Page 48 of JoJo

“I can handle that,” a woman called out from the door. I knew who it was, but the surprise I felt at hearing her voice here couldn’t be hidden. “I guess I deserved that,” she told me as she moved closer to the side of my bed. “Keys, they need you back at the clubhouse. We have some leads that only you or Quick can follow.”

Keys turned to me, ignoring the fact that our president had just given her orders. I nodded my head, and then she turned to leave. “Call if you need anything,” she said before heading off after her boyfriend and my husband.

Angel Girl set about getting a basic sponge bath ready for me. “I don’t know what I would have done today if you had been…” she cut herself off from saying the actual word. If I had been killed. “I’m an idiot. Even after I figured out what my issue was with you, after we talked about it and you were so gracious, I still let everything affect how I treated you. All the shit that went down with Sweet and the baby,” she started and then swiped at a tear falling freely down her cheek. “I thought when he was trying to get Quickshot to discourage a relationship between you and Steel that he was right. I didn’t want anyone else linking our two clubs together. The more that happens the more chance we have at shit going wrong later on. We’re not like the men. We don’t have chapters all over the country that women can disappear to if shit goes badly here, and the stubborn ass men aren’t going to move to get away from a woman.”

I laughed. “That’s exactly how I ended up meeting my husband, Angel girl.” She laughed too seeing the flaw in her own logic.

“Well, damn. I guess that’s true.”

“I understand where you’re coming from though. I get it. I get all of it. You can’t make yourself right with things that you’re still trying to work through,” I reminded her.

“Stop.” Her commanding tone would normally rub me the wrong way, but this time, I did just that and listened. “Don’t do that. Don’t justify away my actions, because I was being an ass, and there’s no way around that. You were even there to welcome us home when I brought my husband’s baby to the house after her mom signed her over.” She swiped at her face again, and then proceeded to start wiping the warm wash cloth she’d prepared across my face. I moaned at the gentle touch, and the thought I’d finally be free of the grime coating my body.

“I’m sorry, because I wasn’t there for you when you needed all of us. We could have dealt with your brother and forced his hand a long time ago, and we didn’t.” She sighed. “I should have been there for you when your dad passed, and I wasn’t. I don’t blame you for not being in my wedding.”

“Angel,” I started, but she just waved my words away as she rung out the wash cloth and moved down to my neck and ears.

“You need to hear this, and I need to say it. I’m so damn sorry, JoJo. I’ve been insensitive and downright bitchy to you for no reason. That ends. Today. Besides,” she grinned at me then as she stopped wiping the dirt from my collar bone that she’d exposed by pulling the ugly hospital gown I was wearing down. “Our kids are going to be the best of friends, so we need to get on board with that now.”

“Our kids?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “This one,” she stated while patting my belly gently, LeLi, and this one too,” she explained as she patted her own belly.

I just grinned at her. “I knew it!”

“Yeah, Sweet told me you were the reason he brought those tests home.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“Not yet,” she told me. I glanced to the side and saw that the ultrasound machine was still in the room.

“Maybe someone needs to go get my doc again,” I suggested only to hear Angel Girl squeal.

“Do you think they’d do it?”

“One way to find out,” I told her.

The minute Steel came back in the room Angel stood. “Do you mind?” She asked.

“Hell no, I don’t mind. Tell them to wheel another bed in here if they need to.” She giggled and all but ran out of the room.

“What was that all about?” Steel asked as he came and perched himself on the side of my bed.

“I tipped my head in the direction of the ultrasound machine. “She’s going to grab my Dr. Mac to see if he’ll come fire up the machine and take a look in her tummy.”

“I thought she couldn’t get pregnant?”

“Yeah, that’s kind of why she’s excited about having those test confirmed.”

“It’s damn good to see you smile like that Jo,” he told me as he pulled something from behind his back. As soon as the object came into view my heartbeat kicked up a few notches, and I tears welled in my eyes.

“For me?” I asked reverently.

“All for you, babe.” He handed over the bouquet of Dum Dums suckers that had been tied off with a pretty little blue ribbon at the base.

“This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me!”

“I bet it is. That’s a shit-ton of sugar, babe.”

I smacked him with the bouquet as we laughed. “Seriously though, maybe go easy on that stash. I don’t want your teeth rotting out of that pretty little mouth of yours.”

“Yes, sir!” I agreed as I popped one of the suckers out of the bunch, unwrapped it, and stuck it in my mouth. My groan of delight had Steel sitting up a bit straighter and adjusting his crotch.

“Jesus, babe!”

“Sowwy,” I managed to get out around a mouth full of root beer flavor. “So good.”

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