Page 9 of Nave (Henchmen MC: Next Generation #14)

“Snacks and drinks, in case you want something but don’t feel like dealing with the crowd. And bowls for Edith.”

I placed the snacks on the dresser, then filled the water bowl for Edith. But she was dead to the world, snuggled up on the foot of the bed.

“Did she jump up there?”

“No, I put her up. I’m sorry. I should have asked. I’ll put her—” she rushed to say, going over to the bed like she was about to wake up the dog.

“No, don’t. She’s fine, babe. Let her sleep. That dog is probably better groomed than I am most days.”

Lolly’s shoulders, which had crept up by her ears, lowered down.

“She’s so happy to sleep somewhere other than my lap or the passenger seat.” She sat down near the dog, reaching out to pet her. “Can I ask something?”

“Sure,” I agreed, going over to sit in the chair.

“Why do you have a room here?”

“I live here. The way this club works is that when you prospect, you live and work here, mostly doing grunt work that no one else wants to do. Then, once the club decides we are a good fit, we get a room here. We’re free to live here. And most of us do for a few years, at least.”

“Because you like to party?”

“That’s part of it. But the brotherhood is nice. Especially because I was alone a lot for years. It’s also nice to not have to think about shit like paying the electric bill or wondering what to cook every single day. We all share the responsibility here.”

“Why does anyone leave then?”

“They fall in love. Want to start a new life and family. Another perk of living here is that you save up a shit ton of money over the years. No need for a mortgage, that kind of thing. It’s a good situation, all around. Speaking of situations, I think I have a solution for you, if you’re into it.”

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding eagerly.

“I have two cousins who own a homestead—a bunch of acres in one of the few rural areas left in this county. The kicker is… they’re off the grid.

No neighbors. They have solar and wells.

Last I heard, they don’t even have internet hooked up there.

They come into town to mooch off of someone in the family to upload shit to their socials. ”

“That’s amazing.”

“It really is. They’ve done so much in just a few years.

And the thing is, before they did homesteading, they did van life.

So they have their old fully furnished motorhome that they lived in for years.

It’s just sitting there, fully set up with solar and water.

It has composting for the toilet, but they swear you get used to that over time. ”

“They’d let me stay there?” she asked, voice small and hopeful.

“Yes.”

“But they don’t even know me.”

“They know you need a safe place to stay. They have it. I do have to warn you that the girls make their living doing homesteading content online. But they will not catch you in any of their videos. They promised.”

“Okay. That’s fine. So long as my face isn’t out there. And I can help around the homestead. I mean, I don’t know anything about homesteading. But I can, you know, pull weeds or whatever.”

“Well, if you want to, you’re free to. But you don’t need to do anything but stay there and rest and eat sugar,” I said, making her lips curve up. “I didn’t tell them about the baby,” I told her. “I figure that’s your secret to tell, if and when you want to.”

“Thank you. For… all of this. I don’t know how I can ever—”

“Nah. You don’t need to do anything.”

“Okay. Well, we’ll see about that.”

My lips curved up at that, loving to see a little stubborn streak in her, knowing that it wasn’t something she’d been allowed to show often over the past few years.

“I do have concerns about your car.”

“My car? How did you see it?”

“I took a walk down the street while I talked to Kit and Ria. I figure it’s the one with the backseat full of blankets, dog food, and shit like that.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, that’s me. What’s wrong with it?”

“Aside from it looking like it isn’t going to make it another twenty miles, I think ditching it and getting something different would be smart. That way, in the off chance that Ben was able to figure out the car you were in, it will be off the street.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah. That’s probably a good idea. I don’t think it’s worth anything, though. So I might have to work for a while to be able to get a new one.”

“Would it be alright if I handle it? One of the club brothers has a shop. There are always cars hanging around that he’s looking to get rid of.”

“Oh, okay. I mean, I don’t want to make you—”

“And, again, I’ll remind you that you’re not making me or asking me to do anything. I got you. Don’t worry about it. Focus on you. And the baby. And Edith. Where the fuck did that name come from?”

“Well, she was a grumpy little puppy. Very particular. Especially about food. She always looked like she was moments away from asking to speak to the manager. I figured she needed an old lady name because of it.”

“I like it. It’s unique. Just so you know, there are dogs at the homestead. But the girls said they are prepared to set up a fence in your area for Edith if she isn’t dog-friendly.”

“I love dogs. I love all animals, really. Edith, I don’t know. But I’ll be happy for more furry friends around.”

“Good. Glad to hear that. You should get some rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

“What time tomorrow?”

“The girls get up at four. But that shit ain’t gonna happen. So whenever we get up, get some food, and get moving. There’s no rush. I wish I could tell you it will quiet down out there soon,” I said, waving toward the hall.

“No, it’s okay. I actually really struggled to sleep at times in the woods because I grew up in a TV-on-all-the-time kind of family. Ben demanded silence.”

“You won’t ever be getting silence here. But there’s cable on the TV. And all the streaming channels. So feel free to crank the volume up if it makes it easier to sleep.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“Don’t worry about me. There are a dozen or so places to crash here.” I climbed out of the chair. “Okay. You get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Okay. Thanks, Nave.”

“Gotta stop saying that,” I said from the doorway.

“Not possible.”

I shot her a smile before closing the door.

Then I slumped against the wall next to it, exhaling hard.

“She’s pretty,” Fallon said, making me jump.

“It’s not like that.”

“It never is. Until it is. Figure you need to talk to me about that?”

“Yeah. Eventually.”

“I’m gonna get some sleep. And I got martial arts with the kids tomorrow. But maybe tomorrow late afternoon, before dinner?”

“I can make that work.”

“Alright. Getting out of here. Can’t believe I’m saying this. But I’m way too old for this shit now.”

“Starting to feel the same way,” I agreed.

Except, of course, I hadn’t been feeling that way.

Not until tonight.

Not until she showed up.

Now, the last thing I wanted to do anymore was party.

I wanted to get Lolly safe.

I wanted to see her settle in, relax, thrive.

I wanted to watch her become the woman she was meant to be.

I wouldn’t pretend to understand why.

But the why didn’t really matter.

I dragged myself down to the basement, climbing up to one of the top bunk beds and falling back on the pillow.

And there she was again.

In my mind. In my clothes. Smelling like me.

Unbidden, my cock started to stir.

“Fuck,” I sighed.

Maybe I was wrong about what I’d said to Fallon.

Maybe it was like that.