Star
“Oh my god,” Tova said as she leaned down in front of Star's nonexistent belly and nearly hugged it. “I'm gonna be a Grammy?”
She and Tanner had swung by his mother's house to check on Brendon, and to see how everything was going. They stood in the living room, where Tanner had called both of his family members in and just announced the good news.
“I'm gonna be an Uncle Brendon, you mean,” Tanner's brother said from beside their mother. He looked way better than the last time she'd seen him, and was beaming like he was the father or something, not Tanner. But, at least he'd progressed from his status as a walking corpse, and had approached something resembling living.
Star laughed, taking it all in. She'd never had a home life like this, and it was a nice change of pace. Even if the way his mother stared at her belly did make her a little uncomfortable.
“Guess it's not soon enough to tell if it's a boy or girl, is it?” Tova asked.
Star and Tanner both shook their heads. “It's only been a couple days, Mom,” Tanner said. “Takes a while for that.”
“Oh,” Tova said as she went and sat down on her old couch, “I think it'll be a boy. Boys run in our family.”
“And, if it's a boy,” Brendon piped up, “you can name 'em after me, right?”
Tanner and Star both laughed. “Well, I haven't really thought about names yet,” Star said as she glanced to the father of her child. He got a look on his face like he had, though.
Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut. She didn't exactly want to have a fight over baby names in front of his family.
“Well, if I get a nephew,” Brendon continued as he took a seat in a big, ugly easy chair to the side of the couch, “that means we can take him out riding. Out to the woods, like when Tanner and I were kids, when Pops taught us how to ride our first bike.”
Star didn't know how she felt about that, either. She loved riding on Tanner's motorcycle with him, even though she knew it was the most dangerous thing she did on any given day. The thought of having her child on one of those things . . . well, it kind of made her stomach turn now that she actually considered the prospect.
“And we can make him a little Blood Warriors vest,” Tova said, laughing. “I always wanted some for you and Brendon, Tanner, but I never had the chance to make them.”
Brendon laughed. “Geez, does this mean we need a crib at the clubhouse?”
“Well, when I take the baby out to see his daddy, it might be a good idea,” Tova said, actually thinking about it. Her eyes turned to Star. “What about you? What do you think?”
Star didn't really know what to think, but she knew enough to not say that. Not in front of his mother, at least. Instead, she just smiled and shook her head like she was still coping with everything. Which, to be fair, was partially true.
“You told the boys yet?”
“No,” Tanner said, then seemed to consider his words more carefully. “Well, I told Blade the other night when I saw him. Not the rest of the guys yet.”
“You should tell 'em, man,” Brendon said.
“Figure they'll just give me a boat load of hell about it, about settling down. Don't know if I can deal with the razzing right now.”
Brendon laughed. “Yeah, they'll probably give you a ribbing over it. But, man, they'll be as excited as we are to see a new little Blood Warrior.”
“What about you?” Tanner asked his brother. “You gonna try and join back up?”
Star swiveled her attention from one brother to the other, trying to gauge both of their reactions. The club was the most important thing to this family, and Tanner had told her that Brendon leaving was what was behind the condition on his having a child to get the inheritance. This was a big deal for Tanner, as big as it had been for their father.
Brendon's expression went back to dead sober again, and he shrugged a little. “I've been thinking about it. I still don't know if they'll accept me back, though. I kinda did a cut-and-run.”
Tanner nodded, agreeing with him. “Yeah. You did. But, nothing's ever set in stone, man. You can always ask for forgiveness.”
“I guess so,” Brendon said as he idly scratched his arm. The track marks were still visible there, Star noticed. Some of them were scars that would be there a lifetime, a constant reminder of Brendon's fall from grace and his time on the street.
“Just means,” Tanner said with a knowing grin, “they might go harder on you this time around, is all.”
Brendon laughed. “I think I can handle 'em. But, I don't want to go back if they don't want to take me back.”
“Well, you gotta prove it,” Tova said, piping up for the first time when it came to club business. “You gotta prove you want to be with them, that you want to be part of the family. But, I can say this -- those boys looked for you just the same as us. They wanted you back, and safe, just like your blood family.”
“I hadn't really thought about it like that, Mom,” Brendon said after a while, his head bobbing as the thoughts rolled through his mind. “I guess, I see what you're saying.”
“Soon as Blade gets back in town,” Tanner suggested, “I can let him know you want to join back up. If you want to, of course.”
Brendon nodded, a smile growing on his face. “Yeah,” he said, clearly starting to like the idea, “yeah, that sounds good, Tanner.”
Tova glanced up at the clock on the wall. “It's about lunch time. You two want to stay for sandwiches or something?”
Tanner glanced at Star, and Star looked back at him. She really didn't want to stick around for lunch, or listen to Tova talk about all the plans she had for her unborn child.
“I think,” Star said, “I better get home. I'm pretty tired after all the good news this week, and better lay down to take a nap.”
“You're probably right,” Tova said, a smile on her face, but not in her eyes. “Young lady like you needs her rest.”
That was when the thought entered Star's mind, not for the first time, that Tova Rainier still thought she wasn't good enough for Tanner.
Not as a fling on the side. Not as his ol' lady. And definitely not as the mother of his child.