“I can show you a room, too,” Eileen said to Lu, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Eileen.”
“I’ll stay out here,” Lu said politely. “But thank you.”
“She’s one of the boys, Ei,” my mom said with a smile at Lu.
“Right on,” Eileen said, nodding. “Well, if you need anything, you let me know.”
“I’ll do that,” Lu replied.
“Hey, what about if I need anything?” Eli asked, grinning.
“You come to me, pretty boy,” a large man replied, making Eileen laugh as she looked over her shoulder at him.
“Oh, honey, I couldn’t even keep up with this one,” she told the man, pointing her thumb at Eli.
The man chuckled. “Baby, you know that ain’t true,” he shot back.
Mark leaned down to my ear. “Home sweet home,” he said in amusement, giving me a little tap on my ass to get me moving. “I’ll find you in a bit.”
I followed my mom and Eileen through the room, and as we got to the hallway where the bedrooms were located, I felt my entire body grow heavy. I guess knowing that I was so close to somewhere I could rest had somehow triggered a physical response.
“Now, don’t you go tellin’ anyone, but I got a bathtub in our room and I keep it sparklin’ clean. You feel like a soak, you just let me know,” Eileen said. “I’d imagine that would feel real nice right about now.”
“Jesus,” I mumbled. “Are you an angel?”
Eileen laughed and looked at my mom. “She’s yours, alright.”
“I think she’s a clone,” my mom said proudly. “Didn’t even need Cody for this one.”
They both chuckled.
“You’re stayin’ in here,” Eileen said as she opened a door. “When your pop called, we got to work. All the boys with homes in town gave up their rooms and we got ’em cleaned and ready for visitors.”
“You mean they’re not staying here?” my mom asked, a thread of steel in her voice.
“Oh, they’re stayin’ here,” Eileen said with a smirk. “But they’ve got bedrolls they know how to use. The boys who’re here full-time have too much shit in their rooms, so we didn’t bother tryin’ to move ’em.”
“Ah.” Mom nodded.
“And some of the boys headed north to help with the search,” Eileen said quietly. “But we’ve got plenty left down here.”
“Thank you,” my mom said with a sigh. “When it rains, it fucking pours.”
“It’s what family’s for, mama,” Eileen replied, reaching out to give my mom’s arm a squeeze. She turned to me. “This one’s a queen, so you and your man should fit. Might be snug though.”
“Oh, he’s not—”
“He probably won’t be sleeping much,” my mom said, cutting me off. “I have a feeling they’ll be up most of the night trying to figure shit out.”
“You’re probably right,” Eileen replied ruefully. “I brought in a portable crib—” She pointed to it in the corner. “Wasn’t sure if you’d use it or not, but just in case. And we’ve got plenty of babies around here if you find you’re needin’ somethin’ else you hadn’t thought of.”
“Thank you,” I told her, growing more and more comfortable with each word. This, this was what everyone else felt when they went home. This sense of belonging and safety and camaraderie. It had been longer than I could remember since I’d felt it, and I found myself swallowing against a lump in my throat.
“Here, sweetheart,” my mom said, setting the diaper bag on the bed. I hadn’t even realized that she’d been carrying it the whole time. “You two get comfortable while Ei shows me where your dad and I are staying. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, again,” I told Eileen as they moved to the door.
“It’s good to see you again, lovey,” she replied warmly.
As soon as the door was shut and I was alone in the room, I let out a sigh that felt like it came from the deepest parts of my chest. Finally, I could breathe again.
“I know it’s been a long day,” I said to Olive as I laid her down on the bed. “But at least tonight, we have some space to spread out and get some rest. First, though, I need to find a bathroom.”
She definitely wasn’t going anywhere, but I still put pillows on each side of her before grabbing my supplies and heading back into the hallway. The clubhouse was shaped differently than the one back home, but the logistics of the building were basically the same, and it was easy to find a bathroom. I smiled as I closed myself inside and inhaled the scent of cleaner. Eileen hadn’t been joking when she’d said they prepared for our visit. The bathroom looked like it hadn’t even been used since they’d cleaned it from top to bottom. I hurried through the motions and looked longingly at the shower before heading back to our room. The thought of a long shower where I could shave my legs and let the hot water soothe my muscles sounded like heaven.