Page 55 of Tripp

“Why are your women already here?” Tripp asked his friend. “Some business I should know about?”

“Nope. Nothing that exciting. They didn’t wanna ride with us ’cause they didn’t wanna ruin their outfits.” He shook his head as if the women were being ridiculous, but I completely sided with them. “Hey, before I forget. Can you come to my next bout? Ryder was supposed to but he said he’s got somethin’ going on.”

“Yeah. No problem.” Tripp had told me that they had an undefeated, underground MMA fighter in the club. I guessed this was him.

“Great. Okay, I better go find Kena before Breck makes another attempt.”

“Fuckin’ Breck,” Tripp grumbled. “He brought Arianna with him.”

Jagger’s eyes flicked to mine. “Asshole.”

“Yeah.”

And that was it for their exchange. Jagger rushed across the lot, and I found his eagerness sweet. Or maybe it was to protect his woman from the likes of Breck. Either way, I liked him.

The next to approach was Hawke. Him I knew, having talked to him on occasion at Indulge when Tripp had sent him in to watch over me. He’d told me he was just there to make sure there were no issues, but I knew his presence had been geared toward me. I couldn’t say I minded, though; after everything that’d happened, I welcomed the extra sense of security.

“Hey, Reece. How are ya?” Surprisingly, he leaned in to kiss my cheek, a gesture which earned him a growl from his older brother.

“All right,” Tripp admonished. “That’s enough.”

“What? I’m just sayin’ hello.” Hawke chuckled, seeming to love riling up his brother.

“Uh-huh.” Tripp looked around the lot before asking, “Where’s Edana? I didn’t see her with the others.”

Hawke’s expression darkened. “She didn’t feel good,” was the only explanation he gave. Tripp had told me that his brother had had a rough go of it lately due to his girlfriend being attacked. But he said he was getting better each day, although still much more reserved than he used to be.

“Maybe next time,” Tripp said, gripping his brother’s shoulder in a show of support.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Hawke flashed us a tight smile before disappearing.

Before anyone else could advance our way, the driver’s door to the black SUV opened and out stepped a tall, blond man in a dark blue suit. His hair was shorter on the sides than on top, pulled back in some sort of faux Mohawk. He looked nervous.

The other men standing around hooted and hollered at the sight of him, and I guessed he was another member of the club, although I wasn’t sure because he didn’t match their attire of leather vests and jeans.

“What the fuck?” Tripp whispered next to me.

“Who is that?”

“Stone. He’s the VP. And Riley’s dad.” We watched him open the back door and fiddle around for few seconds before exiting with a little girl in a long white dressing gown. I guessed they were sticking to tradition after all. The sight of him holding who I naturally assumed to be Riley was beautiful. In that short amount of time, I could tell how much he loved his daughter. The way he ignored his friends and focused on the little girl, as if he was lost in her, instantly told me he was a good man.

He walked around the vehicle and opened the passenger door, and soon a woman came into view.

“Is that Adelaide?” The woman was stunning. Her dress was sleeveless and the most beautiful shade of pale yellow I’d ever seen. The material hit just below her knee, and even though it flared out at the cinched waist, there was no hiding her gorgeous form. Her beautiful blonde hair was pulled back in a stylish half updo.

“Yup. Sure is.” Tripp smiled wide at the sight of her, and as soon as she caught his attention she returned the expression, striding over to us within seconds. Once she was near, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

“Not today, Addy,” Stone shouted across the lot. The look on his face was part serious, part joking. The little I did know about the woman was that she had tended to Tripp after he’d been left for dead just outside the club’s gates. She nursed him back to health and still checked in on him from time to time.

“Oh shush,” she shouted over her shoulder, turning her attention to me when she looked back. “And you must be Reece,” she said, pulling me in for an impromptu hug. She was certainly friendly, I’d give her that.

“Yes, I am.” I smiled, and for once it hadn’t been forced. My nerves had loosened their hold and I reveled in the feeling. “So nice to meet you. Tripp has told me a lot about you.”

“Well, this guy,” she laughed, gripping his upper arm, “and I have a special bond. I hope you don’t mind that, because I know Stone certainly does.”

“No issues whatsoever.” I’d spoken the truth. My newfound jealousies didn’t extend to Adelaide. “I’ll be forever thankful that you saved him.”

“Okay, okay. All this mushy talk is gettin’ to me.” Tripp leaned in and kissed Adelaide’s cheek before walking away. He’d snatched Riley from Stone’s hands, turning his back on his friend so he could fuss over the precious little one.

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