Page 146 of Trick Knot Treat

“I don’t know. Take Gummy on dates? Knit? Take people for rides up and down the coast.”

He frowns, but he gets a look in his eye that tells me he’s thinking about it.

“All right. Get packed!” He claps his hands. “You have two hours, and then the MC descends upon your heads.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, yeah?”

“We love you.”

“Damn straight you do. Don’t you forget it.”

I scamper off, laughing, but feeling like this is a bittersweet ending.

My room is packed up, my bags are by the door. Boxes ready. Harvest is moving them to the entrance, and I’m making drinks as the guys walk into the club.

“Where’s our baby girl?”

I squeal as I’m passed from arms to arms, hugged until I can barely breathe.

“All right, all right. Everyone is here.” Dad stands up on a chair and holds up a beer. “Grab your drinks and raise a glass.”

“Are you retired, old man?” Willie shouts. He’s got a mane of silver hair and loves to whistle. He’s been with the club for so long that no one even remembers when he joined.

“Who just called me old? You’re out of the club!”

Everyone laughs.

“No, seriously. We need to have an enormous cheer for our youngsters,” Dad says and looks around sternly.

“Have they bonded? Are we celebrating?” Royce shouts, his eyes gleaming. “Are we getting drunk tonight?”

“I ain’t seen no bite. You don’t win the pot until we see where the mating bite is!” Digger scowls, winking at me.

I stare in horror. “You bet on where my bonding mark would be?”

“Of course, sweetie. We bet on everything. I have your thigh. Please have a bite on your thigh.”

“Will you shut up and let me talk, Digger!”

Digger scowls. “Congrats, you two young uns.” He cups his mouth. “The thigh!”

“Digger, shut up!”

Digger raises his beer bottle in my direction but doesn’t say another word.

“So, first off. Our kids are leaving the nest.”

The cheer is explosive. I am suddenly very apprehensive about how this is going to go. Harvest leans on the wall, his eyes watchful and tense.

“BUT not with each other.”

That silences all thirty of the older men. They stare at Dad and then look at me, then at Harvest. The demand for information is a roar as loud as their bikes.

“What does that mean?” Teddy snarls, stepping through. He’s a giant of an alpha and has been a most beloved uncle all my life.

Dad swallows. “Raise your glasses and celebrate because Harvest and Khione met their scent matches in Sunshine Cove.”