Page 4

Rose watched Hardy lean forward grabbing the three different rose bushes she wanted. Red, white, and pink, they were her favorite. They walked around the garden store, and Rose couldn’t help but realize that this was the first time they’d been shopping together. They’d never even gone to the store for food.

“What is it?”

Hardy asked when she released a little chuckle.

“Nothing.”

“You can tell me.”

He started pushing the trolley, and she followed him, walking side by side.

“We’ve never shopped together.”

“Nah, we’ve got to have done it before,”

he said. “We’ve been together ten years.”

“We’ve not. You always had something more to do. You’d give me some money, send me in. You wouldn’t shop with me.”

She shrugged. It wasn’t something that bothered her. Rose was used to watching other couples shopping, and wishing Hardy would go with her. Again, like so many times before, she hadn’t said anything. Rose realized it was just as much her fault as Hardy’s. “Forget I said anything.”

“Do you need to go to the grocery store?”

Hardy asked.

“I do.”

“We’ll rectify that situation. We’ll go shopping after we’ve bought these roses. Is there anything else you want today?”

She looked around the store and shook her head. “No. Getting the garden to actually look like a garden is more important.”

They paid for the roses, and were back in the car minutes later. She watched Hardy as he drove to the store. This man she knew, and yet she didn’t.

Waking up from her nap, she’d been shocked to find Hardy in her yard, mowing the lawn. He rarely did any yard work, and she’d been the one to keep the house looking good.

Hardy parked near the store, and Rose climbed out. Her reflection caught her attention. She looked a mess, and the last thing she wanted to do was go shopping with Hardy, who looked good enough to eat.

He took her hand, locking their fingers together.

“Take me to the depths of hell,” he said.

She chuckled, grabbing a trolley, and placing it in front of him. “You’ve been to the store before.”

“Only on orders, Tiny’s orders.”

“How are you handling the change in leadership?”

she asked. They walked toward the fresh food section, and she started looking at the produce that was available.

“It’s great. Lash was the best guy for the job.”

“Are you sure?”

“I couldn’t look after The Skulls like Lash can. He’s the most stable out of all of us. He knows when to make the hard decisions.”

“It must be all different for everyone. I mean, Tiny’s been the leader for so long,”

she said, getting some fresh onions, peppers, and potatoes.

“Tiny knows what he’s doing. He’d never leave the club in the wrong person’s hands, and he’s right.”

“How’s everything with Alex now?”

“We’re all guilty as fuck. Sunshine made us open our eyes, and we didn’t have a choice but to pay attention to what she’d brought us. It was fucking shit what we’d done.”

She added in some celery and lettuce. This entire trip was surreal to her. She didn’t have a clue what to make of his presence.

“At least you’ve learned from your mistakes.”

“We have. The Skulls is changing. I just hope we’re all ready for this change.”

“Do you think this change is going to be good or bad?”

she asked.

“We’ll find out. Lash is a good guy, and Tiny’s still playing his part. Only time will tell. Lash has a good reputation, and anyone who tries to take us on will be in for a big fucking surprise.”

“The whole club is happy then?”

Rose asked.

“Yes. Lash is by far the best option out of all of us. He knows what he’s doing. I don’t want the club on my back.”

They moved around an aisle, and Rose paused to watch him as he looked at the steaks on the counter. This Hardy she wasn’t used to.

“What do you think of these steaks?”

he asked, holding them up.

“They look great.”

“We can grill them up when we get back. Baker’s probably starving.”

“I like that,”

she said, thinking about the biker at her home, digging through the weeds. “We owe him for helping out.”

“I can stick around, have a drink with you. Maybe we can pick up a movie for us all to watch?”

Rose tilted her head to the side to watch him. “I like that idea.”

Hardy picked up several steaks, and several more. “For your freezer.”

“You’re planning on inviting yourself around for more steaks?”

she asked.

“Who else are you going to cook them for?”

She gave him a smile, stepping up close. “There’s no one else, Hardy.”

Arousal shot through her body, taking her completely by surprise.

Walking past him, she started to look up and down the shelves filled with cans and cartons of different things.

What is your problem?

He’s your husband.

Soon to be ex-husband.

She rubbed at her chest from the sudden jolt of pain that rushed through her. Divorce had felt like the only option left open to her. Everywhere she looked were memories of what had happened between her and Hardy.

Was there a chance they could come back from that?

Rose wanted the chance to be with him again. The thought ran through her mind, shocking her.

Glancing behind her, she saw Hardy was watching her. The heat in his gaze was undeniable. He wanted her, just like she wanted him. Licking her lips, she kept picking up general groceries that would keep her going for the next couple of days.

Don’t send the divorce papers.

Hardy had given her the divorce papers, and she’d been struggling with what to do with them ever since. It shouldn’t be difficult or hard, and yet that was exactly what it was. Hardy had taken over ten years of her life. He was the first man she’d ever been with. He was the first man she’d ever fallen in love with, and no one could change that no matter how much she wished they could.

Ten years is a long time to waste.

They made it around the store, and as they were queuing she asked Hardy how he handled it.

“There was a point I was going to burst into flames. I think it was at the women’s products. Scary shit that stuff is.”

“Yeah, I could never rely on you in a crisis.”

And that was part of the problem. She was always there for him, getting him everything he needed. Hardy wouldn’t go to the store for her to get her sanitary towels during her monthly cycle. He wasn’t there for her, and it had all added up until she couldn’t take it anymore.

You never asked him.

Rose paused as she remembered that she’d never even asked him.

“I was a complete bastard to you, wasn’t I?”

“We both made mistakes. I didn’t even ask you to do stuff for me. Let’s not talk about it.”

They were being served, and they didn’t speak of it again. She packaged up their groceries, placing them back into the trolley. Hardy paid, and then they were walking back to the car. At the trunk of the car, Hardy grabbed her arm.

“We need to talk about this crap, Rose. This is our problem, we don’t talk.”

She stared into his eyes not knowing what to expect from him. The sincerity in his eyes made her realize he was speaking the truth.

“What do you want to talk about?”

she asked.

“I fucked up. I was a total asshole to you, and I’m sorry.”

“This doesn’t matter anymore. We can’t change what happened.”

“But you won’t sleep next to me at nighttime. You’ve cut me out, and I don’t like it. I want to do better, Rose. I want to be better.”

Tears filled her eyes, and she took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her emotions in check.

“I can’t do this right now.”

“We need to do this, Rose.”

“Baker’s waiting for us back home. Let’s get the food loaded into the car. I’m hungry.”

Hardy started at her for several seconds before clicking the lock open on the car. She opened the trunk, and started to load the groceries into the trunk of the car.

Taking a seat in the passenger side, she waited for them to pull out of the car before turning to Hardy.

“So, shopping? What do you think of it?”

He rubbed his temple. “It’s fine, Rose.”

“Not woman’s work?”

The wince on his face had Rose sitting back.

“I was just having a joke,” she said.

“I know, Rose. I know you’re having a joke, and to anyone else it would be funny, but I was a fucking bastard to you. I mean, we didn’t go shopping until this moment. It’s fucking wrong of me, and I’m so sorry. I’m your old man, you’re my fucking old lady, and you should have been able to rely on me.”

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, and Rose tensed up. She wasn’t afraid, but she wasn’t used to Hardy having angry outbursts, either.

“What is it?”

“What is it? It’s me. I never fucking realized what a total asshole I was, still am. I messed up, and it’s all my fault.”

He shook his head, and she was amazed by how angry he was.

“It was a long time ago.”

“No, it wasn’t, and don’t try to make excuses for my behavior.”

She held her hands up in surrender. If he didn’t want her making excuses for what he did, then fine. She wasn’t going to try to make him feel better if he didn’t want to.

Pushing some hair off her eyes, she leaned her head against the window.

“I’m sorry,”

he said, reaching over to take her hand.

He locked his fingers with hers, and emotion clogged her throat. What was with her always feeling close to tears? It had to be the pregnancy. She wasn’t usually a woman who found tears all that easy to produce.

Produce?

She was going crazy now.

“I’m going to do better. I’m going to be the kind of guy you can rely on, I promise.”

“Hardy, you don’t need to make promises to me.”

She wasn’t expecting anything from him. Over the years she’d grown used to him.

He squeezed her hand. “Yes, I do need to make promises. I need to make a lot of promises, and to make up for all the shit I put you through.”

She glanced over at him. No words came to mind, and so she looked out of the window. There was no point in trying to find the right words.

Letting out a breath, Rose wondered if things would ever be right between them.

****

Hardy fired up the barbeque while Rose was inside marinating the steaks and preparing the butter. He loved his steaks with lots of butter, spice, and pepper. The roses had been placed in the ground, and he was happy with the way the garden had turned out.

“Looking good,”

Baker said, coming up beside him.

“Yeah. It’ll look even better with the steaks on.”

He looked toward the kitchen door to see Rose at the counter chopping. She still wore sweats that covered her full body.

“You really do love her, don’t you?”

“I love her more than she realizes. When I was younger, it was a messed up situation.”

“You still cheated on her.”

“I know, and there’s nothing I can do for her to forgive me.”

Hardy rubbed the back of this head, wishing he could think of something to make her fall in love with him once again. Nothing sprang to mind.

“What are you going to do about Millie?”

Hardy asked, changing the subject away from him. He didn’t need Baker sharing his pain. It was bad enough he felt like shit already.

“What about her?”

“Are you fucking her?”

“No, you don’t talk about her like that.”

“Then what the fuck is going on, huh? I was at her shop earlier ordering shit for the baby, and she doesn’t even have much in the way of security.”

Baker ran fingers through his hair. “I know. She won’t listen to me on security. Fort Wills is safe she says, and no matter what I do to warn her, she doesn’t listen. I stick around the shop to keep an eye on her. There’s only so much I can do.”

“I’ve told Lash. We’ve got church later to handle the situation.”

“Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it, but don’t use me and my problems to get in her pants.”

“It’s not about that.”

“You’ve been wanting to tap that since you first saw her. Don’t try to fucking lie to me. It won’t fucking work,”

Hardy said.

Baker stared up at the sky looking really pissed. “I’m not good at this. I don’t know how to date. I don’t know how to get her to see I want to take her out.”

“Then you’re going to have to make her aware. Invite her to a barbeque, or get Angel or one of the women to do it.”

“Angel?”

“She’s Lash’s woman.”

“I know that.”

“She’s also the Prez’s old lady. Eva would help out a brother in need. Angel’s taking her place. Talk to her, she’d help. In fact, all of the women would help if you asked them.”

Hardy wanted his brothers to find happiness. For the longest time he had been a happy man, and he hoped to be happy once again.

“I’m just grabbing the steaks. Keep an eye on the grill.”

He entered the kitchen to find Rose tossing the salad together.

“The steaks ready for me?” he asked.

“Yes.”

She moved to one of the far counters, picking up two trays. “We’ve got enough here for leftovers.”

“I don’t think so, babe. These are all going to be eaten tonight.”

“I forgot how much you loved your beef.”

He took the pans from her, and Rose tilted her head back to look at him. The way her head tilted back showed off a great deal of her neck. He’d spent many hours, kissing, nipping, and biting her neck. Whenever he got started on her neck she was putty in his hands, and he could arouse her with a few nips of his teeth.

“Stop thinking about what you’re thinking about,” she said.

“What?”

“You’re thinking about sex. I’ve not forgotten what that looks like.”

“Baker and I have got to go to church tonight. I forgot about it, but we should be back in time for that movie.”

She smiled. “It’ll give me time to get snacks ready. Will it be you and Baker?”

“Yes. I’m not inviting any other brother. It’s bad enough sharing you with Baker.”

“He’s not too bad.”

“Only because I know he’s got a thing for Millie.”

Rose sighed. “I know, right? It’s crazy, and he doesn’t even know how to date. Millie is clueless of his interest of course.”

“Boy doesn’t have a clue what to do.”

She giggled. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this. We’re not in school anymore.”

“We’re all still kids at heart.”

“Some of us don’t grow out of it.”

She took a step back, and the moment was lost.

Hardy didn’t try to get the moment back, taking the beef outside. Baker was sat in a lounge chair, basking in the sun.

“Damn, it’s hot.”

Rolling his eyes, Hardy placed the steaks onto the grill. The sizzle had his mouth watering and made him realize how hungry he was.

He handled the grill while Baker caught some sun. Rose came out to set the table, and Hardy threw a rock at Baker getting him to help.

Within thirty minutes they were sitting around the table eating steaks, salad, and potatoes.

Rose moaned her approval, and it went straight to his dick. He watched her licking her fingers clean toward the end. It became uncomfortable for him to move.

“That was delicious,”

Rose said.

“The best steak I ever had,”

Baker said, resting back in his chair, rubbing his stomach.

“I’m pleased I’ve still got my uses.”

Hardy sat back, content with his food, and his way of life.

Almost contented.

Rose was running fingers across her bottom lip, and he caught sight of her finger without a ring on it. He didn’t like that. She should be wearing his ring.

“I missed how good you were at the barbeque.”

“Did you use to spend a lot of time in front of the grill?”

Baker asked.

“Pretty much. I can’t do anything else, but I can grill steaks, chicken, burgers.”

“Everything he makes on the grill is so damn tasty.”

Rose rubbed her stomach.

He wondered when she was going to start to show.

I did that.

My little baby is in there.

As the time wore on they cleaned away their dishes, and they packed into Hardy’s car. He had to give Rose a warning about being alone. Both he and Baker needed to be at church, and she wasn’t going to be left alone. Before she was pregnant he wouldn’t have minded leaving her for an hour, but since she was carrying their baby, he wasn’t going to allow it. If anything happened to their unborn kid, it would break her, and he’d have no chance to get her back. Hardy was going to work damned hard in getting his woman back.

So Rose sat in the back, and she was staring out of the window refusing to pay him any attention.

He could handle the cold shoulder. It wasn’t the first time he had to live through it, and now she was pregnant. Her hormones were all over the place.

That baby was his last chance to make things right with his woman. He’d fucked up in many things, but the love he had for Rose was pure, soul destroying, and he wasn’t going to let her go. Hardy hadn’t fought for much in his life, but when it came to Rose, he’d fight.

Eva, Sophia, Lacey, Prue, and Sunshine were waiting around the bar when he entered. Rose went straight to the women and started talking with them. It was good to see her part of his world once again. He needed to bring her back to the club more often.

Hardy and Baker were the last two in the room. Fighter and Ink were also in the room. Tiny sat in the chair that Lash once sat in, and Killer was on the other side. Lash was staring at the chair as if it was going to bite him.

Slowly, he lowered himself down into the chair. Hardy figured he’d be nervous, but to show it in front of the brothers was also a sign of respect to them all. They were a family, and a family took care of each other.

“Lash, you’re meant to be there, brother,”

Zero said.

“Can’t see anyone else taking that seat,”

Whizz said.

“This was always going to be you,”

Nash said.

Around the table the men agreed with each other.

“I didn’t make the wrong decision, Lash,”

Tiny said. “I’m old, and The Skulls needs fresh blood. You’re it, and we’ve all got your back. I’m still here if you need me.”

Lash ran his hands across the edge of the table. “Okay, I guess it’s time for us to get to business. I’ve pulled us out of the coke deals Ned Walker is running. I know he’s your father-in-law, but we’ve taken enough hits in the last couple of years to last us a lifetime. I’m not looking for trouble. We’re going legit. We’ve got the capital, and with Whizz’s play on the stock markets, we’ve got more than enough to invest in our shit. It’s what I want to look into. Investing.”

“The gym in town is going to bring in some good dough,”

Whizz said. “Investing is the key, and the adult business. We’ve got a few warehouses, and we can employ some people close to start distributing. It’s all good.”

Lash nodded, and even Hardy was happy to hear the news. Getting out of the illegal drug and gun runs would take the heat off all of them going to prison. He didn’t want to be looking at a long jail term with a kid on the way.

“We’re all agreed. There’s only so much shit we’re all willing to deal with,”

Murphy said. “We’ve got too much to lose.”

“The next order of business. Hardy’s concerned about the protection detail on Millie’s toy shop.”

All eyes turned to him.

“I was in there today, and she’s got no sense of her own security. She helps the club, and gives us great deals. Our women adore her, and let’s face it, Baker wants to fuck her.”

There were a few chuckles at his words.

Hardy gave them time to have their moment before continuing.

“We’re going legit, but it doesn’t mean we’ve not got enemies anymore. The Skulls, we’re a name, and we come with a reputation. We’ve got to protect those closest to us. Millie’s got no sense when it comes to her own safety.”

“I agree,”

Baker said.

“I like Millie, but there’s only so much protection we can put on her without her getting pissed,”

Lash said. “I’ll get Angel to stop by and talk with her. We’ll take the time to stop by the shop, offer her advice, and guard her. If we start showing favoritism with her, it could cause some problems.”

“Then Millie will become my old lady,”

Baker said.

Hardy glanced toward Baker. He’d already lost a wife and kid, and Hardy hadn’t anticipated him making another declaration anytime soon, even if it had been a couple of years.

“That gives us great cause if she’s your old lady. I’m happy with that. We’re all in agreement, right?”

They all raised their hand in agreement.

Lash raised the gavel, bringing it down.

There was a loud whoop, and then the men started to make their way out of the room. Hardy gave Baker a sign that he’d be a minute. Tiny and Lash were the only two men left in the room.

“Congratulations, Hardy,”

Lash said.

“Yeah, I’m not here for congratulations. Want to ask you both advice?”

he asked. Hardy’s hands were sweating.

“What advice do you want?”

Tiny asked, leaning against the table.

“Women.”

“You’ve been married over ten years and you’re asking us for advice?”

Lash asked, looking confused.

“I’ve not exactly made it a success. I fucked up.”

“Yeah, man, what the fuck was going through your head when you fucked another woman?”

Lash asked. “I wouldn’t dream of fucking on Angel. She’s my world. I love her, and I’d die for her.”

“I love and I’d die for Rose. I was young, okay? I was young, an idiot, and I fucked up. Nothing was going through my head at the time. I’ve regretted it ever since.”

He stared at the two men he respected in this life.

“I cheated on Patricia all the time,”

Tiny said. “I never once cheated on Eva. I was young, and Patricia was a nagging bitch. She pissed me the fuck off all the time. I loved her, but she made it hard for me to love her.”

“Eva would cut your balls off,”

Lash said.

“She would, and she’d probably feed them to me. I don’t want to have the taste of my nuts in my mouth.”

Tiny shuddered. “Anyway, what advice do you want?” he asked.

“Women, I want to know if you guys go out for your woman’s personal things?”

Hardy’s cheeks were heating. He never thought in the whole of his life that he had to consider this.

“Yeah, I have to. Angel denied me sex when I refused to get her some personal woman’s things. She said to me if I’m not willing to help her out, then I didn’t deserve her. I learned my lesson. I’ve held Angel while it has been bad and her stomach has been cramping. I’ve given her massages, foot rubs, and I’ve cleaned up her vomit.”

Lash smiled. “Like I said, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my woman. Angel would do it all for me.”

“I’ve always gotten Eva’s things. Wouldn’t dream of denying her,”

Tiny said. “What’s this about?”

Hardy let out a breath. “I’m just having my eyes opened on a shitload of things. Nothing for you to worry about.”

He shook their hands and made his way out of the room. Baker and Rose were waiting for him. Baker gave him a strange look, but he didn’t pay him much attention.

“Is everything okay?”

Rose asked.

“More than okay.”

****

“Are you okay?”

Lacey asked, rubbing Whizz’s back.

He was so damned tired, and he couldn’t find the information that Gash wanted from him.

There was only one woman he could detect, and she’d been through hell and back, and it wasn’t even the woman that Gash wanted.

It was another woman, a woman who had known Gash in the past.

From the information that Gash had given him, this woman’s only problem was because she didn’t come forward for him at the time.

There was one hell of a reason why she didn’t come to help Gash.

The information that he’d gotten from Gash had concerned both a woman and a man, but there were two women linked to Gash during that time.

Both women had lived in the same apartment, and one accused Gash of rape and murder.

The other had disappeared during that time.

Whizz had found the wrong woman, and he couldn’t just hand that information over to Gash, not yet.

Could he risk giving him the details of a woman that was only linked to the one Gash actually wanted? What if Gash decided to kill this innocent woman?

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“You don’t sound okay.”

She helped remove his leather jacket, and he leaned back in his chair as she started to run her hands all over his chest. Closing his eyes, he basked in her touch. He wasn’t in a rush to take over or to tell her what he wanted. “Talk to me?”

“This shit with Gash. I don’t know what to do.”

“You can’t find the people he wants?”

“No. Whoever wiped them off the face of the earth did a damn good job.”

He threw his keyboard on the desk, knocking over a mini box of pens, and scuffing the post-it notes he had on top.

“Don’t do that, baby. Don’t get angry.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?”

He grabbed the keyboard, and brought up the details he could. “This woman is all I can find, and look at what happened to her.”

Whizz shook his head as Lacey started to read. “Fucking hell.”

“Tell me about it. My access is denied for everything. The two people Gash is looking for are protected. He fucked off the wrong people. Either someone’s protecting them, or I’m losing my fucking touch.”

Again, he slammed the keyboard across the desk, climbing off his chair, and pacing the room.

Lacey sat in the middle of the bed staring at him.

Pacing usually helped him.

“Have you thought about Sally?”

she asked.

“No. I’m not ready to have this conversation with you, baby. We can’t take on a teenager.”

“She’s alone, and scared. We could help her.”

Whizz stopped to look at the woman he loved. He’d give her anything, and he was doing his best to get her a baby, but a teenager wasn’t right for either of them.

Lacey let out a sigh. She moved toward his computer desk, and he winced at how she tapped on the keyboard. This was his computer, and his fingers flew across the keys, and listening to Lacey’s attempts made him smile.

“Shut up,”

she said when he let out a chuckle.

“I’m going to have to teach you how to type.”

“I don’t spend hours on this damn thing. You’ve got your phone hooked up to it, and also a tablet. You’re barely away from the thing. I’m surprised you can fuck me without checking.”

“It’s why I love you being on top, baby,”

he said, moving behind her. He couldn’t resist kissing the back of her neck. Licking the delicate column of her neck, he sucked on her pulse, nipping at her tender flesh. He traced one of her arms, which was decorated in ink.

“Stop trying to distract me.”

She didn’t try to push him away.

“I like distracting you.”

He caressed down her chest, stroking over her nipple. She gasped, and again, she didn’t fight him, or make any move to fight him.

“Look at her, Whizz,” she said.

Reluctantly, he stared up at his computer screen, and there was the young girl Lacey had been trying to get him to adopt.

“She’s fifteen, Lacey.”

“So? Does that mean she can’t have a chance at life? She’s been moved from ten different foster homes since she went into the system. We don’t know what kind of life she’s had. The Skulls, our home, this could be the place for her.”

They lived in a house not too far from the clubhouse. It was set back, and close to Tiny’s and Lash’s place. They all lived out of the clubhouse with Alex living the furthest away near the edge of town.

“She’s a teenager. I thought you wanted a baby?”

“I want to give people a home.”

“People?”

“They’re kids, Whizz. They deserve a second chance. We’ve got time for a baby, and if we don’t, I don’t care. This is what I want. I want to help a girl out like me. Please, Whizz, please,” she said.

He hated it when she begged.

“Lacey?”

“Please, please, please, please.”

She pressed her hands together, looking up at him, and pleading with her eyes.

Fuck.

“Fine. I’ll talk to the social worker, and arrange for us to meet Sally.”

Lacey squealed throwing her arms around his waist. “I love you, I love you.”

“You bloody better.”