They both laughed, and I had to smile. As tired as I was, I was more than happy to be worn out from Nash loving. I thought about him while I made coffee, and by the time I got back to my chair, I was grinning.

Madison narrowed her eyes at me. “You perked up. What gives?”

“I was just thinking about how happy I am with Nash. I never in a million years would have picked that I’d end up with him, but I’m glad I did.”

Madison smiled at me, warmly. “I’m glad you did too. There’s something special about Nash, and I love that you are helping him deal with his pain. He seems so much happier these days.”

“Yeah, he is,” I agreed.

Roxie cut in. “What are we doing with your hair today, Velvet? You want a colour or just a cut?”

“A colour and cut, but just trim the ends. Nash would hate it if I cut any of the length.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. “Ummm, where’s the real Velvet? She doesn’t let any man tell her what to do.”

I laughed. “He hasn’t told me not to cut it, and trust me, I’d never listen if he did. But, let’s just say my man likes to pull my hair, and I kinda like it, so there’s no way in hell I’m cutting it.”

“Of course he does. My bad,” she muttered, and went out the back to get the colour ready for my hair.

“I’m so happy for you and Nash. You both deserve happiness,” Madison said.

“Thanks, babe.” I sighed, and added, “God knows, Nash really does after everything he’s been through.”

She nodded. “Yeah, my heart breaks for what he’s gone through. I can’t even begin to imagine losing a child.”

My pain surfaced. I could imagine, but not fully. It had been devastating enough to lose babies before they were born; the thought of losing a child that had lived and breathed, caused actual physical pain.

I didn’t want to have this conversation so I sat in silence. Madison must have felt it too because she didn’t say anything further. When Harlow stepped through the door of the salon, I was happy for the distraction.

Standing to greet her, I said, “Thank God, you brought cake with you.”

She put the cake down on the counter, and gave us both a hug. “I brought you half and half, Velvet. We’ve got celebrating to do.”

I frowned. “What are we celebrating?”

“You passing your exams,” she said as if I’d asked the dumbest question on the planet.

I grinned at her. “I love you. Yes, let’s celebrate that because I’m pretty sure I did. And when I find out for certain next week, we can celebrate again.”

“Yes!” Harlow exclaimed. “I like the way you think, honey.”

“What kind of cake did you bring?”

“Hummingbird and caramel mud.”

“Oh my God, woman, you’re gonna kill me. I love those.”

She smiled, and said, simply, “I know.”

Roxie came out with the hair dye ready to go. She greeted Harlow, “I just heard the words caramel mud. Your hair cut is on me today because I fucking love caramel mud.”

Madison laughed. “I think you should be thanking me, Roxie. I mean, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t know these two. Which means you wouldn’t be getting cake and you wouldn’t have a beautician starting here soon.”

Roxie’s trademark sarcasm was in full force today. “You want a medal, babe? I’m sure I could round one up for you.”

Madison poked her tongue at Roxie and we all burst out laughing.

These women made my life so much better just by being in it. I’d never been big on friends; I’d resisted opening myself up to women as much as I had to men. But sometimes in life, people managed to work their way into your heart. It happened slowly, until one day you realised how big a part they played in your happiness, and just how lost you’d be if they weren’t there.

***

Nash

Church.

I had a sense of foreboding about today, and it unsettled me.

Taking my seat at the table, I looked around to gauge the mood of the room. Marcus was emanating control. Fuck, he looked like he was ready to take on the world. And like he knew he would fucking win if he did.

Smug bastard.

This wasn’t going to be good.

Scott sat next to Marcus, a fierce look on his face, his body tense.

And, Griff, our Sergeant-at-Arms, was on Marcus’s other side. He too, looked ready to go to battle.

The room filled quickly, and Marcus called the meeting to order. He ran through the usual business, fairly routine stuff. I sat back and watched it unfold, wondering when his agenda for today would be realised, because he sure as fuck had one. There was a nervous energy in the room; watchful eyes everywhere were taking it all in.

Everyone knew that something was going down today.

Fuck.

When it finally happened, I sat in stunned silence, not believing my eyes or my ears.

Marcus asked if anyone had business to bring to the table. I looked around to see who it would be; I figured Marcus had someone primed for this.

I wasn’t the only one looking around the table. Anticipation pervaded the room. The tension our club had been under the past couple of months had stretched us and placed us in a precarious position. Like a house of cards, all it would take would be one knock, and everything we’d worked hard to achieve would be threatened.

Griff stood.

I watched him, waiting to see what he had to say. I had no idea what he was doing; this hadn’t been discussed at any of our meetings. He pushed his shoulders back and adopted an aggressive stance. His jaw was set and there was a determined look on his face. When he spoke, his voice was hard and cold. “I call an officer challenge for the Vice Presidency. Scott has lost confidence in the President, and I don’t believe he can or will do his job properly.”