He slowly turns his head and stares at me. Satisfaction or maybe happiness shines in his eyes. “You know I want to give you many more, right?”
“I do.”
He cups the back of my head, dragging me closer for a soft kiss.
“Aw, did you two get all hot and bothered by that toast?” one of the guys asks.
Laughing, I pull away from Rooster. “Yeah, but now you ruined it.” I stare up at Ravage and he smirks at us.
“Prez wants you.” Rav jerks his head to the side.
Rooster growls a bunch of unhappy noises. I slide out of his lap and he stands. “This could be a while.”
“I’m fine.” I gesture toward the table where the ladies are moving into the chairs vacated by their men. “Gonna stay here and huddle with my girls.”
“That’s right,” Heidi says, tugging on my hand.
He kisses my forehead and takes off.
Ravage plops into a vacant seat near Stash. “You’re not going?” I ask.
“Just the officers for now.” Ravage motions me closer, as if he has a burning secret to share. “There’s no way they’d leave you ladies without a full-patch watching over you while we’re in another club’s house. Friendly or not.”
I blink and absorb the confession. It’s sweet and not all that unexpected, honestly. “Thank you.”
He nods to some of the other guys from the downstate clubhouse. “That’s Grip, Butcher, and Suds.” He lifts his chin at Stash and Birch. “You already know those clowns.”
Stash cups his hand over his ear. “What?”
“Nothing!” Ravage yells. He elbows me. “I’m headed up to the bar. You need anything?”
“A Sprite with some extra cherries if they have ’em.”
“Got it.” He stretches his arm behind me and taps Heidi’s shoulder. “You need anything?”
“Ginger ale, please.” She rubs her stomach.
“You got it.” He pats her shoulder and takes off.
Trinity leans closer to Heidi. “Is he okay?”
I lower my voice. “He said he’s watching out for us since we’re visiting another club.”
“Ah.” Trinity nods. She turns her concerned eyes on Heidi. “Are you okay?”
“My stomach’s a little upset.” She pushes away from the table.
“You need us?” I ask.
“No.” She glances at the head of the table, catching Hope’s eye.
Hope drops her napkin on the table and rushes over. She and Heidi talk quietly for a few seconds, then Hope leads her into the house.
“Is she all right?” I ask Trinity.
She points to her stomach and mouths the word ‘baby.’
Right. Duh.
Charlotte returns to her chair on the other side of our table. “Where’d Heidi go?”
“Bathroom.” Trinity goes through the patting her stomach routine again. Charlotte nods and sips her champagne.
The live music kicks up and couples start using the middle of the courtyard as a dance floor. Angelina waves to me from her table and jumps out of her seat, walking behind the chairs until she reaches our side.
“Hey.” She hugs me. “Told you I’d be back.” She drops into Heidi’s chair. “Are you guys having fun?” she asks all of us.
“This house is amazing.” I twist to absorb as much as I can from where we’re sitting. “Are there a lot of castles in New York?” I’m not sure how else to describe the house.
“Maybe downstate, closer to the city.” Angelina glances around as if she’s so used to the fancy structure she hardly notices it anymore. “I remember when my dad found this place. We already had a nice house not far from my grandpa.” She nods to the big, gnarled biker at the head of the family table. “But Dad swore his queen needed a castle.” She laughs softly.
“That sounds like Chaser,” Trinity says.
Angelina raises an eyebrow.
“I knew your mom and dad when I was a little kid,” Trinity explains, holding her hand three feet above the ground.
Angelina smiles. “Truthfully, I think it had more to do with having a place large enough to stash my grandfather when he visited, so my dad didn’t have to run into him.”
I vaguely remember Rooster explaining that Mallory’s father was some kind of mob boss. “They don’t get along?”
“They tolerate each other.” She giggles. “Barely.”
My gaze strays to the middle of the dance area. Lots of couples have joined the couple of honor, but Chaser and Mallory seem to be in their own world, completely absorbed in each other.
Angelina sighs. “I used to be such a brat and tease them because they’re always so affectionate with each other. None of my friend’s parents were like that, you know?”
“Mine sure weren’t,” I blurt.
“Neither were mine,” Trinity adds, which makes me feel less stupid about my comment.
A flash of guilt creases Angelina’s forehead. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I pat her hand. “Go on.”
She shrugs. “Now, it just makes me happy they still love each other so much. The way my dad treats my mom is apparently rare.”
“You haven’t met anyone special yet?” Charlotte asks.
“Just lots of porn sick limp dicks.” A flash of disgust crosses Angelina’s face. “Or video game addicted limp dicks.” She raises an eyebrow. “Why are their dicks always limp?”