with dating anyone before.”
Ah, so that explained why she was nervous.
I took her hand and kissed her knuckles, breathing in her faint rosy perfume. Before I could reply, a piercing whistle split the air. Psycho pointed at us.
“Look! Ironside really does have a girlfriend!”
Jenny scrambled out of her chair, shielding her eyes from the sun. Trooper and Brass craned their necks to get a better look. Pretty Boy lifted his arm, waving us over.
“I’m afraid there’s no easing you into this, petal,” I said. “You’re gonna get swamped by these maniacs.”
Lena tilted her face up to gaze at me, gripping my arm a little tighter.
“I have my favorite biker already, so I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”
My heart swelled in my chest and we waded into the party together.
Chapter eight
Lena
The next few hours flew by in a whirlwind of faces and names as Ironside introduced me to everyone. On my way over here, I had fretted about being an outsider since I was a total stranger to Ironside’s lifestyle. I was so sure that I would stand out like a sore thumb among all those bikers in their black leather and their motorcycles.
And maybe, deep down, I was scared.
Scared that all of this would be too good to be true. Scared that Ironside’s club—his friends, his family—wouldn’t approve of me, and he would slip through my fingers.
Besides, this was completely uncharted territory for me. I didn’t know how to be a girlfriend, much less a biker’s girlfriend.
Until I met Jenny, ex-wife to Hades, with two kids. She enveloped me in a warm, motherly hug that smelled like homebaked cookies.
Then I met Keely, Tarzan’s wife, with the beautiful baby Dot bundled in her arms.
They were normal, everyday women, just like me. Within only a few minutes, they had pulled up a chair and made room for me at the table, welcoming me into their circle. I wasn’t clinging to Ironside’s arm for dear life anymore.
In the late afternoon, the ride began, with a deafening roar of motorcycles rumbling in the air, accompanied by shouts, cheers, and wolf whistles.
Ironside came up behind me, bracketing me with his arms as he planted his hands on the table. He kissed the top of my head.
“How are you holding up, petal?” he asked.
I tilted my head back to look up at him, gesturing to the sleeping Dot in my arms.
“I think I have baby fever.”
Ironside hummed as he placed his hand on the back of my neck, sweeping his thumb back and forth.
“Little Dot does have that effect on people,” he replied.
“You two would have gorgeous babies,” Jenny put in with a wink.
My cheeks warmed and I glanced down at Dot’s little fist curled around my finger. I had always hoped that I might become a mother one day to a baby girl just like Dot.
But that dream had been fading more and more lately. It was hard enough to date, let alone have a child with my vaginismus causing so many complications. How could I possibly have enough sex to get pregnant when it caused so much pain that I was still a virgin at thirty-two years old?
Lila returned to her seat with a snort, carrying a plate of cake from the dessert table.
“Jesus, don’t scare the poor woman off, Jenny. Ironside hasn’t proposed yet. And we all know that’s going to take forever.”
