When he turned around, he had a smirk on his face.
“We do… I guess.” He shrugged. “None of us has had a woman that we wanted to give one to… until now. Haggard got Sophia one when they got married.”
My heart warmed. “Wasn’t Haggard married before?”
He nodded as he pocketed the keys to his bike, put his phone into his pocket, and snatched our helmets.
The spring in his step was enough of an indication for me to know that he was excited to be going.
Whether it was about having dinner with his brothers, or riding, I didn’t know.
“He was,” Callum answered as he locked up the house and set the alarm. “But his ex was a bit of a psycho shitbag. One who didn’t like riding with him. So he never had her one made.”
“And Dorcas?” I wondered.
His eyes gleamed as he said, “We already know that she and Bram have a weird relationship. I’m not pretending to know what it is, exactly, but I can guarantee you that he still loves Mimi. So him putting a ‘property of Reaper’ patch on her back would undermine the love he has for Mimi. And I don’t think he’ll ever do it.”
Poor Dorcas.
“What is it you have against Dorcas?” I wondered. “I mean, I know that you feel you have some loyalty to Mimi, but I’ve seen her two or three times since I’ve started seeing you, and she’s very sweet. Standoffish. She has an excellent resting bitch face, but she’s sweet. Especially when y’all actually include her.”
“I think it’s the too sweet thing. Nobody is that sweet.” He shrugged.
I had a feeling there was more to the story. Not with why Callum didn’t like her all that much, but as to why Dorcas was there. Why she was hanging around when it was apparent Bram was in love with another woman. Why she hung around when it was also apparent that there was no love lost, and her extended family didn’t really like her.
CHAPTER 22
Drunk me had her reasons. And I trust her judgment.
-Iris to Callum
CALLUM
The ride to the restaurant was exactly what I needed.
Wind in my face. Freedom filling my lungs. And my favorite person in the world clinging to my back.
When we parked, it was Iris who popped off the back first.
“I have to pee so bad!” she declared as she all but tossed me her helmet and took off at a sprint toward the door.
“Whoa, Shine,” Cannel said as she walked up to where I was leisurely getting off the bike. “What the hell did you do to her to make her run away so fast without saying hi?”
I grinned at my sister.
God, it was great to see her smile.
“Apparently she had to pee,” I answered.
Cannel snorted, cupping her stomach.
A few months ago, she’d shared with me that she was pregnant, before any of my other brothers.
I wasn’t sure why I was the lucky one that got to know first, but I was damn glad that she’d done it.
Now, everybody knew because she’d slowly gotten around to sharing it with everyone.
But there was a part of me deep inside that knew I was who she’d chosen first, and that meant a lot to me.
“Damn, bro. What did you do to your woman to send her off into the restaurant so fast? I already got our name on the list.” Bram threw his arm around Cannel’s shoulder.
Cannel leaned into him, her smile soft, and said, “She had to pee.”
Bram snorted. “Women are nuts.”
I noticed that one woman, in particular, wasn’t in attendance with him.
“Speaking of women,” I said, glancing around. “Where’s Dorcas?”
Bram’s face changed minutely, going from friendly to annoyed all in one sentence.
“She filed for divorce and left me.”
There was a long moment of silence and then, from Haggard, he heard, “What?”
Haggard had come walking up just as I’d asked the question, but the difference between his face in mine wasn’t surprise, but irritation.
“She moved out while I spent the night on Shine’s kitchen floor,” Bram explained. “I’m not sure how but…”
“But you’re a fuckin’ dumbass and just let her move out?” Haggard asked.
There was an awkward moment of silence and then Price, who I hadn’t seen arrive, said, “She deserves better.”
Bram sighed. “What, it’s team up on Bram night?”
“No,” Haggard grumbled as he watched something across the parking lot. “Just think you’re kind of dumb to let something so good slip through your fingers.”
Bram didn’t know what to say to that, but before anyone could answer or say anything more on the matter, there was a holler across the parking lot.
“Table is ready!” Sophia called.
“That’s us,” Haggard grumbled, leaving without glancing at Bram or the rest of us.
Bram followed on his heels, leaving quite a bit of space between Price, Cannel, and me.
When I thought there was enough distance, I said, “What the hell was that?”