Page 127 of Patching Over

“Honey, Moira may not be ready to leave any time soon,” Sleeper gently states. “She’s in a bad way, I thought you figured that out when you went to see her.”

“But I wouldn’t want her here by herself if she came back, does that make sense?” Belle asks. “She doesn’t know anyone here at all.”

“Why don’t we see what Dragon and Wrecker can accomplish,” Brick adds, joining our conversation. “They may get her well enough to be able to go home so she’d be around familiar people and places.”

Belle sighs then finally nods. “Okay, we’ll try it that way.”

Dinner continues with a shit ton of things flying through my head. I wasn’t lying; I have no problem going to her. I'll just have to work it around my work schedule.

“Since we have a Road Captain now, maybe we can participate in one of those toy runs for the kids,” Rainman says.

“I’ll look into it, but who would we do the toy run for?” I ask.

“Maybe reach out to the local foster care people? Or the children’s hospital?” Banshee replies.

“Okay, I’ll start doing some research,” I say, excitement building inside of me. Leaning into Belle, I whisper, “Would love you on the back of my bike while we do it.”

She smiles at me which has my heart rate accelerating; it’s one full of promise, a bit of mystery, and a lot of allure. I’m not some wet behind the ears kid, but except for the few years I went a little bit wild when I first patched in, I’ve been very particular about the women I bedded. We have club girls, which is fine, but I never liked the idea of being compared to my other brothers as far as dick size, ability in bed, or any of that other horseshit the women spew trying to cause shit amongst the club. In fact, I think if not for the single guys who visit us from other chapters, Brick probably would’ve kicked them to the curb.

As it is, they’ve taken over the majority of the cleaning, although they have the prospects for the heavy lifting. Plus, the prospects always man the bar, do the shopping unless Ryleigh convinces Brick she wants to go, and handle the men’s restrooms that are in the hallway. The club girls handle the women’s restrooms, laundry for the brothers who need it, and cleaning certain brothers’ rooms as well. I do my own shit mostly, except for my laundry, since I’m usually too busy.

After dinner, we all help clear the table, and soon, the common room is filled with music from the sound system as the prospects hand out beers, whiskey, and the occasional mixed drink, since Ryleigh doesn’t care for beer all that much.

“Do you want to walk around the property?” I ask Belle, eager for some fresh air.

“I’d like that,” she replies, smiling up at me.

Sleeper raises his brow at me as we walk toward the front door, but outside of that, no one says a word, and soon, we’re walking around the massive property the club owns. “Why arethere houses back there?” Belle asks, pointing to the three houses along the back.

“One is Brick’s and Ryleigh’s, which was her childhood home, the smaller cabin is RiffRaff’s, and the last one is Banshee’s and Rory’s house,” I reply. “They all still mostly stay at the clubhouse, but they’ve got their own space if they want it. Brick and Ryleigh usually stay at theirs when Aubree is teething because she’s miserable and they don’t want all of us being kept awake.”

“So, if a brother takes an ol’ lady he can either live at the clubhouse or build a house for them?” she questions.

“Pretty much. The land belongs to the club and Brick knows a few contractors who have the ability to put up a quality house in a short amount of time.”

“What kind of house do you want?” she inquires, glancing over at me.

“I never much thought about it, because I honestly didn’t think an ol’ lady was in my future,” I admit. “But I like how a farmhouse is built. Wide porches, big rooms, plenty of space for a family.”

“Farmhouses are nice,” she murmurs, a small smile on her lips. “Are you really okay coming to see me in Cleveland?”

I smile back at her and state, “Definitely.”

Her eyes meet mine as she asks, “Even though we haven’t done anything together as a couple?”

She’s persistent, I’ll give her that much. “Yeah, Belle. It’ll all happen when it happens. I’m a patient guy, and there’s no fucking way I’m pushing myself on you right after the shit you went through. Not happening.”

“That means you won’t be kissing me any time soon, huh?” she asks, sounding disappointed.

“I’ll kiss you whenever you’re ready, babe, but the rest can wait.”

“Jingles?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m ready,” she whispers.

Turning toward her, I gently draw her into my arms then cup her face in my hands. Leaning down, I capture her lips with mine, unsure of what to expect since I never made it a habit to kiss the club girls, and damn sure didn’t bother with it whenever I hooked up with someone from town.

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