“Uh, Cara? I see Axe. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Sure.”
Baylee ambled over to Axe and he stopped mid-sentence, scooped her into an embrace, and kissed her deep and hard. Her cheeks turned crimson as the men in the group stared, smiles and snickers on their lips.
Nuzzling her neck, he whispered, “I’ve missed you, babe.” His breath tickled her skin.
“Me, too,” she said, kneading his solid biceps.
“Missed your smell and your taste.” His deep chuckle reverberated through her, coming to rest between her legs.
“You done with the kissy-face shit? We got some stuff to discuss,” Throttle said.
Baylee’s face burned and she pulled away. “Cara wants me to meet the other women. I should go.”
Axe said in a low voice, “I’ll come get you when we’re done.” He patted her ass, and his touch scorched her. At that moment, she needed him bad.
As she passed three large grills, she waved at Banger who stoked the glowing charcoals. He tilted his chin to her, his blue eyes sparkling.
When she found Cara again, Baylee smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No reason to apologize. Let me introduce you to everyone.” Cara pointed to two older women who were setting up the picnic table with condiments, plates, and utensils. “This is Doris and Marlene. Ruben is Doris’s husband, and Billy belongs to Marlene. The women opening the chips are Sofia—she belongs to Tigger—Emma, who is with Danny, and Lacey, whose husband is Bruiser. Finally, you have Addie and Cherri.” Cara walked over to the two women who were seated on the picnic bench. “Chas is Addie’s husband, and Jax is Cherri’s man.”
“I’m sure I’ll have to ask everyone’s name again,” Baylee said, her brow creasing.
“No worries. Ladies, this is Baylee, Axe’s woman.”
The women welcomed Baylee then handed her a beer.
“Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“Not right now. When we’re ready to eat, you can help put the food out on the table,” Cara said.
“Did you make all the food?” Baylee inquired as she popped a tortilla chip in her mouth.
“We all brought something,” Cara answered.
“Cara always brings a taste of Italy,” Addie joked. “Banger is crazy for her sausage and peppers, so we always have that at family gatherings.”
“Banger loves to eat good food, and I keep telling Hawk that the woman who catches him will do it through her cooking,” Cara said.
The women laughed.
“I don’t know if he wants to be caught,” Doris retorted. “He and Grace were tight. I think he still misses her a lot.”
“He’s lonely since Kylie went away to college. Having a nice woman around will do him good.” Cara walked over to where Baylee, Cherri, and Addie sat.
“And what does Hawk have to say about your matchmaking mind?” Addie asked.
“To keep out of it.” Cara looked at the women. “So that makes me want to do it for sure.”
They all busted out laughing.
Comfort enveloped Baylee as she sat among the group of women who made her feel as though she were one of them. She could get used to spending time with them. She could even see herself becoming friends with Cara and Addie.
A cute blonde girl toddled over to Baylee and set a bright purple pony with electric green hair in her lap.
“Oh, how pretty your pony is,” Baylee said as she picked up the toy. “You’re pretty, too. What’s your name?”
“Paisie,” the toddler said then ran back to the white-blonde seated next to Addie. The little girl put her head in the woman’s lap, peeking out to watch Baylee.
“Is she your girl?” Baylee asked.
“Yeah. Her name’s Paisley, but we call her Paisie.” She stroked her daughter’s hair.
“Is this your baby, too?” Baylee pointed to a baby’s carrying case.
“No, she belongs to Addie.”
Addie smiled and pulled the mosquito netting away. The pink-cheeked infant with a patch of red hair looked like an angel.
“She’s beautiful,” Baylee murmured.
“Thanks. This is our special little girl. My miracle. I didn’t think I could have kids, but here she is.” Addie leaned over and grasped her daughter’s tiny hand, kissing her fingers. “Her name is Hope. Even though she has my red hair, she has her daddy’s dark eyes.”
“How’d you ever get Axe to calm the fuck down?” Cherri asked as she watched Paisley play with two other small children.
The question took Baylee back. “I don’t know. Has he slowed down?”
“Yeah,” they all said.