“Just how old are you?”
“Twenty.”
Willow cocked her head and gazed up at the ceiling like she was concentrating hard. “But one day I’ll be twenty, and you’ll be thirty-four.”
“And I’ll still be too old for you.”
Her lips turned down in a pout. “Don’t you want to be my boyfriend?”
Archer jerked his head up and gave me a pleading look.
“Willow, it’s fine to pretend that Archer is your boyfriend for now. But it’ll just have to be pretend, okay?”
“I guess so,” she replied glumly.
Both Archer and I froze at her sniffle. Without a word, Annabel put her arm around Willow’s shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s have a woman-to-woman talk about boyfriends.” She then took Willow behind the table where the women were gathered, which I knew would feel safe to both her and Willow.
Archer let out a low whistle. “Son of a bitch. She’s gonna be the death of me at six years old.”
I laughed. “Deacon isn’t going to put you to ground just because his daughter has a little crush.”
With a shudder, Archer replied, “I just don’t want anyone thinking anything pervy about me. Like I was encouraging her or something.”
Now it was my turn to do the comforting. I put my arm around the kid’s shoulder. Even though he was just seven years younger than me, he was new to the club, and it aged you like dog years. “You just keep acting the same way to Willow as you always have. Next week she’ll have moved on to someone else.”
“I sure as hell hope so.”
I smacked his back. “Come on. Let’s get some chili.”
Whatever Annabel said to Willow worked like a charm, and she was back to her sunny self within minutes. When they rejoined me, I leaned over to whisper into Annabel’s ear, “Thanks for doing that.”
“I was glad to help.” She cocked her head at me. “No matter what the age, it always hurts to be rejected,” she said knowingly.
I dropped my gaze to my bowl of chili, since it seemed a hell of a lot safer than looking at Annabel at that moment. Her words were as loaded as if I were looking down the barrel of a shotgun. The last thing I wanted to do was press the matter of the underlying tension between us.
Thankfully, I was saved by Deacon coming up to get me for the ceremony. “I have to go to the front now. Why don’t you go back with Alexandra and Kim?”
She smiled. “Okay. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
I watched her move around the side of the table and go stand between Alexandra and Kim. I was so thankful they all got along so well. It was almost a test of how well your girl would fare in the long run if she could get along with the other old ladies. I shook my head, as I sure as hell shouldn’t have been thinking of Annabel in those terms. Don’t even go there. She isn’t your girl or your old lady, and she never will be.
After I motioned to the band, the music stopped. All the patch-holding guys came forward to form a circle. “Tonight we bring another brother into our ranks. Over the last year, he’s proven himself to be worthy of wearing a Raiders patch.” I signaled to Archer, who went out the back door to get Crazy Ace. As per tradition, he had been forced to wait away from the party until he was called for.
Although his usual persona was cocky as hell, he came in with his head down. His usual pimp walk was gone. I could tell he took this as seriously as he was supposed to. The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Even the babies in some of the women’s arms were subdued. When he approached me, I turned to Deacon, who handed me the new patch. “Crazy Ace, do you wish to patch in as a full member to the Georgia chapter of the Hells Raiders?”
“I do.”
“Do you swear to uphold the principles of the club while always having your brothers’ backs, even if it means sacrificing your own?”
“I do.”
I smiled and slapped him on the back. “Then welcome to the club.” I passed the patch over to him and then reached in to hug him.
After the hugging and backslapping had died down, I went over to join Annabel. “So, what did you think?” I asked when she handed me a beer.
“It was interesting.” She jerked her chin to where Crazy Ace now sat at a table alone, sewing his patch onto his cut. “Does he need some help with that?” When I chuckled, she narrowed her eyes at me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. It’s just that no one but Crazy Ace can sew his patch on. It’s too sacred.”
“But what if he doesn’t know how to sew?”
“Then he learns real fast.”
She grinned. “It’s kind of funny seeing a tattooed guy covered in piercings with a needle and thread in his hands.”
“You’re always responsible for your cut. You never let an old lady take care of it. It’s your job to treat the leather and make sure the patches aren’t falling off.”
“Sounds pretty serious.”
I nodded. “During the rest of the night, some of the guys will try to take Crazy Ace’s cut as a way to test his loyalty. He would be in deep shit if it ever got out of his sight. First night I had my patch, I slept with my cut on so some smart-ass couldn’t take it.”
Alexandra nudged Annabel with a laugh. “It’s really like a sorority when you think about it. All the rules and procedures.”
“Not quite,” I shot back, with a smile to soften my words.
Just as the band was about to start back up, Deacon jumped up onstage. At the sight of him, whistles and catcalls went up around the room. “I know this is Crazy Ace’s big night, but my old lady and I got some pretty kick-ass news today that I have to share.”