Page 25 of Ink

“Ha!” I bark out a laugh and slap the table. This guy. Who lobbies for their own high rank in a list they themselves have decided to put together? “So you think you rank above everyone else?”

“Not everyone,” he mumbles, and I can see his ears tinge pink, his embarrassment more visible from drinking. “Fuck you, asshole. Where do you think you rank?” He haphazardly shoves the pad back toward me. “If you think you’re above Artemis you’re fucking insane.”

Artemis has a pretty face, and he has to be using some of those creams that were now strewn all over my bathroom sink. Smooth as a baby, that one. “No, not Artemis. Definitely you, though.”

“Okay, so if I’m number five you can be number four,” he concedes as if he’s doing me some sort of favor. “So top three. Artemis, obviously.”

I struggle to focus on what we’ve written down. Ten minutes ago this seemed like the best idea we’d ever had and now I can’t remember why. “Detroit!” I yell out like a cheerleader. “Detroit is number one!”

Rider scowls but reaches for the pad and begins writing with far more concentration than should be necessary. “De-tro-it,” he whispers, and I think he’s sounding it out.

“Okay-” I begin but I’m cut off by my phone buzzing like a jackrabbit on the table.

Carmen

I have tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard. I reach forward and place two more cards side by side.

“No. Hell no! Can you imagine my mom in her pantsuit and pantyhose, looking all proper and sitting beside Griz?” She snorts. “Try again.”

“Who had any idea a seating chart was this difficult? I mean just let people seat themselves.”

Rayleighn’s eyes bug out at me right before she crosses them. “Are you kidding me? That’s how we’d end up having at least three fights during our reception. Rider has the entire club coming and a ton of people he knows from the community. I have like four people coming and have to strategically place them around the room.”

I take another sip of my cream soda. I thought it was odd that Rayleighn didn’t offer me any wine tonight but she was in full wedding mode and my guess is she’s watching everything she eats and drinks. She’s been nursing a bottle of water all night and randomly eating Ritz crackers. I’ve tried not to consume an entire sleeve because I thought we’d eat dinner, but when I got here she was already set up for wedding planning and the kitchen table was covered with all of the supplies to make the seating chart and place cards.

“So not that I don’t love cream soda but are you nervous about fitting into your dress? Oh God, are you nervous I’m not going to fit in my dress?” I start trying to look around at my butt. “Has my butt grown that much since I moved into Ink’s house?”

Rayleighn pins me with a look. “No, I don’t think you’ve gained weight. If anything I bet you’ve lost weight. I bet you and Ink have been burning off lots of calories in that bed of his.” Her eyes wiggle up and down at me. “If you know what I mean.”

I bark a laugh, not even attempting to hold it in or hide my smile. “I wouldn’t say that but yeah, we’ve burned off a few calories. Not so much at first but we’re going steady.”

She stops what she’s doing to look at me. “Oh my gosh! Are you getting shy on me? You literally are the dirtiest talking woman I have ever met in my life and now that you’ve got a man you’re getting all shy about talking about sex? I don’t believe it.”

“Shhh. Would you be quiet? The last thing I need is for Lucia to go back to school next week and tell them I heard my mommy is taking the big d. I’m sure that would go over well and I’d get a call from the school.” Ray laughs. “I’m not getting shy though, so you can get that out of your head right now.”

She resumes looking at the place cards we have laid out on the table. “I’m pregnant.”

She says it so casually, like telling me she had just seen a good movie or the grocery store was having a sale on produce. My jaw drops open and I immediately squeal. “What? I need all of the details girl! How far along are you? Oh my God, that’s why you gave me cream soda. I knew something was up. I should have known.”

“Eh, don’t feel bad that you didn’t guess. I just found out about a week ago and it’s really soon so we aren’t saying too much about it yet. Mrs. Lopez knows and I’m sure Rider will tell at least one or two people because let’s face it the guys gossip more than we do.”

I laugh because it’s true. All of the guys in the club know each other’s business. “Well, congratulations! That’s exciting! A little baby brother or sister for Colton. I bet he will be thrilled, and Lucia will have another playmate. They can all grow up together.”

“Exactly. Now I just have to walk down the aisle first.” She looks back to the place settings spread out on the table. “And not have a fight at my wedding reception.”

I laugh again because seriously with this bunch there’s a good chance a fight will break out no matter where she seats everyone. “Did you invite any of the club honeys to the wedding?”

Her movements stop. “Are you kidding me?”

“What?” I hold up my hands in a what-the-hell gesture. “I figured you didn’t but I just wanted to ask and find out for sure.”

“That would be a firm no. I thought about it, I really did.”

I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think I’d invite them either. Bless their hearts. I see them walking around the clubhouse and I get their purpose and that some of them are genuinely nice but I just don’t get it. I want them to have more self-respect for themselves. Most of them have been around for several years and none of the guys are going to make them their ol’ ladies.”

She nods in agreement. “Yeah, I get that but I can also see their side. I thought about it a lot right after Rider and I got engaged. Most of them have no family, no other friends outside the club, and had some serious problems going on in their lives when they first came around. They found stability with the club, the guys offered them safety, a place to stay and they get an allowance for doing things around the clubhouse and working at the club’s businesses.”

I start to argue but the argument dies before I can even get any of it out. She’s right. I don’t know these girls. The little amount of time I’ve spent around them hasn’t allowed me to get to know them and the few times I have it has been catty experiences that I’m not proud of. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

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