“I’ll message everyone and let them know,” Anna says, pulling out her phone.
“I’m going home now, so I’ll tell Bailey,” Rake says, standing up. “I’ll stay home with Cara and Rhett so she and Tia can go out and have some fun.”
“Do you want me to come and pick them up?” I ask him, so they don’t have to go to Rift alone.
“That will be great, brother,” he says, touching my shoulder, and he leaves the room, calling good-bye to everyone.
Shay stands up and says to the women, “Let’s go plan what I’m going to wear tomorrow.”
They all leave the room in a hurry, like that’s a fun thing to do.
“She fits in with them so well,” Tracker comments, staring at the door the women disappeared through. “What are you guys gonna do now that all the drama is almost at an end?”
To be honest, I have no fuckin’ idea, but I need to talk to Shay about it.
“No clue,” I say, peeling the label off my beer bottle. “We haven’t spoken about it, but I want her to stay here.”
Sure, I owned my own house and land, but this clubhouse was my home. I also need to tell her that I can never offer her marriage or children, because that’s just not something I’ve ever wanted in life. I don’t think I’d be a good father, and I think marriage isn’t something that’s necessary to prove my commitment to her.
“We better tell management to put up a sign about tomorrow, otherwise people are going to be pissed when they rock up and find out Rift is closed for a private function,” Arrow says, changing the subject.
“Yeah, just let them know; they’ll post it on social media,” Tracker tells him, putting his beer down and lifting his feet up on the couch. “Private function? More like biker chicks gone wild.”
“I’m sure they’ll be on their best behavior,” I say, unable to keep a straight face. “Mainly because we’ll be there, so they have no option.”
“Controlled environment,” Tracker adds, chuckling to himself. “They’ll find a way, they always do.”
We all hear them laughing from Shay’s and my room, then share a look.
Yeah, they’d definitely come up with something.
* * *
“No, Talon and his fucking Wild Men are not fuckin’ invited,” I growl, ignoring the pleading looks on Shay’s, Anna’s, and Bailey’s faces. “Why are you all annoying the shit out of me? Go and ask Rake and Arrow, see what they have to say about it.”
“Okay, fine, not the MC,” Anna says, putting her hands out. “Just Talon. He comes to Rift anyway, you even meet him there! So what’s the big deal?”
I cross my arms over my chest. “The biggest deal will be Rake, who will want to kill him, especially after a few drinks, then would probably be Arrow, who also isn’t a fan. . . .”
“Rake won’t be there, but okay, we get the point,” she grumbles, her green eyes—so like her brother’s—going all sad. They didn’t work on me though, so she’d better save them for Arrow or her brother.
“I tell you what, Arrow and Rake say yes, then I’ll be cool with it.”
Anna groans, probably because she knows they’ll never agree, just as I do, which is the reason I suggested that they take it to him. The thing is, even if Rake does say yes, no one can guarantee that a fight won’t break out. I don’t think the women will want to see that, especially Shayla and Anna.
“He’s family,” she says quietly. “Shay’s his cousin, don’t forget.”
“How could I?” I mutter, sighing and looking at each of their three faces. “Don’t you all have shit to plan? Clothes, makeup? Whatever else you’ve been talking about all day. You’re all acting like you go out once a year.”
“I pretty much do,” Shay says, shrugging. “In fact, I think it’s been longer than that since I’ve been to a club.”
“You’re the exception,” I tell her, and she is. To every rule. I look at the women. “Now can you all please leave my bedroom? This isn’t your home base to congregate and chat all day, there’s a living room, a game room, a kitchen, and the backyard for that.”
“When did you get so grumpy, Vinnie?” Anna asks, glancing up at him with a glint in her eye. “Saving all your fun vibes and energy to bust out your dance moves tonight?”
“Yeah, I saw you dancing at Faye’s birthday,” Bailey adds, fanning herself. “Hooooot.”