Chapter 14: Jocelyn
We were on our way to Dublin Falls for the wedding. I was nervous as hell. I wanted Bull’s daughter to like me as well as the other Warriors. I couldn’t wait to meet his grandkids. He’d shown me their pictures. They were adorable. Since Devyn was pregnant, Ace insisted she ride in the club’s SUV. He drove it. I had told them I’d drive so he could ride his bike, but he insisted he wanted to do it. I rode wrapped around Bull. We made a couple of stops since I wasn’t used to riding for that long, and it gave Dev a chance to stretch and use the bathroom. Ace had been reading pregnancy books and said it wasn’t good for her to sit too long without stretching.
The rest of the club were following on their bikes. The day after tomorrow was the actual wedding in South Carolina on Kiawah Island. I’d gotten a week off, so we could stay afterward to visit with everyone. Lloyd had been more than understanding. Without Jonathan in the office, the caseload was a little heavier for him, though he hoped to hire another lawyer soon. As for Jonathan, I hadn’t seen or heard from him since he’d been fired. Meg had told me it hadn’t gone over well. He’d ranted and raved before being escorted out of the office by the police. Lloyd apparently had anticipated him being belligerent and had them on standby. I was just happy to be away from him.
We pulled into the Dublin Falls compound around two in the afternoon. The whole group will head down tomorrow. It was another six hours to the island. I looked around in awe. The warehouse they had as the clubhouse was huge, and I could see what looked like a dozen or more houses on the compound. Bull had told me over half the club was married, all in the last five years. The guys all stopped near the clubhouse, but me and Bull plus Ace and Devyn kept going. He stopped just beyond it in front of a house. I swung off Bull’s bike and took off my helmet. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. This had to be Harlow and Terror’s house.
Ace was helping Devyn out of the car when I heard a door bang and then yelling. I looked up to find Bull’s grandson running down the steps and who I assumed was his son-in-law, Terror, coming down behind him with Emerson in his arms. Both their little faces showed joy at seeing their granddad. I looked behind Terror to see Bull’s daughter, Harlow. She was even more beautiful than her photos. She was watching her kids with a smile on her face.
I glanced away before I caught her eye. I was afraid to see her reaction to me. Bull swung Hunter up in his arms and kissed him all over as he giggled. When he finished with him, he set Hunter down and took Emerson from Terror. She got the same treatment. Harlow came to stand beside her husband. Bull looked at her, then he turned and wrapped his arm around me.
“Baby, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Harlow, and her husband, Terror. Guys, this is my woman, Jocelyn.” I met their eyes. Both were smiling. Harlow looked more reserved than her husband, but she did smile. They both shook my hand. Ace and Devyn came to stand beside me. “And you both know Ace. This is Devyn. She’s Jocelyn’s daughter and Ace’s old lady.” The two of them shook hands with Devyn. Ace and Terror gave each other fist bumps and Ace hugged Harlow.
“It’s really nice to meet you, Jocelyn and Devyn,” Terror said kindly. Harlow nodded her head in agreement.
“And these two imps are Hunter and Emerson,” Bull said as he introduced us. I crouched down to shake Hunter’s hand. He was looking at me puzzled, then he looked at Bull.
“Who is she, Pappy? She’s pretty. So is the other one.” Everyone laughed. Bull rubbed Hunter’s head.
“Well, buddy, this is Jocelyn. She’s Pappy’s lady. You know what a girlfriend is?” Hunter nodded. “She’s Pappy’s girlfriend. And this is Devyn. Jocelyn is her mommy. She’s Ace’s girlfriend.” Hunter’s eyes got huge. He looked at his parents and then back at me.
“You’re Pappy’s girlfriend?” I nodded with a smile. “Does he kiss you?” I heard Terror trying to choke back a laugh. My cheeks got a little pink.
“Yeah, he kisses me. I hope it’s okay that he shares his kisses with me. I saw how much he likes to kiss you and your sister.” He scrunched up his face in thought, then he smiled.
“As long as he still has enough for me and sissy, then I think it’s okay.” This got another laugh. Harlow spoke up then.
“Why don’t we all go inside and get comfortable. The gang's all meeting later at the clubhouse. You guys might need to rest a bit. Especially you, Devyn. Dad told me you’re expecting.” She smiled at Devyn, and Dev smiled back.
“Yes, I am. Thank you. That would be great, though riding in the car wasn’t bad,” Dev told her. We all headed into the house. Inside, I saw it was a beautiful house. It was older than Bull’s but still beautiful. We all went into the living room. Terror and Harlow asked us what we wanted to drink and then headed to the kitchen to get it. It was open so you could see it from the living room. I sat down on the couch with Bull. He still had Emerson in his arms. Hunter sat down by his feet.
He tugged me into his side and whispered in my ear, “Relax, baby. You’re fine. They won’t bite.” I smiled at him. He gave me a soft kiss on the mouth. Terror and Harlow came back with our drinks. I noticed Emerson looking at me. She didn’t say anything. I smiled at her and held out my hands. She hesitated then climbed off her pappy’s lap and onto mine. I heard a gasp. I looked to see Harlow staring at me in shock.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just she’s a little reserved with someone new. It takes her a while to warm up, but when she does, look out. I’ve never seen her go to someone so quickly.”
Bull laughed. “It’s just Jocelyn’s animal magnetism. She had me snared at first glance too.” I hit his arm.
“Shush. You weren’t looking at me. You were looking at the shotgun I had in my hand,” I told him with a smirk. He threw back his head laughing.
Ace chuckled. “I know I was. Damn near crapped myself when I heard you rack that shotgun.” Terror looked at me in surprise.
“Okay, this I have to hear. Why in the world did you have a shotgun on Bull and Ace?” Bull had fun telling them how we all first met. By the time he was done, everyone was laughing.
We spent a little more time just chatting. Mostly they talked about people I didn’t know yet. I entertained Emerson with a doll she grabbed off the couch. Hunter played around the room and kept looking at me. I caught Harlow looking me over more than once. I could understand her being curious about the woman her father was living with. I hoped she’d come to like me. I didn’t want there to be any kind of strife between us. That would only cause Bull problems. Before heading over to the clubhouse, they showed all four of us to our rooms to freshen up. I hadn’t realized we would be staying at their house, but it made sense.
In our bedroom, I asked Bull, “Are you sure they’re okay with me staying here with you, Nick? And what about Ace and Devyn?”
“Where else would you stay? Surely you don’t think I’d let you sleep at the clubhouse alone? And I have no damn intention of sleeping without you. We’re adults and Harley and Terror are as well. We can sleep in the same damn bed,” he growled. I silenced him with a kiss.
When we broke apart, he licked his lips. “I wish we had time for some fun, but they want to head over to the clubhouse. Hold those thoughts. Damn! Now I have to get rid of this hard-on before we go downstairs.” I laughed.
After freshening up my makeup, combing my hair, and putting on my property cut, we headed back downstairs. Everyone was waiting for us. I saw Devyn had her property cut on as well. Ace had presented it to her last week. She’d cried when she saw it. He’d given her the name Destiny. I asked her afterward why that name and she smiled. “He tells me I’m his destiny. That we were meant to be.” I thought it was sweet as hell.
I saw Harlow eyeing my cut, but she didn’t say anything. Bull had assured me he’d told her about us before we ever came. Terror led the way to the clubhouse. Along the way, people were shouting out greetings. I saw a lot of people throwing curious looks at me and Bull as well as Devyn and Ace. I assumed all of them knew Bull and Ace. I wondered and if I was honest, worried, what they would think of me and Devyn. I didn’t want to embarrass Bull. These were his friends and family.
In the clubhouse, it was a madhouse! Even with all the people we saw outside, there were people everywhere. Everywhere I looked was leather, sexy men, gorgeous women, and kids. No one seemed to mind all the kids running around. I’d seen the playground outside. This club obviously loved and spoiled their kids. I wondered if Bull would add something like this to Hunters Creek for the kids. I doubted Devyn, and hopefully me, would be the only old ladies or would have the only kids.