Page 66 of My Darling Mayhem

WREN

A pairof sunglasses perched on my face while I watched the city fly by and trees begin to appear. Archer had driven us an hour south, narrowly missing the main artery of New York City, until we started veering West toward a national park.

Kane and Cruz talked in the back seat while a few toys sat scattered between their little booster seats. Archer's bike was tied down in the back of the truck, and the way he kept looking over at me and smiling had something in my belly swooping and catching fire.

I smiled back and realized I needed to tell Cruz about my feelings for Archer. It was only a matter of time before he caught us holding hands or kissing. Our touches were becoming more insistent as if we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.

But was it smart to do that before—I shook my head, hoping to displace those thoughts. It didn’t matter what Archer did or didn’t do. My son deserved to know how I felt about our neighbor because Cruz was the center of my life, and I knew he loved me. I needed to share this part of my life with him. Because even if Archer wasn’t sure how he felt, I knew that I was.

I watched the countryside pass us while trees with orange and yellow leaves came in and out of focus along the windy road down the canyon. Archer was talking to the boys about this lake and how he used to play in it when he was a kid, but suddenly, the sound of thunder had me sitting up and looking around. It was so loud.

Archer caught my confusion and started laughing. “Look behind us, Wren.”

I turned and tried to catch what I could from the glass in the window. A few yards back from us, traveling down the canyon, were dozens of motorcycles. Men, some with women on the back, others alone. They all rode in unison, taking up both lanes of traffic, and they all wore those leather vests that Archer did.

“How many are there?” I mused, unsure if I meant for Archer to answer me, but he did anyway.

“We’re expecting around a hundred or so today.”

One hundred? My eyes likely matched my shock as I tried to register how many riders were behind us.

“They’re not passing you.”

Kane was the one to answer my question this time. “That’s because Archer is the president. They’re showing him respect by riding behind him.”

Something like pride flickered through me. All these men loyal to Archer, to the club.

This didn’t feel the same as El Peligro. His club…he was right, they weren’t a gang…I wasn’t sure what made them different, but I wanted to discover and figure out what it was. Nerves rattled around in my stomach as the rumble of their engines eclipsed our music and seemed to increase in sound as we neared the bottom of the canyon.

Once we finally pulled into a parking space, my fingers felt like they were trembling. What if they laughed at me or thought I was stupid for being here? What if they thought one of theirown women would be better suited for him, or if Lydia’s sister showed up and tried to?—

Suddenly, Archer’s fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Hey.”

I relaxed into his hold, loving how his eyes seemed to peel back layers of my fears and step inside them as if he was physically taking them from me.

“It’s just a barbecue. Don’t overthink it.”

Cruz sat up, watching us with his head tilted. He was going to ask about Archer holding my face. He was going to ask what we were, and I wouldn’t know what to tell him.

“Will there be hot dogs here?”

Archer laughed, and I found that I did, too. Then, I lowered my face and began a few breathing exercises. This was ridiculous. They were just people like me, like Archer.

We exited the truck, and I helped Cruz out of his door. He jumped in my arms and clung to my neck, then whispered a question that made me freeze.

“I think he wants to be your boyfriend, Mama.”

Playing along, I whispered back, “Who?”

He giggled, and I shut the truck door, still holding my son to my chest. “Archer.”

“Ohhhh, I see.” I smiled while walking around the hood, keeping my eyes on the people starting to park around us. The engines rumbled and echoed, thrumming through me like thunder.

“What would you think of that if he was?”

The sun was bright and warm, even with the autumn leaves covering the ground. The air had a slight chill, but it was cool against my overly warm-skin. We had on light jackets and snug boots with jeans. Kane was walking ahead of us with Archer, holding his hand while peeking back at us every few seconds.

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