Avery Razorback MC Book 4

14

GEMMA'S POV:

I kept Monica with me all morning and when it came time to head to the bar, I dropped her home with Felicity to watch over her. I gave her my morning tips and made sure she knew she could order dinner for them both.

I got to the bar, clocked in and chatted with the girls about their Christmas when one of them asked me what I did. "I was at the MC clubhouse that owns the place. Avery took me and Monica." I told them and they started hooting about. "It wasn't as fun as it sounds." I waved them off and they all sort of tilted their head and looked at me like they needed to know more. 

"What happened?" Christie, one of the first women here to ever talk to me back when I started, she was the first person to tell me what a great job I was doing when she found out what all was on my plate.

"I sort of thought it would a fun time, his sister was nice when I first met her but yesterday... she kept looking me up and down, making little mean comments... it was like she did an entire turn around." I told them all and Christie shook her head and stood up, she was in full dance gear, so she just ran a hand over my face.

"Then she doesn't know who she was dissing. You're a peach, and a hell of a girl. If she wants to be mean, ignore the behavior. As long as you're happy with Avery then be with him." Frankie told me as she winked at me and gave me a smile.

"And as long as he is happy, don't worry about it." I nodded with some of the advice, not entirely happy about just ignoring the mean looks, but it was a solution. At least for now. When Avery and I got more serious I would have to deal with it.

"Thanks girls. See you out there." I walked out and saw Avery and Marcus' door closed and I started fixing the bar. It was going to be a slow night, so I brought one stool around the back and waited for someone to come on and order something. Some men came in, asked for beers, and I went back to waiting around.

Avery didn't come out for hours, and when he did, he came right over to the bar. "How are you doing tonight?" 

"Pretty slow, just a couple beers." I told him and he smiled and leaned down to kiss me. I smiled and as always, melted into the kiss. It was quick since we were at work, and I just pushed his sister to the back of my mind. I wasn't going to get the chance to see her that much, I would always be working, so maybe it wouldn't be a huge issue.

"How about tonight, I drop you off and we can watch that movie-"

"I have to be up early tomorrow... but I was thinking... I have New Year’s Eve and day off... we can watch it and after I put Monica to bed and then we can do something you want to do for a change." I told him and he smirked softly before he leaned down, cupping my chin in his hand and he nodded slowly.

"We can do that." He told me and I smiled and looked around to make sure no one was coming up for a refill.

"So... how was your day?" I asked and he worked his jaw before looking around.

"To be honest, filled with telling the guys from the MC how to act around the customers. They wanted to get rough if they broke the rules... and I made sure to tell them that we need them not to sue us." He rubbed the back of his neck and I saw his chain go back and forth. I knew he was a Marine, and I knew he was discharged and not just reserves so I wondered why he kept them on.

I got another glass of beer for one of the guys ready when he stood up to come closer. I passed it over, he gave cash, and I used the little white board to mark it down. I put the cash in the register and made sure to tally it since tonight wasn't busy before turning back to see Avery's eyes were focused below my belt.

"What were you staring at?" I asked as I crossed my arms and stood on the other side of the bar from him.

"My girl... " He smiled at me and I laughed and shook my head at him.

"Girl huh?" I asked realizing it sounded kind of juvenile.

"You prefer something else?" He asked me and I titled my head as I thought about it.  "I kind of like it. You're my girl, my lady, my woman." He went on a bit of a spiral and I laughed again.

"Girlfriend or is that a bad word for you?" I asked and he laughed now.

"You are my girlfriend, which is why I call you my girl. It's just shortened." He told me and I just smiled at the thought of him being ok with being labeled. "By the way... I think we need to talk about something."

"About what?" I asked and moved to get my ice water.

"How my sister was treating you yesterday, I am pretty sure it was all because of me." He had my attention, and I couldn't necessarily deny it. "I told her off yesterday morning, which was why I was so early to your house. She pushed my buttons, we had a bit of a fight, she said something about how you, and I told her to back off. I am thinking... she assumes you've said something about how she treats me. I thought about it last night after you didn't let me sleep over." He was kind of rambling, and when the music started it was kind of hard to hear him over the beat and I knew he was just telling me that he was going to set her straight about it and how I shouldn't worry about it the next time I see her.

"It's fine Avery. Really." I told him and he shook his head and gave me a look.

"It's not ok Gem. She's done a lot of mean things to my girlfriends in the past. She ran one off with a bat." He told me and I felt my eyes widen on their own. "She in hindsight was kind of bad for me." He admitted and I just bit my lip.

"So, she thinks that I am pushing you into doing something bad?" He shook his head right away, making me stop and he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck again.

"I have been her kid brother for as long as I can remember Gem. She thinks she has to control me and my life, and when I went off to the middle east... she kind of lost her s**t. Ever since I have been back, I have let her do things for me, like give me that house she owned... I let her and now that I am with you, I don't want her to talk down to me and tell me how to do things. I tried to set her straight, and she thinks it's your fault."

AVERY'S POV:

Shit I knew the moment I got in my car last night that something went bad. I went through the night, thinking I was seeing Jackie's looks hitting me, but I realized with how Gem was acting, they weren't for me, but for her.

I knew the way Jackie's brain worked, she was blaming her and not me for telling her off. She always assumed that every girl had an influence over me. Gemma was far from having influence over me, and even if she did it wasn't going to be against my sister she barely knows.

"I am going to talk to her again... and when I do I will tell her that she has to apologize to you for making you so uncomfortable at the party she wanted you to come to." I told her and she seemed to shake her head before I finished.

"You don't have to-"

"I thought she was giving me looks yesterday, but I realized, like I said, when you didn't let me stay over, that she was giving them to you." I told her and she looked away, licking over lips and then casting her eyes down. "Gem, she is going to apologize to you. You didn't deserve any of that."

"Agree to disagree. I don't need it as long as she doesn't do it again." She told me and I sighed but pushed it to the back of my head. Making sure to keep it there and not just forget it. She poured maybe two more beers before it was closing time, and when we finished up our responsibilities for the night, I drove her home and held her hand. I had clean clothes in my boot if it came to her letting me stay over again. I was hoping but wasn't counting on it.

"Come on." She tugged on my hand as she got out and I went around, loving the way she let me wrap my arms around her as she unlocked the front door. We watched the babysitter walk home and she pulled me into the house again, pulling me to her room and she kissed my lips. "I am going to change; you can stay tonight if you want."

"Oh, I want. You're spoiling me with all the cuddles at night." I told her. I didn't f*****g sleep all that good last night. I had to resort back to my pills when it hit 2:30am and I wasn't even sleepy.

"I will give you all the cuddles you want tonight then. I didn't sleep that good last night to be honest." She seemed shy as she said it, so I pushed her chin up so she would look at me and I leaned down and kissed her.

"You get ready for bed and I will go get my bag from the car." I told her and she smiled softly, and she nodded at me.

She turned and I headed for the front door before she bedroom door closed all the way. I only had sweats that we clean if I wanted a shirt to walk out of here with tomorrow. I grabbed my bag and headed back in before locking up. I changed in the bathroom, coming out and seeing her walking into the kitchen. I followed and saw her drinking some more water and I crossed my arms when she noticed me.

Her eyes trailed my abs and chest, and she put the water down and bit her lip. "No shirt?"

"Not if I want to walk out of here tomorrow in a clean one." I told her and she blushed slightly and nodded. 

I walked with her and right into bed with her. It felt so f*****g right, I pulled her into my side, and she kissed over my neck until she moved up and I was just content with slow kisses in bed with her. She fell asleep just past 10 minutes of our make out session. I laid on my back, pulling her arm up onto my chest and let her hike her leg up in her sleep to get even more comfortable.

The pressure she gave me lulled me right to sleep. The hard as f**k morning wood I had didn't help much, but we were sorting it out, no awkward feelings about it, and no pressure on her to do anything about it, but she had to get up and ready. I laid in bed and I heard her get Monica up and started, I closed her door and got dressed too.

I walked out and saw that she was pouring oatmeal for Monica and I rubbed at my jaw and sat there as she filled another cup of coffee for me. I drank it black, so I didn't need anything fancy. Monica started to tell me about how she got to go to the diner today and how she had fun yesterday and I listened until it seemed we were all ready to go. I put my feet into my shoes and drove to the diner, and Monica said she would see me later.

I made sure I knew what time she would be off, and then I headed straight for Jackie's café knowing she would be open. It was going to be a hard conversation to have, but it needed to be f*****g said. I wasn't a kid; I didn't need her watching out for me when I didn't need it. I sure as hell needed to make sure she knew that this wasn't coming from my girl, it was coming from me and she would need to apologize.

It was going to be a hard conversation, but Jackie was my sister, not my mom, and she needed to be reminded of that. If she got pissed like she did when I enlisted, then so be it, but ruining something that made me feel good wasn't going to be allowed this time.