I sat down at the table and settled in. The longer we were at Lily’s, the calmer I became, but every time the front door opened, I braced for impact. Rose’s parents showed up, and Grandma Callie came right to Farrah and got herself a drink, like she’d been there the whole time. She and Farrah had been best friends since the beginning of time, even before Farrah had married Grandma Callie’s brother.

  As I looked around the table, I realized that we were all sitting there with our best friends. Callie and Farrah. Lily and Rose. Me and Charlie. Three generations, almost. Technically, since Charlie and Lily were sisters, Charlie was in the second generation. There was such an age gap, though, that she fit in better with me and the twins.

  As I watched the women around me, I also realized that the dynamics were pretty similar with each of us. Farrah was the crazy to Callie’s calm, just like Charlie was to me. Rose was way wilder and more outspoken than Lily, too. For some reason, whether proximity or necessity, we’d been drawn to each other.

  “You’re having too much fun in here,” Amy teased over the chatter as she came into the room. “I’m going to have to ask you to keep it down.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “You want a drink?” Lily asked, rising from her seat.

  “I’ll get one if I want one,” Amy said, waving her off. “You don’t have to wait on me, honey.”

  She came and sat in the chair next to me. Leaning over, she said, “It’s a good thing they have such a big table.”

  “I think they buy them in bulk,” I replied. “They all have massive kitchen tables.”

  “It’s so we can do this,” Grandma Callie said, gesturing toward the table. “Room for everyone.”

  “Our table isn’t that big,” Lily protested, looking around. “We just bought extra chairs.”

  “You know, now that you said that, I am feeling a little cramped,” Charlie said, pushing her elbows out to the sides, jabbing me with one of them.

  “Knock it off,” I said with a laugh.

  “Stop needling your sister,” Farrah ordered.

  “I’m not needling her,” Charlie replied. She looked at Lily. “I thought I was promised food? Where’s dinner?”

  “Shit!” Lily said, popping out of her seat. “The lasagna!”

  “If you burned my dinner—” Charlie said ominously, stopping to laugh when Farrah threw a piece of ice at her.

  “It’s fine,” Lily called when she got to the oven. “It has five more minutes.”

  Lily’s little kitchen became a hive of activity as we all pitched in to finish up dinner, taking a few seconds here and there to finish off and make new drinks. As I helped Charlie assemble a green salad, she looked at me, tilting her head to the side.

  “She made frozen lasagna,” Charlie said with a scoff. “Hell, even I could make that.”

  I laughed so hard, my stomach muscles started to ache.

  “What?” Charlie asked, disgruntled. “I could.”

  “I know,” I gasped. “Me, too.”

  “Well, I don’t know about you,” Charlie said, almost knocking me over as she bumped me with her hip. “You suck in the kitchen.”

  “I suck? Weren’t you the one I walked in on—” my words were cut off as Charlie slapped a hand over my mouth.

  “Finish that sentence and I will end you,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “My mother is here.”

  “Oh, now she’s your mother,” I asked, my words completely muffled by her hand. “I thought she was Farrah?”

  “Hey,” Lily said, yelling at us. “Be careful with those knives.”

  “No emergency room visits tonight,” Rose ordered, coming over to take the knives from the counter in front of us.

  “I wouldn’t have actually resorted to violence,” Charlie said with a whine, dropping her hand from my face.

  “She knows I could take her,” I announced to the group, just as the guys started filtering in from the garage.

  “Looks like you’ve been havin’ a good time in here,” my dad said with a grin, catching Rose by the hips as she passed him. He leaned down and kissed her. “You taste like booze.”

  “You taste like smoke,” Rose replied.

  “Weird,” I called out over the noise. “All I can taste is vomit. In my mouth.”

  Charlie snickered beside me. “Good one.”

  “So disgusting,” I said with a laugh. “They could at least try to act like adults.”

  “They’ll forever be horny teenagers,” Farrah said, swatting my ass as she passed me. “All the good relationships are.”

  “My parents are the same,” Charlie said, fake dry heaving. “And they’re older than yours.”

  “Filthy,” I said quietly, making her laugh. My eyes met Draco’s across the room.

  He was smiling.

  I blew him a kiss.

  “Knock that shit off,” Charlie said, pinching my side.

  “Ow,” I complained, pinching her back.

  “Give me a minute to catch up before you guys start being all cutesy,” she ordered sternly, but she was smiling.

  “Youah heah,” my little brother Jamison said as the kids came inside. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around my hips. “I missed you.”

  “I just saw you, monkey,” I reminded him, lifting him into my arms with a grunt. Both of my little brothers were built solidly, and I had a feeling they’d be as big as my dad eventually, maybe bigger.

  “Brody fahted in the cah,” he said, his little arms circling my neck. “It stunk so bad.”

  “Gross,” I replied, the correct amount of awe in my voice. “Did you roll the windows down?”

  “Mom wouldn’t let us,” he said in a mixture of delight and disgust. “It’s too smoky outside.”

  “That’s gnarly,” I replied.

  “Gnawly,” he agreed. Then he squirmed to be let down.

  “You should get him back,” I said, leaning down to put him on his feet. “Fart on the way home.”

  “I’m gonna twy,” he said gleefully.

  He ran off with the other kids, and as I stood back up, Draco was there.

  “Did you just tell your brother to hot box your parents’ car with his ass?” he asked conversationally.

  I could feel my face begin to heat. “That was a conversation between siblings,” I muttered as he leaned down to give me a quick peck on the lips.

  “Kara farts like a wildebeest,” Brody announced from across the counter, making my jaw drop open in horror. Draco laughed loudly.

  “I’m going to kill you,” I said, pulling away from Draco to chase him.

  “Help!” Brody screamed, running from the room.

  “You better run,” I yelled at his retreating back. “You’re the wildebeest!”

  “Siblings are the worst,” Charlie said. “You’re not a wildebeest, Kara.” She looked at Draco, who was still laughing. “Kara doesn’t fart. Ever.”

  “You’re making it worse,” I told her through gritted teeth. “Shut up.”

  “Everyone farts, honey,” Grandma Callie said as she passed me a plate with a serving of lasagna.

  “I’m sorry,” I told Draco. “I can never see you again.”

  He smiled, but I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Unfortunately, there was no way to backtrack or salvage the situation because suddenly, the food was ready and everyone was around us, dishing up their plates.

  Things calmed down, at least as calm as they could be in that particular crowd. The kids were settled around the coffee table in the living room with their plates, and the adults spread out around any possible surface in the kitchen and dining room to eat.

  Liquor, beer, and way too much soda for the kids flowed as we visited and argued and generally had a good time. It was always like that when we got together. Family dinners were loud, but it was relaxing to be surrounded by people you knew loved you. You could argue or bitch and you knew that no one would judge, they’d join right in, the arguments forgotten within minutes and the complaints added to until you weren’t sure where the conversation had even started.

  “We should go out,” Lily said, happily, looking over at Leo. “We haven’t been out in forever and I actually did my hair today. I look good.”

  “You always look good, dandelion,” he replied, grinning.

  “Is that a no?” she asked.

  “We can go out,” he said. “Where you wanna go?”

  “A bar,” Rose said, smacking the table.

  “Uh, you’re forgetting something,” Charlie called from across the room. “I’m not staying home to watch the kids.”

  “Like we’d leave your drunk ass with the kids,” Rose scoffed.

  “We can keep them,” Amy said cheerfully.

  “That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen,” Farrah said with a grimace.

  “Please,” Amy said dismissively. “They’re angels for us.”

  Poet laughed.

  “Gray and Brody are old enough to help us with the littles,” Amy continued, ignoring her husband. “We’ll just stay here with them until you get home.”

  “Are you sure?” Lily asked doubtfully.

  “Don’t talk them out of it,” Rose said, widening her eyes at Lily. “We can go to one of the bars where I used to work.”

  “Are any bars even open?” Grandma Callie asked.

  It looked like even the oldies were planning on going out. I looked over at Grandpa Grease, Casper, and my dad, who’d finished their plates and were discussing God knew what at the edge of the group. None of them looked like they cared whether we went out or went home to sleep, they were just along for the ride.

  “They’d never close down,” Rose assured her mom. “Everything else shut down, so it’s the perfect time for a bar to stay open.”

  “You wanna go?” Draco asked me, grabbing my empty plate and stacking it on top of his.

  “Do you?” I asked.

  “Might be fun,” he said with a shrug.

  I knew he’d do whatever I wanted to do, but I wondered how often he’d had a night like this since he’d been out. From what I’d seen, he’d stayed pretty close to home for the most part. There’d been parties at the club—there were always parties at the club—but he and Curtis hadn’t really maintained any friendships with people we’d known as kids. Had he even gone out since he’d been old enough to do it?

  “Sure, we can go,” I told him.

  I was too relaxed to feel any apprehension, even though normally I would’ve avoided going to a bar in town.

  I didn’t even see it coming.

  Chapter 12

  Draco

  Rose was right—the bar was open and packed to capacity when we got there. Lucky for them, I was sure the fire marshals had enough on their hands and wouldn’t be stopping by.

  I laughed as Rose strode up to the bar like she owned the place, and a few minutes later, a couple of tables near the back magically opened up for us. I’d been out a few times with my brother, but it wasn’t nearly the experience that going out with this group was. The women were loud and rowdy as we ordered drinks, but the guys weren’t. If anything, they seemed hyper alert to our surroundings.

  Huh. It wasn’t just me that felt a little boxed in.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Grease said, handing me a beer. He hadn’t waited for the waitress to take our orders, just gone up and got a round of beers himself.

  “Yeah?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine getting used to the amount of people we had surrounding us.

  “Once you realize that none of these people even want to acknowledge our existence—” he paused with a beer halfway to his mouth as a woman walked by, looking him up and down. His eyes shot to Callie, who was oblivious. “The men don’t, at least,” he finished with amusement.

  “It’s easier at the club,” I replied, taking a drink of my own beer. I hadn’t had anything at Lily’s but I was allowing myself one at the bar. I wasn’t about to get pulled over for some reason and end up back in jail for a DUI when I was still on parole.

  “Hell,” Grease said with a grin. “Everythin’ is easier at home.”

  “You grab me one?” Gramps Casper asked, taking one of the beers from Grease. “I doubt we’ll be here long. Farrah already looks ready to pass out.”

  “Good, she needed to let off some steam. Just make sure she pukes before you bring her in the house,” Grease ordered.

  “I’ll smoke with her on the porch when we get back,” Gramps replied. “It’ll keep her from pukin’.”

  “No shit?” I asked.

  “Works every time,” Gramps said with a grin. “Pot settles her stomach and her head. Falls right asleep.”

  “Good to know,” I replied.

  “Don’t see Kara partyin’ that hard,” Grease said in amusement, looking over at her.

  Kara was laughing at something someone had said, but compared to the other women at the table, she looked almost sober.

  “Hell, I meant for me,” I joked, making them both laugh.

  “You think about prospectin’?” Grease asked after a few minutes. “You’ve been cagey.”

  “Not sure yet,” I said cautiously. I wasn’t sure it was even possible to burn bridges with this crowd—I was considered part of the family—but I didn’t want to make it harder on myself if I did decide to become a prospect. If I said I didn’t want to and then changed my mind, they’d never let me live it down.

  “What’s holdin’ you back?” my gramps asked.

  “Bein’ a prospect after Curt gets his patch,” I muttered.

  Grease laughed.

  “That’s not all it is,” Gramps said, watching me closely. “What else?”

  I shrugged. “Not sure workin’ on cars is what I wanna do,” I said quietly. It was the equivalent of telling them I wasn’t interested in the family business, and it was the first time I’d actually said it out loud.

  “That’s all?” Gramps said in surprise.

  “That’s not enough?” I asked.

  “Hell, bud,” Grease said, shaking his head. “You don’t gotta work in the garage.”

  “I barely do,” Gramps pointed out. “Pitch in here and there, but I mostly do the books with your ma.”

  “Only so many jobs—”

  “You’ll find your place,” Grease said, slapping me on the back as we moved to the side so the waitress could carry her tray to the table. “You come see me on Monday. We’ll talk to Dragon and figure shit out.”

  “I wanna go to college,” I blurted out.

  Was it just me or had the bar suddenly quieted, making my voice carry?

  Gramps laughed. “So, go. Nobody’s stoppin’ ya.”

  The conversation turned, and I stood there for a few minutes, bewildered at the fact that we’d had the discussion I’d been dreading for months, in the middle of a crowded bar, and it was suddenly settled. I looked over and made eye contact with Kara and jerked my head toward the bathrooms. I needed a minute.

  After she nodded in understanding, I strode away. My skin crawled as I brushed shoulders with people, fighting my way through the crowd. Thankfully, there wasn’t a line when I got there and I stepped right inside and locked the door behind me.

  I stared at my fucked up face in the cracked mirror.

  Did I want to prospect and ultimately patch in with the Aces MC?

  If I was honest with myself, I’d just been delaying the inevitable. I was a convicted felon. There wasn’t a lot of options for me anymore, no matter how I spun it. I had to consider that.

  But more than anything, did I really think that I wouldn’t become a member eventually? Grease was right. The club was home. I’d grown up on that property, camping in the big field out back, playing pranks in the garage and learning to ride my bike on the gravel in the forecourt. Hell, you could see the club from the front porch of my childhood home.

  As I washed my hands, something inside me settled and the decision was clear.

  Walking back out into the crowded bar, I was surprised to find that Kara wasn’t at our table, but halfway to the restrooms. She didn’t see me as I got closer to her, and I realized why when I was only a couple feet away.

  “You’re lookin’ real good,” the guy in front of her said, instantly pissing me off. “Where you been?”

  “I’ve been around,” Kara replied.

  The words were fine, like they were having a friendly conversation, but I’d never heard Kara use that tone before in my life. While Kara had never been one for confrontation, I would’ve never in a million years have called her timid.

  “Couple of the guys are home from school,” the douchebag said, reaching for her arm.

  I couldn’t get there fast enough.

  Kara jerked her arm down to her side, avoiding the touch.

  “You should come say hi,” the douche continued, like she wasn’t giving off get-the-fuck-away-from-me vibes.

  “I’m here with some people,” Kara said, taking a step back just as I reached her. She startled as she hit the front of me. As she turned to apologize, I got a look at her face.

  “You need somethin’?” I asked the douche. I recognized him from school, but I didn’t remember his name.

  “Nope,” he said, grinning. “Me and Kara were just catching up.”

  “Seems like she doesn’t wanna catch up,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She was shaking and I hadn’t noticed it until I touched her.

  My anger kicked up a notch. What the fuck?

  “She always played hard to get,” the guy said, still grinning.

  I took a deep breath, trying to control the urge to clock him right in his smug smile as Kara’s trembling got worse. Something wasn’t right.

  “Let’s go,” Kara said, turning toward me to push at my belly. “Come on, let’s just go.”

  “I’ll see you around,” the guy said to Kara, making her entire body jerk in response.

  “The fuck?” I asked, looking at her and then back at him.

  “Hey, I remember you,” the guy said, realization dawning. “I didn’t at first. Your face is super fucked up, bro.”

  “I want to go now,” Kara said, shoving at me. “Go, Draco.”

  “That’s right,” douche said, snapping his fingers. “Draco.”