Page 5

Why Do They Always Pick Me?

M eredith

“What’s your game plan for today?” Grace asked me.

Her fork was in one hand, halfway to her mouth, with a piece of egg hanging off.

She held JR with her other arm as he sat on her leg, kicking his feet.

She made it look easy, and a twinge of fear ran down my spine. What if I never get the chance again?

“I don’t have any plans,” I replied, stabbing a piece of watermelon. Chef appeared over my shoulder. He reached over me, grabbed my bowl, and set a brand-new plate down.

“I’ll make you your own plate from now on. You’re not eating enough protein,” he said, turning around and walking back into the kitchen.

I had only picked fruit that I liked from the fruit bowl, but this plate had eggs and sausage.

“That looks fantastic,” Grace chimed in, shoving another forkful of eggs into her mouth. “I have to take Aunt E to speech therapy in an hour, but if you’re not busy this afternoon, I thought we might head over to the McMillan Place.”

Grace had asked nicely, but it was a trap. I didn’t want to go, and if I told her no, Sabre would have more ammunition to hate me, and there’d be several comments about how the club was family. I internally rolled my eyes at all of it as I raised my middle finger to the world.

“Why don’t you give me JR and eat?” Sabre chimed in, setting his coffee cup down before reaching for the baby.

This was all Sabre’s fault, I thought, as I shot daggers out of my eyes at him.

Grace had always wanted a fancy ass reception hall, and when the Old McMillan Place had come up for sale, he’d made it happen for Christmas.

However, I was the one with the skills to design the place to her specifications, without them having to use the renovation budget on an outside firm.

“I’m fine.” She bounced JR on her leg some more before turning back to me. “The structure report is back, so I figured we could go over it.”

I watched Sabre watch JR, and when the baby’s little arms reached out for him, he tried again. “Mama, why don’t I take him?”

“I’m good.” Grace smiled at him and continued to explain some changes she wanted me to look at, but the baby had had enough and whimpered. “Fine,” she huffed, before kissing his head and handing him over to Sabre. “Go to Daddy, you cute little traitor.”

“You know, Flo, I could take Liz to her appointment,” Slate said from the next table over.

“Like fuck you will,” Thunder boomed, causing the room to quiet down. “What time’s your appointment?” he directed at my aunt, who was sitting across from him.

“Elev…n. Gr…c…takes me…lun…ch...after.” My aunt tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, and it caught my attention.

My aunt had been one of those women with a hair never out of place, and her makeup had been always on point.

Pulse’s kidnapping had changed everything.

In the beginning, there had been days when Aunt E would sit in the main room, dazed in her pajamas, her hair a rat’s nests from fitful sleep.

I couldn’t help, trapped in my hell, and Grace had been stuck taking care of both of us.

Most of the time, Grace had checked on me and then had left me alone, but she had hauled Aunt E to appointment after appointment.

Speech. Occupational. Physical. It hadn’t mattered.

Aunt E had gone. Listening to her now, I could hear the enormous progress she’d made, but I didn’t dare think about the future. We both lived day-to-day.

“Alright, it’s a date. Anywhere else you want to go?” Thunder sat back in his chair, his eyes never leaving my aunt.

My aunt’s cheeks flushed pink. “Boo…sto...new…gam…s.”

“You just want to kick my ass,” he laughed, causing a chuckle to float to the rafters.

“I guess we could go this morning then, Mer.” Grace turned back to me.

I didn’t care either way. I wouldn’t get out of this unscathed, and I hated the idea of riding in a car.

We pretended the tells didn’t exist, as I tried to mask the anxiety, but as soon as she put the SUV into drive, it would automatically lock, and my blood pressure would skyrocket.

I’d instantly hit the unlock button, making sure we had a way to escape.

I wouldn’t be able to control my death grip on the door handle, and my knuckles were often white.

Feeling cornered, I would bounce my leg repeatedly from the time I entered the car until we reached our destination.

I felt safer on the back of Grizz’s bike more than anything else.

“If you’re going, take a prospect with you,” Sabre chimed in. “I don’t care how long you’re there, but I’d feel better knowing you had someone with you. They’re all about the same, so just grab one.” JR was content, sitting in the crook of Sabre’s arm.

“Are you not coming with?” I asked Grizz. “I’m only design. Well, I was. Structure is really more your thing.” He’d been quiet through breakfast. Maybe, if I convinced him to come, I wouldn’t have to ride in the car.

“No. I have club business to attend to. You’re the unofficial project manager, Mer. Take notes, and we can discuss later this evening.” He winked at me before returning to his breakfast.

“This is Grace’s baby,” I whined.

“This is Grace’s baby.” Sabre jiggled JR until he giggled. “When are you going to give me another one, mama?”

She didn’t respond, but they shared a heated stare, and I felt like the rest of the table was intruding on a private moment.

“I’m not the project manager,” I tried again. “It should actually be someone who’s interested in the project. I’m not even employed.” I was trying to get out of this any way I could think of.

“Nope, you’re the most qualified. You said you wanted work, and this is an easy project for you.” Grizz pecked my lips and then stood from the table, grabbing his plate. He was out the door in less than three minutes.

Fuck.

***

“Did you read this?” I asked Grace as I flipped through the pages of the structure report. We were sitting at one of the round banquet tables in the ballroom that was still set up.

“I skimmed it, but I saw nothing that had to be done immediately. If I fix some of the smaller issues, I could give the place some fresh paint and start booking. I know the club’s going to pitch in, but I didn’t want to ask for all the money up front.” She tickled JR’s foot absently.

“There are a few things I want to pick Grizz’s brain about.

The roof doesn’t appear to be in awful shape, but you’re missing a few tiles.

If it’s just that, I’m hoping he’ll repair them, and then he can give me an idea of what’s underneath.

” I sounded confident, and it felt good to be talking about work.

“What do you mean?”

“You know how when you pull into the driveway and the roof has all those points to it?” I asked her, drawing on some scrap paper I’d brought.

“Yeah. I didn’t tell Sabre, but I was a little irritated that all the ceilings were flat.” She leaned forward to look at my drawing.

“That’s because this place is old. They probably didn’t think the vaulted ceilings would be a focal point, but if the bones are good, I can have Grizz open them up in here.

” I drew a little more and then turned the page towards her.

“I’m assuming that each arch outside has a ridge beam with support inside.

As long as it’s good, we can take out these cheap-looking ceilings and let the rooms open up.

” I pointed to where I’d drawn what I had just described.

“I’m going to have to host weddings, but it’ll give photographers that long shot.” She scrunched her nose and looked up at the white ceilings as if they offended her.

“Do you not believe in marriage anymore?” I asked her. Wedding season would be a huge money grab, and her lack of excitement surprised me.

She looked at me, and I sat back in my chair, waiting.

“No, I do, but I keep thinking about your wedding. There was so much wrong with it, Mer, and no one said a word. What if a bride walks in here, and it’s obvious that she’s in a dangerous situation?

How am I going to take her money and put a smile on my face? ”

“She won’t be your sister. I still believe in marriage, even though I don’t have the best track record.” I shrugged, telling her the truth.

“No, she won’t.” Grace wiped a tear from her eye and kissed the top of JR’s head. “I’m so proud that you walked away from Brandon.”

“I did what was right for me. You did what was right for you, and yet, we ended up here and didn’t say a word.” I laughed, drawing curtains onto the picture. “We just go along, silently, with whatever plan they have in place.”

She chuckled and placed her hand over mine, stopping me.

“They have our best interests at heart, even when they dig their heals in and puff out their chests, alpha male style. I don’t want to know what it’s like to be without Sabre.

He has to come home every night, and he can’t do that if he’s worried about us.

I don’t want him distracted, which is why I don’t argue.

” Grace wrapped her other arm around JR in the carrier, hugging him to her chest.

“I don’t know how I feel.” I dropped the pen in my hand, lacing my fingers with hers.

“Grizz is a good man. He told me I could be as loud as I needed, as long as I’m healing.

” I paused, thinking about why I remained silent when I’d sworn never to do it again.

“I’m not in a place to give him what he deserves, but I’m working on it so that I never have to know what it’s like not to have him in my corner. ”

“One day at a time.”

“One day at a time,” I repeated. I squeezed her fingers, and as we moved on with the report, the prospect came running through the ballroom doors.

“The cartel’s coming. I saw them crest the hill, but they missed the turn. We have to go.” He tried to grab both of us by our elbows and pull us into standing positions. “Come on!” he yelled at us when we didn’t move.