152 - Cooler morning

*You know that I actually have no issue with him prospecting over here. Hell, if you and Scrapper will take the grandbabies, I’ll take your kids and grands. - Trigg*

It was early morning on the last day that Camille and Darkness would be in Massachusetts. They were set to drive out to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania tomorrow. After a few days there, they were going to Berea, Kentucky for a few days. The last stop on the kids’ dream stop road trip was Branson Missouri. Werewolf had already promised to have his plane in Branson to fly Vin back to Monroe so that he did not miss any stops on the trip, or football camp for incoming freshmen.

She was curled up in the window seat that overlooked her parents’ backyard. It was cooler up here and the humidity was much lower than what she had grown used to. She wore red flannel pajama pants, a tank top and a Worcester State Lancers football hoodie that she assumed Priscilla had stolen at some point.

The book that she had brought with her lay discarded on the cushion. She sipped the decaf coffee as she watched Tink play in the backyard with Darkness. Watching him, she had a single thought in her mind as she looked at her husband in his sweatpants, T-shirt and tight jacket.

*Damn that man looked good in gray sweats.*

Hearing the soft footsteps approaching, she moved and made room for Vin to join her. He sat down on the other end and leaned against the cool glass as he blew on the coffee in his own travel mug with the Devil’s Saints club patch on it.

Vaguely, she remembered the year that they sold those at Santa’s Wonderland. Becks had been right, people wanted something that made them feel like they were connected with the bad boys of the tri-city area. Reformed bad boys.

There was still a pang when she thought about having lost Becks. And Brute. But the memories made her smile.

She smiled now because her oldest son looked right in the DS sweatshirt. They had to buy him new clothes when they got up here and she warned him that winters would get a lot colder. Athos and Aramis promised to take care of him. She knew better and Trevor warned them to behave.

“Would Opa be upset if I didn’t prospect under him?”

Camille chuckled, “He wouldn’t care if you chose not to prospect. Toad likes to aggravate your Opa, and he’s damn good at it.” She chuckled again and shook her head, “Damn good.”

Rolling her eyes at her hair that was falling out of her messy bun, she sat the half-drunk coffee on the little ledge of the window. She pulled the silk hair tie out of her hair before gathering the blonde tresses and twisting them back into a messy bun. Pulling the band tight, she twisted it around one more time than she had earlier that morning.

He relaxed a little bit and put the lid on the mug before taking a sip. “So, it would not be an issue?”

“Honestly, it would be easier on him.” She assured him, picking up her coffee again. “That way he does not have to be mean to you. And they will be mean to you. Until you get your ride time in, you are the club’s bitch.”

“Really?” he chuckled.

“Yup,” she laughed. “Oh my God, you should talk to Chris about his time. He went to Brute and asked if he could move to the motherhouse, not from the clubhouse, from here. Dad did not turn off his presidency when he came home. Mom loved it because she did not do any housework as long as the boys were prospecting and still living at home.”

He grinned at her, “They must have hated that you did not live here when you were prospecting.”

She nodded at him, “They sure as hell did. But got really mad when I would come home and I did not have to do chores, but Chris did.”

Laughing, Vin asked, “How come you call him Chris when everyone else calls him Critter?”

“Because I’m his little sister and I can get away with it,” she shrugged. “No other reason needed.”

“I love your family.”

“That’s good, because you’re stuck with us,” Trigg said as he came down the hall from their bedroom.

Smiling over at her father, she held her arm out and he moved in to hug her. Laying her head against his bare abdomen, she wrapped her arm around his waist just above his sweats. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her to him.

“When are you coming home for good?”

“Next year, daddy.”

“You know that we have colleges up here, right?”

“I got a full ride scholarship to LSU and I’m the only one of your kids that you did not have to pay for college. And even all the travel between here and there, for the past three years, did not equal what you paid for one year at State.”

“Smart girl,” he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head. “I need real coffee and promised your mom that she could sleep late today. Charlotte said that she would take Mitch to Molly’s, and we’ll get both kids from there later today.”

“So, do you want Cookie Jar or Nessie’s Kitchen?”

“Kitchen. I have something that I need to talk to Toad about,” he said and gave her a quick squeeze. “And the new bike should be over there.”

Turning to watch him walk away, she called out, “You got a new bike?”

“What the hell am I going to do with a new bike?” he asked as he went down the hall towards the master bedroom. “It’s for your son. He can’t prospect without a bike.”

Trigg disappeared around the corner and Camille started laughing. “Does that make you feel better?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “yeah, it does.”

“The rooms at the Shack are a lot nicer too.” She laughed as the door behind her opened and her husband and dog came back into the house. Tink stopped next to her, and she automatically reached out to pet his head. “And damn, the food.”

“Holy shit! I never would have expected to find a whole fucking restaurant in a motorcycle clubhouse.”

Camille’s eyes widened and she slowly turned to look at her equally surprised husband. She pointed at Vin and Darkness nodded. No longer receiving attention, Tink moved over to nudge Vin’s hand until he started petting the dog.

“He’s only been here a damned week and he’s already swearing.”

“I know,” he admitted defeat. “A year around the Cajuns and I think we might have gotten a ‘well, dang.’ He’s here for, what, a week? And he’s dropping an F-bomb.”

“What can I say? It’s magical up here.”

“Next time we see him, he’ll have piercings and tattoos.”

“I don’t think so,” Vin shook his head.

Grinning, Camille told him, “The trio are ready to get their hands on you and their needles in your skin.”