A Perfect Christmas with Chaos (Harbingers of Chaos Book 2) (3 page)

EMBER

The first to arrive was Kendra and Septic, and their brood of energetic kids. Not long after, Grinder and three of the senior club members. Each one came in carrying a bottle of their favorite alcohol and presents. Some were for me, but most were for either Will or the baby. I guess word about the baby spread fast, because each member plants a kiss on my cheek and congratulates me as they step into our home.

The next time I hear the doorbell, I open the door to find both Cap and Taffy.

“Merry Christmas!” Taffy beams at me, and pulls me quickly in for a hug. Not even a second later she’s gone. Most likely to go find Will.

Cap shakes his head at his daughter’s flightiness. “Hello, sweetheart.” He tries to grace me with a smile, but really it’s no better than a grimace. The skin near his eyes wrinkle, as well as the lines by his mouth, but it’s all just slightly off. He’s managed to comb his salty hair back away from his face, and honestly he looks pretty dashing in his black jeans, white button down shirt, and his cut.

My eyes fall for a second fall on the spot where the president patch used to adorn his vest. I never saw it there. But from how worn it is, and how new looking the leather is under where the patch was, it’s obvious that a vital piece of what it once was, is missing.

He doesn’t look quite happy to be here. Not like Taffy does. Especially as he grumbles and curses, while trying to manage his own way over the threshold.

I’ve never really known him to be anything but miserable, unless he’s hopped up on his pain meds. After all, he’d been shot and in the hospital by the time I arrived at the clubhouse. I’d only met him about a month ago when he started to get mobile enough to get around.

Mav explained that for a man like Cap, appearing weak and having to use a walker to get around, especially in front of the other HOCs, well it was the worst kind of torture for a man like him. Riding was living, and not having the use of his legs, probably made him feel like he might as well be dead. Not pretty, but it was how men that ride think sometimes.

Not to mention, I’m sure Cap’s having a hard time dealing with the end of a nearly forty year marriage and the death of his girlfriend all at once.

I liked him right off for the simple reason that Mav loved him. That he’d been a father figure to him for years when he hadn’t had one in his life. But I about died when the first thing he said to me was, “Damn…girl…you look like a buddy of mine.”

When he learned I was the product of Pappy and my mother’s affair, and Mav told him the long story about everything that had happened since I arrived, Cap didn’t seem surprised in the least. He said, “There was always somethin’ between those two. Yeah sure, Pappy loved Vaughn, and Telly loved Smoke, but overtime I could tell they were feelin’ each other. Doesn’t surprise me either that you found a way back into the life. You were born into it. It’s probably the only kind of life for you that feels right.”

I nodded and smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

And that was it. With Cap’s blessing, Mav had been given the okay to grant me the honor of being his old lady.

Before walking off to greet the others, he stops for a second and let’s his eyes roam over me. He waves me toward him. As I come closer he cups my neck and kisses me on the corner of my lips, “It looks good on you, darlin’. Wear it with pride.”

He means my property vest, which I’m wearing over a thin off-white sweater.

I’m a little taken aback at first by the kiss, but I’ve also come to realize this is something some of the old timers do to show their love for someone. It’s not about sex, it’s about respect and love.

“Thanks for havin’ us here, Doll. It’s means a lot. And thanks for cookin’.”

With that being said, he walks with the assistance of a walker into the house.

Next to grace our door step, is the spectacle that is Bodie. I opened the door to find him dressed up like Santa, with two sweeties under his arms. He yells, “Ginger Snack!” Then leaves the girls behind to pick me up, twirl me around, and he proceeds to squeeze the death out of me. He smells like he showered in vodka. “I heard you have a bun in the oven. Is it mine?”

Laughing, I push him off me. “Stop it. That’s not even funny.”

He throws an arm around my shoulder and plants a kiss on my cheek. “Yes it is, and you know it.”

A growl fills the room. It sounds like there’s a wolf in my home. I don’t need to spin around to know where it’s coming from. Luce growls words this time, “I’m implementing a five second rule. Any of you fuckers touch her for longer than that, and you’re gonna be missin’ an arm. Your new road name’s gonna be one arm Willy.”

“Catchy.” But when Mav moves forward, Bodie let’s go of me and resumes his place between the two not so wholesome girls he brought with him. “Sheesh. Settle down, Luce, just havin’ a little fun. It’s Christmas. Time to pull that big stick outta ya ass.”

The conversation turns awkward when Mav pulls me back into him and then says, “I didn’t say bring guests.”

Elbowing the man behind me, I chide, “Mav!”

Undeterred, Bodie introduces the girls, or at least he tries to. “This is…uh-mmm.” He looks down at the first girl and snaps his fingers. “Bridget!”

“Brook.”

He winces. “Right. And this is Tiffany.”

“Tina.”

“Fuck, zero for two.” Shrugging and moving his little group past me and a very growly Mav, he says, “Where’s the food? I’ve starving.”

As soon as they’re gone, Mav says, “See, I told you this was a bad idea. This day started off good and now it’s goin’ to shit.”

I laugh. “It’ll be fine.”

Grumbling, he lets me go. “I’m going back in there. Someone needs to make sure Bodie doesn’t sneak into our bedroom, and I already caught Grinder eyeing the vase on the mantle. I warned every single one of those fuckers that if anyone pisses anywhere but in the toilet, I’m gonna kill somebody.”

I’m about to follow him, but there’s a knock on the door. Turning back, I open it.

And I’m not going to lie. My breath does hitch slightly…only slightly mind you…at seeing Dozer looking like a Nordic God on my doorstep. His hair is longer on top now and slicked back, and he’s no longer clean shaven, but has scruff covering the bottom half of his face.

His smile is both naughty and nice, and his steel blue eyes look amazing next to the matching blue of his collared shirt. He’s also wearing dark jeans and his cut, and where the president patch was missing from Cap’s vest, it now sits on Dozers.

Yep, he was voted in as the HOCs new president, and he didn’t turn it down.

I thought he’d go after Bethany once he realized things with us would never work out, but that’s not what he did at all. Instead, Dozer took up his rightful place as pres and became even a bigger whore around the club than Bodie. He’s with a new girl every time I see him. Actually I’m quite shocked there’s not one right now on his arm.

Stepping through the doorway, he whispers, “Hey, Pumpkin,” and I’m pulled into a hug.

But the moment his arms wrap around me, I hear, “One. Two. Three.”

Dozer let’s go and his gaze darts up and behind me. Then looking down at me he asks, “What’s he doin’? Playin’ hide and seek with Will?”

The door opens behind him as I shake my head and say, “No, Mav thinks he’s implementing a new five second rule with me. He’s threatening to remove arms if you guys touch me longer than that.”

“And you’re lookin’ like you wanna be armless,” Mav says from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see him leaning against the wall.

I hear Griz’s laugh before I see him. He didn’t knock, because he never knocks. He practically lives here with us. “Good luck with that one, brotha. You ain’t keepin’ me from touch and huggin’ on my girl.”

“My girl,” Mav growls again.

Turning, I glare at him. He curses, glowers at the two bikers in the entryway, and then pushes off the wall and heads back into the kitchen.

“Check on the ham.” I tell him as he walks away. “And this time don’t burn it.”

“One time!” he shouts. Then grumbles, “And it’s your fault. You distracted me.”

Griz sets down the bag full of presents in his arms, and then throws his tattooed arms around me. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart. How you feelin’?”

I hug him back. “Good. Still no morning sickness. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.”

“Good for you,” he says. “So about this ham. I thought you said there’d be turkey.”

“There’s some of that too.”

He pulls back and looks down at me. “We talkin’ stuffing and gravy.” He keeps his arm around me and uses his other hand to rub his belly.

“The works.”

“That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Then he eyes my vest. “Damn, baby girl that looks good on ya. You definitely make one fine old lady.”

Dozer finally notices it too, or maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge it. Either way, his smile goes from genuine to strained. “Yeah, looks good. You happy?”

Smiling, I tell him with all the sincerity in the world. “I really am.”

He winks. “Glad to hear. Make sure he treats you right, yeah?”

“I will.”

From there a rush of people arrive at once, Lily, Goose, and Rigor, Sunny and Smoke, Taz and Whiz, and finally everyone’s here and it’s time to eat. Mav carves up the turkey. Griz slices the ham. Lily pulls everything cold that we’re eating out of the fridge and puts serving spoons in every dish. Bethany and the kids arrive a little late, but she has two large pans of funeral potatoes ready to serve, and a huge box of rolls she ordered from the bakery by her house. I could tell right away that she was nervous and maybe even a bit flustered from the moment she arrived, but without time to dwell on it, she told me she’d fill me in later.

Dozer ignores her like the plague, staying on the opposite side of the room. He even sits on the opposite end of the table from her. It’s probably not obvious to anyone but them, and me. And it’s sad that you can care so much about a person and yet instead of using those strong feelings to make you and the other person happy, you push each other away.

At one point, when Bethany was talking to Rigor, who sat beside her, I saw Dozer glaring daggers her way. And it gave me the feeling that there’s more animosity between them now than there was a few months ago. It makes me wonder if something’s happened that I don’t know about.

The other thing I notice is how silent Taz is. While everyone is talking and bantering back and forth, he seems to be in his own little world. As if mentally, he’s in another place entirely. I think he still feels guilty about what happened with me and with Warner. I’ll have to try to catch him alone later and let him know that I don’t have any hard feelings. But just in case that doesn’t smooth things over, I have an idea of how he can make it up to me.

Thoughts of finding Ivy dance in my head. Now that the apartment’s ready, it’s time to track her down and try to pay back the favor I owe her.

When dinner’s finished the guys go out back to have a few drinks and smoke. The kids go play out in the yard, and the women clean, gossip and share a bottle of wine.

As I wash dishes, Lily dries. When we’re nearly done she leans in and whispers so only I can hear. “I think Goose is using again.”

Caught off guard by her remark, I pause and look over at her. Her impeccable hair is curled and laying over one shoulder. She’s dressed to the nines, which is the only way she does it, in a black satin shirt, tight jeans, and heels that are both black and hot pink.

Her brows are drawn together, and her eyes dart to mine for a second. “He’s been gone a lot lately. He threw up this morning. Twice. He’s sweating like crazy. I think he’s going through withdrawals. I want to ask him, but if I’m wrong, he’s going to think that I don’t trust him.”

I hear the back door open. Stealing a glance over my shoulder, I spy Goose as he comes in and it’s as if he knows we’re talking about him, because his gaze clashes with mine. All of the guys follow him and Dozer into the house.

“Lil’.” Goose calls her name, and both of us freeze. “Baby, come here for a second. I got somethin’ I wanna ask ya.

The tension in the room rises and the guys are abnormally silent.

Lily drops the rag on the counter and I watch her inhale a long breath before turning and facing him. I turn too and watch her saunter across the room to him. He doesn’t look happy. In fact he looks down right sick. Lily was right about there being something going on with him. His skin is pale and he’s fidgeting like crazy, rubbing his hands together, and then using both hands to comb his long salt and pepper hair away from where it’s starting to fall into his face.