Page 4 of Colton (Raging Barons MC #17)

-:- MIA -:-

Walking with Amelia and Jo as we window shop, I can’t help but wonder how we ever thought Amelia needed any help. She’s wily, and she sure doesn’t need that cane she carries. I’m sure she carries it just to smack folks with, if and when needed.

Colton is on watch duty today, so the poor devil is walking behind us, keeping his eye open for any impending danger. Which is fairly laughable as we’ve not had any bad vibes with anyone in a long time.

So far I have purchased a new summer dress for Summer, and black pants for the twins.

Those two get through clothes so fast it’s frightening.

I love my boys but they are so naughty, and to keep them in check is a full-time job.

They pick up all the bad stuff from the brothers, and we have a lot of brothers in and out of the place.

There is no chance of shielding them from the cursing, Jo’s sexcapades and even the Three Stooges capers.

My therapist has said to accept what I can and cannot control.

Things will work themselves out and the kids are healthy and happy.

They are not disrespectful when meeting people, which shows they are being reared well.

They are just full of energy and mischief.

She knows that as I’ve brought them to meet her.

She had quite a conversation with them, but when Carter asked if she wanted to see his pencil I wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

I looked at Linda, that’s my therapist, and she looked at me.

But when she said yes, and Carter started to open his pants, we both realized what he meant .

Honestly, I could have died on the spot. This is the brothers’ fault. They teach them all this shit, thinking it’s funny, but it’s not. It’s embarrassing and not what I want my kids to be like.

Linda was amused by Carter, and she calmly spoke to him telling him it was inappropriate to show people his penis as they may pull it off.

Well, Carter slammed his hands over his crotch, and so did Hunter.

They looked at each other, having what you can imagine as a silent conversation, looking stricken that anyone would pull their dicks off.

I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop myself from laughing, because let’s be honest, it was funny but not funny, all at the same time.

Linda, however, smoothed it over after explaining that unexpected things can happen.

Just like her comment, although nobody would, she was sure, attempt to pull their penis off, but it is the fact that unexpected things may happen, and we cannot control them.

She talked to them for quite some time, and I have to admit they have been calmer since their visit.

I may take them again! But I am curtailing the time they are at the clubhouse.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Amelia asks.

“The twins, and Linda, my therapist. She did a good job calming them. I am only allowing them at the clubhouse on the weekend now, just to keep them away from the brothers and the way they wind the boys up.” I keep my voice low on the last because I don’t want Colton overhearing and blabbing to everyone.

“Mia, the boys are just boys. They’ll grow out of their mischievous ways. The brothers adore the twins and every one of them would die to protect them. You know Axel gave Clay a light beat down at Sunday training because he told the boys girls’ tits are good to suck on,” Jo giggled .

Now, I didn’t know that, although I knew Axel and Clay had a heavy session. “What the…” I take a deep breath. “Why would Clay say that to the twins?”

“Well,” Amelia butts in, “It seems in class they were talking about cows, not just cows but animals, and one of the kids asked about udders. So, the teacher explained that udders produce milk, and that’s what feeds the babies.”

“And?” I ask when she pauses because that still doesn’t explain why Clay said what he did.

“Well, Hunter asked the brothers in the kitchen about udders and why girls udders were called tits,” Jo giggles.

“Oh, sometimes I wish I never had kids…” I close my eyes a moment because I do not know where this is going.

Amelia rubs my shoulder, but she’s laughing all the while.

“I heard Hammer tell the boys it’s just another word for them, and they are called breasts on women.

But we all heard Clay mumble, they are good to suck on too .

” Laughing even more, “Trouble was the twins heard him. Everyone realized the problem and changed the subject. But the twins have been looking at all the girl gangs’ boobs as they come to the clubhouse.

I’m just thankful they’ve not said anything, although they keep looking at each other. ”

Hearing a deep laugh, I slowly turn around to see Colton hand over his mouth, eyes watering with laughter.

When he throws his head back and booms out more laughter, before holding his stomach, all the while his shoulders are shaking.

He takes in a huge breath along with a snorting noise.

That’s when I turn and walk away, totally disgusted with this conversation.

*** *

After arriving back at the compound, I go back to the house and offload my shopping. Colton carries most of it in from the SUV and keeps giving me furtive looks. “What’s wrong, Colton?” I ask.

“Are you okay, Mia? I know the boys are mischief makers, but we all love them just as they are.”

“My therapist said I have to balance my roles. You know, as wife, mother, First Lady to the club, along with the girl gang and all my other responsibilities.”

Handing me a cold drink of juice from the fridge, Colton guides me to take a seat at the kitchen island.

“You can’t do everything on your own. You know this, and you have been delegating some of the things you have to do.

We all know you’d like to spend all day with Summer, but you are confident that Amelia, Sybil, Bitty, Jo and Star will look after her. What can you offload for others to do?”

I think about it, and really there is nothing I can pass off to others now.

I handed over the reins to Beer for TJs so I spend hardly any time there these days.

I do nothing with the merchandise, leaving that to Amelia, Star, and Destiny.

I’m thinking they are going to have to have a shop, or at least a building of some sort soon, because the room they are using is so packed with things you can hardly move.

“I’m not doing anything with the girl gang anymore. I think my idea of giving them independence from the brothers, even though for short periods of time on bikes, backfired.”

Colton smiles as he replies, “No, it didn’t, Mia.

The women love their bikes, and have you seen them riding around town on them?

Maybe you got them doing it the wrong way, but it’s worked out great.

Stop beating yourself up. If they don’t like it they don’t have to have one.

They could stay behind when you all go out on your day trips if they don’t like it. ”

“I wish I could resign as First Lady of the club.” I feel a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I blink quickly, trying to stave them off, but one escapes and slips down my cheek.

“Why would you do that? You are the best person we could have wished for. You are loving, supportive, thoughtful, compassionate, not to mention you are clever and funny.”

“You think so?” I ask as I wipe the tear away.

“I know so. Now, let’s get you motivated. What else has your therapist said you need to do to get yourself back to being the bright and happy person you have always been?” Colton squeezes my shoulder as he takes a seat.

“She said to do some exercise, but I don’t like treadmills. She suggested running as I like that, but I don’t enjoy doing it on my own. Most of the women work, and of course if I go running I need Summer looked after…”

Colton taps the island with his knuckles. “I’ll run with you. I love running. We can do the compound perimeter or we can beat the sidewalks. I don’t care. I’ll run wherever you feel like running.”

I’m going to have a conversation with Axel about my responsibilities and what, as the First Lady I am expected to do as a minimum. I feel that being the shoulder for everyone is becoming too much and if it wasn’t for my kids, I think I would walk away, for a while at least.

Colton stayed with me for hours, and I know it was to be his day off today, but he volunteered to stay with me while in town shopping. But he’s stayed here and we’ve talked and I feel better about things.

He has asked me to look into yoga as he thinks that may help me. He even offered to go with me, but I’m not sure going to yoga classes with Colton would be a good idea, as I’m sure we’d spend more than half our time laughing.

My latest session with Linda has me feeling lighter.

“Leave the past, in the past. You cannot change what happened, only what is to come,” she advised, and I see it now.

I’m just me…the person who ended up in prison, who found Axel and the club, created a family with these people, and as all families, we squabble.

I have no issues with any of the girl gang and they have none with me.

None that I know of, anyway. So why am I even worrying about anything?

****

A new day, a new dawn, and I’m going to make today a good one, no matter what. I get all my morning chores done quickly, breakfasts-check, twins at school-check, Summer with Jo and Bitty-check, laundry in the machine-check, beds made-check, showered and in running gear-check.

I leave the house and head to the front of the clubhouse where Colton is waiting for me, doing his warm-ups before our run, but color me purple…Star is with him in her running gear.

“Hi, Mia, hope you don’t mind I’m tagging along?” Star states as she jogs around me with more energy than anyone should have.

“No, I don’t mind at all.” I quickly do my warm-ups and we set off at a nice, steady pace. We don’t speak, but quickly and easily get into a pattern side-by-side on the sidewalk before hitting the track that runs through the open fields, which is always occupied with joggers .

“I’ve entered a wall climbing competition,” Star states out of nowhere. “I entered my knucklehead, too, but he doesn’t know yet.”

Colton looks over and chuckles, nearly losing his stride. “Oh, that’s going to be fun when he finds out.”

“Why didn’t you tell him?” I ask, while giving Star a side-eye.

Giggling more to herself than to us, she replies.

“Well, he’s been an arsehole lately, so I have called him a knob whenever possible, gave him the middle finger each time he tries to make up to me.

So…I thought I’d enter it but not say anything, but make sure I’m at peak performance so I can beat his ass. ”

I stop running, place my hands on my knees as I puff somewhat, then look at Star. “Shit, Star, you know I’m his adopted sister, you’re not supposed to tell me this stuff because now do I tell him or keep your secret?”

“Oh, it’s not a problem, ‘cause, girl, you are my sister too. We females gotta stick together. Now, come on, we need to pick up the pace as we’re running at a snail’s pace.

” With that, Star takes off and I look at Colton, who gives me a shoulder shrug and a chin lift to get moving, before he takes off after Star, leaving me to trail behind them.

Goddamn, maybe running isn’t going to be a good thing for me?