“Oh shit.” I hurry to follow her.
“Unless you’re planning to help weed the garden, go inside and get dressed,” Emily scolds her sister.
Libby’s eyes widen and her cheeks turn scarlet. She sputters for a second, then runs.
“Was that necessary?” I mutter to Emily.
But she ignores me and focuses her big-sister-dragon-flame eyes on Remy who dials his charming smile up to ten.
“My sister is sixteen.”
That information wipes the smile clean off Remy’s face. “Just trying to be friendly.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
He frowns. “She go to Johnsonville High?”
“Don’t tell me,” Emily says, placing her hands on her hips as she goes into full mom-mode. “That’s your favorite place to pick up girls.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “No. My sister’s a senior there.”
“Oh.”
“Molly Holt.”
Emily shrugs. “Is she a theater nerd? Libby’s world revolves around the theater.”
“Uh, no. She’s a reality T.V. junkie who likes to sing into her hairbrush sometimes.”
Emily chuckles softly. “Yeah, Libby’s one of those too.”
“So, Emily—”
“Stop right there.” She holds up her hand like a traffic cop. “I’m too old for you.”
“You seem to be making a lot of assumptions about me.”
“She does that,” I say, butting in. “Can’t help it.”
Dex stalks over, glaring at Remy. “The fuck you doing?”
“Taking a break. Settle down.”
“Break’s over.” Dex jerks his head toward the uneven row of hedges. “Fix that.”
Emily actually picks up a lock of her hair and twirls it around her finger. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t notice if you yanked the hedges clean out.”
“Don’t tempt me. They’re a pain.” Dex glances at the yard. “But at least they give you some privacy.”
“Mmm, yes, we need that,” Emily mutters.
“Oh, Lord.” I stare at the sky. “I’m going in, Em. Libby’s going to help me film a tutorial.”
“What? Okay.” She waves me off and I leave the two of them outside staring at each other.
Chapter Nineteen
Serena
I can’t stop my leg from bouncing around in the truck. Gray reaches over, resting his big warm hand on my thigh.
“What are you so nervous about?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s the upstate clubhouse.” He hesitates. “No one knows, Serena. Well, Z knows. He was there when I found the tests. Went to your apartment with me.”
Shame heats my skin. “You let Z see my apartment?”
“The fucker gave me hell for not finding you a nicer place sooner.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m teasing, buttercup.” He pauses again. “I think…and don’t repeat this because I’m not sure…but I think he and Lilly are having issues getting…you know…”
“Pregnant?” From what I remember Z and Lilly can’t keep their hands off each other.
“Yeah,” he answers in an uncomfortable tone, like this conversation is giving him the heebie-jeebies. “Just from things he’s said. And after what you told him about Shadow, he was worried about you. So, yeah, he wanted to make sure you were okay and came with me.”
I’m not sure how to swallow that information.
“But he promised he wouldn’t say anything to anyone else and I trust him.”
“I trust Z too.”
“Good.” He glances over. “That’s good. I’m not in the habit of broadcasting my business. Even though it’s nearly impossible to keep anything a secret in this club. Hope noticed your absence and Rock asked me about you.”
“She did? Really?”
He shrugs.
And he must be telling the truth. As soon as we arrive at the clubhouse, Hope welcomes me with a hug.
“How have you been, Serena?”
“Not bad.”
Rock steps out of his office. “Gray, you’re here. Good. Come join us at the table.”
Gray squeezes my hand. “You all right?”
I blink at the question. Brothers don’t usually check with ol’ ladies. They’re told to get to church, and they go.
“I’ll be fine.”
He drops a quick kiss on my forehead before leaving.
“Aw.” If Hope were a cartoon character, she’d have hearts for eyes right now. “I’m so happy things are working out for you two.”
My cheeks warm. No matter how nice she is, I still always have a twinge of embarrassment around Hope. “I love him very much.” My voice is barely above a whisper but she smiles wider.
“I can tell it’s mutual.”
Grinder
Church is thankfully short. I’m not even sure why Rock bothered. But, after he dismisses the general members, he asks the upstate officers to stay put.
“Stick around for a minute too, Grinder,” Z says.
Steer, Rooster, and Jigsaw look at each other, then Z, but he’s busy searching through the closet in the corner for something. Rock stands and focuses on me.
“We took it upon ourselves to have a little something made up for you.”
Curiosity tickles through my chest. Rock would never do something to embarrass me. Not on purpose, anyway.
I throw a hasty glance at Murphy, then Rooster. “I hope it’s not one of those black kitty cat patches, because I’m still having trouble figuring out why the fuck you got those on your cuts.”
Murphy squeezes his lips together so hard, his cheeks bulge from holding in his laughter. Teller closes his eyes and inhales a long, slow breath, like he’s fighting the urge to punch someone.