off good and now it’s goin’ to shit.”
I laugh. “It’ll be fine.”
Grumbling, he lets me go. “I’m going back in there. Someone needs to make sure Bodie doesn’t sneak into our bedroom, and I already caught Grinder eyeing the vase on the mantle. I warned every single one of those fuckers that if anyone pisses anywhere but in the toilet, I’m gonna kill somebody.”
I’m about to follow him, but there’s a knock on the door. Turning back, I open it.
And I’m not going to lie. My breath does hitch slightly…only slightly mind you…at seeing Dozer looking like a Nordic God on my doorstep. His hair is longer on top now and slicked back, and he’s no longer clean shaven, but has scruff covering the bottom half of his face.
His smile is both naughty and nice, and his steel blue eyes look amazing next to the matching blue of his collared shirt. He’s also wearing dark jeans and his cut, and where the president patch was missing from Cap’s vest, it now sits on Dozers.
Yep, he was voted in as the HOCs new president, and he didn’t turn it down.
I thought he’d go after Bethany once he realized things with us would never work out, but that’s not what he did at all. Instead, Dozer took up his rightful place as pres and became even a bigger whore around the club than Bodie. He’s with a new girl every time I see him. Actually I’m quite shocked there’s not one right now on his arm.
Stepping through the doorway, he whispers, “Hey, Pumpkin,” and I’m pulled into a hug.
But the moment his arms wrap around me, I hear, “One. Two. Three.”
Dozer let’s go and his gaze darts up and behind me. Then looking down at me he asks, “What’s he doin’? Playin’ hide and seek with Will?”
The door opens behind him as I shake my head and say, “No, Mav thinks he’s implementing a new five second rule with me. He’s threatening to remove arms if you guys touch me longer than that.”
“And you’re lookin’ like you wanna be armless,” Mav says from behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see him leaning against the wall.
I hear Griz’s laugh before I see him. He didn’t knock, because he never knocks. He practically lives here with us. “Good luck with that one, brotha. You ain’t keepin’ me from touch and huggin’ on my girl.”
“My girl,” Mav growls again.
Turning, I glare at him. He curses, glowers at the two bikers in the entryway, and then pushes off the wall and heads back into the kitchen.
“Check on the ham.” I tell him as he walks away. “And this time don’t burn it.”
“One time!” he shouts. Then grumbles, “And it’s your fault. You distracted me.”
Griz sets down the bag full of presents in his arms, and then throws his tattooed arms around me. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart. How you feelin’?”
I hug him back. “Good. Still no morning sickness. I guess I’m one of the lucky ones.”
“Good for you,” he says. “So about this ham. I thought you said there’d be turkey.”
“There’s some of that too.”
He pulls back and looks down at me. “We talkin’ stuffing and gravy.” He keeps his arm around me and uses his other hand to rub his belly.
“The works.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Then he eyes my vest. “Damn, baby girl that looks good on ya. You definitely make one fine old lady.”
Dozer finally notices it too, or maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge it. Either way, his smile goes from genuine to strained. “Yeah, looks good. You happy?”
Smiling, I tell him with all the sincerity in the world. “I really am.”
He winks. “Glad to hear. Make sure he treats you right, yeah?”
“I will.”
From there a rush of people arrive at once, Lily, Goose, and Rigor, Sunny and Smoke, Taz and Whiz, and finally everyone’s here and it’s time to eat. Mav carves up the turkey. Griz slices the ham. Lily pulls everything cold that we’re eating out of the fridge and puts serving spoons in every dish. Bethany