Page 135 of Patching Over

He smirks at me before taking my cup from my hands, leaning in and lightly kissing me, then nudging me in the direction of ‘the wall’ of goodness. Every imaginable kind of candy is displayed which makes me giggle when I realize he’s going to be as indulgent of my sweet tooth as my brother has always been. Finally making my choices, I lament the fact I didn’t grab a small basket only to see one appear in my peripheral.

“Thought you might need one of these,” Jingles tells me, grinning.

“I don’t even know why I’m getting all of this. It’s not like I’ll get it all eaten before we get to the clubhouse,” I confess.

“So, you have some for later, it’s not a big deal. Anything else, babe? Do you need more ice for your cooler?”

“Maybe a little more,” I reply.

“Then we’ll pay for a bag, because I’m sure Sleep could use some as well,” he decrees.

In no time at all, we’re back on the road, my worried eyes now watching the sky as the clouds darken.

“I think I figured out why Brick is the president of your chapter,” I say about an hour later as Jingles drives.

“Why’s that, babe?” he asks.

“Because he sent a club vehicle with a bike trailer toward us when he saw what the weather was going to do.”

We had only been driving a short time when we pulled off at a rest area and I saw Banshee waiting there with a bike trailer. It didn’t take the three men any time at all to load up Jingles’ bike, something I was happy about seeing as the temperature outside kept dropping. After setting his cut on my back seat, he adjusted the driver’s seat and slipped inside once he, Sleeper, and Banshee had a quick discussion.

“The weather’s getting worse,” he replies. “We’re not too far from home, but I’m honestly debating whether or not we should just stop.”

“What if it doesn’t clear up for a few days?” I ask. “If we’re that close, I’d rather keep going as long as you and my brother are okay with it.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do unless either of us decide it’s too dangerous,” he says. “You warm enough?” he questions.

I giggle because my brother got me one of the holiday throws and it’s covering my lap right now, so I’m feeling rather cozy. “I’m good, honey,” I reply, earning me a smirk. “But I’ll be glad when we get there.”

“So will I, Belle, so will I.”

By the time we end up pulling into the clubhouse, there’s evidence all along the roadway of just how bad the roads have gotten. Yet my brother and Jingles are nothing if not persistent, so they kept going. Right now, I’m glad we didn’t make the trip by ourselves, although the thought of being holed up somewherewith him holds a lot of appeal to me. Especially if it gets me out of the car and into his arms.

“Come on, babe, let’s get inside and get warm,” he says once he’s shut my car off. “Wait for me and I’ll help you since the parking lot looks slick. It looks like the prospects have cleared it off, but I’m not taking any chances with you.”

We manage to slip and slide our way to the front door, and I breathe out a sigh of relief when I feel the warmth hit my face. He turns to me and drops a kiss on my lips before he says, “Welcome home, Belle.”

I refuse to examine too closely how his words make me feel. That melty, squishy feeling makes me want to jump into his arms, only it’s probably not appropriate since it looks like the whole clubhouse is in the common room. In fact, the huge fireplace that’s off to one side, has a blazing fire going.

“Glad y’all made it back in one piece,” Brick says, walking over to our group. “Banshee made it back about an hour or so ago and your bike’s already in the garage.”

Jingles nods at Brick and states, “Appreciate it, Pres.”

“Let’s get y’all warmed up. We lost power so the generator’s running things, which is why we’re all down here. For some reason, the rooms aren’t warming right now, and I can’t get anyone out here to look at it and see what’s going on. Not much privacy, but at least it’s warm.”

I hide my grin at the disappointment that flashes across Jingles’ face, knowing he was hoping we’d be alone. Fat chance of anything happening right now with everyone around, including my brother.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-ONE

Belle

As we sit at a table, one of the prospects brings over several bowls of chili, which has my stomach growling. I look around and see that Ryleigh and Rory have been hard at work since I was last here. Strands of multicolored lights are strewn around the room, and giant sparkly snowflakes hang from the ceiling.

“It looks so pretty,” I murmur, blowing on my bowl.

“Yay, you’re here!” Rory exclaims, sitting down at the table. “Now we have more help getting the store ready for all the toys.”

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