Page 83 of Sweet Anarchy

"My Dad," I smile. "His friends used to call him that. Speaking of, I just spotted some of mine. I need to say hi too. Please grab a drink from the bar. Volts will look after you."

I rush past them, squealing as I tackle Carmen, Jeremy and Jasmine.

"Rylee!" Carmen laughs. "Argh, it's been too long."

"Way too long," I agree. "I'm so happy you guys made it. Hopefully the drive wasn't too long?"

Jeremy laughs. "Have you seen the way Jas drives? She practically cut the time in half."

Jasmine hits him playfully. "I was not speeding. You're just being a baby."

He rubs his shoulder. "No, you were speeding. Anyway, why are there so many bikers here?" he asks, looking around. "Friends of yours?"

I nod. "They sure are. Don't worry, you'll love them. Chuck is lingering around if you want to say hi."

"I'm here," comes a voice from behind me. Chuck kisses my cheek, resting his head on my shoulder. "Good to see you guys again. It's been awhile. Ry, your Mom is looking for you."

"I better go and check on her. Bars aren't really her thing," I laugh. "Look after them for me," I say to Chuck, waving goodbye to my old roommates.

Mom is pretty easy to spot, her blonde hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the corner of the room. She's huddled in a booth with Gareth, clutching a glass of wine.

I make my way over, resisting the urge to laugh at the look on her face. She spots me approaching, quickly masking her expression.

"There you are," she says, sipping on her wine. "Congratulations, Rylee."

"Thanks, Mom," I reply, raising an eyebrow at her clenched fist. "You don't need to be stressed."

She looks at me accusingly. "I'm not."

Gareth laughs. "She's a little stressed. We're fine though. Asher is bringing her drinks often."

"He's a good man," I snort. "Stop stressing, Mom. No one is going to rob you or shoot the place up."

Mom stares at me with wide eyes. "That's not funny. But… you have insurance on the place, right?"

I nod. "Yes, I have insurance. We have it all sorted. Just… keep drinking. You'll be fine. And the bikers don't bite."

Her gaze flickers over the numerous leather jackets floating through the crowd. She swallows, taking a large gulp of wine. "I know. We'll stay for a bit then we are going to spend the night at the house before heading back to the ranch tomorrow. I hope that's okay."

"You're always welcome at the house. It's still yours, at least until I can buy it from you when I make enough money from the bar," I tell her softly. "I'm just happy you came."

"I'm proud of you," she says softly. "For all of you."

I smile at her, proud of the way our relationship has grown the past few months. They have finally come to accept the relationship I have with the guys, and we make a point of calling each other once a week. I even promised to visit at Christmas and ride a stupid horse, just for her.

Phoebe couldn't believe it when I told her. She found it absolutely hilarious that I was going to go to the ranch, knowing I'm not a country girl in the slightest. She was meant to be here tonight with me, but I received a panicked call about an hour before opening, telling me she was on the way to the hospital with Con as her water had broken. I guess my new little nephew and I are going to share a special date in common.

"Asher mentioned he has a new job as well," Gareth chimes in. "Assistant coach to the college football team."

"Yeah," I nod. "Then he will probably take over as coach when he finishes his studies next year. That's the plan anyway."

"What's the plan?" Zayn asks, suddenly popping up next to me.

I jump, whacking him in the ribs. "Don't scare me like that."

"Ow. See the way she treats me," he groans to Gareth, before breaking out in a grin. "I love it when you're rough," he whispers into my ear, making me blush.

"Where's Blake?" I ask him, looking into the crowd.

---