“So UglyBeast is in,” Raven said, chuckling.
“What about you?” Smokey asked.
“I, er, with Ava…”
“You two are solid, Raven. I mean that. If you’re not around, I know it will upset her.” Ava was always asking about Raven. His woman cared about this woman. Ava hadheard the true darkness of Raven’s past, and since then, Ava had made every effort to become best friends with the woman.
“I’ll talk to Carlos. I think he was hoping for a quiet Christmas.”
“Tell him he can stay home, but you and your kids, they’re welcome here.”
Raven snorted. “Yeah, like he’s going to like that.”
Motherhood had been good for Raven. She was still as mouthy and hard-assed as ever, but she looked good. She looked happy, and Smokey was grateful for that. Raven was another woman he’d nearly fucked up with.
He’d made a lot of mistakesover the past couple of years, and he was determined not to make any more.
Hunter sighed. “So, I guess we’re all going to do this. What exactly do you need?”
The truth was, Smokey didn’t have a fucking clue what to do, but he wanted it to be perfect for his woman.
****
“Damn, everyone is flockinghere today,” Harlow said. “My poor feet haven’t had a chance to rest. Your cookies though, the bomb.”
Ava smiled at her only employee. She absolutely adored Harlow,especially as she had her seal of approval of the brand-new vegan Christmas cookie she’d brought out. It had been a challenge learning new skills in baking, but it had certainly paid off.
She kneaded the dough for her cinnamon rolls, loving the feel of the smoothness of the dough. This was what she loved about baking—being hands-on and getting involved in the process. It was always fun using the machines or allowing technology to do its thing, but the real joy was in creating something by hand. That was what she loved. Smokey had taken Umberto for the day so she could come into the bakery and help Harlow set up.
She didn’t have any troubles with Harlow, and in fact, the young woman had proven to be an amazing baker, and also a wonderful friend.
“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what brings you into the bakery right now?” Harlow asked.
“I miss it.”
“You miss the early mornings? The kneading? The hard work?” Harlow asked, giving her a wink.
Ava chuckled. “It’s just being here. Don’t get me wrong,I love being a mother, but this shop is my baby.”
“Hell yeah, it is. And you can totally tell, mama bear. You know, I never thought I’d love baking quite as much as I do, but it is so much fun.”
The sound of the doorbell had Harlow leaving, and Ava knew ifshe continued to work the dough, it would no longer be utter perfection. She quickly oiled a bowl and placed the dough inside before covering it with a damp towel.
These were not for the shop,but for her to take to the clubhouse. The very miserable clubhouse.
She couldn’t believe Smokey hadn’t even bothered with a tree for the festivities.The only part of the clubhouse that was dressed up was the women. And that wasn’t saying much seeing as they were mostly naked.
Ava quickly dealt with her mess, cleaning up the kitchen as Harlow came back.
“It’s closing time. I’ve already locked up the shop, and we’ve just had the last of the products bought,” Harlow said. “I’m going to get everything cleaned up.”
Ava followed her out and gathered the trays, helpingHarlow carry them back to the sink. They both got to work cleaning.
“Harlow, did you ever visit the club, you know, before I was around?” Ava asked.
“Nah. My brother wouldn’t allow it. My parents wouldn’t either. Apparently, I was too young and impressionable, and they already feared I was going down the wrong path. I mean, seriously. You should have seen the way they reacted to my veganism.” Harlow shrugged as she dried up one of the trays. “Why?”
“I didn’t know if … well, you know, they rarely had a tree?”