“I’m positive.” He stroked my cheek. “Now, are you ready?”
“Almost.” I looped my arms around his neck. “I just need to grab Lord’s stuff.”
“I have everything he needs.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I bought a few things yesterday and dropped them off at the club. He’s got a crate, food, bowls, everything you’ve got here, he’s got at my room there, that way, we can go back and forth without you havin’ to bring anything.”
“Really?” I slid my fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck.
“Really. Just bring one of Lord’s blankets and one of your old T-shirts and we’ll throw it in his crate, so he has familiar scents.”
“Thanks, honey, great idea.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled, leaning down to kiss me. “Now, we gotta go.”
“Okay, five minutes,” I said, releasing him and heading into my bathroom. “Dusty baked some pies for the party. They’re in my kitchen.”
“No shit?”
“Yep,” I said, walking back into the bedroom and dropping my toiletries into my bag. “Ten of them.”
“Well, then I better get them in my truck.”
“Might be a good idea,” I quipped as I zipped up my bag. “I’m right behind you.”
Once Scooby had loaded all of the pies into his truck, I leashed Lord, and we followed him outside.
We drove in silence to the outskirts of Monument, and the further we got from the diner, the more my stomach roiled, but when Scooby pulled up to a pair of giant wooden gates, I thought the panic might overtake me.
“Rowan.”
“Hm?”
“Honey, you’re shakin’.” Scooby linked his fingers with mine. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”
“I’m just really nervous. It’s stupid.”
“It’s not stupid.” The gates opened and Scooby drove the truck through, lifting my hand to his lips and kissing my palm gently. “But I promise, you have nothin’ to be nervous about.”
I nodded but didn’t believe him. Not one bit.
Scooby parked close to the giant cabin and other than rows of some of the most impressive bikes I’d ever seen, the parking lot looked more like an elementary school than a biker clubhouse as it was filled with sedans, minivans, and pickups.
“Don’t move,” he ordered, sliding out of the truck.
I had no problem staying put. In fact, I glanced around the cab of the truck wondering if I could find a way to hide in the floorboards. Lord pushed his nose between the seats and nuzzled my shoulder with a whine. I stroked his head and sighed. “Hey, buddy. Do you want to hide, too?”
I saw Scooby walk out of the building, a couple of young guys following, and then he pulled open my door. “Boner and Squeaker are gonna get the pies and your bag. You ready?”
“Nope.”
Scooby grinned, leaning in to kiss me gently as he undid my seatbelt. “You’re gonna have so much fuckin’ fun, honey. You’ll see.”
I grabbed his beard gently. “Do not leave me alone.”
“I won’t.”