Page 35 of Torch

“Well, that’s settled. I’ll let the ladies know you’re coming.”

Christian watched his sister suspiciously. “Cara, don’t do nothing crazy tonight.”

Her mouth dropped open as she held her hand to her chest. “Me?” she gasped.

“Is that really necessary, Christian?” I asked him.

Christian faced me and shook his head. “Brit, you have no idea.”

I spent the rest of my day with Christian. He drove around aimlessly for an hour, giving me the full experience of being on the back of his bike. I must say, I was now addicted to it. After he dropped me off, he told me to pack a bag and take it to the restaurant, since he would be picking me up after dinner.

I was so ready to have some one-on-one time with him. Also, I wanted to see his home in person. I had seen it a few times over our FaceTime calls, but that was it. However, I was a little nervous to be so close to all of his family. Mainly his parents.

With Julian, his parents rarely acknowledged me. I didn’t know whether they liked me because they were never rude. They just never had too much to say to me.

From what I had learned about Christian’s parents, they were down-to-earth people. He described his mother as one of the most kindhearted people he knew. That helped ease a little of the tension I had.

As Kira and I pulled up to the restaurant, we were both thrilled to meet up with the ladies. That time we spent with them in Vegas was pure entertainment. They were all so upbeat and lively. It felt as though we had known them our entire lives. Right as we got out of the car, we heard a door slam. I turned and saw Bianca making her way over to us.

“Hey, Twin!” She greeted me with a one-arm hug.

I giggled, hugging her back. “Hey. I swear I don’t think I will ever get used to this. I know they say everyone has a clone somewhere, but this is just crazy.”

Bianca cackled, throwing her head back. “Who are you telling? I was so freaked out I had to show my mom a picture of you. She was so shocked she couldn’t even say anything.” Bianca gave Kira a hug as well, and we made our way into the restaurant. Bianca passed the host table and told us to follow her. We made our way to a round table where most of the women were already seated, along with Will.

“Hey, everyone.” I took one of the seats, and Kira followed suit.

“Soooo, how have things been going?” Madison asked.

The ladies burst into giggles. “Can she order a drink first? You and Thor are always in somebody’s business.” Sara snickered.

Madison rolled her eyes. “Don’t act like I’m the only one who wants to know. We could possibly be sitting across from two new Ol’ Ladies.”

I took a sip of my water and asked, “Ol’ Ladies?”

“We’re not going to go into full detail of what it means to be an Ol’ Lady because it isn’t our place, but to sum it up, it basically means the wives of the club members,” Sofia said.

Kira started shaking her head immediately. “Oh no. It’s not like that with Axel and me. We’re just having fun.”

The ladies nodded. None of them seemed taken aback or offended by her comment. I was relieved that no one was judging her. Some women looked down on Kira for not pursuing a real relationship. It’s mainly why I was her only friend. But this group of women gave off a different type of vibe. They were always welcoming.

“Hey, as long as you’re happy, that's all that matters. Fuck what anyone else has to say,” Bianca piped in.

A look of sadness came over Kira’s face before she hurriedly masked it. I knew better. My friend wasn’t happy. She liked Axel a lot, but the fear of being hurt again kept her from getting close. She and Axel did have an understanding that they weren’t exclusive. They were both seeing other people outside their relationship. Kira tried to act like she wasn’t affected by it, but I saw through it. I just hoped that, in time, she could let go of her past and embrace being with Axel before she lost him to another woman.

Right as the waiter approached us, Cara and Oscar rushed to the table. “Sorry we’re late. Oscar took a little longer than usual,” Cara said right as she sat down.

Oscar turned to her with his lips pursed. “Girl, do not blame that on me. You were late because your man came by the office for a midday quickie.”

We all laughed as Cara shrugged with no shame. “What’s that saying? Happy sex life, happy wife.”

Will threw his head back and chuckled. “Cara, the saying is happy wife, happy life.”

“Same thing.”

The waiter cleared his throat, and that’s when we noticed he was standing there with pink cheeks. “U-uh what can I start you off with?”

We ordered a bunch of appetizers and a round of drinks before the waiter scurried away. Once he was gone, I took notice of Cara’s hair. It was flawless. “Cara, who did your hair?” I asked her.