He stood in the conference room for a moment, tilting his head up, hand pulling at the back of his neck. Unsure how best to approach DeeDee with the information, he decided to play dirty and called the social worker they were working with. Within five minutes, he had approval to do what he proposed, and he prayed it wouldn’t come back to bite him in the ass.
***
“Jonny,” DeeDee said, coaxingly, “what grade are you in?”
Jase tilted his head. So far, the kid had been quiet, only answering questions with a brief yes or no. She was changing tactics, trying to draw him out gently. Looking into the kid’s face, he could tell the social workers and foster care folks probably used the same tactics on him, and DeeDee, for all her good intentions, wasn’t going to get squat-ala-Jara out of the kid this way.
He interrupted her, drawing the kid’s eyes his way with a brusque, “I hated school.”
DeeDee’s mouth fell open, but Jonny nodded and said, “Right? All they ever want me to do is memorize stuff.”
“That was the worst,” Jase agreed. “But I liked hockey, and I had to have good enough grades to play.”
“I want to play hockey, but the fosters can’t swing it.” He shrugged, looking down and picking at his plate of food.
“Sucks to want something and not have the power to make it happen.” Jase nodded at the kid, picking up his burger and taking a huge bite. DeeDee was watching their exchange with interest, gaze switching between the two of them with each addition to the conversation.
“Life sucks, pretty much,” the kid said, eyeing Jase’s burger with interest. He had ordered the cheapest thing on the kid's menu, but apparently didn’t much care for the nuggets and fries.
Without a word, Jase set his burger down and cut it in half, putting the half without the bite marks on the kid’s plate. He stole the nuggets and popped them into his mouth one at a time, grinning widely. Once he was sure he had the kid’s attention, he did the biggest, grossest ‘show me’ with the half-chewed food in his mouth, sticking out his tongue and pulling a loud laugh from the boy, smiling to see his steel grey eyes sparkling. Propping one elbow on the back of the booth, he looked over at DeeDee and saw her trying and failing to hide a smile behind her sandwich.
After dinner, they went to the rink, and he had DeeDee help Jonny put on skates and lace them. He watched from the ice as she gave the boy her arms to grip when he stood, wobbling on his weak ankles as he watched Jase intently. Jase was speeding around the rink, weaving back and forth, flipping from forwards to backwards, skating with the ease born of long experience. Jonny shouted at Jase, “Why’s it feel so different from inline?”
“The blade’s narrower than wheels, so your balance is altered, uses different muscles,” he shouted back, not slowing down.
Watching from the corner of his eye, he saw DeeDee step onto the ice with her boots and winced. She would be going down at some point; leather soles and ice were a dangerous combination. Walking backwards, she led Jonny onto the slippery surface gingerly while he tried tentative pushing movements that probably worked with wheels on pavement, but just slid the blades uselessly back and forth on the ice.
Slowing down, he slid to a near stop next to DeeDee and reached out a hand. “Grab the boards, Jonny,” he said, and saw the boy do as he was told, a sure balance returning as his wobbly support was replaced by one that didn’t move or give. He leaned over, wrapped his arms around DeeDee, and lifted, pulling a squeal from her as her feet left the ice. “Baby, you’re gonna fall with those boots. Lemme get you back to safety.”
He lifted his head, shouting to the empty rafters, “Safety crew coming through! Watch out. Make way. Got a safety violation to deal with. Violations of safety to deal with. Watch out.” Making loud ooougah noises, he skated once around the rink with her in his arms then deposited her gently on her feet at the gate. Kissing her nose before skating away backwards, he made loud ‘beep’ noises, like he was a truck backing out of a parking space. She laughed, and he grinned at her, looking around to see Jonny was away from the boards, slowly finding his feet on the ice.
“Good job, kiddo. It’s kinda the same, but different. Hard to describe, but easy to feel, yeah?” The boy nodded, concentrating on keeping his feet underneath him. “Keep doing just that, kiddo. We’ve got as much time here as we need. Take it slow, keep it safe, and have fun.” Skating over to where DeeDee was sitting on the bench, he turned and sat next to her.
“I have a confession, baby,” he said softly, without looking at her. He reached out and picked up her hand, threading his fingers through hers. “I have an ulterior motive with this kid.”
She made a questioning noise and he nodded. “Yeah, I know, big surprise, right? So, bear with me, ‘cause I’ve got a story to tell.”
He cleared his throat and quietly said, “Eight years ago, a young man was sent to Fort Wayne so he could watch out for his sister. Being young and stupid, and probably angry, he didn’t watch where he dipped his wick, and he had a hookup that wound up pregnant. She already had a daughter, about eleven years old. When he realized what had happened, he freaked out, because his father would kill him for what he had done. See, he was the result of an affair his old man had, and it had nearly destroyed his family.” DeeDee took a breath, apparently recognizing who he was talking about, and he nodded.
“Yeah, I get you recognize the player, but let me tell you the whole story before you ask questions, okay?” She nodded, and he squeezed her hand, bringing it over to lay on his thigh.
“So no dad in the picture, a junkie mom, and a sister who tried to take care of too much, Jonny was born. When he was five, a neighbor saw him sitting outside on the apartment steps, crying. The weather wasn’t bad, so she didn’t think much of it, until several hours later, when she saw him still sitting in the same place. She went over and asked him what he was doing, and he told her that his mommy was sick. She took one look in the apartment and realized Mommy was much worse than sick.” He cleared his throat, eyes tracking Jonny’s progress around the rink. He smiled briefly when the boy nearly fell but recovered, then his expression sobered.
“She left him sitting there and went back to her house. She texted his sister, who was barely sixteen, had just gotten her license, and was driving home from work. The text said, I think your mom’s dead. Come home. No one knows if the sister read the text and reacted emotionally, or was trying to respond, but she lost control of her vehicle.” He looked over to see tears rolling steadily down DeeDee’s face. “Baby, I—”
She shook her head fiercely and took a breath. “Finish it. Tell me the rest, okay?”
He nodded, squeezing her hand. “She swerved into Winger’s vehicle. It was hours before anyone sorted out that there was a little brother. By the time the cops got to the apartment, he had been outside for probably ten hours, sitting outside while Mommy was ‘sick’ inside.” He paused, because DeeDee made a choked noise, but she waved him on.
“No father, dead mother, dead sister. Jonny hit the foster care system. He’s been through eleven placements in three years. He can’t go on like that. He’s a good kid, but he needs stability and love, or he’s going to be fucked up beyond all hope. DeeDee…baby, he’s Judge’s son, Mason’s great-nephew. Your cousin. John Justice Morgan, your blood. Baby, can we love him? Can we be his family?” His chest hitched with tightly held emotion. When he was putting all the puzzle pieces together, this had seemed like a good idea, but now his mind was whirling, questioning his actions. What if it hurt her worse? What if she decides it’s not— He gasped as her arm wrapped around him, her head nestling underneath his chin.
“Yes.” She whispered the word, then sniffed loudly and laughed. “Just…yes. I need a bathroom. Back in a minute.” She moved to get up and then paused. “How much does he know?”
“Who you are to him? About what went down a few weeks ago? Zippo right now. We can tell him everything…or nothing. It’s your call, baby. He knows his sister’s accident hurt another fami
ly, and it bothers him a lot; his counselor made notes in his file about that. He’s a good kid, but he’s all alone and needs someone who gets him.” He paused for a second, and then said, “I get him. I don’t know why, but I get him. You saw that, right? At dinner? There’s a connection, baby. He and I…we fit together in a way I never expected. I think I need this kid more than he needs us.”
She reached up and put her palms on either side of his face, pulling his lips down to meet hers. “I did, Jase. And yes, there is a connection; it’s not your imagination. He communicated to you with words, and then without them. You get him.” She kissed him again. “Yes, make a call and get it done. I never want him to wonder if he’s loved again. Just…yes.” She sniffed and shook her head, smiling through her tears.
Coming home
DeeDee looked around the lower floor of the house from where she stood in the kitchen, taking in the sweating bodies lifting and moving boxes and furniture. Most of the men had removed their shirts, and if she weren’t a one-man woman, she would be drooling over the view right now. Hell, I’m not dead, she thought. I can still enjoy the show, just won’t be going back to the dressing room with any of the players.
“Baby?” Jase’s voice called her name from upstairs, and she stepped out into the living room to look up at the third-floor landing, where she saw his head sticking over the rail.
“Yeah?” He had Jonny next to him, and the little boy had something in his hands. The something was squirming…
“You allergic to cats?” Jase asked, and she knew what the dark bundle was.
“No, but if it pees in my shoes, it’s out of here. And it has to leave Penny alone; bunny is not on the kitty’s menu.” He nodded and squatted down next to Jonny, talking earnestly to the boy. He reached out and ruffled his hair, and her heart stuttered a minute, seeing that intimate moment of affection. The man was made for this. Loving all these kids was instinctive for him, and she was amazed at how that touched her. “Jase,” she called up, and he turned his head, looking at her between the banisters. “I love you,” she said, and he grinned.
“Crazy lady, I love you, too.” He shook his head and stood, walking back up the hallway and out of sight, one hand on Jonny’s shoulder, that simple, loving touch bringing tears to her eyes.
“DeeDee, where you want this stuff, honey?” Tug asked from beside her, and she turned to see him holding a box that had ‘Winger’ written on it in black marker.
She reached out a hand, tracing a heart over the name, then stepped back and told Tug, “Attic. Everything from the storage building can just go straight up to the attic. Get the boys to sort them by labels though, so I can find things I need for the kitchen and stuff.”
“Good enough, pretty lady.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, and she laughed as that damn mustache tickled her like always.
She walked back into the kitchen, taking in the platter of half-made sandwiches, and grinned. She had missed this, the hustle-bustle of having dozens of people to care for, the chance to catch up with her boys about their lives, wives, and kids. The connections that made the club a family may have slipped for a little while, but damned if she would ever let them go.
Sighing, she picked up the bread and was laying out slices in preparation for another layer of sandwiches when two arms bracketed her, bracing on the countertop on either side of her hips. She looked down, seeing the familiar tattoos, her gaze tracing the phoenix rising from the back of the left hand in flames to the glory of the mythical bird, raised from ashes. His other arm had a new tattoo, and she looked carefully at the inside of his wrist.
“New ink?” she asked, pulling his arm up so she could see it closely. There were two closely spaced lines of text, followed by three initials, and she smiled. “Fear and Loathing? Davy, I didn’t know you were a Thompson fan.”
He laughed. “I haven’t been called that name in years, Dee. Yeah. Gunny gave me a present, and this seemed a good way to mark the occasion.”
“I heard about the Vincent. Damn sweet ride. Wish the man loved me like that. I would get rid of my Sportster in a heartbeat if he had something lighter and easier to handle.” She jumped when a voice came from behind them, and Mason’s chest rumbled with laughter at her reaction.
“I think I have something in my cache, DeeDee. I’ll look it over when I get home. Give Captain a call, okay?” She turned to see Gunny leaning against the archway between the kitchen and living room, Jase’s sister Sharon nestled against his body, both his arms circling her shoulders where she stood in front of him.
“Goddammit, Gunny. Stop sneaking up on me,” she scolded with a smile. Reaching out a hand to Sharon, she pulled her out of the man’s arms and into a tight hug. “Shar, sweetheart, it’s good to see you.” Stepping back, she looked down. “I need some help getting food ready for this crew. Want to help?”
Seeing the look of relief that flashed across her features, she knew she had read things right. Sharon was nervous about being here, and DeeDee wanted Jase’s sister to be comfortable around her, because even if DeeDee was the boss and de facto sister-in-law, she still wanted to be friends. Mason greeted Gunny, and she listened as the two men moved out into the house, looking for ways to assist in the move.
She handed the lunchmeat and cheese containers to Sharon, picking up the condiment dispensers she abandoned when Mason had come in. “Everyone eats anything, so just plunk a mix of meats and cheeses on the sandwiches. They’ll care more about the quantity than the selection.” She laughed. “Even the kids are easy. I swear Gilda, the littlest girl, would eat just the bread if you let her.”
Shar ducked her head and DeeDee frowned slightly. “You’re looking good, sweetie. Is Gunny taking good care of you?”
“Yeah,” she said softly and bit her lip. “DeeDee, I have a question.”
“Shoot.” She reached up and pulled another platter from the top of the refrigerator, setting up for another assembly.
“Did your husband—” She bit her lip again, cutting her eyes over to DeeDee, interrupting herself when loud voices came from the front of the house.
“Sec, hon,” DeeDee said, stepping out to look across the rooms. She smiled broadly, calling back to Sharon, “My babies are here.”
Slate and Ruby were walking in, each with a child on their hip, bags in hand. Not moving, DeeDee just held out her arms, waiting as the couple brought her grandchildren to her. Scooping up first Dani then Allen for a snuggle and a kiss, she turned with both babies to Sharon. “Take one of these monsters, please.”
With a smile, Shar took the rowdy little boy from her arms, dropping her face to his neck and blowing raspberries on his skin to draw a giggle from him. DeeDee raised her face for Slate’s kiss on her cheek then leaned into Ruby’s hug, laughing up at him when he pulled Ruby away from her with a softly growled, “Mine.”
“She was mine first, Prez. Don’t forget that.” He grinned at her, kissing the side of Ruby’s head.
“She’s mine now, though. You can’t have her back. She’s my fuckbuddy now, mother of my kids. All three of them,” he said, turning them to walk out as Ruby shot her a grin of acknowledgment. His voice rose then fell as he greeted his friends. “Mason, motherfucker, how the hell are ya? Didn’t know you were in town, man. We gonna be treated to a repeat of the pussy, lovie-dovie shit between you and Gunny?”
DeeDee closed her eyes for a minute, standing in her new kitchen and holding a grandchild she never thought to see. Overwhelmed, filled with an emotion she couldn’t name moving through her, bringing her close to tears as she listened to her huge, raunchy, loving, dangerous, protective…growing family. Pride, love, satisfaction, pleasure…while accurate, those weren’t the right labels for everything she was feeling right now. Footsteps came rattling loudly down the stairs, and a mounting rumble of high-pitched children’s voices swept through the house as Bingo’s kids mixed with Bear’s kids and with her and Jase’s kid and ran into the backyard. Contentment. That was it. She was content.
> ***
Mason watched DeeDee throughout the day. He saw how quickly her wide smiles spread across her face, how the corners of her eyes stayed tilted up in pleasure, and he liked every bit of it. She had become a different woman with Jase in her life, more confident and open, and he was glad she found this for herself. Earlier in the afternoon, Jase had put on Ray Gelato’s classic Mambo Italiano and danced with DeeDee, whirling and dipping her with panache and style, much to the amusement of everyone present.
He leaned against the back of the house, watching the pack of kids as they played in the yard. He made a note to thank Myron; the man had outdone himself with this house. He thought back to the scared, skinny kid he found in a shelter in Chicago years ago and shook his head. Who could have known that the boy, who amused himself by counting beans and buttons in jars, would turn into such a whiz kid for finances, with a serious knack for locating things?
His eyes fell on Bingo, released from the hospital that afternoon, parked for now in a recliner the brothers had carried outside so he could be comfortable and still be surrounded by his family at this celebration. Mason knew his eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses he wore, so he slowly swept his gaze from member to member, cataloging their experience and strengths, weaknesses and skills. This was what he did best, lining up his brothers and friends with things that needed doing, and identifying people who needed…something.
He saw Tug standing with Maggie, noting she still didn’t have a rag. He frowned slightly, looking over at Shar and DeeDee; neither of them was wearing leather vests, either. He would talk to Jase. The man might not know the importance of the ‘Property of’ patch that the other women wore. He didn’t think DeeDee would turn the man down, so that wouldn’t be a factor. Gunny and Tug both knew what it meant, however. There was no reason for them to hold back if they were in these relationships for the long haul, and from the looks on their faces as they watched their women, he thought they were.
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