ANNA

 

One week later…

 

With a couple of club members volunteering their time when they had it, the Black Reapers were a welcome presence at the shelter. Jackie wasn’t completely sold on having some bikers hanging around but the residents didn’t seem to mind. There was no danger of the Corps or anybody else causing another incident.

I didn’t have to follow Jackie’s advice. I was my own woman and I could make my own decisions. But it was nice knowing that she wasn’t completely against me hanging around Jon. That made it easier for me to spend my time in the clubhouse.

Nights at The Grindhouse could have been intimidating if you didn’t know what you were getting into. Any guys or girls looking to cause trouble were in for a rude awakening. I’d seen Brawn deal with troublemakers in a worse way than anything I’d seen at Finn’s. The Grindhouse was a peaceful place as long as you were willing to play by the rules.

I stepped inside of the bar and the night was in full-swing. The place was crowded but not so packed that I couldn’t move around. Everybody was laughing, drinking, and having a good time.

“Hey.”

I’d just gotten inside when Jon walked up to me. He greeted me with a kiss and took my hands in his.

“It’s good to see you, babe.”

He shoved his tongue back into my mouth and forced a giggle out of me.

“What’s gotten into you?” I said with a laugh.

“What? Can’t a man be happy to see his lady?”

“No, it’s just…”

“You complaining?”

I bit my bottom lip as my cheeks started to turn red.

“Not at all,” I said.

He gave me another deep kiss. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the familiar taste of alcohol and smoke on his tongue.

“Time to come up for air.”

A voice interrupted our kiss. Jon and I turned toward the woman standing next to the bar. Michelle eyeballed Jon.

“Pres wants to talk to you,” she said.

“What’s this about?” Jon asked.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you talk to him and find out? Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. Probably just wants to go over some numbers with you.”

Jon sighed and looked at me.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

He kissed me again. His taste lingered on my tongue. After Jon left, Michelle walked up to me with her arms crossed.

“So…” she started.

“So…”

She raised an eyebrow at me.

“The prodigal daughter has returned,” she said. “Right back where she started in Jon’s arms.”

“I don’t care what you think,” I said. “Jon and I are together. Nothing’s gonna change that now.”

I knew that Michelle wasn’t too fond of me. She was around Jon the entire time I was gone. He was heartbroken and she was able to see it for herself.

Even though she was the old lady of the club president, I wasn’t about to back down from her though. No matter what kind of power she had, it wasn’t gonna change my relationship with Jon.

“I’m glad you finally figured it out,” she said.

A smile suddenly appeared on her face.

“It’s tough being an old lady,” she said. “I’m happy that you’re the woman Jon needs you to be.”

“I need Jon just as much as he needs me. We’ll be there for each other.”

“And we’ll be here for you. The entire club is here for you. You see all of these people here? They’re friends of the club. They’ve all got your back. I have your back.”

Even though I didn’t need her validation, it was a relief to have Michelle’s approval. The last thing the club needed was some drama from some of the ladies.

She walked toward me and wrapped her arms around me. I squeezed her tight just the same and let out a deep sigh.

“Welcome back to the family,” she said.

“It’s good to be back.”

“Come on. Let me introduce you to the others.”

“The others?”

“You’re not in this alone now.”

I walked with Michelle to the corner of the bar. There were a couple of women sitting in the booth talking to each other.

“Ladies,” Michelle said. “I want you to meet Anna. Anna, this is Katrina.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Anna.”

Katrina was a good-looking brunette. It was easy to believe that she’d gotten the attention of a club member. She had a polite smile on her face as she shook my hand.

“This here is Gina,” Michelle said.

“Hey,” Gina said with a wink.

Gina was a petite girl with pale skin. She had a pair of breasts that made her top look two sizes too small but she wore it well. I couldn’t help but smile at the devilish little smirk on her lips.

“Have a seat,” Michelle said to me.

I sat down in the booth and Michelle slid right next to me.

“Here we are,” she said. “An old wives club.”

“Not wives,” I said. “Jon and I are still just an ordinary couple.”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Katrina said. “There’s no man in Ivory as good as a Reaper. I’m sure Jon will see how lucky he is eventually.”

“Don’t scare her,” Michelle said. “Anna and Jon have a long future ahead of them. There’s no point in worrying about marriage and kids right now. That’ll come eventually.”

Michelle gave me a wink. I laughed in response and shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter,” I sighed. “It’s not a big deal to me. Just as long as I’m with Jon.”

“I feel the same way,” Gina said. “Dorian and I talk about it but we’re not in a rush. We’re still young. We might as well enjoy it.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Katrina said. “Having a baby isn’t like anything else. It makes your relationship that much more special.”

“That’s right,” I said. “I heard Blake had finally settled down.”

Katrina gave me a nod. She pulled her phone out and showed me the photo of her baby girl.

“Bella,” Katrina said.

“She’s beautiful,” I said with a smile.

“She’s with her uncle right now but maybe you’ll get a chance to meet her.”

“I hope so.”

“You will,” Michelle said to me. “As long as the Black Reapers are around, we’ll be around. It’s just like I said, Anna. We all know how hard it is to be with a man in this club. We’ve gotta be here for each other.”

The ladies all gave me reassuring smiles. Being with Jon was all the comfort I needed but it was nice knowing that there were people who understood what I was dealing with.

This was the life in Ivory I wanted. To be able to be with the man I loved without worrying about a thing.

Drinks arrived at the table for all of us.

“We should toast,” Michelle said.

“Not for me,” Katrina said as she put her hands up. “Not drinking tonight.”

“No problem,” Gina said. “More for me.”

The petite woman grabbed two of the drinks for herself. Michelle pushed a glass toward me then held hers up.

“What should we toast to?” Michelle asked me.

I thought about it for a second.

All of the things I was grateful for ran through my mind. But more than anything else, I knew why I was happy.

Jon. The shelter. The safety the MC provided. Even the company I had now. They all had one thing in common.

I grabbed the drink and held the glass into the air. All of the ladies looked at me as I spoke.

“To Ivory.”