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Wire returned from his week away late last night.

He promised he’d get right back to work on Deon.

We asked if everything had gone well on his trip, and he said it was fine.

However, I saw how tired he was and wondered what he was hiding.

Bones shared his concerns about his brother’s fatigue and the cause.

Bones had told him that Monday would be soon enough to dive back into it.

He urged him to take the weekend and relax. We hoped he’d do it.

It was Saturday, so we had two days off.

And we were doing something I was dying to do.

I’d asked Bones if he was sure it was safe, and he assured me we’d have plenty of protection.

He refused to allow the threat of Deon to disrupt our lives any more than it already had.

I asked if any of the other women wanted to come along.

All would’ve liked to, but Eliana, Natalya, and Zari stayed behind and watched Branson so Joli and Dare could go with us.

Jessamy and Mace joined us, but baby Avenly came with them. She’d sleep most of the time.

Additionally, Thoryn and Soren accompanied us. They’d act not only as extra guards but also as gophers. With Mace, Dare, Bones, Soren, and Thoryn, Deon would be nuts to approach us or do anything.

We went to Gatlinburg, where we could find more stores and a more extensive selection.

It was a short thirty-minute drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Tennessee.

Mace, Jessamy, and Avenly were in one vehicle, and Dare, Joli, Bones, and I were in another.

The prospects escorted us on their bikes.

It was a hot August day. I was thankful for the air conditioning.

The weather seemed to be getting to me more than ever. I was cranky if I got too hot.

Dare drove, so I was in the backseat with Bones. He was whispering in my ear, making me giggle. I couldn’t help it.

“I could slip your panties off and lay you down on this seat and eat your pussy. Do you think you can stay quiet?” He enticed me.

“Hell no, stop it,” I hissed, though the thought made me hot.

“Come on, I’m horny. I’ll tell them to stare straight ahead and to plug their ears. I don’t know if I can make it home, Blythe. This dress you have on is making me crazy. That ruffle around the hem is daring me to lift it,” he whispered.

“You and I had sex this morning before we left,” I reminded him.

“I know, but that was three hours ago. Look at the state you have me in.” He pointed to his crotch.

His bulge told me he wasn’t kidding. He grabbed my hand and brought it over to rest on it. Bones pressed my hand against his erection. He moaned softly in my ear.

“Behave. They’re watching you,” I whispered. I saw Joli smiling, and so was Dare, though they were facing forward.

“If you don’t help me with this now, don’t get upset when I drag you into a bathroom or a back room in one of those stores,” he warned.

I burst out laughing as he nipped my neck. When he stopped, I had to ask.

“Dare, do you happen to have bail money on you?”

“On me, no, but I can get some. Why? Are you planning to kill Bones?” he grinned.

“Maybe, but more than likely, he’ll get us arrested in one of those stores. He’s got a dirty mind,” I tattled.

“Well, if you want to know some of the best spots to go and not get caught, I’ll tell you,” Joli said with a wink.

My mouth dropped open. Before I could think better, I said, “You’re kidding me.”

Joli shook her head. “No, I’m not. Dare has a problem keeping his hands to himself.”

“Hey, I’m not the only one. Who started it last time?” was his reply.

We got into a laughing fit, and there were protests, teasing remarks, and more.

I was still trying to regain my breath when we pulled into the parking lot of the big retail baby store.

I was so excited. We’d decided to start here on the advice of those with kids.

As usual, heads turned, and we got lots of attention.

Even if our men hadn’t ridden their bikes, they were dressed as bikers, and we ladies wore our property cuts.

We entered the store as a group. Inside, the prospects moved away from the couples.

They would roam around but keep us in the middle where they could either spot trouble before it got to us or they’d be able to help quickly if needed.

Joli put her arm through mine. “Just ignore them and have fun. Don’t let it worry you. You’ll have to get used to this. Sometimes, the club decides it’s necessary for some or all of us to have escorts or guards. It usually doesn’t last long, and we can’t stop living when it does.”

“I’m working on getting the hang of being a biker’s woman, but there’s a lot to learn. You seem to do it effortlessly.” I told her.

“That’s because I grew up in a club. The Lake Oconee chapter in Georgia is the one I was raised around.

My cousin, Chaos, is a member. My need to escape from a stalker led this chapter to help protect me while my home one tried to find who my stalker was.

That’s how I met Dare. He claimed me on sight.

I don’t know anything other than this life.

And despite what people may think, I love it, and it’s wonderful.

There are clubs where the women aren’t treated like we are.

I would never be a part of one of those. ”

“Neither would I. After what Deon did, I could never let someone take over my life or treat me as if I didn’t matter.” I shivered at the thought.

“Firefly, that’ll never happen. Okay, we’ve made it. Where do we start? You guys are the experts. Guide us newbies. What do we need for our girls?” Bones asked as he grinned and rubbed my belly.

His words opened a floodgate. And it wasn’t only the women telling us. Mace and Dare were vocal as well. We went to where they kept the carts. I got one, and then was surprised when Bones got a second one. “Babe, we won’t need two,” I told him.

“Oh, yes, we will. We have an extensive list. Plus, this place is supposed to have the cribs and dresser we want for the nursery. If they do, we’re ordering the furniture and having it delivered.”

“Don’t forget, there will be a baby shower.

So don’t buy everything today. Put what you don’t get on your registry.

That’s what the rest of us have done. Believe me, your girls won’t go without.

You should’ve seen what we got for Avenly.

I don’t think I’ll have to buy her clothes until she’s three years old,” Jessamy said.

“That’s right, and then the diapers and wipes we got came in super handy. We have some newborn ones that she grew out of before we could use them all. You and Joli can have those, so no need to get a bunch of that stage,” Mace added.

We started at the front of the store on one side and worked our way aisle by aisle. Given the number of items to look at, this was the only way to proceed. I’d brought a list, but Bones had brought his, which I didn’t know about.

It was chaotic, and there was so much to look at. It was overwhelming, but the other couples helped to make sense of it and what we needed. They pointed out personal favorites or ones they tried and weren’t impressed with. There was a lot of joking, teasing, and laughing. The time flew by.

When we got to where the car seats were, I discovered Bones had been researching the safest ones, and he wouldn’t consider any other.

Of course, it was the most expensive one, and we needed two.

He put two in the cart. Then we moved on to clothing.

The sheer number of girly clothes was incredible, and it was all so cute.

I had to stop myself from grabbing every outfit.

However, I had self-control. It was Bones I discovered who had none.

The man kept tossing more and more clothes into the cart.

“Bones, you have to stop. They can’t wear all these. We need to go through these and see what we want and need. A few of each size will do. And not every outfit do we need to have two of. I love dressing them the same, but it’s not required. The world won’t end if they’re dressed differently.”

“While they’re little and don’t have an opinion, I’d like them to be dressed alike.

I love that they’re twins and want to highlight it.

When they get older and want to dress differently, then we’ll let them.

So yes, we do need two of each. As for the number in there, if we don’t use them all, we can save them for the next baby or give them to Joli or whoever if they have a girl.

They won’t go to waste. Over half of the club is still single.

I foresee there being a lot of babies over the next five years.

And they’re having a sale right now,” was Bones’ argument.

I know when to cut my losses, so I gave in.

Mace and Dare were agreeing with him, which didn’t help.

Eventually, we made it to the furniture section.

I pitied the poor prospects. We’d been there for two hours already.

Mace and Joli had a half-full cart, and Jessamy and Mace were adding to Avenly’s things, though not a lot of clothing.

We took time to peruse the other selections, but we were drawn to the one Bones had shown me online. It was a dream crib for twin girls.

They were round but connected, forming a figure-eight shape. And four posts on each crib allowed a ring to be at the top so you could apply a canopy and curtains if you wanted. The display one was fully decked out. When Joli and Jessamy saw it, they gasped in unison. Bones was nodding.

“This is the one. Our girls need to be close yet have their own space. And look at that crib bedding. What do you think of that?” he asked.

It was something out of a magazine. “Bones, it’s incredible, but they don’t need something this fancy.” I knew the price of the beds alone, without the fancy bedding sets and all the matching pieces.