Page 56 of Keeping Indigo
“Good,” my old man said, a contented expression spreading over his face. He took a sip of his beer and nodded. “The house is y’alls. I got a feeling you’ll definitely need the room. Life with her ain’t gonna be easy…or quiet.” The look of approval on my dad’s face was a welcome change from the disappointment I’d put there over the past few months.
“I don’t want quiet, Dad. I just want her.”
Bones
I parked my bike in the Los Cuervos lot, one of the last to arrive for family dinner. It was our first big gathering since the Iron Raider attack, and the parking lot next to the clubhouse was filled with bikes and family vehicles. Tank and Blaze sat talking on the porch, and I took a moment to greet my brothers. Thor, Priest, and Indi sat at the bar, playing a round of her crazy card game, and I saw Rose and Knuckles sitting with their kids and grandkids, who had driven up for the night.
Ratched was carrying a tray of food toward the infirmary, where I knew he’d join Bear for dinner, not wanting him to feel left out of family dinner but also unwilling to let him out of bed just yet. Rook gave me a nod of recognition as I passed the bar and gestured toward the dining room, already knowing what my eyes were seeking as they roamed the room. Rook might be our newest Crow, but it didn’t take an exceptionally observant person to know that I couldn’t stay away from mygatita. She’d been distant lately, and I needed to find her and make sure she was okay. Thank God, she wasn’t involved in Indi’s plan to catch Roark Callahan. I didn’t think my heart could have handled seeing her in danger.
The food was already piled into chafing dishes along the buffet, with plates and cutlery stacked neatly to one side. Duke, Lorna, Cricket, Sticks, and Lennon were already seated at the table, talking with various family members. I took a seat at the far end of the table, watching Lennon and the way she moved her hands while she spoke. She was so beautiful and full of life. My eyes greedily took in every inch of her I could see. Her long, dark curls were pulled into a bun on the top of herhead, a few loose strands framing her face. I didn’t know how long I watched her like a hungry man who didn’t dare taste his favorite dish, but eventually, Duke rose from his seat to say grace and broke my trance.
“Thank you to the hands that prepared this food, and the hard work that provided it,” Duke said. Mutters of “amen” sounded from around the room, but before Duke could signal everyone to dig in, Lennon stood from her seat.
“Before we eat, I have something I’d like to say.” Duke gestured for her to continue and shot Sticks a look, but his friend just nodded once and tilted his head in her direction. He must know whatever it was Lennon wanted to say. “I’d like to thank everyone here for their support while I worked to earn my cosmetology license. Ellis and I always dreamed of opening a salon and spa one day, and it’s been really important to me that I make at least some version of our dream into a reality. Now that I’m done with my program, I’ve enrolled in some business courses at the local community college. I’ve secured an investor, and a property recently became available to lease in Sagebrush so…” A radiant smile filled my girl’s face, and I sat back in my chair, completely unprepared for the bomb she was about to drop. “I’m moving out. I hope you’ll all be there for my grand opening, hopefully sometime next year. We’ve got a lot of great ideas, and I can’t wait to start this next chapter of my life.”
My voice, deep and raspy with pain that I tried to smother, was louder than I meant it to be when I asked, “We? Who’s we?”
“That would be me,” Ivan said as he strolled through the door from the kitchen, a basket of bread in hand. Setting it down on the table, the Russian prick strolled over to the empty chair at Lennon’s side and sat down like he belonged there. He draped his arm over Lennon’s shoulders and completely ignored the glare Sticks sent his way at the gesture.
“My girl needed help finding an investor in her business and securing a location. I mean, just look at this face,” Ivan said, though his eyes weren’t on Lennon. They were locked with mine. “How could I say no?” Ivan leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek, causing Lennon to blush and Sticks to growl under his breath and take a long pull from his beer. Ihope Riordan wasn’t too fond of thispinche culerobecause I was going to kill him.