Page 44 of Blade

ChapterTwenty-Three

BLADE

Bianca is the devil. I can’t remembereverdrinking as much as I did last night. My sisters learned their lesson and stayed away from her and the shots, but that left me and Torch as her victims. I don’t understand how someone can consume that much alcohol and still be functional. My brother was so hammered, he passed out on the couch at Sara and Bear’s house.

My sisters laughed and told us we were in for a rough morning right after Viper reminded me we had church in the morning. Church was already planned before Ivy pulled her stunt, so now there’s even more on the agenda to be handled. The sound of the bathroom door opening has me cracking my eyes open. I instantly shut them, not wanting to face the sunlight just yet.

Bianca giggles and plops down on the bed beside me. The motion of the moving bed makes me want to empty the contents in my stomach immediately. “Come on, sleepyhead. You have church in half an hour. I’ve got some coffee going, and I made you a light breakfast that should help your hangover.”

Opening my eyes, I glare up at her. This is all her fault. It’s really annoying that she doesn’t get hangovers. Bianca doesn’t even take me seriously as I give her the evil eye. She throws her head back, laughing, and I grab a pillow and hold it down over my ears to drown her out.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll keep it down. Come on, you have to get ready.”

She goes to remove the pillow and I shuffle to lay my head in her lap. “I can’t believe you,” I whine. “I’m over here on my death bed, and you’re talking about coffee and church. Hold me.”

I wrap my arms around her waist and snuggle in. Bianca keeps her promise about being quieter, but I can feel her body shaking from trying to keep her laughs at bay. So what? I get a little babyish when I’m sick. Sue me. If Bianca told anyone of this moment, I would fully deny it. If the guys ever got wind of this, I would have to turn my man card in.

After a few minutes of her running her fingers through my hair and whispering sweet nothings in my ear, she finally coaxes me out of bed. Once I’m showered and dressed, I meet Bianca in the kitchen and get that coffee she promised. She doesn’t mention my behavior over breakfast even though I can tell she wants to. The smirk on her face lets me know she finds the entire thing amusing.

When we finish up with breakfast, she heads to my parents’ but not before I pull her to me and devour her lips. After my little meltdown, I have to remind my woman that I am still all man. When I break the kiss, she’s panting and looking very much in need of more. Mission accomplished.

Walking into church, I see most everyone is already here. I take my seat next to Sara. She looks up at me, trying to hold in a laugh and gestures her head toward Torch. I look over to him and cringe. He looks like he’s halfway dead. Most of the guys are looking on in confusion because only a few witnessed the train wreck of us drinking with Bianca.

Viper walks into the room, holding Cara’s hand, followed by Smoke and Thor. Once they’re seated, Viper brings the gavel down and Torch and I groan, grabbing our heads. For some reason, my sisters are getting joy out of this and quietly giggle to one another.

“Jesus, what the hell happened to you two?” Dice asks.

“They were foolish enough to play a drinking game with Bianca,” Sara says in between giggles.

“After seeing what she did to your sisters, you were dumb enough to hop on that train?” Axel asks with wide eyes.

“We were celebrating my engagement, fucker, but lesson learned. Next time, my limit is three shots with my woman and that’s it. She’s walking around completely fine, and I have a small mariachi band playing in my head.”

That earns some chuckles, and Viper clears his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “Okay, guys, we have a few things to discuss. First, we’re going to start off with Violet, Nova, and Leah. We need to make a decision on what to do with them. Do we let them stay or put them up in an apartment? Do we give them a job? Does anyone have any suggestions?”

Tiny raises his hand and Viper nods. “The only ones who know where their head spaces are, are the girls. They’re the only ones who have been talking to them since they’ve been here. From what I saw, those women were scared of their own shadow and there’s no telling what all that sick bastard did to them. I don’t think putting them up in an apartment would help them. They’re not ready to be back in the real world.”

Cara sits forward and nods in agreement with Tiny. “He’s right. I won’t go into details about what they went through, but they’re not ready to be outside of the compound. They feel safe here, but they feel like they’re not contributing to anything by just lying around in Torch’s house.”

“So, what do we do?” Smoke asks.

It’s quiet for a few minutes until Sara speaks up. “How about we hire them to clean the family houses? Eventually, once they’re comfortable, we can have them help around the clubhouse as well. Cara and I were already looking into hiring some maids. Between all the businesses and the kids, it would take a load off to have someone clean the houses.”

“That’s a really good idea. But where would they stay? I know they’re at Torch’s house but that can’t be indefinite. I highly doubt they would feel comfortable in the clubhouse.”

That earns another round of brainstorming around the table until Thor breaks the silence. “Cara, you remember that conversation we had the other day about the nannies?” he asks her.

Cara scrunches up her face in thought and suddenly it looks like a lightbulb went off in her head. “Best bud, you’re a fuckin’ genius!” she exclaims. The fucker gives her a cocky smile while throwing her wink. A few of the guys chuckle, including Viper. Most people would think Viper should get offended, but he knows their relationship is completely platonic.

“So, I was thinking of asking you guys to vote on allowing me to build a home for Debbie and Will. Both of them live almost forty-five minutes away and they have to be here by seven in the morning and the leave at five. Plus, when we have emergencies, they have to come back. If they lived on the compound, it would help them immensely.”

“So, now you want to build a house for all five of them to stay in?” Axel asks.

“I mean, yeah. It would come in handy. I’m pretty sure all you guys aren’t going to be single forever. If you ever settle down, having a nanny on the compound would be helpful. Or if you built a home, having one of the girls clean your home for you would also benefit you guys.”

Everyone mulls over Cara’s words until Viper asks for the votes. Everyone’s vote was the same—to build the home for the nannies and now the women we would have cleaning the houses. If they agree with the job proposal, that is.

“I have one more thing to add,” Sara says, raising her hand. “I think we should start a charity for homeless people. Hear me out before you shut down the idea. Cara and I know these girls’ stories and, granted, while we have many homeless shelters in the area, that’s all they are. A shelter. A place for them to lay their head for a night and get a hot meal and then they’re back on the streets in the morning. What if we start a charity that not only gives them a place to stay but also helps them get back on their feet? Programs for them to get GEDs if they didn’t graduate. Help them get jobs. Help them get a second chance at life.”

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