“Babe –”
“And I think Ned and Betty’ll let me use their pool whenever I want. They like me.”
“Laurie –”
“And martinis are bad for me. I get drunk on one and a half and I mean drunk.”
He smiled at me. “Then we’re hittin’ the home store sale.”
“We are?”
“Martini glasses. Fuckin’ you normal is hot. Make up sex is un-fuckin’-believable. Drunk sex might just kill me.”
“Tate –”
“Though, won’t mind dyin’ that way.”
“Tate!”
His face went soft and his hand slid into my hair.
“As cute as you are, tryin’ to be a biker babe and all, honey, I gotta pick up my boy,” he murmured.
I relaxed against him. “Okay.”
“I get him to Carnal, I’ll bring him by the bar so you can meet him.”
“Oh no,” I stated quickly. “You two be together. I’ll see you when I get home. Or, do you want more time? Maybe I should –”
“I’ll bring him by the bar to meet you. We’ll pick you up after shift and go out to dinner.”
“Really, I can –”
“Babe.”
“What?”
He didn’t speak and neither did I. It was a standoff.
Finally, I gave in, “Okay.”
“He’s gonna like you.”
“Okay.”
“Lauren, honey, swear to God, he’s gonna love you.”
I bit my lip and nodded.
He watched my teeth bite my lip then his eyes came to mine.
“You wanna know why I know?” he asked.
I nodded again.
“Because you want him to like you and you’re worried he won’t and you care about me. Jonas spends a lot of time with people who don’t give a shit about anything but themselves. He’ll respond to someone who isn’t like that.”
I relaxed against him again and repeated a hopeful, “Okay.”
“Get off me, baby, gotta shower.”
I rolled off but he rolled right on top of me.
“I thought you had to shower,” I asked when I caught his eyes.
He held my gaze for a moment and I couldn’t read his face before his head dipped and I felt his nose tweak my ear.
“I’m sorry I was a dick,” he whispered there.
There it was. That was all he had to do and I knew at that moment there would be times when he’d be a jerk and that was all he’d ever have to do.
My arms slid around him. “Honey,” I whispered back.
He gave my shoulder a bristly kiss and then he was gone.
I rolled into the unmade bed so the covers were over me and listened to the shower.
Then Buster came up on the bed and gave me a look that communicated, “Where were you last night?”
I cooed to her, she moved to me and flopped gracefully into the crook of my bent hips. I petted and she purred.
Tate left me after getting dressed and leaning into the bed to give me a kiss and Buster a stroke. Then I took a shower, got ready and went to work, calling Betty after I got there to tell her that I wasn’t moving back to the hotel.
“Didn’t think so, hon.”
“I’m sorry,” I said and I heard a surprised burst of laughter.
“Why?” she asked.
“Well, I told you I was coming home and I miss you guys, I didn’t…”
“Laurie, honey, you and Tate are right up the way. You didn’t move to Fiji.”
“Yes, but…”
“You’re still home. You’re just sleepin’ in a different place.”
That shut my mouth.
“Tell Tatum Jackson to let you loose every once in awhile. I miss my coffee time with Laurie,” she finished.
“Okay,” I replied. “I should get back to work.”
“See you later, hon.”
“Bye, Betty.”
We hung up and I stared at my phone thinking dang, but I liked Betty.
I went back to work and did my job for hours jumpy as a cat.
“Laurie, I asked, you okay?” Jim-Billy repeated.
My eyes had glazed over so I focused on him.
“Tate’s bringing Jonas to the bar,” I told him.
“I know,” he told me.
“I’m not good with kids,” I shared and he blinked.
“You ain’t good with kids?”
I shook my head as Krystal wandered to our end of the bar.
“You ain’t good with kids?” she repeated Jim-Billy’s question.
“No, they freak me out,” I answered.
“They freak you out,” Jim-Billy said.
“Laurie,” Krystal called me. “Two nights ago two boys were drunk and lookin’ for a fight. A beer bottle was thrown which means broken furniture is about two seconds away. You waded into that and, with a smile and a flip of your hair, you talked them down and had them laughin’. You can handle drunk, angry bikers bent on blood with a flip of your hair, how can kids freak you out?”