“Thank you. While I would like to take all the credit for picking it out, your uncle Bishop gave me some suggestions.”

“Hello there,” a voice called behind us.

I whirled around to come face-to-face with Bishop’s mother, Elizabeth Malloy. After reading about her in the bureau’s files, I couldn’t help being intrigued by her. As a child and teenager, she had been the epitome of a Goody Two-shoes. Just as she graduated with honors from high school, she had met John Malloy at church. It was an unlikely match, considering that she was one of the deacons’ daughters, and John was fresh out of prison for armed robbery. Of course, by the time they met, John had rehabilitated himself from a former biker hood to become a born-again Christian. Later he would become a preacher and start his own church, Soul Harbor. But then, thirteen years into their marriage, John seemed to snap one day. He went from loving husband, father, and minister back to outlaw biker. While they had never officially divorced, he and Elizabeth, or Beth as she was known, never lived together again.

I had learned most of the information from the files, but Bishop had also talked to me some about his parents. We both could commiserate on the loss of our fathers. While I had to fudge some of the details about my dad, I was pretty honest with Bishop. After I’d kept my feelings buried for many years, it felt good to talk about my dad to someone outside my family.

In her arms, Beth held baby Wyatt. Beth glanced from Willow to me. Without missing a beat, she extended her hand to me. “I’m Beth Malloy.”

“Samantha Vargas,” I said as I shook her hand.

“Samantha is Uncle B’s girlfriend,” Willow added.

Beth’s blue eyes, the ones Bishop had inherited, widened to the size of dinner plates. “Oh, is that right?”

“Actually, we’re just friends.”

Like the other women, Beth appeared tempted to call bullshit on the “just friends” argument. But instead, she plastered on a welcoming smile. “It’s very nice to meet you, Samantha. I’m glad you’ve come out to celebrate Nathaniel’s birthday with us.”

“Me, too. I can tell how much Bishop loves his brothers from the way he talks about them.”

A loving expression came over Beth’s face. “Although they have their fights and arguments, it’s such a blessing how much they love each other.”

“You must be very proud of them,” I said.

Beth laughed. “I am. They’ve given me far too many gray hairs trying to be the death of me, but I love them with all my heart and soul.”

I tried for a moment to imagine what it must be like to be the mother of three MC men. I was sure they did give her gray hair from worrying with the type of shit they were involved in. I wondered just how much she knew about their illegal dealings. A part of me figured she wasn’t the type to turn a blind eye, but rather just not to ask too many questions.

“Hey there,” Bishop called as he jogged up to us. I could barely hide my surprise when he gave me a quick hug. Although we often exchanged hugs at the end of our dinners, it felt different here on his home turf, so to speak. Not to mention that it happened in front of his mother.

“Sorry I wasn’t able to meet you,” he said.

“That’s okay. Willow has been a wonderful hostess.”

Bishop grinned. “I figured as much.”

“Your meeting go okay?” I asked.

A dark look flashed in his eyes before he quickly covered it up. “Yep. And now we’re ready to have some fun.” He bent down to tickle Willow. “Are you ready to party?”

Bouncing up and down, Willow replied, “Yes!”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.” Turning to me, he asked, “Sam?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

He nodded and then turned to his mother. “Mama Beth, are you ready to put on your party hat and dancing shoes?”

She swatted his arm playfully. “I don’t know about dancing, but yes, I’m ready to celebrate Nathaniel’s birthday.”

Bishop groaned good-naturedly. “Don’t be an old party pooper. You can break it down with the best of them.”

Beth chuckled. “If I tried to ‘break it down,’ as you say, I would end up with a broken hip at best.”

Bishop and I laughed along with her. It was nice seeing the easy rapport between the two. After my father had died, my relationship with my mother became stronger, but it wasn’t the same as it had been. I couldn’t help wondering if Bishop and Beth’s relationship had changed after his father’s death.

“Will you carry me up the hill, Uncle B?” Willow requested.

“Don’t you think you’re getting too big for that?” Bishop asked teasingly.

She huffed out a frustrated breath. “No, I’m not!”

“Fine, fine.” He turned around to where his back was facing her. “Okay, rug rat, jump up.”

Willow jumped onto Bishop’s back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. “Come on, let’s go! I’m hungry!” she exclaimed.

“You’re so bossy,” Bishop grumbled as he started up the hillside.

Beth and I fell in step beside him. “What do you want to eat, Willow?” Beth asked.

“I want a giant piece of cake with lots of icing.”

“Not until you eat your dinner.”

“Okay, then, I want a hot dog.”

“What else?”

“Just a hot dog.”

“Not some of your mom’s delicious chili?” Bishop asked. He then cut his eyes over to me. “You need to make sure you try some. It’s amazing.”