“I do.”

“Do you swear to uphold the principles of the club while always having your brothers’ backs, even if it means sacrificing your own?”

“I do.”

I smiled and slapped him on the back. “Then welcome to the club.” I passed the patch over to him and then reached in to hug him.

After the hugging and backslapping had died down, I went over to join Annabel. “So, what did you think?” I asked when she handed me a beer.

“It was interesting.” She jerked her chin to where Crazy Ace now sat at a table alone, sewing his patch onto his cut. “Does he need some help with that?” When I chuckled, she narrowed her eyes at me. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It’s just that no one but Crazy Ace can sew his patch on. It’s too sacred.”

“But what if he doesn’t know how to sew?”

“Then he learns real fast.”

She grinned. “It’s kind of funny seeing a tattooed guy covered in piercings with a needle and thread in his hands.”

“You’re always responsible for your cut. You never let an old lady take care of it. It’s your job to treat the leather and make sure the patches aren’t falling off.”

“Sounds pretty serious.”

I nodded. “During the rest of the night, some of the guys will try to take Crazy Ace’s cut as a way to test his loyalty. He would be in deep shit if it ever got out of his sight. First night I had my patch, I slept with my cut on so some smart-ass couldn’t take it.”

Alexandra nudged Annabel with a laugh. “It’s really like a sorority when you think about it. All the rules and procedures.”

“Not quite,” I shot back, with a smile to soften my words.

Just as the band was about to start back up, Deacon jumped up onstage. At the sight of him, whistles and catcalls went up around the room. “I know this is Crazy Ace’s big night, but my old lady and I got some pretty kick-ass news today that I have to share.”

“Deacon,” Alexandra said, laughing at his description.

He smiled down at her with love that I had never imagined he could possess for a woman. “So raise a glass in honor of my son!”

My gaze went from Deacon to Alexandra, who was beaming. A boy. I was going to have a nephew—another male to carry on the Malloy family name. I couldn’t have been happier in that moment if the news had been my own.

The elation I felt was short-lived, for when I turned to smile at Annabel I saw that her expression was one of extreme anguish. I knew in that moment that what she had been denied was coming front and center to torment her. At any second, I expected her to burst into tears. Instead, she seemed to be getting her game face on right before my eyes. She straightened her shoulders and walked over to Alexandra. She gave her a hug. When Alexandra whispered something in Annabel’s ear, her composure momentarily faltered, and her entire body shuddered like she was in physical pain.

Once again I held my breath in concern that she was about to fall apart. But instead, she pulled away from Alexandra with a smile. Without a word to me, she then made her way through the crowd to the bar. I quickly caught up to her. “You okay?”

“Fine. Just wanted a drink.”

Since Alexandra had demanded that Deacon’s ex, Cheyenne, be banned from the club, we hadn’t found a new bartender. Instead, it became the job of the prospects, and it was the reason why you never ordered any mixed drinks.

“What can I get you?” our newest prospect, Jolting Joe, asked.

“A shot of Crown Royal,” Annabel requested.

Jolting Joe’s expression showed his confusion. “Is that some sorta mixed drink?”

I laughed. “Honey, we don’t have anything that expensive here.”

“Then what’s a good whiskey that will get me drunk?” she asked in a matter-of-fact voice.

I eyed her cautiously. “You think that’s a good idea?”

“I need to get drunk. I haven’t been drunk in months. In fact, I haven’t been truly rip-roaring drunk but maybe three times in my life.” Sweeping a hand to her hip, she asked determinedly, “So what’s gonna get me drunk?”

“Tequila’s good,” Jolting Joe suggested.

Annabel grimaced. “No tequila,” she whispered. I knew she had probably been exposed to Mendoza’s drunken rages after he’d partaken of too much tequila.

“Give her some Jack and Coke.”

“Don’t sugarcoat it for me,” Annabel protested.

Deacon joined us at the bar. “Give the girl a bottle of Jack and a glass, brother.”

Annabel turned to smile sweetly at Deacon. “Thank you.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think this is any of your business.”

He grinned. “Actually, it kinda reminds me of the time you didn’t think anything was wrong with Alex drunkenly dancing on the bar.” His comment earned him a smack from Alexandra.

“I can’t believe you just brought that up.”

“You were so sexy that night,” Deacon mused, his gaze becoming hooded.

Alexandra rolled her eyes. “On that note, I’m taking Willow and going home.” When she started past him, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, molding her body against his own.

“I won’t be long.” He kissed her hungrily. When he pulled away, Alexandra appeared to have forgiven him. She took Willow’s hand and waved good-bye.

Turning back on his barstool, he took a longneck from Jolting Joe. “Anyway, as I see it, payback’s a bitch.”

“Asshole,” I muttered under my breath. “Fine. A bottle of Jack and a glass.”

“Yes, sir,” Jolting Joe replied. After he retrieved the whiskey and thankfully just a shot-sized glass, rather than a regular-sized one, he placed it in front of Annabel. She unscrewed the lid and poured the dark liquid almost to the brim.

After cutting her eyes in my direction, she asked, “Aren’t you drinking?”

“Someone needs to stay sober to keep an eye on you.”

“Oh, Rev, you’re actually sounding like an old fart.”

She knew just how to goad me. “Fine. I’ll take some Jack, too.”

Once I had a glass as full as hers, she clinked the two together. “Bottoms up.” I’d barely had a chance to bring the glass to my lips before she had knocked hers back. Her eyes pinched shut as a shudder ran through her body. When she opened them, she grinned. “That was intense.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you just downed that.”

She grinned. “Let’s just say I learned a lot during extracurricular activities my freshman year.”

“I see.” When I swallowed my Jack, Annabel poured us another drink, but this time she sipped at it more cautiously. When Jolting Joe left us, we were alone again. “You want to talk about earlier?” I asked.

“No,” she replied, then took another sip. She cut her eyes from watching the couples on the dance floor back to me. “I’m sorry I freaked out like that,” she said softly.

“You didn’t freak out, and you don’t need to apologize.”

She sighed. “I feel so selfish being jealous of Alexandra. I mean, it’s not like I’m ready to have a baby right now. Maybe it’s something stubborn in me that only wants what it can’t have.”

I shook my head. “I think you have every right to be upset. A part of your future was taken away. It doesn’t matter if you wanted a child today or if you’d never wanted one.”

Annabel gave me a sad smile. “You always say just the right thing.”

“Once again, I think you’re flattering me.”

“Guess I haven’t worked my magic on you in the last month,” she mused.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I told you that day at tohi a-ma that I wanted you to be able to see how wonderful you are. Being modest is admirable, but it doesn’t mean you always have to discredit your strengths and talents.”

Just like Annabel, I remembered that day. What she had said to me had stayed with me this past month. Part of me was flattered by her compliments, while another part of me doubted their authenticity. As much as I hated to admit it, everything seemed to have changed between us. No matter how hard I’d tried to stop or fight it.