Page 11 of Life In General
“What’s up?”
“Prez, I need to talk to you about making Tellison my home full-time, but first, I’ve got a situation and need some help.”
“Whatever you need, Brother, the Rebel Vipers is your home. Now, tell me everything.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHERRY
JUNE
Spring has sprung and the weather is perfect. It’s a bright, sunny Friday afternoon, and we’re having a family cookout at the clubhouse. General and I have been living in Tellison for two and a half months, and this is the first time the weather has been nice enough for everyone to sit outside for more than five minutes without freezing to death.
In a circle with all the other Old Ladies, I’ve claimed a comfy chair on the back patio. We’re all chatting, munching on snacks as we watch the kids run around the backyard. All the men are scattered about, playing horseshoes, tossing bags, or just shooting the shit. A couple Brothers man the grills while others lounge around the firepit.
I soak in the relaxation time, knowing it soon will end. I rub my almost bursting baby bump, imagining what life will be like in just a matter of days. I’m t-minus one day until I’m due, so I could very well be right back here in less than a week with a brand-new baby in my arms.
My due date is tomorrow, June third, but I’m not feeling anything out of the ordinary. No Braxton Hicks contractions, no stronger than normal back pains, nothing.
“Hey, Cherry.” Duchess, the club President Whiskey’s Old Lady, calling my name snaps me out of dream land. “How did General get his road name? I don’t think I’ve heard him tell.”
“It comes from his hometown.” I explain the condensed story of Galena and their nine generals from the Civil War. “Town lore is that his great grandma, his grandpa’s mother, was a descendant of an illegitimate child born to one of the generals. Obviously, there’s no proof, but he told me that back when he patched in, the guys heard the background story and the moniker stuck.”
“That’s so cool.”
Adjusting to life in the MC is easier than I ever anticipated. Everyone has been super nice and welcoming, and I have no regrets about coming here.
It’ll take some time to fully adjust, but General is very quickly getting into the swing of being in one place for more than a few days at a time. Every couple weeks, I sense him getting the itch to hop on his Harley and take off, so when that happens, all I have to do is suggest he go for a ride. A few hours later, he comes back with a huge smile on his face and a lot more relaxed.
Speaking of the devil, General appears and kneels down at my side, immediately resting a hand on my belly. I can’t help but stare as he flips his hat around backward, biceps bulging and tattoos popping.
“How’s my little man?” Leaning in, he presses a kiss on the temple and we immediately both feel the baby kick.
“I think it’s a girl,” I say stealing another kiss, this time on the lips.
“No way.” He shakes his head. “It’s a boy. I just know it.”
“But what if it’s a girl?” We do this at least every other day. He says boy, I say girl. One of us will eventually win, but there really is no loser.
“I’ll love her just the same as I love you.” And he steals another kiss. “But it’s a boy.” With a silly grin and wink, he pushes up and walks away.
All the Old Ladies around me laugh.
“There’s enough testosterone in this club.” Angel, Sergeant-at-Arms Hammer’s Old Lady, rubs her also very pregnant belly. She’s due at the end of the month. “This one will make six boys born in a row in this last year. We need some baby girls around here.”
“I’ll be happy either way. I just like ruffling his feathers when I say it’s a girl.”
“You still haven’t found out the gender?” Duchess asks.
“Nope. We both want it to be a surprise.”
“You’re stronger than I was,” Sunshine snickers. She’s the one who married two men back during the Christmas Eve wedding. Steel is the club’s Vice President, and Ring is an Enforcer. “As soon as the ultrasound tech said she could tell me what the twins were, I needed to know so I could start buying stuff.”
Sunshine had identical twin boys in April, less than a month after we moved here. If everyone keeps having babies at this rate, the bikers here are going to be outnumbered in no time.
“Buzz and I didn’t know about this one being a boy until he popped out.” Star, the Old Lady of another Brother called Buzz, smiles down at her tiny bundle. She just had her baby, Zach, four days ago, but you can’t even tell. She looks amazing.
“I like surprises, so I’m good with not knowing.”