Jaded: (Beautiful Biker MC Romance Series), page 33
She babbled on the way down about the aunt’s complaints about being unable to keep food down, how she felt the worst she’d felt in her life. G talked about how she’d need to go clean the place, change the sheets, be there for her for errands that needed to be done. Talking about the aunt having nobody to help.
She talked about the aunt trying to get some medication that was supposed to help with the endless nausea, and then she read me shit she found online about remedies. Some acupuncture wristbands she’d heard about, how ginger might help with the nausea.
She muttered she’d make sure to stop by the nursing home to pick up her last paycheck, some holiday pay.
Normally, I couldn’t listen to someone babble for three fuckin’ hours, but I was finding myself surprisingly unannoyed.
I stopped at a grocery store once we were inside the Sioux Falls city limits.
“Oh,” she said, “I gotta get my holiday pay first. I don’t have any money to – ”
“You think I’m not gonna help out?”
“I’ve got a couple hundred bucks coming but my old boss said it wasn’t ready. She’d text me when it was. But I haven’t heard from her.”
“Don’t sweat it, I’ve got you.”
“She couldn’t get me that pay before I went on the unpaid vacation.” She rolled her eyes.
A minute later, she said, “Aunt Francie’s not very good about paying money back when you get something that she didn’t ask for, and-”
“I don’t give a shit. Let’s go get whatever shit you think’ll help. I’m not bothered about the money.”
“If you’re with me a couple days you won’t get paid from the garage, though, and…”
“Babe, I’m not rollin’ in it, but I have low overhead. Live at the clubhouse for free, own this truck and my Harley, so no payments. The garage pays well, and the club pays profit-sharing. They’re not into shady shit these days, so while we pay dues, we’ve got investments and Deke pays profit-sharing on those. I’ve got money in the bank. I’m not worried about it. I’m happy to cover you.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Most chicks are happy to let their man put his hand in his pocket for her.”
“Guess I’m not most chicks,” she said, smiling.
“Thank fuck for that.”
She was still all smiles as we went into the store. I told her to get whatever she figured her aunt needed while I bought some beer for later.
And now that we were at the aunt’s, she handed us shit almost non-stop from the minute we walked in. When she wasn’t puking or moaning.
I wasn’t heartless, had sympathy for how she was feeling, but she was unnecessarily bitchy beyond that, like us coming to look after her was her doin’ a favor for Gigi instead of it being the other way around.
I’d been directed to the second bedroom with our bags, hearing her bitching through the thin walls.
“I’m already feelin’ like shit, shittier than I’ve felt in my fuckin’ life, girl, and you hand me this?”
“Aunt Francie, Jesse’s amazing. He’s here for me and he already helped by buying all the stuff I got at the store.”
“Didn’t ask for nothin’.”
“I know. But I’m here for you. I promise, you don’t have to fret about Jesse being here.”
“Bullshit is what this is. I need to lie down.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Can’t. Throwin’ up air for fuck’s sake.”
“I’ll make you some broth and get you some ginger ale.”
“Don’t want nothin’, Gianna. I’m tired of barfing and anything that goes down comes right back up.”
“Try. A few sips. We got you some anti-nausea wristbands and some ginger lozenges, along with some natural ginger anti-nausea pills. Did the doctor say when your prescription would come?”
“It’s on the way.”
I looked around the little guest room. Little was an understatement. Smaller even than my room in the clubhouse, space taken up with a futon with a bunkbed over top of it. Small television set on a dresser. Little closet filled with boxes. I opened the blinds on the puny window and cranked the sunroof open to get some air in here. It smelled like fake flowers and stale cigarettes. I tossed the bags and her purple box of girl shit on the top bunk. The bottom futon would open up to a double and it’d nearly touch the door when it was open.
I heard gagging noises from the bathroom walking by a minute later, finding Gigi in the kitchen area that fed into the living room with a small island in between, three stools in front of it. I sat on one while she warmed up a can of soup on the stove.
“This isn’t gonna be fun,” she whispered, looking frazzled.
I shrugged. “Not everything’s fun, babe. That’s life.”
She huffed out a sigh while pouring from the pot to a bowl.
“Really not fun, though. You don’t have to stay.”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I cracked open a beer and moseyed over to the couch, finding a remote control and turning the TV on.
She went down the hall with a tray and I turned the volume up when I heard the aunt’s voice again, doing more bitching.
***
“Everyone gets a little miserable when they’re not feeling well,” she whispered in the dark.
“Miserable? That woman makes miserable look like a day at the fuckin’ carnival,” I muttered.
She giggled and put her mouth into my throat to stifle it. I wrapped my arms around her.
When her giggle tapered off, she put her mouth to my earlobe and gently pulled on it.
“Nuh uh,” I denied. “These walls are paper thin and you’re a moaner.”
She playfully slapped my shoulder. “Stop being right.”
I snickered. “I like the moaning, like knowin’ I’m the one making you make that sound. Not sure your aunt’d feel the same.”
She shook with silent laughter, then whispered, “We can go fool around in your truck.”
“You’re on,” I said against her mouth and then we tiptoed outside and proceeded to fog up my windows.
***
The kissing escalated to groping. She was straddling me and toying with my fly, ready to pull me out when I got the feeling there were eyes on us.
“Stop, baby,” I advised and grabbed her wrist. “Back inside.”
“Why?” she panted. “What’s wrong?”
“Now,” I ordered, doing up my button, then ushering her back inside.
As the door snicked shut, I locked it and put my hand to the inside pocket of my jacket where I had my gun.
I slipped two fingers between the blind slats, about to peer out when I heard a scratchy voice call out,
“What the fuck, girl?”
“Need something, Aunt Francie?” Gigi called.
The woman was in the mouth of the short hall, glaring at us.
“I need you to have some goddamn class is what I need. Not be out fuckin’ in his truck in my driveway like a little slut where my neighbors can see you.”
My anger rose and it was ready to pop the cork.
“We wanted a little privacy,” Gigi defended, grabbing my hand and squeezing, imploring me with her touch not to react. “And not to disturb you since you were finally getting some rest. Nobody was out there, and we were only making out.”
The woman continued to glare at her with ugliness.
“Lady, why don’t you have some class instead,” I snapped.
“Excuse me?” she volleyed, crossing her arms, her scowl making the lines on her face etch even deeper.
“It costs you nothin’ to say nothing about what you know we were doin’. There was nobody watching us besides you. Your niece has been bustin’ her ass all day for you. Cooking, cleaning your place, cleaning up puke, washing your clothes, not to mention doing all that while listening to your fuckin’ verbal abuse when she went out of her way to travel three hours to be here for you today. She wants five minutes alone to kiss her man and have some privacy after all that shit before she tries to get to sleep so she can be here for you again tomorrow and you feed her this?”
I turned my gaze to the blinds and looked out. I saw nothing moving out there. Probably felt her eyes on us through the window. That said, I’d text the boys in the falls and ask them if they could do drive-bys. They had two prospects who drove all night every night goin’ by houses of vulnerable family members to be on the safe side what with the Jackals bullshit lately.
Deke already texted to tell me he talked to Rudy who was happy to lend support, offering to ferry things in.
This chapter being a lot bigger than ours has advantages. They have five or six prospects at all times whereas the Aberdeen chapter generally has two or three.
“I don’t need this abuse in my own goddamn house while I’m sick,” she scowled and then turned her back to me. She then let out a shuddering moan, grabbing the wall.
Gigi rushed to her side. “I’ll help you get back to bed, Aunt Francie.”
The woman aimed a scowl at her but leaned on her as G walked her into the bedroom at the end of the hall.
***
Three days later that felt like thirty, I could take no more. And just in time, my mother and Archer showed, bringing supplies along with the wig, which was rushed since Francie had been losing big handfuls of her hair, which made her even bitchier.
They got into an argument in the bathroom the day before when Gigi encouraged her to shave it and wear a scarf. The woman shrieked for her to get out. And she didn’t just mean out of the bathroom, she meant out of the trailer.
Later on, she bitched that Gigi did a load of our clothes in her machines, complaining about her electric bill going up because we were there. I’d had about enough of that woman three hours after we got here, never mind how I was feeling three days later.
Gigi sat on the couch and put her head in her hands while her aunt hoarsely shouted from the bedroom while my mother and Arch stood in the doorway. This was the first sign her patience was slipping. She was trembling with pent-up frustration. I put my arm around her and kissed the side of her head. She melted into me.
To say it’d been a rough few days was an understatement. Not only was the woman not getting any relief from the extra meds sent over, each time she spoke to her niece, she was ugly to her. Like Gigi was the one that injected the cancer into her.
My girl pleaded with her eyes every time something ugly was said, not wanting me to fan the flames. And it was a test of will to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t always win out and I’d bit back more than a couple times.
But when Ma and Arch pulled up and Francie had another hissy fit about company being here, I was past my limit.
“Gianna Jones, you get in here right now and answer me. Who’s here and why?” she demanded from the other room. Gigi shot Ma and Arch apologetic looks and then rushed to her.
We heard them through the useless walls.
“Jesse’s parents brought more groceries and did us a favor, bringing something I wanted to surprise you with.”
“I don’t need this shit. Cancer was a surprise enough. More people in my house when I’m feelin’ like this? What is wrong in your head, girl?”
“They’re just lending a hand.”
“I don’t want nobody in, I said. Don’t know how much plainer I can make it. Where are my cigarettes? Did that fuckin’ biker take ‘em?”
Fuck sakes. Another thing. When she wasn’t puking, she was puffing on a cigarette. She called me ‘that fuckin’ biker’ every time she mentioned me to Gigi. As for the smokes, she’d seen me outside smoking and wrongly assumed I was smoking her cigarettes.
I already decided I was giving them up after this. Soon after this. No way did I need to fight nicotine withdrawal while dealing with this woman, but as soon as we were home I’d be weaning myself off. They were already tasting like shit what with watching her smoke, listening to her hack her brains out in between puking her guts up.
I put the box of groceries on the island and stormed that way.
“JJ,” Ma warned.
I did my best to blow the rage out of my nose so I wouldn’t spew it out of my mouth.
I got to the doorway and opened it two inches.
“Francie, nobody’s here for a social call. You need help, so you’re getting it. Stop worrying about shit that doesn’t matter.”
She was in the bed, hair looking limper and much thinner and her face looking just as grey as it did when we got here. She probably lost weight the last three days too, unable to hold anything down. I wasn’t a heartless prick about her illness, but was sick and tired of the way she was treating my girl, who was running herself ragged to do everything she could to help.
Gigi wasn’t up in her aunt’s grill, hovering like an annoying mosquito. She was taking care of her and giving her space to rest. But this bitch didn’t appreciate any of it. She hadn’t said thank you once in three days. She’d done nothing but bitch about stupid shit like leaving the light on when nobody was in the bathroom at night. Gigi calmly defended everything, showing the patience of a saint. She explained it was left on not to run the electric bill up but to make sure she could find her way to the bathroom in the dark since she was up and down all night puking, refusing to just use the bucket Gigi left in the bedroom for her.
My woman had infinite patience outwardly, but I could see the tiredness and the pain in her eyes and would stand up and fuckin’ slow clap if Gigi finally lost it and gave Francie a deserved piece of her mind.
“I’ll put a pot of coffee on since they drove down here from Bismarck, let ‘em use your can before they leave, and other than that, we’ll be sittin’ outside on your deck. Acceptable?”
She looked at me with shrewd, angry eyes. “Acceptable.”
She flipped the blanket up and gave us her back.
I flipped Francie’s back the bird, then gestured with my head for my girl to follow me.
She drooped dramatically with an eyeroll as she walked down the hall and I put an arm around her. “I’ll hold you up, baby.”
I flashed a smile.
“God, you’re amazing,” she said, “I will love you forever.”
And then she straightened and closed her eyes tight, blowing out a breath, looking like she’d just fucked up huge. Her eyes then hit my face, panicked, like that was a slip that could buy her trouble. Scare me off. Something. Whether it was just a turn of phrase, or she actually meant it, she was getting a reward for saying it.
I pinned her against the wall and laid a hot and heavy kiss on her. And then I held her face in both hands and stared into her eyes. Communicating.
She looked dazed and afraid at the same time. I hoped my expression told her I liked what I heard.
I then tugged her hand and pulled her outside where Ma and Archer were already sitting.
I pulled out a deck chair, sat, and pulled G onto my lap, kissing the side of her head.
“Breathe, baby,” I coaxed as she melted into me, tears springing forth in her pretty eyes.
Ma gazed at my girl like she was an angel. So was Arch.
“Thank you for coming, guys, I’m so, so sorry about that,” Gigi told them.
“The bar had a flood two days ago,” Arch responded.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “I wouldn’t have let you guys come if I’d known that. Why didn’t you say?”
“It’s closed for probably two weeks while the repairs are happening, so it wasn’t a problem,” Ma answered. “You’ve really got your hands full here, Gia. So, we’re gonna stay and help you out.”
Gigi straightened in my arms. “Huh?”
“I’ll call Delia, ask her to give you guys a room at the club,” I said, lighting a smoke.
“Yeah?” Ma asked. “She’ll do that? It’d be nice not to have to pay for a motel.”
”’Course she would,” Arch piped up. “Delia’s a peach. Rude and me are friends, go way back. But we can afford a motel.”
“I know we can,” Ma rolled her eyes, “But if we don’t have to pay for one, why would we? Extra money for us to put toward the RV.”
“RV?” I asked.
“Yeah. I don’t camp. That sad excuse for a camper he’s tryin’ to get me to sleep in? No. Won’t cut it. If he wants to camp, we are doin’ it in style. We’re saving up for an RV. A nice one. Saving a coupla hundred bucks on hotel rooms this week, that’ll go in the RV fund.”
Arch smiled big. “What my lady wants, she gets.”
“Damn straight. Now, we can stay the week and help out. You need to go back to Aberdeen, JJ, go ahead. We’ll take care of your girl and her aunt. Come back in a week and we’ll go back. Maybe by then, she’ll be feeling a little better.”
“Oh no,” Gigi breathed. “You guys are so sweet. I can’t let you-”
“Family,” Ma answered.
“I’m-” Gigi tried to protest.
“Family,” Ma repeated.
“You won’t win this argument,” I told my girl softly.
She sank deeper into me. “Thank you, Fern. Archer.”
“Our pleasure, darlin’,” Arch said. “Before Jesse heads out, you two go on out and have yourselves a few hours to yourselves. Go out for a nice meal or somethin’. We’ve got things here.”
“Oh no, she-” Gigi started, but stopped abruptly when Ma reached across the table and held out her hand.
Gigi stared at it, so Ma wiggled her fingers until my girl reached out and took her hand.
“Trust me, sweetie.”
Gigi nodded. “Maybe an hour.”
“Good girl. Go on, you two,” Ma insisted.
“She just had the anti-nausea ginger stuff. When I can convince her to take it, she usually sleeps for a little. But if she wakes up to strangers in her house, she’s gonna lose it.”
“I’m her new nurse. She’ll be fine. Arch, run to Walmart and buy me a cheap pair of scrubs.”
I laughed.
“You’re serious?” Arch asked.
“When am I not serious?” Ma volleyed.
“That sounds familiar,” Gigi muttered.
I laughed again.
She looked into my eyes. “God, you’re handsome when you laugh.”
I stopped laughing.
“You’re handsome all the time, but I wish I were funnier, so I could make you laugh all the time. Need my purse and a quick tinkle. One second.”
