Chapter 23
As Prettyboy entered the clubhouse he was intercepted by Ox almost immediately.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Prettyboy could tell by the look on Ox’s face that shit was about to go down, and he knew he wasn't going to like it.
“I just got a call from Axel. Tango and Rebel were attacked outside their clubhouse this morning. Ambushed by two Silver Bullet lackeys,” Ox said.
Prettyboy swore.
“Are they okay?”
“Yeah, they’ll be okay. Close call, though. He said he doesn’t want Esme caught up in that mess, so he asked that we keep it on the down low.Shouldn’t be a problem for us, but I wanted to keep you in the loop.”
Prettyboy didn’t know if he wanted to keep something like that from his old lady, but he knew that club business was club business. They hadn't discussed a full disclosure clause yet. He wouldn't mind telling her anything she wanted to know, but some old ladies didn't like to know the nitty-gritty.
“Okay, boss.”
Okay boss.
Oh yeah, that’s real convincing.
Ox nodded his head before he gestured towards the garage.
“You’ve got a couple of pink slips waitin’ for ya, and then you’re off for the weekend.”
Prettyboy sighed.
“Alright. Let me find Esme and let her know I made it back in one piece, and then I’ll get to work.”
Ox smirked.
“You did good with that one, brother. You should be proud.
Prettyboy wasn’t even lying when he said, “Trust me, I am.”
As Ox walked away, he felt two small hands wrap around his waist.
“My, my. You’re one sexy piece of ass.”
He couldn't help but laugh as he yanked Esme into his arms.
“Hi, beautiful.”
She stood up on her tiptoes so she could kiss him right on the mouth.
“I missed you today. Did your errand go okay?”
Prettyboy’s head was filled with the image of Chris’s headstone as he nodded.
“Sure did.”
“Good. You workin’ today?”
Prettyboy nodded as he nuzzled his nose under her chin.
“Yeah, but not for long. Probably a half-day today. You wanna do something later? Maybe see a movie and grab some dinner in town?”
Esme’s smile made his heart lurch.
“Are you asking me out on a fancy-shmancy date?”
He shrugged.
“I guess that’s the way of it, yeah.”
Her tanned shoulders were bare and he couldn't stop himself from running his fingers along the lines of her exposed skin.
“I would love to. Me and Green are gonna be workin’ on some details for the wedding today, so come find me when you’re free.”
Prettyboy kissed her gently.
“You got it.”
With a flirty wink that almost landed her flat on her back against the bar top, she waved in his direction and disappeared down the hallway he knew led to her bedroom.
“Shit, brother. You look like Cupid shot you directly in the butt hole. I hope I never let a woman twist my balls into a pretzel like that.”
Prettyboy glared in Limit’s direction as he eased his sunglasses down over his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up big guy, but one day you’ll be eatin’ those words.”
Limit scoffed.
“I’ll eat a lot things, but those words aren’t on my menu.”
Prettyboy followed Limit out to the garage, Ox’s words still on his mind.
Down low?
How the hell am I supposed to keep something like that on the down low?
Esme would want to know if Axel was in trouble! Those guys are her other family.
Shit, I would want to know if something was going on with my club…
Before Prettyboy even stepped foot into the garage, he knew that he was going to tell Esme the truth.
He couldn't keep something like that from her, she deserved to know. Obviously the Seven Deadlies wouldn’t be called in to help unless Axel needed the backup. They’d already gotten Rayna to agree to let Axel use her father's gun contact, and even though both Axel and Ox had been hesitant at first, she’d assured them it was okay.
She was glad to be rid of the damn thing, to be honest and no one at the table blamed her for it. He couldn't imagine holding onto something that caused so much pain and suffering.
“Hey, man. Heard the good news! Looks like you’re the next Deadly to settle down,” Rider called.
He was smiling in Prettyboy’s direction.
“Thanks. It hadn’t quite hit me yet, but I won’t deny she makes me one happy bastard.”
Rider was still grinning as he slid beneath an old Lincoln.
“I’m sure she does. I’m envious.”
“Don’t be. You’ll find your own woman to moon over, just like Limit will!”
“Fuck you,” Limit called.
Everyone in the garage burst into laughter as Limit glared at all of them like an angry fucking lion.
“Ah, don’t be a sour pussy! Just watch, you’ll be the next one to settle down.”
Slayer was making kissy faces in Limit’s direction as he groped the air.
Limit didn't miss a beat as he pulled out his gun and aimed it directly at Slayer’s dick.
“Shake that little cock at me one more time, and I’ll shoot it off.”
Slayer’s mouth fell open and for some reason, he held his hands up like Limit was a man of the law and he’d come to arrest him.
“Fine, you ogre! I’ll shut up,” Slayer whined.
Limit finally nodded and put his gun away, but not before he lunged in Slayer’s direction and sent him screaming towards the other end of the garage.
“You guys are a bunch of fuckin’ idiots,” Ox called.
Prettyboy glanced at him before he nodded in agreement.
“That’s probably true.”
◆◆◆
Green had his feet propped up on a chair beside Esme as she tied off another pouch filled with assorted candies. She heard a very distinctive crunch and turned to see Green shoving a handful of said candy directly into his cake hole.
"If you eat all of the candy, there won't be any left for the gift bags and Rayna will punch you in the face.”
"I know that, but I'm hungry and this candy is delicious," He said as he swallowed an M&M.
Esmeralda rolled her eyes, but she was smiling when he cleared his throat and leaned closer to her.
"Rayna almost died when she got shot a few months the ago. Did she tell you that story?"
Esme, surprised by the turn the conversation was suddenly taking, only nodded as she filled another pouch.
"Fury told us that she couldn't carry a baby herself but that they could have someone else carry their baby for them. She told me you offered?"
Esme eased the pouch onto the table as she turned to look into Green's eyes.
"I did."
"Most folks think I don't know how to be serious, but seeing my best friend cry herself to sleep for weeks because she feels hopeless is a serious issue to me. You have no idea what you're giving her by offering your body to her like that. I know it doesn't mean much coming from me, but if you ever need anything, I'm here for you."
Her lower lip trembled slightly at his kind words.
She placed one hand over his on top of the table and squeezed.
"I appreciate that, darlin."
Green's smile could have melted the panties off a nun.
"Good. What does your old man think about you helping out Rayna and Fury?"
Esme shrugged.
"We haven't spoken about it at great length because I still have to get tested to make sure I'm a good candidate. He did tell me that it's my body and my choice."
"Yeah, sounds like Prettyboy. You did good with that one."
Esme tipped her head forward.
"I know I did. He's a good man and he treats me right."
Green cleared his threat.
"The day he got into the accident, we were in the middle of a war with the Steel Ponies. They ambushed him, shot his bike to hell, and then left him for dead on the side of the road like fuckin' roadkill. Rollin' up on him like that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, because at first we didn't know if he was dead or alive," Green told her.
Of course her and Prettyboy had discussed his accident in one of their famous late night talks, but hearing it from someone else's perspective changed things. It made it more real. It wasn't just a story, it was fact.
“He told me the recovery process was awful.”
“You fuckin’ bet. Nothin’ worse than hearin’ him screaming from his hospital room while knowing there was nothing we could do to help. He asked me to end it for him more than once, but I knew something would happen to make him want to hold on. Didn’t know it would be some sassy brunette from the Lone Rangers’s territory, though.”
Green followed that statement up with a wink, but it only served to make Esme love Prettyboy more. He never complained about his scars, no, and he didn't even wear his bandana anymore, but she knew he still struggled with them. Sometimes his voice would grow hoarse or he’d have to elevate his leg before bed, and she did her best to alleviate the pain, but it didn't always help as much as she’d like.
“You really love him, don’t you?”
Esme flinched at Green’s words.
“Of course I do-”
He shook his auburn head slowly, his green eyes suddenly sharp as a tac as they watched her.
“No, no, no. I mean that lovey-dovey-ride-or-die shit. You two are the real deal, huh? Like Rayna and Fury.”
Esme wasn’t confident what he was saying was a compliment.
“Was there ever any doubt about that?”
“Hell yeah there was, sweetheart. Considering the man himself, and then there’s you- you do realize you came here a complete basket case, right? So, fuck yes, it’s a damn good surprise to see you two where you are now. Love is a funny thing, Esme. It’s kind of miraculous to see it actually heal people and leave them better off than they were before.”
Esme realized that he wasn’t insulting her but praising her and Prettyboy, so she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and leaned her head against him.
“Thank you for being so sweet to me, darlin’. I really needed it today.”
“What’s got ya down?”
She shook her head because nothing had her down.
“I’m just acclimating to the idea of staying here for good. I miss my home sometimes.”
“What about your parents?”
“Dead. Nothing tragic, they were just old and passed on. Axel walked me down the aisle when I married Chris.”
She remembered the moment fondly, only now she could see that he was obviously in love with her back then, too. The idea made her sad, because she hadn't understood why he tried so hard with her. Even when she wasn’t ready to try on her own, he was always there.
“Axel’s a good man. Maybe he’ll walk you down the aisle with Prettyboy, too.”
Her head snapped up.
“We’re not gettin’ married. Not yet, at least.”
She didn't have to voice her fears, Green seemed to understand.
“Ah, don’t shoot down the idea just yet, baby girl. You don’t have to be afraid that you’ll lose him too, Esme. What happened with Chris was a freak accident no one could have foreseen.”
She knew that to be true, but her heart still feared the idea of saying ‘I do’, and losing her man all over again.
“Chris was different, Green. I loved him very much. He meant the world to me, but if something happened to Prettyboy…,” She trailed off, fighting to keep her voice controlled.
“Hey now, don’t cry. I didn't mean to upset ya. What I’m tryin’ to say is that you can't let the past scare you out of havin’ a future. You two deserve to be happy, so if gettin’ married is gonna make you happy one day, don't write it off. Do it. Like I said before, life is too short.”
Esme laughed as she peeked up at him from beneath her lashes.
“You’re a good man.”
He feigned a frown, growling under his breath.
“Don’t be tellin’ people that! I have a reputation to uphold.”
She patted his arm comfortingly.
“Don’t worry. It’ll stay between us.”