Page 88 of Pooh

“Wuss! What color panties do you wear?” Craig says as we stand up and file past the manager.

We only have to wait a minute or two and we’re handed the food containers inside of bags. The manager doesn’t hesitate to open the door and ushers us outside even though the men haven’t come for us. Craig was right–he’s a wuss.

Before we get more than a few steps from the entrance, Freddy comes around the corner from the parking lot. He spots us and jogs our way.

“Why aren’t you inside where it’s safe?” he asks.

“Manager couldn’t push us out any faster than he did,” retorts Bailey. “Said not to come back.”

“His loss. Chubs eats here a lot. But we’ll be back and he won’t like it one bit,” chuckles Freddy.

“Is everything okay? Are the guys okay?”

“Pippa, I know you’re new to the MC world, but you have to have faith in your man. He knows what he’s doing and he’s damn good at doing it. Vex at his side and not much is going to lay them out,” Freddy reassures me as we walk to the parking lot.

Vex, Pooh, Axel and Cash are all standing and appear to be unharmed. The other men–not so much. Cash and Axel are currently stuffing them into a truck amidst groans, swearing and some bleeding. Craig bolts across the parking lot and crashes into Pooh’s legs.

“Asses got whooped!” he shouts and points to the injured men. And because it’s Craig we’re talking about, he then flips them two birds. Fitting, I guess.

Pooh

“Little pissed at you, Pooh. I show up and all the fun is over. You and Vex didn’t even leave me scraps,” Axel states as he walks into the gym.

“We let you help put them safely in their truck,” I respond while grinning at him.

“Yeah, true. The one idiot kept bouncing his head off the steering wheel. Not sure how that shit happened. Good times though.”

“Thanks for the assist.”

“Anytime, brother. Bailey wasn’t the one who started the fight was she?” Axel asks quietly.

“No! Fuck no. Vex and I had an earlier incident with two of those men. They saw us and went for payback since they outnumbered us. Why would you ask that?” I question.

Axel carefully looks around us before answering.

“Since she’s become pregnant, she’s very hormonal. I’m not sure where my sweet little Bailey has gone lately. She’s either pissed off or crying. And when I say pissed, I mean she explodes about any little thing. Like what happened at Trigger’s. Doctor said that it will mellow out soon. I hope I’m whole when it does. Don’t tell her I said anything though. She’ll either drown both of us with her tears or rip my balls off.”

“I got to give her credit, angry and crying or not. It can’t be easy growing an Axel baby. That baby, being yours, is probably trying for an uprising of some sort.”

“Fuck you,” Axel responds with a grin. “Another thing I wanted to ask you about. Vex seem off to you?”

“Yeah, he does. I tried talking to him about it the other day and got nothing. He’s not happy but I’m not sure why. He mentioned nomad but Gunner told me he’s never approached him about it.”

“He’s closer to you than any of us. If he’s not telling you what’s wrong, nobody knows. Keep your finger on his pulse. If you figure anything out, let me know.”

“Yeah, I will,” I assure him.

-*- -*- -*- -*-

It’s Saturday morning and today is a club bike ride. We do a few mandatory rides each summer and today is one of them. Knowing it was coming up, I’ve been taking Pippa out for longer rides to get her prepared. I know Trigger and Tammy have been doing the same and they often ride with us.

Ava and the rest of the women have been working hard to have everything ready for a cookout tonight. The men have been checking over everything on their bikes to help eliminate any problems. Everyone is excited and we’ve all been praying for good weather.

I look across the kitchen and smother a laugh at the look on Craig’s face. He looks like he’s been sucking lemons instead of eating the omelet I made him. Pippa explained to him that he wouldn’t be going on the bike ride today because it’s for adults only. He had a few choice words about adults and stormed off to his room. Now he’s back at the kitchen bar eating his breakfast. His pouting abilities rival Axel’s.

“When we get back to the club, you and the other kids will be at the cookout. And you get to hang with Bella, the twins and all of the pets. That should be fun,” I tell him.

“When I get my own bike, I’m not letting you ride with me,” he informs me. “You and Pips can stay home and I’ll be riding wherever I want to ride.”

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