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“One for us,” Blaine said, grabbing Dante’s hand. “Two for…well, hopefully for children and one spare for guests, but there will soon be a guest house behind us, and the compound will have several homes that will be for visiting guests.”
“Kids. Uncle Blaine, you’re going to be such a good dad.”
Blaine blushed sweetly, and Indio’s grip tightened. Sel thought for a minute it was the word, dad. He knew Indio’s had been terrible, but when he looked up at Indio, he saw a smile.
Later, he asked him about it while they were on their way to the bunkhouse.
“I like seeing good people become dads. I don’t think they’re all shit just because mine was.”
“I’m glad. My uncles will be great at it.”
“They helped raise you, right? You turned out a little annoying, but pretty good.”
Sel laughed as they slowly took the last curve in the road before the ranch proper. When they walked into the building, and saw everyone sitting around the dining hall like they’d all lost their puppies, Sel ran over to his friends. “What happened?”
“Are you serious?” Mal asked. “Don’t you two, like…hate us?”
“Why would we hate you?”
Indio laughed. “Because I got all pissed off.”
Travis stood up from the table and held out his hand. “We didn’t mean to corner you, man.”
“No, I appreciate it. I just got…well, I knew I liked this fuckhead, but I just couldn’t admit it like…”
“We get it,” Pappy said. “We’ve all been there. Sit, you two, and celebrate with us. Roland, Jace and Tango came by.”
Sel waited and waited for what seemed like hours, but Binx shouted, “The feds ended their investigation, the construction has begun again and we have a set opening. Pride of next year!”
Sel started laughing and clapped his hands, hugging all his friends. “Why didn’t Dante tell me? We were just there!”
Prince told him, “Duh, we wanted to tell you! So maybe you’d stop being mad at us, you know, if you were mad at us.”
“You’re all forgiven, not that I was mad.”
The group celebrated, but it became a full celebration that weekend, as Dante and Blaine had Jace and the other managers go out to buy enough food and drinks to feed the army they currently had on the ranch.
Sel and Binx helped to plan, and Binx spent the two days left in that week making salads, sauces, cakes and candies for the weekend, Prince printed out the Carrillo Ranch logo, a C, and backward R to place all over between the streamers, and everyone pitched in one way or another.
The builders, ranch hands, visitors and all were headed there that Saturday while Sel got dressed in the farmhouse. He changed twice but didn’t like anything he tried. Mal came to his room and knocked softly as he peeked in the door. “Sel?”
“Yeah, come in!”
Mal came through the door with a box, setting it on the bed as he said, “I brought you something, but first, I wanted to explain.”
“Explain?”
Mal seemed timid, and that was a first. After licking his lips and staring at the ground, he said, “When Kirk and I first got together, I wasn’t part of the club. I was basically an ol’ man, like the ol’ ladies. The women took me in right away, they helped me figure Kirk out a little and they also made me a part of them.
“They gave me something that…at first I resented. Then I learned a little about what it meant, and once I did, I wore it so proudly that I…anyway, I spoke to Indio, asking him if it was okay that I give this to you.” He looked up, almost fearful. “You don’t have to wear it around anyone here, maybe never at all, but if you do, it might be when you go to Aztecas club gatherings. I mean, even then, it’s not required like the patches are for the members.”
“Mal, just show me.”
Snatching the box off the bed, he handed it over to Sel. “If you hate it, don’t be mad at me, please.”
“I could never be mad at you.”
Sel set it back on the bed and took the top from the garment box. Under some thin tissue lay a leather vest, much like Mal, Kirk, Indio, and the other bikers wore.
