Page 17 of Ten Minutes

After she squeezes me back, she steps away, her face screwed up in amusement. “Like Spin? You can like anyone you want. No one will tell you any differently, and if they do, tell them to take a hike.” She’s so tiny but feisty and I love her energy.

“I mean as in... crushing on him. It seemssobad when I think of it. I’m running from a family of jerks, and boom, twitterpated with this sexy biker. I promise I’m not a hoe. I don’t make it a habit of wanting someone after only a day or while being pregnant by another baby daddy.”

“I’m not judging, promise, and no one here will either. I’m pretty confident you’re not the only one with a crush. Spin was flashing you serious puppy-dog eyes yesterday when he introduced us.”

My smile’s wide enough that it makes my cheeks hurt. “So you’re saying Santa may give me a biker for Christmas?”

She nods, giggling. “I already like you, Nay. I seriously hope you stick around after you have the baby and everything has calmed down.”

My smile relaxes as I release a heavy breath. “I hope I’m able to. I’ve met more kind people here since I arrived than I have in the last month where I used to live. I see why so many people love it down here.”

“Eh, we’ll see if you’re still saying that when summer rolls around. On the upside, no snow shoveling.”

“See? Sold already.” I grin as a good-looking biker interrupts us.

“Sade’s, you about done with the printer?”

She nods. “This is Naomi.” Then gestures to the man I briefly saw last night when I went to find Spin in the bar. “Nay, this is my brother, 2 Piece.”

“Like brother-brother or MC kind?”

He smirks, his bright blue eyes stunning me with their color. “I’m her older brother. By DNA and everything. It’s just a bonus for her that she also gets to live by me.”

Sadie rolls her eyes and flips him the bird. “Pay no attention to my brother. If his head gets any bigger, he won’t be able to fit through the doorway.”

She tucks her arm in mine, pulling me with her as I laugh. “Nice meeting you, 2 Piece,” I call as we head for the main area and bar. He was cute and seemed friendly. I can get along with easy-going people really well, and he rubbed me as having that type of personality. “He has the most beautiful blue eyes.”

“He knows it too. Not only does he have one partner, but two. He’s with Ares and Avery.”

My mouth pops open, stunned. “Two people?”The same people I met today?

“Yep. Been together for years. I wanted to give you a heads-up because you’ll see them all together or with one or the other. I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression that they’re not being faithful or whatever. They are all committed to each other.” She watches me a bit, and I get the feeling it’s some sort of test. I’m open-minded, though, so it’s no big deal to me whatever others choose to do.

Not knowing what the right response is, I go with what comes naturally to me. “Good for them. Some people can’t find one person to love, but they’ve all managed to find two. Pretty cool.”

“It is cool.” She nods, pride shining brightly for her brother and his mates. “You’ll find that around here, folks are a lot more accepting toward everyone. We may give each other a hard time and tease each other, but we never outright judge anyone. Everyone has a background and some sort of story we may not know about, so we approach it with open hearts. If you can do as much, you’ll fit in just fine around here.”

“Well, hearing you say that definitely puts my mind more at ease on the Spin matter, as well as me showing up and not knowing anyone. I’m not the type to go off and randomly judge people, ever. I don’t do that unless someone is ugly to me right off the bat. Then it’s hard for me not to think they have a poor attitude on life and in general.”

“Good. Like I said... I already like you.” She flashes me a wink, and I grin. I have a feeling we’re going to be good friends, and I sure hope my intuition is right because I like her too. “Now I need to talk to Spin about getting a tree for his room. You need one of your own to decorate and make his room feel a bit more festive and welcoming.”

“Oh no, nothing extra. Food and shelter are more than I could ever imagine. Then throwing in safety... what you’ve offered is already priceless, in my opinion.” A deep pain hits me as I finish, and my hand shoots to my stomach. Cradling the large ball making up my belly, I exhale and breathe through the lingering pains. “Ouch.”

“Are you okay? What hurts?”

“I got a sharp pain.”

“Did the baby kick hard or shift?”

Shaking my head, I inhale and exhale again, collecting myself. “No, it just hurt suddenly.”

“I don’t like it. Let’s get you in bed and prop your feet up. You’re supposed to be resting this week, and I’m towing you all around the clubhouse, stressing you out.”

“I’ve been enjoying myself, though. I appreciate you taking the time. I’m sure you have plenty of other things you could be doing.”

She waves me off, taking my elbow to direct me toward the hall with Spin’s room. “My kids are in school right now, so it’s no problem at all. Besides, my ol’ man always drops them off and picks them up.”

“You haven’t mentioned anything about them. How old are they? Is Twist involved a lot... if you don’t mind me asking, that is?”

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