Changing Lanes (Devil's Knights 2nd Generation Book 4), page 12
I was pleasantly surprised when Royal had started cooking with me that she had skills in the kitchen. She also was a fast learner. I only had to show or tell her things one time, and then she was doing it on her own. I enjoyed cooking by myself, but it was also nice to have someone to share tasks with and talk to.
“You really didn’t have to do this, Bristol. I know you have a lot of cooking to do for everyone at Wyndemere.” Meg tossed her paper plate into the garbage and leaned back in her chair.
“There really isn’t much difference in cooking for six or twenty-six,” I pointed out. “Well, other than you need a lot more butter than you think you will.”
Royal laughed. “Yeah, that’s the truth. Bristol had told me how many pounds of butter we need to buy at the grocery store, and I about passed out.”
Meg grabbed the small container with a slice of cake inside. “I’m only going to have a bite and save the rest for Lo when he wakes up.” She winked at me and sniffed the cake.
I smiled softly. “I’m sure he’ll love that.”
“Or maybe he shouldn’t have this and I’ll just tell him about it.” Meg took a bite and moaned. “Yeah, this is all mine.”
Things were going good with King. Everyone was optimistic that he was going to recover as long as things kept progressing.
Sitting here with Meg just reinforced my thought that the love story between King and Meg was one for the storybooks. Her unwavering love and faith for King was enough to make me hope for my own happily-ever-after.
“Mom.”
I turned and saw a man who looked strikingly like Meg. In a manly way, but you could tell he was Meg’s son.
“Remy,” Meg called. “Come say hello to Royal and Bristol.”
Remy moved over to us and nodded to Royal and me.
Meg smiled. “Royal is Marco’s fiancée, and Bristol is Marco’s chef.”
Remy shook my hand. “Of course, Marco would have a beautiful fiancée and chef.”
I tipped my head to the side. I assumed the beautiful only referred to Royal and not me.
“I was hoping to sit with King for a little bit. Is that okay?” he asked Meg.
Meg closed the container of cake and licked her fork. “Of course. I’ll sit with you. The girls were nice enough to bring me dinner and meals for the next few of days.” Meg moved next to Remy and handed him the cake. “If you eat that, King will know. I was going to share it with him.” Meg winked at Royal and I.
“How will he know?” Remy laughed. “He’s taking a well-needed nap after being married to you for twenty-three years.”
Meg slapped him on the shoulder. “You just wait until he wakes up from that nap. He’s going to kick your ass when I tell him you said that.” Meg grabbed the cooler by the window and also handed that to Remy. “You can have that cake, but you are not touching what is inside the cooler. It’s mine,” she warned.
“He’ll agree with me, Mom.” Remy nodded to Royal and me. “It was nice meeting you two. And also, thank you for helping to take care of my mom. She says she won’t share what’s inside the cooler with me, but she can’t stay awake forever.”
“It’s what we do.” Royal smiled.
“Later, girls,” Meg called. “Take care of the boys until I can get back to the clubhouse.”
Meg and Remy walked back into King’s room and closed the door behind them.
“I pray to God King makes a full recovery,” Royal sighed. “I know I’m the new one to the club, but my heart will break if Meg doesn’t get her King back.”
I sighed and nodded. “That’s a damn truth.” I wasn’t a part of the club, but I knew how much Meg loved King.
“Now, let’s get back to Wyndemere.” Royal smothered a yawn with the back of her hand. “It’s getting to be nine o’clock.”
I bumped my hip into Royal. “You weren’t kidding when you said you would be knocked out by nine.” I wouldn’t be surprised if Royal was passed out before I even left the hospital parking lot.
“That’s mommy life for you,” she giggled.
“Let’s get you home before you pass out.” Royal led the way out of the hospital, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
Life changed in the blink of an eye.
Here I was walking out of the hospital with Marco’s fiancée after delivering meals to Meg Birch because her husband had a stroke.
We stepped out into the cool night and I wrapped my arms around my waist.
I had hoped to see Pie when we dropped food off at the clubhouse, but I had heard Zig jest that Pie was going to miss out because he was asleep in his room. I didn’t know if Pie had wanted it to be known that we were together the night before, so I didn’t ask any more about him.
“You okay?” Royal asked.
I pasted a smiled on my face. “I think I might be a little tired, too. I’m going to fall into bed exhausted tonight.” That was true, but I also hoped Pie would be in bed with me. That wasn’t going to happen.
Royal looped her arm through mine. “Chef life,” she joked. “I think mom life and chef life run along the same lines.”
Royal had way more on her plate than I did. Mom life was way more than what I was dealing with, even when it came to trying to figure out Pie. “Uh, sure,” I laughed.
“Are you sure you are okay?” she asked. “You look pretty tired.”
“Definitely.” I was okay, but my feelings were a jumbled mess when it came to Pie. We were in the middle of a pretty big conversation when his world crashed around him. Maybe that was a sign from the universe that Pie and I just didn’t belong together.
He had to be exhausted after spending the whole night at the hospital, just like everyone else was. As cheery as Meg appeared, I could tell she was hanging on by a thread.
“Maybe we could stop for ice cream on the way back to Wyndemere?” Royal suggested. “I bet Marco and the guys would like a little dessert, and you won’t have to do a thing.”
“You do know I don’t mind cooking for everyone, right?” I laughed.
“I know, but I think having a little break right now would be good for you.”
I sighed. “Only if we get Mr. Speed’s.”
“Since you’re telling me where we need to go, I have to assume the ice cream is going to be amazing.” She bumped into me. “Chef taste buds after all.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me. You don’t need to have chef taste buds to know that Mr. Speed’s has the best ice cream.”
I guess if I couldn’t have Pie tonight, ice cream would be a good consolation. I laughed at the hilarity of Pie’s name.
“What’s so funny?” Royal asked.
I waved my hand. “Nothing. I think ice cream sounds like a good idea.”
Ice cream tonight, and hopefully, I would have Pie tomorrow.
*
Chapter Seventeen
Lots of thinking…
Pie
“He’s awake.”
Snapper jumped up from his chair. “I want to see him,” he demanded.
Meg smiled wide and stepped into the waiting area. “As soon as they say he can have visitors, you’ll be the first one, Jonas. The doctor is just running some tests to see if he has any deficits.”
“Deficits?” Demon asked.
Meg ran her fingers through her hair. “Lo had some time where he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain. The longer that happened, the more damage it did to his brain.”
Rigid stopped pacing. “He has brain damage?”
“Right now, he might, but with therapy, it should reverse.” Meg’s eyes watered. “We’ll know more soon. He looked at me and whispered me name, so he at least knew who I was.”
“Holy fuck,” Gambler sighed.
The full weight of what happened to King settled over us.
King was alive, but he might not be the same man he was before the stroke.
“He’s still King,” Snapper croaked. His voice strengthened. “He’s still King,” he repeated. “He’s still the man who became my father. The man who for years has been our president. He’s still King.”
Meg reached out and grabbed Snapper’s hand. “You’re right, honey. Nothing will ever change any of that. He’s always going to be King.” Her words were strong, but a part of me wondered if she was trying to also convince herself.
“Lo,” Snapper corrected her. “He’s your Lo.”
Meg sniffled. “Always.” There were few people that called King by his real name. Meg, Snapper, Remy, and Ethel were the only ones King allowed to call him Lo. Zig had tried one time, and King had sucker punched him in the gut. That was the first and last time Zig had called him Lo.
“Ma’am.” A nurse walked into the waiting area. “We can have two visitors at a time now.”
Snapper moved before anyone else. “Let’s go, Mom.”
I had never heard Snapper call Meg “Mom” before. When he was growing up, he called her “Mama Meg,” and then when he got older, he just called her “Meg.” King and Meg always made sure Snapper knew who his mom and dad were and that they were amazing people who had been taken away from all of us too soon. They were Snapper’s second set of parents who kept Turtle’s memory alive.
Maybe the idea of losing King had made something shift inside of Snapper.
Maybe it had shifted something in all of us.
We had been family for so long that we had been taking each other for granted.
We were all lucky to have each other, and none of us were going to go another day taking it for granted.
Meg and Snapper headed through the swinging doors, and we all settled back into our chairs.
“I’m next,” Rigid called.
Demon chuckled. “We calling dibs?” he asked.
Rigid shrugged. “Do what you want because I already got dibs on next.”
Dad sat down next to me. “You doing okay?” he asked me.
“I guess as good as I can be.” I wasn’t really sure of anything other than I wanted to see King.
“Your mom went to the clubhouse to make lunch, and she said the fridge and freezer were all full.” Dad chuckled. “Whoever cooked just helped you guys dodge a bullet for the next couple of weeks.”
Thank God. I loved my mom to death, but she was just not a good cook. She always tried new things while she didn’t know how to make the basic things. And she also thought the strangest things would make good combinations.
Black olives and mac and cheese still haunted me to this day.
“Bristol,” I said.
Dad tipped his head to the side. “Who’s Bristol?”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, she works for Marco. She made some food for the club.”
“Some?” Dad asked. “Your mom said she had never seen so much food.”
“Well, she’s a chef. Food is her thing.” I had seen all of the food. It was impressive Bristol had been able to stock the fridge and freezers so full.
Dad nodded. “So, how long have you been seeing her?”
I sat back, shocked. “Uh, we’re no—”
“You’re really gonna deny it?” Dad shook his head and folded his arms over his chest.
I looked around the waiting room and leaned toward him. “How did you know?” I whispered.
Dad shrugged. “Just the feeling I got when you mentioned her. Same feeling I get about Luna.”
“You some kind of physic now?” I chuckled. “And what are you talking about with Luna?” How did Luna get into this?
Dad shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. I’m hoping I’m wrong about that feeling. Though your mother is sort of keen to it.”
I opened my mouth but closed it. Keen to what? What were mom and dad seeing about Luna that I wasn’t?
“So, Bristol?”
“Shh,” I hushed. “No one really knows.”
Dad quirked his eyebrow. “Why?”
It was odd that no one knew I was into Bristol, but I was still fighting with the idea that I wasn’t good enough for her. “Because she’s… She’s amazing, and I don’t know if I can be who she needs.”
Dad looked at me and furrowed his brow. “She tell you that?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Well, no, but the type of woman she is deserves someone that isn’t me.” Someone that wasn’t a biker and lived in a room at the clubhouse.
“Look around this room,” Dad ordered. “Tell me what you see.”
I looked at each of the guys waiting to see King. Paige and Fayth were also here. “I see my family and friends.”
“Drop the friends part, Brock. All of these people are your family.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “I see my family,” I corrected.
“Do you think any of the people in this room you’re not good enough for?”
I looked at Zig, who was trying to balance a magazine on his fingertip, and then Zag knocked it off. Rigid was talking to Gambler while he kept an eye on the swinging doors. “Well, I think Zig and Zag are dumbasses, but they’re still family.”
Dad laughed. “That is not what I was going for, but I can’t deny that.”
“Then what were you going for?” I asked.
“Each person in this room is special. They are some of the best people I have ever known.” Dad pointed his finger at me. “You included. If you’re telling me Bristol is too good for you, then she’s too good for anyone in this room, and that’s a load of shit. Get your head out of your ass, kid. I don’t know Bristol, but I can tell you that she’s not too good for you. Hell, you two are probably perfect for each other, but you’re stuck in your head.”
“You don’t know that,” I mumbled.
Dad slapped me on the back. “I do know that. I also know this, right here with King, should be making you open your eyes and realize things change in the blink of an eye. You need to take what you want, and enjoy it for as long as you can.” Dad gave me a knowing look and moved over by Rigid and Gambler.
I sighed and stretched my legs out in front of me. I had a lot to think about.
A fucking lot.
*
Chapter Eighteen
I’m sorry…
Bristol
“King was moved to rehab yesterday.”
I looked up from the dough I was kneading. “That’s great news.”
Royal hopped up on the stool and planted her elbows on the counter. “Meg said he’s doing amazing. His strength is coming back, and by the time he gets out of rehab, he shouldn’t need a walker or cane anymore.”
King had been in the hospital for eleven days. Each day, we got updates about his progress, and each day, he got better. He still had a few deficits, but they were all physical that King should be able to overcome. Thankfully, King didn’t have any mental deficits. Meg had said King was his same old self, and soon enough, he would be physically back, too.
“Marco was telling me last night that King is one lucky son of a bitch. Now that he’s getting better, Marco said King really had a fifty/fifty chance of either being dead or recovering.”
That was a sobering thought. Things could easily be different right now, but thankfully they weren’t. “Well, everyone kept saying he was a fighter, and it seems that everyone was right.” King sure was a stubborn one that knew it wasn’t time to die.
I sighed and rolled the dough to smooth the top.
“You okay?” Royal asked.
King had been in the hospital for eleven days, and that also meant it had been eleven days since I saw Pie.
Twice, I had gone to the clubhouse to deliver meals because I had an irrational fear they were all starving, and each time, Pie hadn’t been around. He had been sleeping the first time, and the second time, I heard that he was at the hospital visiting King. It wasn’t like he knew I was coming and hid in the corner when I showed up, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt that he wasn’t there.
In a moment of weakness, I had asked Murphy for his phone number. He had given it to me, but I didn’t have the guts actually to text or call him. Yeah, I was a chicken.
If he wanted to talk to me, he would call me, right?
Though I knew he probably didn’t have my number, he knew where I was.
Just like I knew where he was.
“Meg wants to have a welcome home party when King gets released from rehab.” Royal smiled wide.
I plopped the dough back into the bowl and laid a towel over it. “That should be fun.”
“I told her I would plan the whole thing.”
Wow. That was a pretty big undertaking. “That should be fun.”
Royal laughed. “You said that already.”
I was just shocked that Royal had volunteered to plan King’s party. She had a lot going on with Kane and also making time for Marco. She was doing great at it, but I knew she struggled some days.
The doorbell rang, and Royal jumped up. “That should be Indy!” She ran to the door. “I’m getting the door, Apollo,” she called.
Royal had gotten into the habit of shouting to Apollo what she was doing and where she was going once she learned that there were cameras all over Wyndemere. She didn’t care about it; she actually thought it was funny. She tried to be one step ahead of the guys by announcing what she was doing before she did it.
“I sort of figured you would get it since I saw it was Indy, Meg, Reva, and Pie at the door,” Apollo called from the security room. “I do know things before you do, Royal.”
Royal huffed. “Whatever,” she shouted.
I was still stuck on Apollo’s words. Indy, Reva, Meg, and Pie were here.
Pie was here.
I wished I could just run for the hills, but I was in the middle of making bread and rolls. The longest I was going to be able to disappear would be about twenty minutes, and then I was going to have to punch down the dough and start the next proof. Dammit. Of course I had decided to make bread today which tied me to the kitchen.
“She’s in the kitchen,” I heard Royal say.
Oh great. Either they were all headed this way, or maybe just Pie was headed this way.
The girls walked into the kitchen with Pie right behind them.
