“You having a good time?” Crazy Bitch grabbed a marshmallow that had been speared by a toothpick, raising it to the lame chocolate fountain Sex Piston had bought online, letting the chocolate dribble over it. Then she raised it to her mouth, bit down, and slid her red lips over the marshmallow, pulling it off the toothpick.

Calder’s mind went blank… with lust.

“Excuse me. I need to find Diamond,” Knox said, stepping away.

Calder didn’t even notice the man leaving, his eyes trained to the strappy black piece that Crazy Bitch was wearing. The fucking thing had more gaps that showed off her skin than it did material. Raking his eyes downward to her shoes that would make a stripper envious, he had to set his paper plate down before he spilled the food on Sex Piston’s carpet.

“What were you and Knox talking about?” Crazy Bitch asked.

“He asked how your community service is going. I told him you were diligently doing your time.”

“I can deal with the community service. It’s the paying for it that sucks. I still miss my car.”

“I’m still amazed you managed to sell it to Train, and for so much.”

“He didn’t complain when I asked how much it was worth not seeing Killyama in it when we go out.”

“He didn’t appreciate you threatening his wife’s safety to get a higher price.”

“He didn’t say anything to me.” She dunked a strawberry into the chocolate fountain.

“No, but he had a lot to say to me.”

“What’d you say to him?”

“I told him it’s a classic and that, if he restored it, he might get his money back.”

She ran a caressing hand down the front of his T-shirt. “A devious man makes me horny. You know, if Train restores it, Killyama will make him give it to her.”

“I’ve learned from the best.”

“I’m not in Greer’s league, but I’m close.” She gave him a luscious smile, reaching for another strawberry. “I only needed enough to pay back for the damages I did to the police car, but it helped with the work I missed.”

“I wanted you to take my money, but you refused.”

“We’re saving for our house; we’re not touching that money. I need a backyard for the dog we’re going to get.”

“The bigger, the better.”

“The house or the dog?”

“Both. We need a dog big enough to eat Manson.”

“I was thinking of a chihuahua.”

“No, Manson would think it was his dinner.”

“Then we’ll wait until we can afford a bigger house and dog.”

“We’d have enough if you hadn’t come up with the idea to give Gavin the jackets. You were the first one to figure out that Gavin was the last clue. Most of the teams were stumped on the castle.”

“You solved the castle one.” She swayed to the music as they watched Star dance with Harley. They were in the living room. The brothers had moved her furniture to the side, making enough room for everyone to dance.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you figured out that Gavin was the answer to the clue for the Three Musketeers? You said it just came to you when we were having lunch with Gavin, but something tells me you knew it much longer. I think you were trying to decide on keeping the jackets and motorcycles before asking me if I would be willing to give them away.”

“Those bikes are expensive. I wanted the one Rider gave to Viper to put up. When I told him what I was going to do, I’m glad he gave you the other set to switch out for the one in The Last Riders’ jacket pocket.”

Calder watched her nibble from the buffet Sex Piston had set out for Stud’s birthday, promising himself he would be finished with the one he had been secretly building for her by Christmas.

“So… how did you know Gavin was the answer to the Three Musketeers clue?”

“That was the easiest of the clues. Three jackets belonging to three club presidents: you, Stud, and Viper.”

“You’re saying that we are the musketeers?”

“Oh, yes.” She ran a caressing hand down his chin, running her thumb over the naked flesh of where his goatee used to be. “And what do they all have in common that they were protecting?”

“Gavin.”

During his last week at rehab, he had been able to tell something was on her mind. After lunch with Gavin one day, she had told him that she knew the answer to the clue, pretending that she had just realized it. That must have been what was on her mind: deciding to take the prize or give it to Gavin. She had decided to give it away.

It had only taken him a second to agree. He had already planned to let her have it all, anyway.

Calder still believed she had waited to tell him for another reason. She had hoped The Last Riders would win it and let them be the ones to give the prizes to Gavin, taking the temptation away from her.

When Crazy Bitch had called to ask if Viper wanted to switch the bikes, Viper had told them that the closest team to winning was Shade. He and Lily had gone to the penitentiary, too, but it seemed they had been all out of Three Musketeer bars.

She had worked so hard to win, but then had given it away without a backward glance.

Crazy Bitch deserved more than the motorcycle that was in the same disastrous shape as the green car she had suckered Train into buying, but that was all she had now to get back to work.

She had stayed with Peyton during his time in rehab, refusing to leave him in Lexington. Sex Piston had taken what appointments she could, but she had lost her income for several weeks.

There came a time in a man’s life when he had to decide how he was going to spend the rest of it, and Calder intended to spend the rest of his with her.

No other woman would have been able to tolerate him touching her after she had gone into that bedroom. From Stud’s description, it had turned his stomach.

He had confessed his doubts about wanting to be with her due to Candi’s Oscar-worthy performance, making Stud and everyone else believe he had seen her at the groundbreaking and had left with her. That is, everyone but Crazy Bitch.

Not once had he felt recriminations from her, and when he had felt too dirty to touch her, she had taken care of that problem, too.

“What color lipstick are you wearing?”

“Sweet Pink.”

“Jesus.”

Calder turned to see one of Razer’s sons asking Star to dance. “Which one is he?”

“Who?”

Calder frowned. “The little—”

“That’s Chance.”

“Suit’s him. He’s taking a chance.”

“Chill, papa bear. You have a few years before you have to worry about boys. I don’t think he even knows how to tie his own shoes yet. If you keep glowering at him, he’ll go crying to his mama.”

“I can take Razer.” He stared across the room at the man, judging his fighting skills. When he decided it would be an even match, he continued to finish his plate. Besides, he had plans for when he went home. None of them involved nursing another black eye.

“Have I told you today I love you?” She twirled her strawberry into the fondue. Pulling it away, she lifted it toward his mouth.

Calder opened his mouth, letting her place it inside. Before she could move her hand back, he swiped his tongue over one of her fingers that had a drop of chocolate.

“Yes, you have.”

“Just checking.” She moved closer to him, making room for Killyama and Train to fill their plates.

“How’s it going?” Calder greeted Train.

“Good. You?”

“My woman just told me she loved me for the fourth time today. I couldn’t be better.”

“I heard.” Killyama made gagging noises.

“I didn’t hear you say it back.”

“Give her a good whack for me.” Killyama snickered.

“Huh?” Calder looked questioningly at Killyama, who had gotten into a shoving match with Crazy Bitch.

Calder set his plate back down, pulling Crazy Bitch away from Killyama, who had gotten into a weird karate pose and was egging her to “Bring it.”

“There are kids around,” Calder hissed.

“She started it.” Crazy Bitch pulled her top back up that had become dangerously close to spilling her breasts into the fondue she was standing next to.

Killyama dropped her pose, coming back to take her plate from Train. “I was just trying to be helpful. Issues like yours need serious attention.”

Calder frowned. Was there something going on with Crazy Bitch that she hadn’t wanted to tell him.

“What issues?”

“Bitch, shut your mouth!”

“Like, she thinks nobody loves her because no one spanked her when she was little. I offered to give her a hard whack whenever she wanted.”

“You’re dead, bitch, fucking dead.” Crazy Bitch lowered her voice to a mumble when Lily and Beth gave her disapproving glares.

“She said that?” Calder smothered his laugh when Crazy Bitch turned eyes that were twitching with anger at him.

“She did. She also said you hit like a sissy. You should really buy a paddle and show her how much you love her. Let’s go, Train. Sex Piston is saving us chairs. I don’t want to miss Star’s performance. The sooner it’s done, the sooner the kiddies are going upstairs for their sleepover.”

Fat Louise shouldered her way between the bickering women. “Poor Lily and Beth. They got saddled with all the kids while we get to par-tay. They don’t know what they’ll be missing.”

Killyama rolled her eyes. “Beth and Lily have been to better parties than Stud’s birthday.”

“Want to make a bet? We can get rowdy.” Fat Louise shimmied her whole plate of food under the fondue.

“No, you’d lose.” Killyama gave Train a nudge toward where Sex Piston was sitting. “Calder, don’t forget, if it can’t kill a fly, it isn’t hard enou—” Killyama hurried away when a strawberry came hurling toward her.

“She’s still mad at you.” Fat Louise stared at Crazy Bitch sympathetically.

“What did Crazy Bitch do to make Killyama mad?” Calder asked, his shoulders shaking.

“She asked Train if his dick was better and texted him a number for a doctor who deals with fertility implants.”

Calder winced. “They do that?”

“They must. All the brothers called to see if it was a working number.”

“How did the brothers know she had texted Train about it?”

“It was a mass text.”

“Jesus.” Calder was shaking his head at his girlfriend when Star raised her hands to get Dozer to stop the 60s music Sex Piston had put on for the children to dance to.

“Daddy?” Star called out for Stud.

Calder grinned when Stud went to the middle of the room to stare down at Star. His brother towered over the girl as she stared up at him in hero worship.

The first night he had been released from rehab, he and Crazy Bitch had spent the night at Stud’s. Together, they had all told Star the truth.

The pills that Candi had fed him could have killed him; not only that, but accidents happen. He didn’t want life to take him out without her knowing the truth.

Candi was back in prison, where she would be long after Star was grown.

Crazy Bitch was right; sooner or later, she would have found out the truth. It was easier to contain the blast before it happened. Except, there had been no blast. Star had accepted it matter-of-factly. She had always been told Sex Piston wasn’t her biological mother, and she was secure enough in their love that, when she had found out that Calder was her biological father, she had just stated that most of her friends had two daddies, some of them had three. Apparently, one of her friends named Riley had three and the mother was working on four.

“Daddy, you sit here.” Star took Stud’s hand, leading him to one of the chairs that the brothers had moved.

“Papa,” Star called out.

Calder froze. She hadn’t called him that before.

Crazy Bitch gave him a hard shove in her direction.

When he got closer, her eyes twinkled up at him as she led him to the chair next to Stud’s.

Going back to the middle of the room, she turned back to face them. “Daddy, I’ve been practicing this for your birthday. Papa, the last part is just for you.”

Dozer turned the music on, and as a male voice singing “Always and Forever” filled the room, Star danced around the room in moves he had watched her diligently practice for weeks. In the middle of the song, she did big spins. When she danced near Stud, she pulled him to his feet, raising her arms for him to hold her as he danced with her in his arms. When the song ended, she kissed him on his cheek.

“Happy birthday, Daddy.”

Calder watched as Stud kissed her back with tears in his eyes. Then the music started playing again, with a female voice singing “One Moment In Time.” As the song played, he watched Star dance as if she was dancing on air.

Every breath he had ever taken had led him to this very second—watching her dance for him.

Looking around the room, he met Crazy Bitch’s eyes, seeing tears rolling down her cheeks. She had made it possible for him to be Star’s father.

When Star twirled around the room and came to a stop in front of him, she took his hand so he would stand. Raising her arms, she waited expectantly for him to pick her up.

Lifting her into his arms, he danced her around the room. Unashamedly, he cried when the song ended much too soon.

Her arms tightened around his shoulders.

“I love you, Papa.”

“I love you, too.”

Calder buried his face in her hair, smelling the sweet scent and taking a minute to regain his composure before he lowered her back down to the floor.

Sex Piston stood up. “Kids, you can all go upstairs, and Beth and Lily will put a movie on for you.”

Calder saw Crazy Bitch coming toward him to where he stood in the middle of the room as the adults shooed the children upstairs.

“Enjoy your dance?”

“Yes, it’s something I’ll always remember. Thank you for helping her. She looked beautiful.”

“That’s not the only thing you’re going to remember tonight. You ready to get frisky? I told Dozer to play our song when the kids are gone.”

The beat that filled the room was very familiar.

“Hot thang! How low can you go?”

Calder started to move, matching her movements with every beat.

“Let’s go crazy and find out.”

* * *

Harley licked at his tasty blue snow cone while he walked until he finally sat down on the bleachers.

The young boy he had sat down next to looked over at him strangely before he turned his head back to the football game.

His little legs swung back and forth as he continued eating his snow cone. “My name’s Harley. What’s yours?”

Again, the boy looked over at him, but only for a second, seeming to be bothered that a little boy Harley’s age would disrupt his football game with his friends. “Uh… Ricky.”

“My sissy Star knows a Ricky in her class.” Harley paused for a moment so he could lick a trail of blue that was starting to fall down his hand. “She says he’s a meanie who won’t leave her alone. Does that mean you’re a meanie, too?”

This time when Ricky looked at him, his head didn’t turn back to the game. “Are you lost or something, kid?”

“No, my daddy’s right there.” He pointed one of his little fingers at Stud, who was surrounded by a big group of bikers.

You could hear Ricky gulp, even over the crowd. “Th-That’s your d-dad?”

“Uh-huh, and that’s my cool uncky Calder.” Just like perfect timing, Star had been picked up by Calder and placed on his shoulders. Even though you could see some pissed-off faces in the crowd that now had their views blocked, no one dared to open their mouths.

The young boy now wiped at the beaded sweat that fell down his spikey hair.

“Uncky Calder wanted to teach that meanie face Ricky a lesson when Star came home crying, but Daddy wouldn’t let him.”

You could hear the exhale of relief, only to be replaced by fear once more when Harley swung his little legs harder as he continued.

“Daddy said they’d have to wait till he was older to teach him a lesson.”

Terrified, Ricky looked at Stud, who was now searching the bleachers until his eyes landed on him and Harley. The sweat coming from his spikey hair now poured down while Stud walked toward them.

“Don’t worry; it’s not uncky Calder comin’ over.” Harley smiled, showing his little, blue-stained, sharply pointed teeth. “Daddy won’t hurt you till you’re a man.”