by Emily Minton
“No need to rush off. We could have lots of fun.”
My mom laughs his remark off as her hand continues its journey to his crouch. “Forget about her. She’s never any fun.”
Fun? I’m thinking a threesome with my mother would be anything but fun. “Mom, did you forget that today’s my graduation? It starts in two hours.”
She shrugs, obviously not caring that her only child has reached a milestone. “As you can see, I have company. I can’t be rude and leave him to go to your little thing.”
I want to argue, to beg her to be there for me, but I don’t. Instead, I walk straight to my bedroom. As soon as I step inside, I pull out my phone. After a few rings, it goes to voicemail. I know it’s no use, but I leave a message anyway. “Dad, you need to call me. Graduation starts soon, and I really want you to be there.”
When I hang up, I walk toward my closet and start getting ready for the biggest day of my life.
PREACH
“It’s quiet in here today,” Reese says, looking around the clubhouse. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so empty.”
“I know, man. It’s like a damn ghost town.” Holding up my empty beer, I lift my chin to the prospect tending bar. “Bring me another.”
Before I get my refill, Maker sits down beside Reese and me. “I can’t believe my little baby is all grown up,” he slurs out before motioning for another drink.
He and Reese start to talk, but I ignore them and look around the room. Only a few of the old timers are hanging around today. The rest of the brothers are out on a charity run. Kidd asked Reese and me to stay behind to watch over the club. We haven’t had any trouble in a while, but it’s never a good idea to leave the place unguarded.
Anger in Reese’s voice grabs my attention as he growls out, “I’m telling you, today is Saturday. You’re so trashed that you don’t even know what damn day it is.”
I shake my head at them. Maker is always drunk. I don’t know why the fact that it’s Saturday matters. “What are you talking about?”
Reese’s eyes cut to me. “This fucker was just telling me that Daisy’s graduation is on Saturday. He can’t wait to see her get her diploma, but he’s so damn drunk, he doesn’t realize that it is Saturday. He’s here drinking instead of watching her graduate.”
It takes a second for his words to click in my brain. Daisy’s graduating, and she didn’t even tell me. I knew that she was still in school, but I just never thought about her graduating. I was homeschooled. There’s no way in hell my father would have let me go to public school, so I never had a graduation ceremony. Even so, I still realize that it’s a big fuckin’ deal. There’s no damn way her mom would take the time to go to shit for Daisy, and with her grandparents and Holt gone on a run, she’s doing it alone.
I don’t even think; I just stand up and start walking toward the door. Just before I step outside, I look back toward Reese. “You call me if you need me, but I’m not letting her walk the line without anyone there.”
A smile spreads across his face. “I got this. You go be with your woman.”
DAISY
“Daisy Mae Anderson,” the principle calls out with a smile.
I step onto the stage, not looking into the audience. There’s no one there for me, so there’s no use in looking. I’m all alone, just like I knew I would be. The selfish part of me wishes I had taken Uncle Holt up on his offer to stay with me, but that wouldn’t have been right.
As I take my diploma from her hand, my principle leans forward. “I’m so proud of you, Daisy. I know that getting here hasn’t been easy, but you never gave up. Congratulations.”
I walk off the stage, replaying her words in my head. She has no idea how true they are. Working all the time and taking care of all the stuff at home has made studying nearly impossible, but I did it. I’m a high school graduate.
As soon as I step down, a pair of arms circles my waist. I know its Preach before I even turn my head. “Congratulations, Little Flower.”
I immediately melt into his arms, letting the delicious scent of him surround me. “Thank you.”
Without waiting for the ceremony to end, he leads me outside. We walk to his bike, neither of us saying a word. I climb onto his bike not knowing where we are headed. I don’t really care. As long as I’m with Preach, I know everything will be fine.
He drives us across town to a deserted park. As soon as he gets off, he pulls me with him. Leading me to an old picnic table, he picks me up and places me on top of it. He steps between my legs and places his hands on my face. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me? Why would you go there alone, when I could have been with you?”
Hesitating, not wanting to tell him the truth, I finally mumble out, “I didn’t think about telling you.”
“You didn’t think?”
I shrug. “It was just graduation; not a big deal.”
His hands tighten on my cheeks. “Not a big deal? Baby, you just crossed a milestone, one that only happens once. It was a really fuckin’ big deal.”
I shrug again. “You showed up. That’s all that matters.”
“Tell me why you didn’t say anything. I pick you up from work every night, and you didn’t say a word. Why the fuck not?”
Shit! I don’t want to tell him the truth, but I know he’s gonna keep on until I do. I might as well just go ahead and get it over with. “I was embarrassed.”
He looks shocked at my answer. “What the hell are you talking about? What would you have to be embarrassed by?”
“My mom couldn’t care less if I graduated or not, and my dad is too drunk to notice. I really didn’t want everyone to know that I had to go to my own graduation alone.”
He blows out a frustrated breath before moving closer to me. His chest is pressed against mine, and I can feel his heart beating a fast rhythm. “Dammit, Daisy. If you had told me, you wouldn’t have had to be alone.”
“Yeah, you would have come because you felt sorry for me. That’s why you showed up, isn’t it?”
He jerks away, as if my words are a slap. “What the fuck? Why the hell would you think that?”
“My parents don’t give a shit about me, Preach. My grandparents and Uncle Holt love me, but it’s not the same.” I know I sound like a whining baby, but I don’t care. This day has been hard; beyond hard. “If my own parents don’t care, why would you?”
“Fuck, sometimes I forget how young you are.”
His words cut me to the core. I don’t want him to think of me as a kid. With Preach, I want to be a woman. “I’m not a child.”
He shakes his head. “I know that, but you’re still young. If you weren’t, you’d know that feeling sorry for you has nothing to do with why I showed up today.”
“Then why did you?”
He stares at me for a moment before stepping closer. “I came because you’re mine.”
“What?” I whisper out, not believing what I’m hearing.
“I told you when we were at the Lords’ compound that you were going to be claimed by a brother. I just didn’t tell you that the brother would be me.” The words barely leave his mouth before his lips crash down on mine.
Chapter Five
DAISY
Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I smile into the mirror. I haven’t been able to keep the smile off of my face for at least a month now. Even though Mom doesn’t like it, I’ve spent nearly every day with Preach since my graduation. I’m his, even though I don’t wear his brand. He picks me up after work, and sometimes he takes me for rides. There’s nothing better than being on the back of his bike with my arms wrapped around him. He ends every night with a kiss, each one more heated than the last. I swear if my birthday doesn’t hurry up and get here, I’m gonna spontaneously combust.
“We need to hurry. Preach is waiting for me,” I rasp out as I take one last look in the mirror.
“With all of the club pussy at the party, I doubt he’s just sitting around waiting for you to show up,” Leah says with a sarcastic laugh.
“Preach isn’t like that. He’s a great guy.”
She steps in front of the mirror, pushing me out of her way. She fluffs her hair before pulling lipstick out of her purse. “He can’t be any better than Timber. That man is a sex God.”
Leah and I have been friends since we were both in diapers. Her father was a member of the Renegade Sons before he died. No one is sure what happened to him, but I’ve heard that he turned on the club, and they took him out. The Renegade Sons didn’t hold his actions against Leah and her mom though. They’ve continued to care for them since his death.
While growing up, Leah and I were really close; best friends forever, I thought. But since she turned eighteen last winter, she’s become a completely different person. She started stripping the day after her birthday and turned into a club girl a few days later. Since then, she has made her way through most of the brothers, including my dad.
“Timber’s a great guy,” I reply, not sure of what else to say. Yeah, Timber is hot, but I’ve never really thought of him in that way. Then again, I’d never really thought of anyone that way, until I met Preach.
“He sure is, and he’s got a monster dick.” She laughs, knowing that she’s making me feel uncomfortable. “You should see his piercing. He has bolts running from the head of his cock all the way to his balls. They feel fuckin’ amazing.”
“His thing is pierced?” I ask, shocked.
“Yes, his dick is pierced,” she answers, rolling her eyes. “You sound like such a baby.”
“I’m only a couple of months younger than you.”
Sticking her lipstick back in her purse, she turns around to look at me. “Yeah, but you act like you’re a twelve year old, instead of nearly eighteen.”
Deciding its best just to ignore her attitude, I start walking toward the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
Twenty minutes later, we pull up in front of the clubhouse. There are people everywhere not just brothers, but their families too. Everyone is here and beyond ready for the annual Fourth of July cookout.
“I don’t know why they let kids come.” Leah says, staring toward a group of kids playing around back.
I smile and wave at Reese’s daughter, Pebbles, as she leads the other kids in a game of tag. She has her red hair pulled back in a lopsided ponytail and is wearing the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. Everyone knows that Reese is not her biological father, but she’s his daughter, even if they don’t share the same blood.
“You used to love coming to the cookouts when you were a kid.” She told me about every one of the cookouts and family parties, since my mom never let me come. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Preach asking my dad if I could come.
She narrows her eyes at me. “That’s before I realized how much more fun could be had when all the minors were gone.”
Her words are meant to remind me of my age and make me feel like a kid. Instead, they just piss me off. She has been saying shit like that for months, ever since she started sleeping with the members. It’s like she thinks spreading her legs makes her more important than me. “When did you become such a bitch?”
She stares at me for a second, trying to decide how to respond. I can tell that she wants to lay into me, but something behind me draws her attention away. By the way she’s pushing out her tits, I would bet that something is one of the brothers. I look over my shoulder just in time for Preach to lean down and place a soft kiss on my lips. “Hey, Little Flower.”
Turning around, I wrap my arms around him. “Hey, Preach.”
He kisses me again, and this time there is nothing soft about it. When he finally pulls back, a huge smile covers his face. “I didn’t think you’d ever get here.”
Before I can respond, Leah lays her hand on Preach’s arm. “Hi, Preach. My name’s Leah. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I love to read romance novels, but I never understood what it meant when an author described a heroine purring, and now I do. I swear every single word Leah spoke came out as a purr, an obvious invitation.
Preach pulls me tighter against him as he steps back, narrowing his eyes at Leah as if she is a piece of dog shit stuck to the bottom of his shoe. “Yeah, I heard about you from more than one of the brothers.”
Not taking the hint, she steps closer. “If you ever want to do more than hear about me, let me know.”
I would like to say I’m shocked, but I’m not. I saw this coming. I knew she would do whatever she could to get in Preach’s bed. Call it woman’s intuition, but I knew she wanted him the minute I told her we were seeing each other.
I’m just about to scratch her eyes out when Preach puts her in her place. “Do you not see me standing here with my woman in my arms? Are you fuckin’ blind?”
She giggles, yes, giggles like one of the girls we laughed at in school. “I was just teasing. I would never do anything to hurt Daisy. We’re best friends.”
I want to scream at her, to tell her that she isn’t the girl that has been my best friend for years. Instead, I pull out of Preach’s arms and grab his hand. I ignore her and lead him toward the picnic table where my Grams, Ice, and Reese are sitting. Before we get to them, he pulls me to a stop. “You need to stay away from that bitch. She’s nothing but trouble.”
I know he’s right, but I feel the need to defend the girl I used to consider my closest friend. “She wasn’t always like that. I’m not sure what happened to make her change, but she used to be a sweet girl.”
“I don’t give a shit what she used to be. Now, she’s just another bitch, and I don’t want her around you.”
“We don’t really hang out that much anymore. She’s always too busy at The Kitty Kat to hang out,” I reply. There’s no reason to tell him she spent last night at my house. There’s also no reason to mention the fact that she spent the entire night treating me like shit either. Why I put up with her attitude, I’ll never understand, but he’s right. It’s time to cut ties with her.
“Good. The less you see of her, the better,” he says as he leads me toward the picnic table.
As we approach the table, I see my Grams’ eyes narrow. “When did this happen?” she asks, looking toward our linked hands.
I start to answer, but Preach does it for me. “The minute I laid eyes on your granddaughter.”
She must like his answer, because a huge smile crosses her face. “About damn time someone took notice of my girl!”
We sit around for a while, just talking. For the first time in my life, I feel like I really belong. When I was little, Grams used to bring me to family parties at the clubhouse, but that stopped when I was about twelve. Mom banned me from anything and everything that had to do with the club. In fact, the only time I saw any of the members is when they came into the diner or happened to stop by Grams’ house while I was there.
At first, I wondered what I had done wrong. All of the other kids got to go to family gatherings at the clubhouse, so why couldn’t I? After a while, I realized my mom was jealous. As crazy as it sounds, she was jealous of a twelve year old. She told me I got too much attention from the brothers. Not once did any of the guys try anything with me or do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, but they did talk to me and treat me like a brother’s kid. Apparently, that was too much for her taste.
We’re all having a good time; such a good time that I don’t notice anything’s off until I feel Preach tense. I look away from Preach to see Kidd, standing over by the side of the building with his arms crossed and his face plastered with a mask of pure fury. Chipper is trying to talk to him, but he’s not paying attention. Instead, he’s looking toward the table we are sitting at. I turn to see what he’s looking at, and sure enough, it’s Ice and Reese. She’s in his lap, grinding herself against him. I swear if they had their clothes off, they’d be having sex right beside us.
“He’s gonna blow soon,” Preach whispers. “I don’t know why the fuck he’s puttin’ up with her shit. It’s been years since he fucked up. I told him she n
eeded time, but I didn’t mean for him to give her years to get her shit straight. He needs to man up and make claim on her ass.”
I’m not really sure what happened between Kidd and Ice, but I know it wasn’t good and it’s why she’s here with Reese, instead of being Kidd’s old lady. For some reason, the thought of Reese’s wife pops in my head. “Where’s Roxy?”
I don’t know Reese’s wife very well, but I do know she’s a mega bitch. However, club girls are not allowed to show any disrespect to members’ old ladies, so I don’t understand why Ice is with Reese in the middle of a family party.
“She wasn’t invited. She’s not allowed at the clubhouse. Shit, she’s not allowed on any of the club’s properties,” he answers without giving an explanation. “That doesn’t stop her ass from trying though. I heard her out by the gates about an hour ago. She was screaming the place down, saying she had the right to be here. A few brothers made her leave. Bitch is fuckin’ crazy. Don’t know why Reese puts up with that shit either.”
I shake my head at it all. So much drama comes in and out of this club. Even though Roxy isn’t the nicest person, she and Reese are married. I don’t understand why she isn’t allowed here today. Glancing over to Reese and Ice, I have to wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want her to see him with another woman. Looking around the party, I see a few of the other married brothers with club girls. The thought of Preach being with one of those girls sends a cold chill down my spine. Surely, he wouldn’t do that to me. Would he?
Shaking off my thoughts, I stand up and head to the bathroom. “Be right back.”
I walk into the bathroom just as Leah is coming out. She doesn’t say anything just shoots me a fake ass smile. Something about her smile tells me that she’s gonna make me pay for Preach’s attitude toward her earlier.
After using the bathroom, I see my Gramps and Uncle Holt sitting at the bar. I have never been able to understand how they can be such good friends while both loving my Grams. The fact that they have shared her for over thirty years is even more unbelievable. Sometimes, I still wonder how Grams can be with both of them. She swears she loves them both too much to ever choose between the two. She also says that picking one over the other would be like choosing which arm to cut off. The three of them make it work though, so I guess I can’t fault them for that. To each their own and all that jazz.
