Page 13

Chapter thirteen

Mia

I ’m on a cloud this morning, riding high all through getting ready to meet the girls at the park. It's a little hard to get my eyeliner straight when I burst into a fit of very girlish giggles every time I think about Knox’s goodbye kiss this morning. It’s my favorite when he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls my body to his. Or maybe it’s when he slides his palms up the side of my neck and drags my lips to his. Although, I really like the combination of the two. Who am I kidding? Any way that man kisses me is ridiculously hot. And now my neck and chest are red from imagining all the places he kissed me last night.

“Get it together, girl. You can’t turn into a tomato whenever you think about the gorgeous biker you had in your bed last night.” I laugh at myself, rolling my eyes while trying to talk myself off this high I’m on.

You know what? Screw it. Why am I trying to talk myself down? Am I a little scared I’m in over my head? Sure, but I think that’s perfectly normal for anyone just starting something. I don’t have anything to really compare this to. No other man gives me the butterflies I experience when Knox so much as looks at me, let alone anything else.

Looking at the time, I realize I was supposed to be at the park ten minutes ago. I quickly gather the rest of my things and throw on the jacket Knox gave me before grabbing my phone to text Lucy.

Me : Leaving now.

Lucy : You better come bearing gifts since you're late.

Me : I’m not that late.

Lucy : I know, I just really want a coffee from Cool Beans so I’m guilting you into stopping.

Me : No guilt trip necessary. See you in a few.

The entire way to the coffee shop, there’s music blaring through my speakers as I happily sing along. It’s a beautiful day, even if it’s a little chilly, but the sun is out, and that makes me happy. Or it may have been the three life-altering orgasms I had last night. I laugh at myself again. God, if I show up to the park like this everyone is going to know what went on last night.

It scared me a little when Knox said he didn’t want to have sex. I know it’s so stupid, considering it was right after he went down on me, but insecurities have a weird way of rearing their ugly heads at the worst times. No, it’s good he wants to take it slow and get to know my body before we take that step. Right?

Of course it is, Mia. Stop overthinking.

As I park in front of Cool Beans, I’m determined to keep my mood happy and light. No overanalyzing last night for this girl. I’m cool, calm, and collected.

I order four coffees and a hot chocolate for Colby, then have a seat while waiting for my drinks. When my phone rings, I fish it out of my pocket and look at the screen. Unknown Caller . Silencing the call, because the last thing I want to do is deal with some pushy salesperson, I put my phone back in my purse only to hear it ring again. Another Unknown Caller . Jesus, do these people have a way of knowing when you have your phone in your hand or something? I silence it once more, and thankfully it doesn’t go off again.

“Mia, your order’s up,” Betsy says as she places the carrying tray on the counter. “I put a little cake pop on there for Colby,” she says with a smile.

“Thanks, Betsy. Hey, has Lucy’s sister reached out about you carrying some of her homemade pastries?”

“No, I haven't heard from her. God, that would be such a huge load off for me. I knew she was selling at the farmers’ market, but I’d love for her to sell here too. It would be nice to sleep past three sometimes.” Betsy laughs and turns to make the next order.

“I’ll talk to her about getting in contact with you.” Again. “See you later.”

“Bye, sweets.”

If Cece ever wants to get out on her own, she’s going to have to do more than sell at the weekly farmers’ market. I’ll have to call her and set something up with Betsy. There’s no way that’s going to pay rent and utilities and… Stop it, Mia . You aren’t responsible for Cece. All you can do is nudge her in the right direction, not make the decisions for her. Damn, that whole responsible fixer mentality is a bitch to get to shut the hell up.

When I pull up to the park, I grab the drinks and walk over to where Lucy, Charlie, and Maizie are sitting in the warm sun. Colby is running in the distance, his exuberant laughter meeting my ears as Wyatt’s puppy excitedly chases him.

“I see you’re puppysitting today,” I say as I walk up to my friends and have a seat on one of the wooden park benches.

“Wyatt got called to Midnight Rose and didn’t want to leave the dog alone,” Maizie says.

“Oh, is everything okay?” I haven’t heard from Knox today, but I know he was on his way there when he left my house.

“I didn’t ask, and he didn’t offer. He knows Colby loves that damn dog, so I think it was just a way for him to let them spend time together without me being able to argue.”

“Would you have argued?” Charlie asks.

“No way,” Maizie says. “I’m like a dog auntie. I get to have all the fun and none of the responsibility.”

Lucy taps her cup against Maizie’s. “Amen, sister.” She takes a sip and eyes me over the lid. “Nice jacket.”

I chuckle and roll my eyes. “You would know.”

Lucy shrugs. “I have good taste.”

“That you do,” I say.

“I still can’t believe Knox called you to help him get something for our little Mia,” Charlie says. “I never thought the man had a romantic side.”

“Ask Mia, I’m sure she’s been seeing all kinds of different sides to Knox,” Maizie comments with a smirk.

Instantly I feel the blush creeping up my neck. I know it’s only a matter of seconds before my friends notice too. Love them as I do; they aren’t ones to not dig into why I’m turning red.

“I’m definitely getting to know him and having a good time doing it,” I say.

Lucy arches a brow with a slight upturned tilt to her lips. “How good of a time?”

“He took me to a cool little restaurant outside of town on his bike, and we got to know each other a bit more, then he took me home.”

“That’s it?” Lucy asks, obviously believing there’s more to the story.

The heat in my cheeks has turned into an inferno, and as much as I try, there’s no stopping the grin that spreads from ear to ear.

“No, I didn’t think so,” Lucy says, reading me like an open book. “Come on, tell Auntie Lucy everything.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I say, throwing my paper napkin at her.

“That may be true, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know. Mia, this is the guy you’ve been fantasizing about since I’ve known you. Shit, probably since Maizie has known you.”

Maizie nods. “True,” she says, agreeing with Lucy.

“We’re kind of invested at this point. Especially Lucy, it seems,” Charlie says.

I exhale before taking a sip of coffee. “Okay, fine. We went back to my house, and I was a little awkward at first, but he was quick to put me at ease, then we danced and…other things.” When I finish, I’m once again wearing a silly grin like I have for most of the day.

All three girls are staring at me with their mouths hanging open and eyes comically wide.

“You danced?” Lucy finally asks.

“Yeah, it was this whole tell-me-what-you-used-to-fantasize-about-in-high-school moment. It was cute,” I say.

“Jesus, I never thought I’d hear cute being used to describe anything about Knox,” Lucy says.

“Well, I don’t necessarily think that’s something he’s going to suddenly become known for around the clubhouse. He definitely showed me a side I’d never seen before last night,” I tell her.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve noticed him smiling a lot more, especially when Mia’s around,” Charlie says.

“That’s all well and good. But I want to know that he made you see stars after your little dance,” Lucy says.

“Jesus,” I breathe out.

“What? You deserve nothing less than to be railed all night by that giant of a man,” Lucy counters.

“Yes, I saw stars. No, there was no railing. He said he wanted to get to know my body and wanted me to be comfortable before we took that step.”

“I’m dead,” Lucy says, dramatically falling against the back of the bench. “That is so unbelievably sweet.”

“You don’t think it’s…I don’t know… odd that he didn’t want to go further? I mean, he got no ‘relief’ last night. I don’t know any man who would—or I guess wouldn’t —do that.”

“That’s because you’re dating Knox. He obviously isn’t like any other man you’ve dated,” Charlie says before smacking Lucy’s leg. “Sit up. You’re being dramatic.”

“What?” Lucy protests. “I can’t help it if I’m completely blown away by this new development. Knox is a romantic and shit.”

“I think it’s safe to say we all see a different side of our men when we’re alone,” Charlie says.

Lucy tilts her head from side to side a couple times. “I think Jude is about the same.”

Charlie rolls her eyes but continues talking as though Lucy didn’t interrupt her. “And no, I don’t think it’s weird that he wanted to make it about you. There's a certain control I’ve always thought Knox had. He’s not going to try to hump your leg the first time you two make out.”

“Ugh, the leg humpers,” Maizie says. “Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a night with a man who actually wanted to get to know my body and not stick it in, then turn over and fall asleep.”

“Maybe when Wyatt comes over to pick up his dog, you can invite him in for a little scratch behind your ear,” Lucy says.

Maizie shakes her head. “Nope. He’s off limits. One, it would go against my no-biker rule, and two, I work for the club. I’m not about to put that in jeopardy. Not when I have that guy over there who depends on me,” she says, pointing to her son. “I don’t have the luxury of scratching anything with any member of the Black Roses.”

“They would not fire you over something as dumb as having a one-off with one of their guys. Shit, half the girls at Midnight Rose have hooked up with at least one of the brothers,” Lucy says.

Maizie shrugs and shakes her head. “Doesn't matter. Those girls don’t have kids to look out for. If shit goes sideways for them, they can just pick up and leave. I can’t.”

Colby starts running toward us as if just remembering we’re here, with the dog traipsing behind him.

“Can Pepper spend the night?” he asks his mom with pleading eyes.

“I don’t know, bud. Depends on what time Wyatt gets home from work.”

That reminds me that there seems to be something happening at the strip club that I know nothing about. Not that it matters. Knox and I aren’t attached at the hip, and he certainly doesn’t answer to me.

“Hey kiddo, I got you a hot chocolate, and Betsy put a little something in the bag for you,” I tell Colby as I hand him the paper sack.

“Cake pop!” he yells, holding the sugary treat in the air.

“Great, just what I need,” Maizie grumbles before taking another sip of her coffee.

We spent about another hour at the park so Colby could run off the sugar rush, then all of us headed home.

I still haven’t heard from Knox, so I decide to shoot him a text.

Me : Hey, everything Okay? Maizie said she was watching Wyatt’s dog because he had to go to Midnight Rose.

Is that too needy? Does it sound like I’m being clingy, calling him out for not having checked in with me? Jesus, I really need to stop second-guessing myself today.

Knox : Hey, sweetheart. Just taking care of a few things. I’ll call you later, yeah?

Was that a brush-off?

For fuck’s sake, Mia. Stop it.

Me : Okay, talk later.

I grab a bottle of my grandma’s favorite wine and head over to her house. When I walk in through her kitchen, she’s pulling a roast from the oven. She already has mashed potatoes and what looks like a green bean casserole in serving bowls on her counter.

“Wow, Grandma. It smells amazing in here.”

She turns to me after setting the roast on the stovetop and smiles. “We’ll be eating like kings tonight, my dear.” She looks at the bottle in my hand. “And drinking like them, too.”

I walk over to a drawer, pull out a wine opener, then grab a couple glasses from the cupboard. After pouring the wine, I hand my grandmother her glass, and she takes a long sip.

“Ahh, I needed that today,” she says.

“What’s going on?”

“I talked with your parents today.”

“Yeah, that usually puts me in a drinking mood, too,” I say and take another drink from my glass. It’s not that I don’t love my parents, but I can’t say I necessarily like them very much. I can only imagine what little scheme they’re trying to pull my grandmother into this time.

She laughs and sets her glass down before grabbing a knife and cutting the roast, then nods at the dishes sitting on the counter. “Why don’t you take everything in, and I’ll be right out with the roast.”

I carry the mashed potatoes and casserole into the dining room, noticing she’s already set the table. My grandmother loves to make a fuss over dinner. Though we don’t do it every night, I always make sure to be here at least once a week for this particular meal. I see her nearly every day, usually for a morning coffee since she’s an early riser like me, but I didn’t stop by this morning since I was otherwise occupied.

My grandmother comes in carrying a huge serving tray, far too much for either of us to eat in one sitting.

“Why so much? There’s no way we’re going to eat all of that.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure if we were going to be dining alone. I thought maybe the man who left this morning on his motorcycle would be joining us,” she says with a small smile playing on her lips.

I lower my head and groan. “Sorry, Grandma. I guess we’ve never discussed having overnight guests.”

“Nonsense. That’s your house now. And frankly, it’s about time that you had a man spend the night. I was getting a little worried that you’d thrown in the towel and decided to become an old maid at twenty-eight.”

I bark out a laugh. “It was a close call.” I’m not really keen on the idea of talking to my grandmother about my night, so I change the subject. “How are my parents?” I realize it’s been a long while since I’ve talked to them, which is far from unusual. They obviously don’t need me to take care of anything for them, so why would they want to talk to me?

“They’re fine. Asked if I could talk to you about you reaching out to your brother.”

And there it is.

“Of course they did,” I say, letting out a huff of annoyance.

My grandmother knows why I kicked Nolan out of my apartment and why I quit talking to him. She also knows that I made my parents aware, and they didn’t do anything except tell me that they were no longer going to pay his half of the rent. If they want to believe there’s nothing amiss with their son, I can’t do jack shit about it.

“I told them if they want you to reach out to him, then they need to call you themselves.”

“Thank you,” I say as I load my plate with the food in front of me.

“I know what you had to deal with when you were growing up. Granted, not to the full extent, but it didn’t take a genius to realize they were gone all the time and you kept everything running. It wasn’t like Nolan was capable. I also didn’t interfere because I thought if you needed help, you would have reached out.”

“I was fine, really. If anything, it made me capable at a young age. At least I’ll never be the one anyone needs to worry about.”

“That’s not true,” she says with a softness in her gaze. “I worry about you. I worry that you’re going to spend your life cleaning up other people’s messes and not concentrate on your own life.”

I scoff. “Jeez, Grandma. I think I deserve a little more credit than that.”

“Of course you do. That’s why I’m talking to you about this. Knox has never struck me as the type to spend the night at a woman’s house, and you certainly don’t strike me as someone who would invite a casual fling to stay overnight, either. Not that there would be anything wrong with that. I don’t judge.”

“Thank you for that,” I say with a smile.

“What I’m saying is he’s a good man and was a good kid who seemed to have a rough start in life. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. There’s going to be talk, and most likely it’s going to get back to your parents. We both know they’re snobby assholes who put far too much importance on optics.”

I nod. “I already know this.”

“I just want to make sure you’re following your heart instead of your head on this one. You’ve always been so pragmatic and in control. It’s time for you to let loose a little and go with the flow, as the kids say.”

“Look at you, Grandma, getting hip with the lingo.”

“Smart-ass,” she says and sticks out her tongue at me.

“I see I didn’t inherit my maturity from you.”

“No, just your fabulous ass.”

My eyes widen in shock. “Grandma!”

“What. It was your grandfather’s favorite attribute.”

“Jesus Christ,” I say, shaking my head, fighting the urge to cover my ears and hum loudly.

“Okay, okay,” she tsks. “Really, Mia, I never took you to be a prude.”

I open my mouth to argue but decide to let her have this one.

“I love you,” I say instead, and she beams.

“Well, I love you too, dear. I think when we’re done with dinner, you should take a plate over to your new beau. I’m sure he'll appreciate a nice home-cooked meal.”

The way this woman can go from talking about asses to referring to Knox as my beau as though this is the 1800s is astonishing.

“Okay, Grandma. I will.”