Page 93 of Grim

Skid hugged him, then reached into the box and pulled out a leather jacket with Satan’s Fury MC Little Rock embroidered on the back. I wanted to congratulate him, so I walked over and stood next to Lawson. Skid was beaming with pride as he slipped on his new cut. Emotion filled his eyes as he ran his fingers across the embroidery.

Lawson’s voice was strained as he told him, “Looks good on ya.”

“I can’t believe it.” Skid was all smiles as he said, “I really did it.”

“Never doubted you for a second.” Lawson gave him a big hug and a pat on the shoulder. “You did good, son. You did real good.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

I don’t know who looked more excited- father or son. Not that it mattered. It was a special moment that was made even more special because they were able to share it with each other. They talked for a few minutes, and then Lawson went over and grabbed a couple of cold beers from the cooler and headed back over to me. As he offered me one, I told him, “I didn’t know Skid was patching in tonight.”

“It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“Well, I think it was great. He seemed really happy.”

“He deserved it. He worked hard and it paid off.”

Once he finished talking to one of the other brothers, I stepped over and gave him a quick hug as I said, “Congratulations.”

“Thanks, Jen. Appreciate it.”

I’d just released him from my hug when Lawson leaned over to me and said, “Jud and Stacie are here.”

“Really?” A strange look marked Skid’s face as he turned and started searching for them. “I didn’t know they were coming.”

As soon as he spotted them, Skid left us and went over to greet them. He spoke to Jud for a moment, then turned his attention to Stacie. It was obvious by the way he was talking to her that he was interested in her, and I couldn’t blame him.

She looked stunning in her short skirt and black cowboy boots. Her sweater was slightly fitted and showed off all of her curves, but not overly so. She had her hair down, and it was curled loose around her shoulders. It was clear she’d taken a good bit of time and care to get ready for the party, and it had paid off.

She’d drawn the attention of one of the nicest guys around. I could see her blushing from across the room, so I told Lawson, “I’m gonna go over and say hey.”

“Go ahead. I’ll catch you in a bit.”

“Grab a beer for Stacie. Looks like she’s gonna need it.”

“Sure thing.”

I walked over, and Stacie’s face lit up when she saw me. “Hey! You’re here!”

“I wouldn’t miss it.” I reached over and hugged her. “Grim told me you guys might stop by. I’m really glad you decided to come.”

“I don’t think we’ll stay long.”

“That’s okay. We’ll make the best of it while you’re here.” I motioned to the back. “Why don’t we go find a table?”

“That would be great.”

We wedged our way through the crowd, and by the time we got to a table, Lawson had made his way over with the beers. We sat down, and it wasn’t long before Memphis and Ghost came over and sat down with us. Stacie leaned in close as she whispered, “I never knew bikers were so hot.”

“Yeah, they’re not so bad.”

“No, not bad at all.”

Stacie drank her beer and then another. She wasn’t much of a drinker, so it was no surprise that it only took the two to give her a buzz. She was all smiles as she looked over to Memphis and asked, “I hope you don’t mind, but I gotta ask... How’d you get a nickname like Memphis? Is there a hidden meaning behind it, or did you like Elvis or something?”

“Nah, it ain’t got nothing to do with Elvis.” Memphis had a Jax Teller look about him with his shaggy blond hair and baby blues, and he had a similar gruff attitude. “It’s where I was conceived.”

“Seriously?”

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