Clearwater’s Redemption by Tiffany Casper

Chapter 4

Fiona

After I climbed out of my car, Knox was standing there, I reached in and grabbed my bag.

Walking into the clubhouse felt so surreal, this time I was walking beside Knox. What I wished was that I had the right to claim him, to have my hands on him. To let everyone know that he was taken. What would it be like to have a man like him at your side?

And when other women stared at him as we walked through, it took everything in me to not growl at them.

“Hey girl.” Novalie stepped up to me, I reached out and hugged her.

Through the years I had seen Novalie with her two children when they came into the diner to catch up.

“How are you?” she asked as she took in the bruise on my cheek.

“Taking it day at a time.”

“Fiona, Fiona.” I smiled down when I saw Jasper and Cassidee running towards me, grinning, I opened my arms and dropped to the floor for them as they ran at me.

Laughing I hugged them close, then when they pulled away, I grabbed something that I had found for Cassidee’s birthday out of my bag.

“Happy birthday sweetie.” I handed it to Cassidee.

“Thank you Fiona.” She said in her little voice that was too cute for words.

“Your welcome sweetheart.”

Once I stood back up, Jasper took Cassidee over to the gift table that was full.

“So let me introduce you to the ladies that have come to be a part of us that you haven’t met before.” I smiled at Novalie, and before I could follow her, Knox handed me a beer.

I grabbed it as I looked at him and offered him a smile.

There wasn’t a person in the clubhouse that had missed that exchange.

The moment I sat down at a table that Novalie and a bunch of ladies were occupying, she started the introductions, “From right to left is Miriam, she belongs to Cooper. Phoebe is Xavier’s. You know Lucy is Dale’s, Valerie is Garret’s. Marley is York’s, and lastly is Sydney, she belongs to Walker.”

The woman that Novalie told me was Valerie laughed as she said, “I think she means that they all belong to us.”

I laughed as the other women chuckled right along.

“I need more candles. Creedence used my latest one last night when she took a bubble bath,” Valerie shook her head.

Marley just grinned, “I’m putting new ones in the shop tomorrow, come by.”

“I’ll be there.” Valerie said excitedly.

“Candles?” I asked Marley.

“Yeah, mom makes candles, she’s been doing it for years.” Caristiona grinned. She was a beautiful girl, I know that judging by appearances that Marley is too young to be her mom, it wasn’t my place, but being that I wanted everything with Knox, I needed to get to know these ladies.

“Mind if I tag a long?” I asked Valerie.

“Absolutely want to meet me here in the morning and we can ride together?”

Nodding, Miriam even said she was coming with.

I had just taken a sip from my beer when Valerie asked the question I was sure was on a lot of their minds, “So what’s going on with you and Knox?”

I looked over to where he was sitting at the bar. “I’m not sure.” I told her honestly. “I should have left my ex a long time ago. Not because of Knox but because I had been a naïve fool.”

“We’ve all been there sweetie.” Lucy smiled, I adored her.

“Knox doesn’t talk much, but the little things he does, it’s like he lets his actions speak for themselves.”

“Tell me about it. He never really spoke to me, but then he was buying our baby things and we had formed a bond. He even comes over to my parents’ house for dinner once a week. Never says a word but he shows up if he isn’t doing something for the club.” Phoebe said.

“That’s really nice of them to include him,” I told her.

“I see him as my big brother and my parents see him as that as well.”

Later on in the evening after the cake was devoured and presents were opened, the kids all gathered around for smores that Cassidee had wanted.

Standing outside with the women as they all told me how they came to be ole’ ladies. And I knew right then and there that I wanted to be that for Knox. I had wasted too much time.

What I hadn’t known was that Knox had kept an eye on me the entire time, he only moved when I moved.

After we had headed home, Knox had seemed distant and I wasn’t sure what was going on. Not until I woke up the next morning and when I called his name, there had been no answer, only a note near the coffee pot. Club thing. Be back tonight. – Knox.

I dressed and met the women at the clubhouse. We all piled into Valerie’s SUV as we headed to Marley’s store.

The moment I walked in, I felt like I was in heaven. Marley had so many scents that instead of overwhelming the area, they all melted into one scent that was comforting.

“Love this.” I said as I walked over to an elephant wax warmer. I knew that I would be leaving with one of them.

However, I bit my lip, wondering if Knox would be okay with me adding things to his house.

So I bypassed that elephant that would look killer in his kitchen and walked to the candles on the far wall. I smelled all of them as did the other ladies.

I had just taken a whiff of a hazelnut caramel candle when the roar of pipes filled the morning.

“Boys couldn’t let us have a day.” Miriam chuckled as the roar instantly cut off. I turned my head to the front door to see bikes that were backing up against the curb.

Wondering if Knox was with them, I shook my head, I wasn’t his lady.

Turning my head back to the candle I saw that she had them in three different sizes, loving the smell so much, I added all three to the basket.

When the bell jingled above the door I looked as I watched Cotton, York, Garret, Cooper, Xavier, Walker, Dale, and Knox walk in.

All of the men went to their ladies, and I watched as Knox walked to me.

He looked in my basket, pulled the candle out, then he smelled it. He nodded, placed it back in my basket, then asked, “Only these?”

Deciding that I was going for this I walked over to the elephant warmer, grabbed it, then held it out to him, “Kitchen?”

Biting my lip in anticipation he looked down at me, grabbed it, checked it out, then he took my basket from me, placed the elephant in there and then he held his hand out for me to proceed.

I had to turn away from him so he wouldn’t see the tears that were forming in my eyes.

Marley had the same scent of the candles in wax melts so I grabbed them too. Two packs to start out.

Picking up a roasted marshmallow candle I took a whiff, undecided on it, I held it out for Knox. The wrinkle in his nose had me laughing.

“Yeah, I created that when I was pregnant with Kiera. She laughed. “It’s not everyone's cup of tea.”

I was glad that she wasn’t offended, she peeked in our basket, then she leaned around me and grabbed another one. After she handed it to me, I looked at the label, salted mocha. Smelling it I smiled then again held it out for Knox. He took one sniff, placed the lid back on then he proceeded to add it to the basket along with the other two sizes and two packs of melts.

Thinking that that was enough, I walked over to the counter so Caristiona could ring us up. I had just pulled out my cash when Knox handed her a fifty-dollar bill.

“Knox…”

“Our home.” I stood there not seeing anything else. I didn’t even notice the other ladies smiling and the men smiling. I didn’t even notice that Knox had walked away from me until Novalie tapped my shoulder and pointed over to where he stood.

I felt my cheeks grow pink, “I’ve been there honey.” She said with a kind smile.

Pulling a strand of my hair behind my ear I walked over to him.

With all of our bags in the SUV the men rode around us with three bikes in front and the other eight behind us, as we all headed to the clubhouse.

Turning my head it was to see Knox right behind where I sat.

Since Knox had to handle something at the clubhouse I headed home and started dinner.

Smiling when Kida met me at the front door. I let him out then I put the elephant wax warmer in the kitchen. I was right, it looked freaking awesome.

Hearing him pawing at the front door, I let him in, turned on some tunes, and started to make us some dinner.

Replaying today’s events in my mind and smiling all the while.