“Same difference,” Hacker jumps in. “No one is taking away my virility.”
“This fucker breeds like a rabbit. He needs to get that shit snipped,” Playboy jokes.
Figuring this is going downhill fast, I step out onto the patio and ask my husband, “Are the hamburgers almost ready?”
Cowboy stands and comes over to wrap his arms around me. “If Cash doesn’t burn them.”
“Fucker,” Cash growls. “That wasn’t my fucking fault.” He slams his beer down on the table. “Your child puking on the dog started the whole shit show.” He’s not wrong. The last time we had a barbecue was Easter. Ella had a few too many chocolate-covered marshmallow bunnies. She ran out on the patio to find her daddy but didn’t reach him in time. Instead, she threw up on Tank, our German Shepherd. A chain reaction started—the great Easter puking event.
“Your goddaughter puked on the dog because you gave her an entire container of fucking chocolate Easter bunnies,” Cowboy reminds him.
“She loves them,” Cash attempts to defend himself.
Happiness flows through me as I watch the men give each other hell. They’re relaxed and at ease. After everything that went down with the other MCs, the brothers were stressed and grouchy. Over time, things have settled into a routine pattern of family issues. The big lugs are still keeping club problems away from their family lives.
The next week, my husband undergoes his procedure. The big baby comes home and acts like he’s had a limb removed. I seriously consider suffocating him with a pillow but decide I love him and his big cock too much to give up.
We only have one little issue. Neither of us paid any attention to the doctor’s strict instructions. Yep. We discovered the hard way that you really do have to wait a full three months after a vasectomy before depending on it for birth control.
At least, number eight is a single little girl. Another female in the house to give our boys hell is a very good thing.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE
LONDON
“Are you avoiding me?” Jenna, my boss and one of my oldest friends, steps into my office and shuts the door behind her. Not wanting to outright lie, I shake my head no. The little devil on my shoulder reminds me that I’ve been hiding out and trying to evade her all week, ever since she suggested the Penelope Rocha story idea. Don’t get me wrong; interviewing the badass, female bassist for Bent, one of the hottest bands in the world, is the opportunity of a lifetime.
My issue is much closer to home. “I hate to ask my brother to help me,” I admit. After seeing Penelope Rocha on a morning television show, Jenna decided the bassist would be the perfect woman to interview for our magazine, Curvy Cuties. The thought of asking my brother to help me with it gives me the sweats.
“You’re not asking him for a kidney.” She rolls her eyes. “Asking Cash to arrange for you to meet his MC brother’s bandmate isn’t a big deal.” She mouthsduh, and I stick my tongue out in return.
It is a big deal to me, so I try to explain. “One of the club’s biggest priorities is protecting the privacy of the brothers.” Cash started the Silver Spoon MC years ago with his wealthy, successful friends. They don’t bring attention to themselves or participate in illegal activities, but they try to keep any mention of the club separate from their public personas. While they aren’t ashamed of the Silver Spoon MC, they don’t advertise it either. As she stares at me with a raised eyebrow, I mumble about making a mess of this explanation. “I feel like I’m asking Cash to do something underhanded.”
“You’re nuts.” Jenna drops into the chair across from my desk, shaking her head. “But if you really feel that way, why don’t you ask Cash to give you the contact information for Bent’s manager?” She shrugs. “Then contact them and beg.” One of my brother’s Silver Spoon MC brothers is Bender Valentine, the lead singer of Bent. The wildly popular band has been around for years. In fact, I had a poster of Bender on my ceiling so my teenage self could fall asleep staring into his dark brown eyes.
Growing up with celebrity parents taught me to keep my cards close to my chest. My two older brothers, Cash and Zane, are insanely protective, which made my life growing up a living hell. No boy wanted to take a chance on getting his rear end kicked to spend time with me. After graduating from high school, I decided to attend college way away from my brothers. It was great to finally stretch my wings and meet new friends.
One of my first new friends was Jenna. She introduced me to Maddie, Emery, and Piper and we became a tight-knit clan. We started calling ourselves curvy cuties when a waiter at the local Mexican restaurant called us his favorite curvy cutie customers.
During our senior year of college, the perfect position fell into Jenna’s lap. She began as an intern and impressed the owner, Ms. Milly. When the elderly lady decided to retire, she made a very generous proposal to my friend—control of the magazine in exchange for a small percentage of the profits, which we donate in Ms. Milly’s name to a women and children’s charity. Jenna became the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, and the rest of us each found the perfect position at Curvy Cuties. Piper, Jenna’s best friend since childhood, became Assistant Editor. Throughout college, I was the group’s go-to fashion guru. After I earned a degree in Fashion Design, Jenna offered me the Fashion Editor job at Curvy Cuties. Emery is the saleswoman of our group. Her Marketing degree is the perfect match for the Advertising Executive position, and Maddie worked her tush off to win the Feature Editor's job. We’ve worked nonstop to turn the old, dated publication into a modern women’s magazine.
Seeing my four best friends every day at the office is wonderful most of the time. Until the happily married ones try to run your life. Then it’s a pain in the rear end.
Not long after we took over the magazine, Jenna fell for Ms. Milly’s son, Wild Templeton, then Emery burned her way into a hot fireman’s heart. Literally. She caught her house on fire doing flaming shots during one of our girls’ nights, and the responding Fire Captain fell head over heels for our friend. The rest of us are single, but I’m sure Piper will be the next to get bitten in the rear end by love. Electricity fills the air any time Piper and Dillon, Wild’s best friend, are in the room together. We have a secret pool going on how long it will take for them to attack each other.
As Jenna stares at me, I attempt to avoid fidgeting in my chair. She is too freaking smart. I’m sure she knows something else is up with me, but there’s no way I can let my happily married friend in on the real reason why doing this interview scares me to death. She would blab to all the Cuties and then jump into matchmaking mode. I plan to take my secret to the grave. Having the hots for Bender Valentine sucks. I’m in deep here.
It all started when I saw the rockstar in person at Cash’s wedding. Even from across the room, Bender blew my mind and melted my heart. Knowing the superstar wouldn’t look twice at a younger, slightly overweight sister of one of his club members, I pretended to have a migraine and hid out until he left.
“Okay. I’ll call my brother after lunch,” I agree, feeling dread and another crazy emotion, anticipation, settle in the pit of my stomach. I’m scared this interview might change my life forever.
Two hours later, I hang up my phone and slide back in my office chair. I stare at the ceiling wondering how this will play out. Cash was too distracted with all the stuff happening in Silver Spoon Falls to ask any questions. He distractedly offered to talk to Bender for me. Yikes. I sweat remembering that Cash promised to call me soon with information about the interview.
I glance at the photo on my desk taken of me, Cash, and Zane at my graduation and smile. My oldest brother is the CEO of our family’s corporation, Montoya Investments, while Zane is a busy attorney, but the two still find the time to try to run my life.
Even finding his soulmate hasn’t stopped my brother from prying. The MC brothers are dropping like flies. My brother recently met, knocked up, and married his soulmate, Hadley. The adorable blonde keeps Cash on his toes, which amuses me and Zane immensely.
The Silver Spoon MC’s Vice President, Dr. Tate “Hands” Grimes, has a new love interest, too. I’ve heard through the Silver Spoon Falls grapevine that Samara already has Hands wrapped around her little finger. The beauty and her newborn niece stole the pediatric surgeon’s heart at first sight. Unfortunately, the infant has a heart condition and will need surgery soon to fix it. My brother promised me he would talk to Bender for me after the surgery. Yippee. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he will forget.