“Please?”
Gently, Chloe handed the baby over to me and I smiled at the little girl. “Hi there, Mariana. My name is Brittney.”
“Brittney is your name?”
I nodded and looked at Chloe, chewing my lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I was a bit distracted,” I tried to joke.
“Don’t apologize. I understand completely. It was far more important that we knew you were alright.”
I glanced over at her again. “And you really aren’t going to send me away?” I asked softly.
“Of course not. We’re going to find a place for you to live.”
“I won’t be staying here?”
“Unfortunately not,” Chloe said, shaking her head. “Damien’s sister lives with us. You were sleeping in her room, actually. We just don’t have enough space.”
It was a little bit of a letdown, but I nodded. I needed to seem thankful and in a way, I was. I nodded and smiled weakly. “Of course. I understand.”
“But, before we hash all of that out, why don’t you come with me?” she said, heading downstairs.
A young cute woman with hair almost as dark as mine sat on a large leather couch, munching on popcorn and watching a sitcom. Chloe leaned over the couch and dropped Mariana onto the woman’s stomach, causing her to groan.
“You mind watching Mari for a bit, Kisha? I’m going to take our new friend to the bar.”
Kisha waved her hand idly and shrugged. “Yeah, yeah. Go enjoy yourself. I’ll be on diaper duty.”
Chloe pressed a kiss to Kisha’s lips. “Thanks, sis!”
Kisha rolled her eyes but balanced Mari on her belly, making kissing faces at the child. “You going to sit still and let aunty watch her show?”
“No!” the baby squealed.
I couldn’t help but smile as Chloe led me through the front door, almost wishing that I was staying with the baby and Kisha. I was a little surprised that Chloe was taking me to a bar, but I didn’t argue. I knew that a dive bar was a biker gang’s best friend, but seeing how put together everyone appeared to be, I was kind of shocked they drank at all.
We walked to an older looking building on the edge of the community and when she pushed the door open, the sound of Southern Gothic music floated through the air. It was like outlaw bluegrass. I actually liked the sound and sighed softly as I followed her inside.
I could see a few pool tables, regular tables, a well-stocked bar, and a dart board. Chloe led me to the bar and we both took a seat. She smiled and offered me a beer, but I shook my head.
“Got Coke?” I asked.
“Sure do,” she said, waving the short, stocky bartender down. The woman slid a Coke across the slick bar top and I caught it with ease.
“You don’t drink?” Chloe asked me.
“I’m underage and I never really had a taste for it,” I explained.
Chloe chuckled. “I was underage when I started drinking, but I respect your decision.”
I smiled thankfully and sucked down the Coke, sighing at the burn that coated my throat. It felt good. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I took that first sip
“So, can I ask why you brought me here?”
Chloe shrugged. “I thought it would be nice for you to get to know everyone.”
“This is everyone?” I asked, looking around.
There were a lot of people in the bar, but it was far more relaxed than what I was used to. The bar that Chaos frequented was always rowdy and there always seemed to be fights. Because of the activity the bar always seemed much more crowded than it actually was. There were people here drinking, but none of them were acting like asses. It was refreshing to say the least.