“You fired the gun?” Tate asked.
“I had no choice. They were behaving like assholes. I couldn’t believe they were fighting. I swear they don’t realize they’re men not children.” Eva shook her head.
“Hey,” Lacey said, speaking up.
“Hey, Lacey, you’re finally venturing out without your twin?” Tate asked.
“Huh?”
“Your twin. Whizz has been attached to your side like a fucking twin. I was starting to wonder what you looked like standing on your own.”
“Don’t mind Tate. She’s pregnant and has a problem with everything.”
“I don’t have a problem. People piss me off, especially stupid men. Dad was being an ass,” Tate said.
“Dad’s an ass,” Tabitha said, crawling onto the swing beside Tate.
“What have I told you about calling him that?” Eva asked, folding her arms.
“Tate said.”
Eva shook her head. “You’re a bad influence.”
“You allow her to stay at the club. You’re the bad influence.”
Simon and Miles were playing in the sand pit. It was still warm, but Lacey felt the chill in the air. It wouldn’t be long until fall was upon them, then winter.
“Take a seat,” Tate said, offering the swing on the other side of her. “I don’t know if I want to take the seat. Does it come with a condition of death?”
“Of course it doesn’t. I just want to know everything you and Whizz have been up to. Everyone keeps a wide berth of me just lately.”
“Because you’re a bitch,” Eva said, glaring at Tate.
Tate blew a raspberry.
“Whizz asked me to marry him.”
Both women turned to look at her.
“He did?”
“Yeah, he wants to get married.” The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea of being his woman.
“Congratulations. Are you sure it’s what you want?” Eva asked. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you or your past. You take on a Skull, you take on the club and its women. You become part of the family. No one will accept you trying to pull Whizz away or to give him ultimatums.”
“You’re warning me?”
“No, we’re advising you,” Tate said. “Eva’s right. This is not a case of the club being for the men. In recent years we’ve had no choice but to become involved. Their enemies will not keep us out of the mess. It means you’ll be at risk of being hurt, shot, stabbed, beaten, killed. You name it, you’ll experience it.”
“Angel was shot a year ago, three times. She stood in front of the gun so that Zero wasn’t killed,” Eva said.
“I’ve been beaten, put in a coma, and almost died for the club. I love Murphy, but I would trade in the occasional pain I seem to suffer because of the club.”
“It seems strange you’re warning me against the club.”
“It’s not about the club, Lacey. This is the life. You’ve got to accept the life or not.” The final words came from Eva.
Sitting on the seat of the swing, Lacey didn’t have to think about her answer. “I love Whizz. The club is part of him, and he’s part of the club. I won’t take him away. I won’t even make him choose. I love him and if being part of the club and being put at risk is what I have to do, then I’ll do it. I’ll do it for him.” She smiled as she said the words.
“There we go,” Eva said, hugging her close. “We’re going to need to get everything ready for a wedding. There’s so much to do and so much to look forward to.”
Before Lacey could stop them, Eva and Tate rounded up the kids and started toward the clubhouse. Lacey followed them, wondering what she’d just set in motion.
Eva entered the clubhouse and started herding the kids toward the back.
“Where are you going?” Tiny asked.
“I’ve got a wedding to organize. Whizz and Lacey want a wedding, we’re going to give them one.”
Whizz moved away from the bar toward her. “You’ve been talking?”
“No, I’ve been asking their advice.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.
“I love you,” he said.
Each time he said those amazing three words, she felt like she was going to melt to the spot. Whizz held the power to do that to her.
“Can we go and see Butch?” she asked, wanting to apologize to the man she’d almost ruined.
“Sure.”
She didn’t listen as Whizz turned to talk to the other men.
“Hold on, I’ll come with you,” Lash and Nash both said.
“I’ll come.” That came from Sophia.
Angel walked through the door with Gash behind her.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“We’re going to see Butch in the hospital. You want to come?” Lash asked, holding her close.
“What about Anthony?”
“Eva’s got him. She’s arranging a wedding. Whizz’s wedding to Lacey,” Lash said.
The kind woman turned to smile at Lacey. “I’m so pleased for you. I’ll come and see Butch.”
They were all out in the parking lot, climbing onto the back of the men’s bikes. This was what Lacey loved, feeling part of it all with the rest of the women.
She put the helmet on, and she noticed all the men gave their women a helmet. The men didn’t ride with one, but the women didn’t have a choice.
Wrapping her arms around Whizz’s waist, she closed her eyes enjoying the feel of being on the back of his bike.
The time passed slowly, and only when she brought his bike to a stop did she open her eyes. It was still light outside. It wasn’t past four yet. She followed Whizz into the hospital aware of the women looking at The Skulls.
Lacey stood beside Whizz as Sophia and Angel took their places beside their men.
“I hate it when that happens,” Sophia said.
“When what happens?” Nash asked.
Sophia slapped her man’s arm. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, mister. God, what do women see in you? I don’t have a clue what they see in you.”
Nash started to laugh. “I’m a right catch.”
“No, you can be a right asshole, that’s true.”
Lash and Angel were laughing.
Whizz smiled down at her, and she had no choice but to smile back up at him. “You ever cheat on me, Whizz, I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to you.”