“Welcome to the family. I expect you with my daughter at every family meal, meetings, and gatherings without excuse.” I almost feel sorry for what this man is getting himself into but he’s getting exactly what he’s asking for. “Now that that is out of the way, is there anything new about this whole shooting?”

  “I told you before, nothing. Tanker is looking at some security video that one of the neighbors has. They have a camera that shows part of the side of Baller’s house. Tanker also wanted me to run a few things by you without everyone around.” I know what’s coming and hate it, but I’ve already talked to Trapper about it. “Tanker wants to give Baller a phone that’s ghosted. It’s about time for Baller’s switch of phones. We all do it every three months and Baller won’t think anything of it. Tanker also wants to put up some surveillance around his house, garage, and yard. We could install it while he’s at the clubhouse and if he finds it, we could tell him we beefed his security up for safety reasons. Tanker, Dom, Max, and I all have a feeling that Baller is up to no good. We just haven’t figured out what or why.” All of it makes more sense than it being a random drive-by. No crew or individual in this town has ever done such a thing. We have crooks and criminals in this town, but they don’t shoot where innocent people can get shot. There were children there.

  “After the meeting this afternoon, I’ll keep Baller to talk and then bring him back here for more talking. I will have Trapper meet us here.” Maybe Trapper will have a different approach than I have. He’s been busy trying to cover for me so I can handle this move. It’s time it stops. Trapper has been my best friend for years and we don’t always see everything the same way and that’s why we have always made a formidable team. “How long do you need?”

  “Three hours tops. Tanker is going to change his phone out today. In fact, he’s waiting for the call from me to put everything in motion. He has the phone ready to give him. He already has the surveillance equipment. This evening it would be wiring and placement to get the best surveillance. Max, Tanker and I have done this more than once. We work as a well-oiled machine. Dom is our lookout.” A thought enters my head and I’m not liking it at all.

  “What if this is Sid’s play? What if he wants to attack us by using us against each other? Sid knows we’re the best men for his jobs. He has worked with us for a while now. Baller is weird. Don’t laugh.” I look at Seal and he’s smiling. Baller has always done things his way. He has ways about him that set him apart from some of us. He’s not one for staying faithful and he likes an ol’ lady or wife around, but he will screw around on her in a blink of an eye. He wants his children around, but he doesn’t have the temperament to be a father. He’d rather be the cool dad that brings his kids around occasionally and spoils them, and then takes them back to their mom’s until the next time. He thinks it’s a normal thing and to him, it is. “Think about it. If this pisses some brothers off because we’re going behind a brother’s back, then we could lose some brothers. Then all Sid would need to do is approach them with a job offer. We made the security runs look easy because we did our homework and had everyone in place. All the brothers didn’t work on those details and so they don’t know how much of a pain in the ass they were or the chances we took. Baller and Dom only went on a couple of the security runs. Drive-by shootings are right up Sid’s alley. He’s a coward.”

  “That possibility could be true, but either way, if we up security then we could catch someone doing something. You didn’t call lockdown so we need extra security everywhere and we can’t exactly go out and hire a security company to install everyone’s.” Seal is right.

  “I’ll give the surveillance a week to catch anything but then we are going to up security at any home that a brother has a wife, ol’ lady, or family. We’ll make the money by taking on some security jobs. I don’t want this coming out of anyone’s pocket. I want the security on the clubhouse updated. I’m going to get Tanker to do my house, D.D.’s, and Candy’s on my dollar. When Jenna decides where to buy her farm and if the brothers vote to sell the diner to her then they will be the same. There’s not that many ol’ ladies, wives, or families in the club so the extra security won’t cost that much out-of-pocket money. I want the fences around the clubhouse checked. The rules about unknowns in the clubhouse needs to be followed to the letter. This may be a one-time thing and some idiot fucking around but we need to be alert. Things have been quiet for too long.” I think I covered everything.

  “I hear someone in the driveway. Are you expecting someone?” Seal asks me and then there’s a knock on my front door that hardly anyone uses. I walk to my living room and open the door with Seal behind me.

  “Surprise!” Whiskey yells as I open the door.

  “What are you doing here?” I’m almost speechless but happy. I grab my baby girl and hug her. Ryder is getting out of his truck and that’s when I see Jenna pull up in her SUV. “How did you get out of your brother’s truck before he did?”

  “He had to put his boots back on. He took them off at our last stop. I drove while he slept on the first half, but my brother likes driving without shoes on, so after we ate and fueled up, he lost the boots and drove the rest of the way here. Mom drove through town a second time and that’s why she was a little bit behind us.” That’s when I see Ryder getting Harvey out of his cage. “Where are Lurch and Twizzle? I know your brother isn’t bringing them in.” Whiskey steps back from me when she sees Seal.

  “Mom got the go ahead from her doctors and the sale of the ranch went through early. It seems the people in the community wanted us gone fast. They made sure all the paperwork was shuffled to the top. The movers came and picked everything up but our essentials, so we thought why make you come to us when all we needed to do was load the truck and Mom’s SUV and get on the road.” Jenna walks up close to us with a smile on her face. She looks much better today than when we left their ranch.

  “Can I let Harvey go out here? He’s an outside dog so if I keep him caged much longer, he’s going to start howling,” Ryder asks.

  “There’s a big dog pen in the backyard. The kids bring their dogs on the weekend sometimes, so I built a pen. It’s more like a small kennel. There’s food and water bowls in there unless he prefers his own. Seal, will you show Ryder the place in the back? I’ll help Whiskey and Jenna get their things in my house and show them where their rooms are.” Seal shakes his head yes, but he hasn’t taken his eyes off Whiskey and she is just as interested as he is. Seal finally moves from behind me and out the door and I move so Jenna and Whiskey can get in the house. “I’m happy you’re here but we could have come and helped.”

  “No reason to take a man away from his work if we can handle things on our own. I am feeling better, so we didn’t need the help after the movers did their job. We didn’t come before you were ready, did we? We can stay in a motel,” Jenna says to me.

  “Of course not. I was ready for you three weeks ago. What can I help you bring in?” Jenna gives me a big smile and that smile looks more like the Red that I remember. The hair still throws me off, but that smile could stop traffic.

  “Nonsense. The kids and I can get this while you get whatever it is that you and Seal were doing done or just go with your plans for today. I thought as soon as you showed us our rooms and we’re settled then I can send Ryder and Whiskey into town to pick some things up for me to make a late dinner, but please let me know if any of that interferes with anything you need to do.” Jenna is going ninety to nothing. I see she’s gotten stronger and damn if it doesn’t look good on her. I walk into the living room with the two women behind me.

  “I’ll show you your rooms, but don’t you want to sit and recuperate from that drive first?” I ask them both.

  “We’ve been sitting for hours. I just want to get this done and have a meal with everyone. I have grown very fond of Max and would love for him to come eat with us,” Jenna says.

  “Seal and I need to be getting back to the clubhouse for a club meeting and then I need to run by Trapper’s house. He’s my vice president and my best friend. I will be back very late tonight so if we could do dinner tomorrow night it would be better for me, unless you want to do it tonight without me.” I would hate to miss it, but I’m needed at the club. This could be a security issue and I won’t let anyone get hurt on my watch.

  “Tomorrow is Friday and that would be even better. Maybe all the sisters and brothers can be here and stay the weekend. I volunteer to feed everyone. That way everyone can get acquainted. I would like to meet them all, but I can make myself scarce when all of you need family time. Do you think D.D. and Candy would be available? It seems like it would be an appropriate time to clear the air of how the children will interact.” Jenna is still talking nonstop.

  “She had a coffee latte at our last stop for the first time in months and the caffeine has her going. She’s not supposed to be drinking the stuff, but it was a reward for all the good doctor reports,” Whiskey tells me.

  “This is your house Eli and we are early, so anything you want is how it will be. We are guests in your home. I’m just anxious for Whiskey and Ryder to bond with the whole family and if there are any bumps along the way, then it’s best to get them addressed now and then they can all be one happy family.” Jenna has me laughing.

  “Woman you are a breath of fresh air. You just think that because you want this to go smoothly that it will. I have put Candy in county lockup since I last saw you. Then I reduced the money to the other one until she decides to help me with a son that has me going crazy. If you want everyone here for dinner, you are the ringmaster to the circus and good luck with it. I will call everyone and let them know you all are here, and dinner tomorrow night is on.” Jenna smiles.

  “Am I going to get yelled at if I need to put someone in check?” That makes me laugh even harder. D.D. is a tall woman at five feet eight inches tall and all legs and she lets no one put her in her place and then there’s Candy, who is close to five feet seven inches and curves that are meant for sin. I paid for most of them and that woman never shuts her mouth.

  “Woman, if you can get my family to sit here and have a meal then you can do or say any damn thing you want and good luck with it. I hope you know what you’re getting into and can handle it,” I tell her truthfully.

  “Oh, don’t worry about Mom. D.D. and Candy won’t know what hit them. You just don’t know some of the things that come out of Mom’s mouth. I hope you have had the whole sex talk with Trace. I’d hate for him to be scarred.” I look from Whiskey to Jenna.

  “I gave Trace the talk a long time ago, but his mom isn’t too discreet with her male companions.” That puts a grimace on Jenna’s face. Jenna might be good for my youngest boy. She might be good for all of us. “Let me show you the bedrooms. When Seal gets back, we’ll be leaving for the clubhouse. I’m sorry I’m leaving the first night you’re here, but we’re voting tonight about the diner. We also have some security issues that need to be taken care of. I need to show Ryder where my guns are just in case.”

  “We have our own guns so no need to show him. We lived on a ranch in a community no one liked us in, so we can protect ourselves. You might want to show us your security system so we can activate it before we go to bed.” There’s no bitching or whining, just acceptance. “I’ll put you a plate in the microwave so you can heat it up for your dinner.” A home-cooked meal to boot. “Will Max be here? I can leave him one too.” Seal and Ryder walk back into the house and Seal is carrying a reptile box, and I see Lurch in it. Ryder is staying away from Seal and the box. “Ryder, plans have changed until tomorrow night and Seal, please come too. I’m sure Ryder and Whiskey would like to catch up with you on how things have been going since you’ve been back.” Ryder snorts.

  “More like Whiskey would like to catch up.” Ryder is teasing his sister.

  “You’re right, I would.” Whiskey looks straight at Seal and he winks at her.

  “Good thing, darlin’, because I have a lot to say to you.” I don’t know who is smiling bigger.

  “Seal, you seem like a very nice man but if you break my daughter’s heart then I will shoot you dead. I don’t shoot to injure only to kill, so are we on the same page?” Seal gives Jenna one of those smiles he saves for impressing but it doesn’t seem to do anything to Jenna. “You can save that pretty boy smile for my daughter, and as long as we have an understanding then we’re good. I trust my daughter’s judgement so if she thinks you’re alright then I trust that, and I find you amusing in only the best of ways.”

  “Understood, ma’am. I think I need to be having a conversation alone with your daughter before our conversation happens,” Seal says.

  “Touché, Seal. I think you may be right. Ryder you have anything to say while we’re at it or you Eli? Then we can put it to rest and it’s never to be talked about again.” Jenna keeps going.

  “Said my peace when we were outside,” Ryder states.

  “Said what I had to say before you got here,” I tell them.

  “I’m glad everyone has their opinions out of the way since it’s our business and no one else’s,” Whiskey says and then she looks at Seal. “I look forward to that conversation.” Whiskey doesn’t get bent out of shape for us nosing in her business. She states her dislike and moves on. This I can deal with.

  “Follow me and I will show you the rooms. Jenna, I put you in my spare room, which is close to my room. The younger boys share a room and the girls share a room with a set of bunks in both of them. Max has a room by himself. He’s the oldest and I didn’t want him to have to share. When Dixie and Lexie get here, you can put Lurch and Twizzle in my room.” I get up and start walking up the hall with everyone following me. I open the door to the boys’ room and look at Ryder. “This is the Liam and Trace’s room. Max’s room is across the hall. All the bedrooms have adjoining bathrooms. They are stocked with extra toothbrushes and toiletries. If you need anything, let me know.” Ryder walks in and looks around. I keep walking and I open the next door to the bathroom for the rest of the house or the one on this end. There is another bathroom out by the pantry and laundry room. I keep walking down the long hall which is really in a circular direction. My house is designed to go in a big circle. No matter which hall you go down, it leads right back to the living room or as we like to call it, a family room. My house is my baby. I designed and built a good bit of it. Seal’s crew did the rest. There’s a big coat closet across from the bathroom. I keep walking letting everyone see each space. The girls’ bedroom is the biggest room in the house and that includes the family room. Two girls with completely different tastes; put them in a room together and you need roomy. “You can tell two very different girls live in here. You can stay on whichever side you want, or we can bring you in a blow-up mattress if you’d prefer it.”

  “I’m easy. One of the bunks will be just fine. If you let me know ahead of time, I will bring my pets to your room before my sisters get here. I don’t want to make them uncomfortable,” Whiskey tells me. Ryder stayed back in the boys’ room, but Seal has put Lurch on one of the dressers.

  “If you’d like, you can put them in my room, so you don’t need to move them. I would hate for one of the girls to surprise you and get scared.” Whiskey looks at her mom and then to me.

  “It’s up to you. I promise not to kill them,” I tell Whiskey.

  “I think Mom’s room is a better option that way if Dixie or Lexi go in your room, they won’t see them accidentally.” I nod my head in agreement.

  “Jenna that just leaves your room,” I say but then my eyes catch Whiskey and Seal trying to communicate without saying anything. I think they might need a few minutes of privacy. I look at my watch and I see that’s all the time they’ll have. I turn back toward the door and Jenna is close behind me. I can smell the perfume she’s wearing. It’s not anything overbearing but a light clean smell. This woman is getting under my skin. I have thought about her since we left their ranch. She fills my thoughts and then she fills my dreams. I keep getting little flashes of that one night we had together. Does it excuse what she did? That’s an easy one, no, but my cock hasn’t gotten the message yet. The difference three weeks has made in Jenna is beyond words. I know she isn’t back to her normal self, but she’s getting that spunk back that I remember so vividly. I stop in front of the guest room door and then I look at my door and I decide. It’s the first decision I have made since I went to meet my children that I know is right. “I’m putting you in my room. Whiskey can have the spare room, that way she has her space with her critters as you say.” Jenna’s face goes completely blank and she opens her mouth to say something but then shuts it. She does that a couple of times. I have left her speechless but I’m not hearing her say no. “We’re both adults and we can share the king-sized bed. I’d like to get to know the woman I have been cussing in my head for the last few months. I want to get to know you better. We have two children together. Don’t you want to know the man you had children with better?”

  “My first feeling was, did aliens invade your body? Then it was you have the nerve just going to put me in your room. Then there is the sweet part about you giving our daughter space. I didn’t even think you liked me, let alone wanted to share bedroom space with me. So, tell me Eli, what is all this about and don’t try to bullshit me.” Jenna is straight to the point and I don’t have many answers. I open the double doors to my room, and I show Jenna the room. She looks around in silence.

  “This is where I can go for peace and quiet. I know you’re still not back to yourself. I have a comfortable chair over there in front of the window where you can relax and do nothing or watch some television.” I point to the television cabinet that just needs to be opened. I’m proud of my room. I spent hours working on it and I put things that are comfortable to me in it. I turn to look at Jenna. “My family can be overwhelming at times. I want you to have a comfortable place to escape and the idea of you sleeping in my bed is very enjoyable to me.” Jenna smiles at me.