“Peter’s got some heart troubles, and he’s looking at a bunch of medical stuff coming up in the next few years. She has a trust fund she can’t get to unless she marries within a few days now, and she won’t get it until she’s been married for six months. We’re doin’ that. Then she’ll get the money, Peter can get all he needs, she won’t be up shit creek for it, and we get a divorce and go on with our lives.”
Grath’s eyes widened throughout the telling, and he blew out a long breath. “Wow. That’s intense. Peter—he’s gonna be alright?”
“Yeah. He is. He’s already had the worst of it sorted, had an operation a number of weeks ago. He’s doing okay. Gotta get bigger and stronger for the next stuff. But he’s gonna be okay.” My saying it would make it so. I willed it to be true, every time I thought about it. Peter would be okay. Any other outcome was unthinkable.
Grath totally got it. “Yeah, bruh, he is. I get it. No rocking the boat too hard with Ellie. Under enough pressure. Yeah, I’m more than happy to go talk to her. She home now?”
“Should be. We’re headed to the courthouse later, get the paperwork sorted.”
“When were you going to share with the MC, man? This stuff, it’s important, it gets shared.”
I shook my head. “On the DL. Since it’s temporary, just for her and Peter and the trust fund, I didn’t see any reason to make a big announcement. It’ll be over soon enough. We’re doing it under radar, you know? Not making a big deal.”
“Okay. Right. Not a big deal.” He smirked at me. “Check back in with me in six months. I’m starting a pool.” Then he winked at me, snagged the stalker note off my desk, folded it and stuffed it in a pocket, and turned to leave.
Before he even got out my office door, he turned back to me. “You do know I gotta share, right, man? Guys are gonna wonder, might lose some respect for Ellie if they think too long about her living with you for six months, baby-mama to your brother’s kid, no other official word from you on what’s going on. You gotta rep, my friend, and it ain’t of an angel. They’re gonna start thinkin’ a lot less of that lady, you don’t tell ’em what’s up. It’ll be better for Ellie, you share. Makes her an official old lady, be good for her. If you keep your hands off o’ her, that’s your business. Not that we won’t be paying attention. Because you know we will.” He laughed and winked again, and this time he got his ass out of my office.
“Get the fuck out of here.”
I watched him as he strutted to the front door of the shop. He clapped his hands once and rubbed them together, beaming at Trini. “Whoo boy, this is going to be fun!”
Not quite. “Whatever you do, do not ring the doorbell,” I called. He gave me an overhead thumbs-up.
Chapter 14
Ellie
I heard a knocking at the door just as I was putting Peter down for his early afternoon nap. The kid took more naps than a cat. But he was pretty cute, so I let him get away with it.
I peeked through the window to the side of the door before opening it; after the scare with Brian, I was taking no chances. I smiled when I saw Grath there. The guy was easy to hang with, one of those people whom everybody likes. His body said badass, but his eyes said teddy-bear/comedian. It was hard not to feel better just being around him.
He didn’t come alone, however. The guy with him was new to me—he hadn’t been to the house before, and I know I hadn’t seen him around with the rest of the MC guys. Grath was all tall and bulky and just generally hugantic and covered in rather beautiful ink from his neck and collarbone to his wrists—and probably a lot more than that. In contrast, this new guy was a much more slim and smooth type—way more clean-cut looking. In fact, he looked like he could play a G-man out of Hollywood. Together, they looked like Mutt and Jeff. Not that I had any idea who Mutt and Jeff were or what they looked like; it was just something my mother used to say, connoting opposites. Aw, crap. I was becoming my mother.
He caught my eye through the window and said sotto voce, “Ellie, girl, knock-knock, sweetie. We’ve come to rescue you from the stench of Jack-o’s laundry.”
I giggled and swung the door open wide for the two men. I didn’t even care who guy number two was; Grath scored so high on my chart of cool peeps, I’d let in just about anyone he might bring, ever. I was definitely in the category of fan-girl to Grath’s fabulous/cool factor.