Chapter Two
Roni put off going inside the clubhouse for as long as she could. It wasn’t until she saw Jagger, B, and Layne pull up that she started making her way towards it. She wouldn’t easily be able to explain why she was standing outside playing on her cell phone if they asked. She’d never been the type to be obsessed or engrossed with it. It wasn’t an extension of her arm, like it was for other people.
“About time you came inside,” Denise teased as she made her way to the kitchen. Denise was the only person that she’d told about her birthday ride with Rooster.
“Laugh it up,” she told her sister-in-law. “Do you need help in here? Please tell me you need help in here.”
“You’re going to have to talk to him at some point, Roni.” Denise shook her head. “You can’t keep avoiding him forever.”
“Yes, I can.” Her tone was adamant. She’d done it successfully for over four months. There was no reason she couldn’t continue to do so.
“No really, you can’t. I heard him and Liam talking the other night. Rooster’s gonna start working at the shop, and he’s going to be hanging around here more. Apparently whatever was going on between the two of them, they’re workin’ it out.”
Roni tipped her head back and sighed. Since Rooster had quit the sheriff’s department, he’d been doing odd security jobs and a few things here and there for the club. It seemed like he was being groomed to be brought into the fold. “I am in hell.” She blew out a deep breath.
“What happened between the two of you on your birthday? You never told me. All you said was that you needed some space because you couldn’t deal.” Denise dumped the macaroni noodles into a strainer and let the water rush off of them, pulling her head back to keep it out of the steam.
“I’d totally rather not talk about this.”
“Tough shit. It’s bothering you.”
She wondered when Denise had gotten so forceful. When Denise had first come to be with them, she was strong, yet scared. Now she wasn’t even scared. Liam had brought out the strong, tough side of her, and she wasn’t going to be backing down anytime soon. “We went for a ride.”
“Am I going to have to pull this out of you? Do you need a drink? The truth tea perhaps?” Her eyebrow rose, along with her voice at her smartass comment.
“My God, what happened to you? You used to be so sweet! What got into you?”
“Well…” The look on her face was pure trouble.
“Stop.” Roni held her hands up. “My bad, shouldn’t have ever asked that question. Fine.” She sat down at the counter while Denise continued to make the mac and cheese. “Maybe telling someone else will help me think through it.”
“You know there’s no judgment here. I didn’t know either you or Rooster way back when. I’ll only know what you tell me, and regardless of how bad I annoy you, I don’t want to be all up in your business. I wouldn’t be bugging you if I didn’t think that you really need to talk about this.”
Roni knew that was the absolute truth. The life had changed Denise in that she didn’t feel a need to know what was going on at all times anymore. She trusted every single person in this clubhouse and would give her life up to any of them without question. They’d all grown that close. They were, above all, family. Didn’t matter if they were blood or not. They trusted each other. “He came and got me on my birthday when I was having a pity party for myself.”
“Pity party? You told us you already had plans. Did you spend it by yourself?” Denise asked, her voice pained and fear on her face.
“It was my choice,” she protested. “I didn’t take turning thirty-six well. I did what I wanted to do.”
“So, how did Rooster know you would be at home by yourself?” Denise asked, trying to get back on track. She hated that Roni had spent her birthday alone, especially after all the things she did for everyone else. She hadn’t deserved that, and the group of them should have paid closer attention.
“I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure that out, to be honest. He knocked on the door, I could have not answered, but I wanted to.” She smiled sadly.
“Liam’s told me a little of the past that the two of you have.”
“Yeah, well, Liam doesn’t know the half of it,” Roni mused softly. From where she sat in the kitchen, she could see the large table in the dining/living area of the clubhouse. Rooster sat in her line of sight, and she couldn’t help but watch him. His hair was no longer the carrot-top red that it’d been in his teenage years. It had mellowed out some, with age and what looked to be sunlight. Instead of a clean-shaven face, his face now held the beginnings of a beard. She’d never seen him with any kind of facial hair, and she had to admit she liked it. It aged him some, but not in a bad way. “We went for a bike ride, and it felt too much like it did when we were younger.”
“Why is that a bad thing?” Denise finished up the mac and cheese and stuck it in the oven, setting the timer. She grabbed the steaks that she had marinating out of the fridge and took the lid off.
“Because when we were younger, those feelings got us into deep shit.”
There was still something that Roni wasn’t telling her, but she didn’t want to pry. Roni’d had a hard time coming to grips with all the changes that had been taking place, struggling to find her foothold in the new reality of the club. Denise didn’t want to fuck that up; she would never want to cause anything to be difficult for her sister-in-law. “You’re older now, maybe those feelings are just what you’re looking for?”
Roni chose to ignore the words that Denise spoke, sitting up straighter when Rooster stood and walked with Liam and Tyler into the kitchen.
“Hey, are the steaks ready?” her brother asked his wife, reaching around her.
“Yes and watch your hands,” she giggled, slapping them away when he grabbed her side and tickled, picking up the plate in his other hand.
“You think this is enough? I think Drew can eat this on his own.”
She pushed the side of her shirt down and nodded towards the fridge. “Ty, there’s another huge batch in there, if you could grab ’em.”
Tyler took two steps and he was across the kitchen. It never ceased to amaze her how long his stride was, how big of a guy he was.
Roni let her eyes travel over to where Rooster stood. He’d added muscles in the last few months. She guessed it was all the downtime. She’d seen his truck and sometimes his bike parked in front of the gym more often than not. The gym she’d gone to, but had given up once she noticed he was there every time she was. Sitting up straighter, she tried to suck in the extra pounds she’d put on because of that.
“How are you?” he asked her quietly. “Long time, no see.”
She hated that he could do this to her. Her stomach pitched violently, and she didn’t miss the way Denise’s attention went straight to them when he had a seat next to her at the bar. Before she could answer, he sat down and made himself comfortable. This was the worst kind of torture in the world, and she hoped like hell that her voice sounded normal when she spoke. It was hard to think about anything other than the fact his jean-clad thigh rested heavily against hers. “I’ve been busy.”
“I think you’ve been avoiding me,” he cut to the chase, his eyes that she wasn’t ever sure were blue or gray looked at her closely.
“Not at all.” She picked up a piece of paper and began shredding it through her fingers; anything to avoid looking at him.
“Really? Because you mean to tell me we go to the same gym, hang out with the same people, and now work at the same place, and I haven’t seen you in months? If that’s not avoiding me, I don’t know what the fuck is.”
Roni squirmed, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth. “It’s not been a good time for me.” She tried being evasive. Maybe if he realized she was having a hard time, he would let up.
“How so? If there’s something going on, I need to know about it.”
It occurred to her at that moment that there was no other background conversation going on. She looked across the bar and noticed that all three of the other occupants of the kitchen were hanging on their every word. “So, Tyler.” She cleared her throat. “Is Meredith going to be able to make it tonight?”
He looked like he’d been struck with a bolt of lightning. Surprised that she’d turned the attention on him. “She’s on her way, but please finish your convo. It was much better than anything else going on at the moment.”
“Our convo is private business.” She looked pointedly at her brother.
“Then you shouldn’t be having it in the kitchen where everyone can hear. Just sayin’,” he told her, looking back at her.
“You set me up for this bullshit by inviting both of us,” she accused Liam.
“I didn’t do shit,” he laughed, hooking his arm around Denise and kissing her on the cheek. “If you want to get away from the hormonal brigade, Rooster, we’re gonna go cook these steaks.” He reached over and grabbed the first plate, Tyler following behind.
Rooster didn’t say anything, but got up, following the two of them.
“I hate him.” Roni threw a napkin towards where the group of them had walked out.
“Your brother or the other one?” Denise asked, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Both of them.”
“C’mon, let’s get some drinks and head out to the back deck. We’ll grab the other ladies and spend some time together so that we don’t have to think about those boys. How’s that sound?”
At this point, nothing had ever sounded better. “Fucking perfect.”