“No human cargo. You have my word,” Chaser promises.
“As long as they’re not stepping on our business, then I don’t see a problem,” Rock says.
“Appreciate that, Rock.”
Z shrugs. “We understand that family shit gets complicated sometimes.”
Ah, Z. Always good with the subtle digs for information.
“You’re not fucking kidding.” Chaser holds out his hand to Rock, then Z, not giving up another piece of information. “Thank you.” He motions toward the party. “Enjoy yourselves tonight.”
As we’re heading back to the main event, Chaser falls in step with me. “Saw that Shelby’s first song is already blowing up the charts.”
“Yeah.” My mouth curves up. “Proud of her.”
“I know Shelby and Angelina working together was a success.” He smiles like a proud papa bear. “But how’d Shelby feel about working with Dawson?”
“She loved the experience once she got over the jitters. He treated her well. He was certainly more than generous with us staying at his place and everything.”
“Good. Glad to hear it. He should be here tonight, by the way.”
“He mentioned it before we left.”
Chaser glances up, scanning the crowd. “Mal’s gonna kill me if I talk too much business tonight.”
“Well, technically it’s not our business, so she should give you a pass.”
He lets out a sharp laugh. “I’ll remember that.”
“Congrats, by the way. Thirty years is something else.”
“Not that you asked, but the biggest thing I’ve learned is to always remember you’re on the same team. It’s true of any marriage, but especially in our world.” He nods at my cut. “At the end of the day, club or no club, you always gotta be in each other’s corner, you know?”
Well, fuck if that doesn’t explain exactly how I feel about Shelby. “That makes a lot of sense.”
He slaps my shoulder. “Notice you patched her, so I thought that might help.”
“It does.” A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. “I have something else planned soon too, so that advice will come in handy.”
“What advice is my husband handing out?” Mallory’s soft voice breaks into our conversation. She slides up to Chaser’s side, threading her arm through his.
He leans in and kisses her forehead. “Get everyone sorted?”
“I did.” She glances at me. “I lost Shelby to Angelina, though. They’re somewhere upstairs.”
“Shelby was looking forward to seeing her. They had a great time in Nashville.”
Mallory beams. “That’s what we heard.”
By the time we reach the rest of the party, Shelby has returned. Wearing a short, shiny blue dress that matches my club’s colors, she’s breath-taking.
“We’ll catch you later, Rooster,” Chaser says.
I creep up behind Shelby and slide my arms around her waist. “You look real fuckin’ sexy in this dress wearing my patch.”
She slides her hands over my arms and leans back, angling her head to stare up at me. “Where have you been?”
“Talking to Chaser.”
“Congratulations, Rooster,” Angelina says.
Shoot, I’m so worked up over Shelby, I didn’t notice she was in the middle of a conversation with Angelina and some of the other girls.
“For?”
“Patching your girl.”
“Thanks.”
She reaches out and pats Shelby’s arm. “I need to get in my seat, but I’ll be back after dinner.”
“Okay.”
Shelby turns and rests her hands on my shoulders. “Isn’t this pretty?”
“You’re pretty.”
She laughs softly. “I mean the house and the courtyard. Angelina says there’s a pool and gardens out back.”
“It’s quite a place.” I lead her to our table and pull out a chair next to Heidi.
Between dinner and dessert, one of Chaser’s friends stands and bangs his knife against a glass to capture our attention.
“Uh-oh!” Chaser’s father, Stump, shouts in his gravel-laden voice. “Alvin’s about to drop all the pennies.”
“You know it old man.” Alvin stands and ducks his head for a second. From here, it looks like he’s consulting some notes.
Finally, he raises his glass. “It feels like a lifetime ago,” he chuckles, “actually, I guess it has been a lifetime since Chaser and Mallory met.” He glances at the couple of honor and flashes an affectionate smile. “Never thought the bonehead sittin’ up there would fall so hard for any woman. But Mallory’s not just any woman. And let me tell you, these two were inseparable right from the beginning.”
Someone rips a shrill whistle. “Can you blame him?”
Chaser laughs.
“No fuckin’ way!” someone else yells. Howls of agreement fill the air.
Alvin relaxes his posture, clearly settling in for a long story. “Although many years have gone by, there’s one specific event that made me certain a day would come when I’d be standing here giving this toast. Hopefully, Mallory will forgive me for sharing the story.”
Mallory leans forward, curiosity crinkling her forehead. “I’m scared to ask.”
“Choose wisely, Chipmunk,” Chaser warns with a less amused half-smile.
“You’ll appreciate this one.” He winks at Chaser. “So, this is back in our music days, obviously.” Alvin flashes a warm smile at the partygoers—a large gathering of bikers, musicians, and family. Even Mallory’s cantankerous father seems to be listening with rapt attention.