“Why not?”

“Because it’s not a costume!”

“Not happening.”

“Happening. You could be a pilot, and I’ll be your naughty flight attendant.”

She waggles her brows at me. I can’t believe she even remembered that.

“I don’t need a costume for that. I like the naughty flight attendant part, though.”

“I’m going to ignore that. Do your whole death thing then. You can be the Grim Reaper.”

“Don’t need a costume for that, either.”

“Gage!” She shouts in irritation. I chuckle and try to pull her back into my arms, but she swats my hand away.

“Oh! I could be Lady Death,” she exclaims excitedly.

“Who’s that?”

She reaches for her phone then straddles me. When she finds what she’s looking for, she turns the screen toward me. It’s a picture of a woman wearing nothing but a skimpy bikini and thigh-high boots. She must have lost her mind.

“What makes you think I’d allow you to wear that?”

“I can wear a skirt or some shorts…and I’d have the cape.”

“No. Fuck no.”

“Fine. I’ll work on the costume, but it’s settled.”

“Says who?”

“Says me. Deal with it.”

She settles next to me once more and I shake my head in amusement. She really thinks she’s won. I’ll let her believe she has.

“Millie asked me to do face painting at her Halloween fair.”

“Yeah? The kids will love that. I’m trying to see if I can get some of our other charters to come in and help this year.”

“Help with what?”

“Set-up. Whatever the hell I want them to do.”

“Okay, Mr. Bossy. But why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

“I mean why would you get involved like that?”

“Millie didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m the sponsor. Have been since the beginning.”

She rises up again and gives me an incredulous stare. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I came up with the idea but knew people might not want to get involved because of the MC, so I made Millie the face of the whole thing. It’s all my money, though.”

“Aww. Gage, that is so sweet!”

She returns to my arms, dropping a kiss on my chest. There she goes with that damn word again. I am not “sweet”. I need to change the subject.

“There’s a bike show in Atlanta this weekend. Wanna go with me?”

“Just us?”

“Most of the guys are going, some old ladies, probably some of the Hounds.”

“Lonnie?”

“Maybe. Don’t you think it’s time we told her what’s going on?”

“Not yet. If she sees us together, she’ll know.”

“Bring your friend Chrissy. I’m sure Ron’s gonna ask her anyway.”

“I’ll think about it. Besides, I’ll have to get the day off, too.”

“You do that.”

If I have to drag you kicking and screaming and tie you to my bike, you’re going. It’s time everyone knows how serious I am.

CHAPTER 11

***Gage***

“Hey, big brother,” Ellen grins at me.

“Hey.”

I kiss her cheek and take a wiggling Mikey from her arms. He taps my jaws with his palms and giggles excitedly.

“Unca, Unca, Unca!”

“Hey, buddy. You being a good boy for your momma?”

“Yes! Good boy!”

“Then that means I have a present for you.”

His laugh blocks out everything and in this moment, it’s just me and him. There really is nothing like a child’s laughter. Too bad I’ll never get to hear the sound from my own child. He claps his little hands together as I pull the wrapper off and hand him a lollipop.

“Yay! Look, Momma!”

“I see, baby.” Ellen looks at me questioningly. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah. I need your help.”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I may have gotten in over my head here. I promised Raven a birthday party.”

“Oh…I see,” she smirks.

“Waben!” Mikey shrieks.

“Wipe that grin off your face, sis.”

“What? I’m happy for you. Even Mikey likes her.”

“So he told me.”

“So, when’s this shindig?”

“The twentieth.”

“Great!” She rolls her eyes. “A week, Gage? You couldn’t give me more notice?”

“Sorry.”

“Well…what does she like? Other than the color blue.”

“Books…music…drawing…”

“What kind of music?”

“I don’t know. Talk to her friend Chrissy. She said she’d help. And you can do it at Scythe, so you don’t have to worry about the location.”

“That’s something, at least,” she says pensively.

“I have an idea I think she’d like.”

“What?”

“She mentioned that she missed her prom. I figured that could be the theme or whatever.”

She gasps and places her hand on her sternum, her mouth hanging open.

“I had no idea you could be so sweet. That’s a great idea! We can get her a dress and…oh! You’ll wear a suit and –”

“Wait a minute. Who said anything about a suit?”

“You’ll wear a tux, and you’ll dance with her.”

“Ellen –”

“This was your idea. Man the fu–,” her gaze flicks to Mikey nervously then back to me. “…heck up, Gage Hunter.”

“I changed my mind. You come up with something.”

“No way. We’re doing this. I’m so happy!”

She claps and jumps up and down like an excited child. Me in a tux? And dancing? No fucking way.

“It’s so good to see you focusing on one girl for a change.”

“Oh? What girl is that?” Aunt Nita walks up with a raised brow.

Ellen folds her lips, takes Mikey, and rushes off. Great.

“What’s going on?”

I try to sound nonchalant. “She’s just helping me to plan a birthday party.”

“For who?”

“Her name’s Raven.”

“Raven…Millie’s waitress? Mikey’s babysitter?”

“You know her?”

“Yeah. Talked to her a few times when I went to the diner. Also know she’s just seventeen. What the fuck are you doing, Gage?”

“Nothing…yet. It’s her eighteenth birthday next week and I can tell you that afterwards, you’ll be seeing a lot of her.”

“And you haven’t fucked her?”

“No.”

“Uh-huh,” she says skeptically. “I know her father passed. What about her mother? She know about this?”

“She’s never met her mother. Lonnie’s the only family she has.”

“Poor thing. No wonder Millie’s so drawn to her.”

“She’s a good girl, Nita. I really like her.”

“Okay, son. When do I get to meet her officially?”

“She might be coming to the show today. If not…soon. I promise.”

“Yeah. I really need to get to know this chick better if she’s got you keeping it in your pants.”

Oh, trust me, Nita. I won’t be keeping it in for much longer.

***Raven***

“Ray…please. It’s a bike show. I know Ron’s gonna go off and leave me at some point. I need you.”

We’re sitting on my porch, waiting for Ron to come and pick her up. She’s been begging me for days to go to the stupid bike show. Once I heard Lonnie and Deena making plans, I decided I wasn’t going. I only have a couple days left in this house, and I don’t want to make them worse than they already are. I haven’t said anything to Lonnie about Glenn, but I know she’s seen him. She looked like she wanted to say something to me, but I gave her no indication of what happened. It took everything in me not to slap the bitch.

“I said no, Chrissy.”

“Why?” She whines. “I know Gage wants you to go, too.”

“Well, it’s not about what you and Gage want. It’s about me.”

“Think of it as a way of making up for holding out on me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Ray…everyone’s seen the hickey on your neck, but don’t think I haven’t seen the one on your thigh...your inner thigh. Did he go down you?”

“I can see why that would excite you but no, he didn’t. Things…got a little heavy, but we stopped. We didn’t even get naked.”

“Bummer. Promise me you’ll tell me everything when it finally happens.”

“Fine. I will.”

Ever since her birthday, I’ve been hearing all about her sex life with Ron. I swear I know all about the size of his dick, his favorite positions, and what he likes. All it does is remind me of what I’m not getting.