by S. Nelson
Choosing not to agree or disagree, she led me into the living room and sat me on the couch, sitting right next to me and continuing to offer her support.
When I finally stopped crying, wiping away the last of my tears, she squeezed my hand. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about this right now, but I need to know what happened.” I didn’t bother asking her what she meant.
I told her about the day I found out I was pregnant. How scared I was, especially since I was unsure about the state of my relationship with Kaden. I told her how he’d been pulling away from me for months before and wasn’t sure how he’d react to the news of becoming a father, but when I found him in the clubhouse, with that woman, I ran. I hurriedly told her he hadn’t in fact cheated on me, but I didn’t know it at the time. Then I reminded her about my car accident and that I’d suffered a miscarriage a couple days later.
Collapsing against the back of the couch, I released a breath, one so heavy I felt it in my bones. While I was elated to have Kaden back in my life, and in my heart, I hated our relationship caused my dad so much stress. Why couldn’t he be a normal overprotective father and not some crazy man about to throw down at the first sign some guy was interested in me? Better yet, why couldn’t he come to terms with Kaden being the one I loved? He’d known him his entire life, loved him like a son, had said so many times.
Lost to my own thoughts, my mom’s voice startled me when she spoke.
“Can I ask something of you, sweetheart?”
“What?”
“Don’t do anything rash. Give it a few days before you make any decisions.”
“Like I told Dad, Kaden and I are together now, and nothing is gonna change that.” I moved to stand but she caught my hand, pulling me back.
“I’m not talking about you and Kaden.” She placed her hand over her heart. “I love him, and I love you two together. I just wish you would’ve confided in me back then. Maybe I could’ve worked on your father.” My brows shot up. “Okay, so maybe I wouldn’t’ve gotten very far but I still wish you had told me.”
“We couldn’t risk him finding out. No one knew. Just me and Kaden, of course. Oh, and Uncle Trigger.”
“Yeahhh… he’s not gonna let this one go with your dad.” A strained grin appeared on her lovely face.
“I’m getting that same feeling,” I said, mirroring her expression. “I do think it’s time I move out, though. I’m grown now and there’s no reason I should still live with my parents.”
“Where would you go?”
“Chelsea would love a roommate,” I said, hoping it was the truth. She’d lived on her own for a while and had mentioned several times how much she wished her rent wasn’t so high. And she lived in a nice part of town, safety being one of the reasons she put up with paying as much as she did.
“Just make sure you work through all the details before you up and move out. Like I said, don’t do anything rash.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.” She patted my knee before standing.
“Hey, Mom.”
She looked down at me and smiled. “Yeah?”
“How long do you think it’ll be before Dad gets over this and accepts that Kaden and I are together?”
“I don’t know. It took Uncle Trigger years to come to grips with me and your dad. He still gives him shit every once in a while, but now it’s more teasing than anything. Your dad didn’t let my uncle’s anger deter him from being with me, and if Kaden loves you like I think he does, he won’t let anyone stand in the way of being with you.”
“I believe that, too. I just don’t want Dad to retaliate like Uncle Trigger did.”
“Neither do I.”
Her parting words did nothing to soothe my worry that my dad would indeed try and shoot Kaden.
35
Glancing around the clubhouse lot, I noticed Stone’s bike wasn’t here yet, which allowed me more time to figure out how I would handle things if he came after me again. His initial reaction to hearing about me and Riley was understandable, especially in the way he found out and what he had heard.
But if he came after me again, would I fight back? Would I continue to allow him to hit me without repercussion? It was hard to say since I wasn’t beneath his boot right now.
Seeing Tag busy in the garage when I arrived diverted my attention from my current situation.
“Hey, man,” he called out as I walked in. “What’s up?”
I wasn’t about to get into it with him, so all I said was, “Nuthin’. Just here for a meeting.”
“Did you ever figure out who started the fire?”
“No. Not yet, but we will.” Tag nodded, looking otherwise distracted. “Everything okay?”
He wiped his hands on a rag. “My mom was in the hospital yesterday. She’s back home now, but I just hate I can’t do anything for her.” His eyes became glassy and I felt bad for the guy. His sister would arrive soon but until then he was going through all this alone.
“Listen, if you need to take today and go home, go.”
“I’m good. I just checked on her and she yelled at me for worrying so much.” He cracked a smile, but it fell flat seconds later.
“Well, if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to leave.”
The roar of engines ended our back-and-forth and before I turned around to see who’d arrived, I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, praying for the strength needed to stand my ground. Riley was mine again and I wasn’t going to let anyone, including Stone, fuck that up.
“You okay?” Tag asked, bumping my arm.
I flicked open my eyes and exhaled. “Just preparing.”
He didn’t have time to ask what I meant before Ace jogged up to us, slinging his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into him, goofing off.
“You really know how to liven things up.” He laughed, nudging my shoulder and jerking his chin toward the other side of the lot.
Stone backed his bike into his assigned spot and took off his helmet. Like a hunter, he zeroed in on me, dismounting his ride. He tossed his helmet onto his seat, craned his neck from side to side, and headed right for me, fury propelling his every stride.
“Stone!” Prez yelled from behind him, but Stone didn’t stop. “I’m not gonna tell you again,” he shouted even louder. Our VP stopped walking, looked at me like he wanted to kill me, which wasn’t surprising, and turned back around. He brushed past his friend and stalked inside the clubhouse. The rest of the guys all filed in after him.
“We better get in there,” I said, trying to calm the erratic beat of my heart.
“I’m not sure I wanna be in there,” Ace said, walking ahead of me despite his sentiment.
“How do you think I feel?”
I could barely concentrate on anything Prez said because I was too busy dodging Stone’s glares. His grip on the edge of the table was so tight, his hands had lost most of their color. I kept my head down for most of the meeting, but when our leader asked me a question, I had to look at him, and since Stone sat right next to him it was hard not to at least glance over at him. Sure enough, he looked like he wanted to hop on top of the table and lunge at me.
“Well?” Prez said. “Can I count on you to handle things there?”
Ace kicked me under the table. “Wh… What did you want me to take care of?”
“I need you to oversee the renovations at Indulge. We have a contractor going out there today at noon. Meet him there.”
“Sure.” I lowered my eyes from his and didn’t look at Stone again for fear he’d erupt without warning.
A few minor topics were discussed, and just when I thought Marek was gonna slam down his gavel, his tone when he spoke again indicated we were anything but finished.
“Listen, I know there’s some tension because of yesterday.” Against my better judgment, I looked over at Stone, but instead of finding a fiery glare directed back at me, his eyes were closed. He hands continued to grip the table, his chest rising and falling in barely rest
rained anger. I had no doubt if we were outside Chambers right now, I’d either be running from him or deflecting his blows.
“We got enough goin’ on right now; we don’t need to add to it,” Prez continued. “What’s done is done.” Stone’s eyes popped open.
“It’s not done,” he growled, looking right at me.
“It is while you’re here. Nothing happens at the clubhouse.”
A tiny smirk lifted the corners of Stone’s mouth. “Fair enough.”
A chill shot through me and right then the only thing I could do to abate this feeling was to seek out the one man who might be able to give me some insight as to what I was in for with Stone.
I was one of the first guys to leave the room, impatiently waiting for Trigger to exit. The second he stepped foot outside Chambers, I appeared in front of him, startling him. “I need to talk to you.”
“Fuck, Kaden. Not a good idea to be scarin’ an ol’ man.” He walked away from me and straight toward the bar. “Come get a drink. You look like you need one,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“It’s not even ten o’clock,” I responded but quickly followed and took a corner seat so I could see when Stone emerged from the room.
Trigger poured me a beer and slid it across the top of the bar, ignoring my reminder of the time of day.
“What’s on your mind?” He took a sip from his water while he waited for me to answer, running a hand over the top of his head. Many years back, before I even remember Trigger, his hair was long enough he kept it pulled back in a ponytail. But as he got older, his hair thinned out and only when some of the guys kept giving him shit about his ponytail looking like a rat’s tail, did he finally cut it off. Now, he wore his hair short and close to his head.
Trigger was a cool guy in my book. He didn’t care what anyone thought and always said what was on his mind. I supposed age gave him that luxury.
“How long did it take you to stop being mad at Stone for getting with Addy?”
“I’m still mad at him.”
That wasn’t the answer I hoped for.
“It’s been over twenty years,” I scoffed. “Are you serious?”
“Yes and no.” Trigger wiped down the bar even though I doubted anyone else was gonna join us.
“That’s as clear as mud.”
“If you wait, I’ll explain myself.” He came around the bar and took the seat next to me, angling his body so that our conversation would be kept private. “Addy is more like a daughter to me than a niece. When my sister died, her mom, I promised her dad, Brian, I would look out for her whenever she came around. He didn’t want her to be a part of this life and I agreed. So, even though I warned everyone to stay away from her whenever she did swing by to help us out, Stone went behind my back and pursued her, essentially bringing her into the life I wanted to protect her from.
“Things in the club were much different back then. A lot more dangerous. Life and death sometimes. Stone never understood why I was so angry with him, not until he had Riley. Then he got it. And when you have a daughter of your own, you’ll get it, too.” He took another swig of his water before continuing. “Only when I saw that Stone could take care of Addy in all the ways necessary, and of his family, did I truly stop being angry with him for defying me. But don’t you dare tell him I said that. I still give him shit from time to time to keep him on his toes.”
“But what if he wants to shoot me like you shot him?”
“Then you’ll have to endure it like he did.” His response was so matter of fact I thought maybe he was joking.
“He can’t feel any pain, so I doubt he cared much.” I swallowed half my beer, my unease for what might happen slowly starting to unravel me.
Trigger squeezed my shoulder. “Stone is not gonna shoot you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because despite how he feels right now, he loves you. He’s known you since you were a baby. Besides, do you really think Marek is gonna let him shoot you? He’d have to deal with Sully, and he doesn’t want that.” He laughed, slapping me on the back. “Give it time, but until then, stay out of his way.” Trigger disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me to wonder if what he said was the truth.
I sighed, loud enough to catch the attention of Ryder, who stood close by. He meandered over and took the seat Trigger had vacated.
“You okay?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“It’s kinda fucked up, Kaden. Stone trusted you to look out for Riley all these years, not sleep with her.” Nothin’ like divin’ right in. Ryder’s tone was calm, but his loyalty to his friend oozed out of him.
“It wasn’t like that… ever.” I hung my head, already drained. “I’ve loved Riley since I was a kid. I would never do anything to hurt her.”
“You already did. It’s why she stopped talkin’ to you.” I looked over at him, surprised with his bluntness, although I shouldn’t have been. Ryder shared Trigger’s trait in that he would say whatever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to.
“It’s all good now. We worked it out.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“We’re together. And this time I’m not gonna let her get away. I don’t care who has a problem with it.”
He unfolded his arms and stood, and because I wasn’t sure what he was gonna do, I kept my eyes glued to him. But then he did something that truly surprised me.
He winked at me before slapping me on the back, much like Trigger had just done.
“Good luck, then,” he said, right before he walked away.
36
“I see your girlfriend will be here soon.” Chelsea tapped the computer screen with her finger. “I wonder if she’ll finally make a move. Reece and I have a bet going and I know I’m gonna win.”
With my mouth dropped open, I turned to look at Reece. “You know better than to encourage her like this.”
The “girlfriend” Chelsea teased me about was Leah, a client of mine. She’d been coming to me for the past year, every three weeks like clockwork to get her roots done, along with the occasional trim. I also had a sneaking suspicion she came to see me specifically. She’d never flat-out flirted with me, per se, but the way she looked at me, and the way her hand lingered on my arm a few seconds too long, indicated she was interested. Leah was a beautiful woman in her late twenties, and while I was flattered, I didn’t swing that way.
Reece tied her hair into a messy bun and adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, giving me a wink when she finished. “Far be it from me to miss out on an easy twenty.”
“And which side of the bet did you take?”
“I said she won’t do anything blatant. She’ll keep it low-key as usual.”
“And I say today is the day.” Chelsea did a little dance in her chair, her enthusiasm for my impeding awkwardness not appreciated one bit.
The chime above the door rang, but I never looked, too wrapped up in deciding what action to take if and when Leah did in fact try something.
“And what if she does? Huh? What am I supposed to do?”
“Do about what?” Kaden asked, walking up behind me and wrapping his arm around my waist, pulling me back until I rested against his hard chest. I took a deep breath, his scent infiltrating and serving to soothe me. He kissed the back of my head. “What’s goin’ on?” The chime went off again and this time Brick walked in, followed by Tripp.
“We’re taking bets on whether Riley’s girlfriend will finally make a move on her today, and she’s worried about what to do,” Chelsea said, grinning so big I wanted to throw something at her.
“What is she talkin’ about?” Kaden asked, his arm tightening around me.
“One of her clients,” Reece chimed in right before she rose on her tiptoes to give her husband a kiss.
“Is she attractive?” Brick asked. “’Cause that could be hot.” From his straitlaced expression, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but my guess was that he wasn�
��t, him being a guy and all.
“Watch it.” Kaden’s voice dropped a level, the rasp of his tone eliciting the simmering ache between my legs to pump back to life. “No one will be hitting on Riley.”
“Why don’t we see what she looks like first, then decide.” Brick finally grinned, ducking when Kaden flung a hairbrush at his head. “All I’m sayin’ is that a threesome should always be an option. Trust me, you won’t regret it.” We all stared at him, deciding if he was still messin’ around or letting us know he had indeed enjoyed a threesome before. Maybe even more than one.
“Not funny, man.”
“Let’s not talk about two chicks gettin’ it on when one of ’em is Riley,” Tripp chimed in. “She’s like my kid.”
Most of the older guys in the club viewed me like a daughter, their protectiveness stifling at times, but none of their actions were worse than my dad’s, of course. He’d gone mental whenever I mentioned a boy growing up and then calmed down some as I got older, but that was only because I stopped talking about boys because Kaden and I were together. Secretly, of course.
“She ain’t my kid.” Brick laughed, hustling around one of the chairs when Kaden released me and took off after him. The sight of Brick running from anyone was comical, given that the guy was huge, but he enjoyed teasing Kaden, and would engage in the charade of being worried what Kaden would do in retaliation.
“All right. Knock it off.” Reece smacked Brick’s arm when he passed her, chuckling when he managed to dodge Kaden yet again. For a big guy, he moved quickly. Kaden gave up and walked back toward me, smiling right before he leaned in and kissed me.
“I don’t think I ever want to see that again.” Tripp groaned. “That shit is too weird.”
“Don’t care,” Kaden grumbled against my lips. “We’re not hidin’ anymore.” When his tongue swept through my mouth, I relaxed into him, giving over every piece of me.
Moments later, the sound of the bell pulled me out of my blissful haze. I looked toward the door and saw Leah standing there, her eyes pinned to mine and I believed I saw a blush creep over her cheeks.
