by Eve R. Hart
“Good morning,” I said with a bright smile as I saw a few of the ladies sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking. “Well, I suppose it’s closer to afternoon.”
They greeted me and Abigail shot up out of her seat to get me a fresh cup of coffee. It was a little weird having her wait on me, but the way Laurel playfully rolled her eyes, I could tell that was simply how Abigail operated. I could understand it because I was the same way.
“Who do we have here?” I said as I took the empty seat next to the woman that was currently feeding a baby.
He was precious. Then again, all the kids around here were cute. There must have been something in the water. Or the sexy biker-man genes.
“This is Beau, and I’m Claire. You must be Sketch’s woman. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I tried to hide my gasp at hearing her name.
She had been taken too. And so had the little angel in her arms. I could only imagine what she’d had to go through.
I looked into her eyes.
There was something there that told me she and Sketch had a lot in common. I couldn’t really explain it. Her eyes held this haunted depth to them. Like she’d seen too much over her lifetime. She’d known the ugliness that the world could hold. And I had a feeling deep inside of me that it wasn’t simply because of the recent danger she’d encountered.
“I hope all good things,” I said with a hint of nervousness in my tone. Actually, I was shocked to hear that Sketch had talked about me at all.
“Oh, yes.” She smiled at me. “I’m glad he’s found someone. He deserves it, though he’ll never see it that way.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
It was easy to tell that she knew him well by that one statement alone.
It left me with more questions than anything. However, given what she’d just gone through, I didn’t think now was the time to pry.
“I don’t want to bring the room down, but I’ve known Sketch for a long time. Since he told me he opened up to you, I think you’ll understand what I mean by that. He’s a really good guy. He’s like a brother and a father and everything all rolled into one. Well, to me he is.” She let out a little giggle and I gave a small smile. “He doesn’t see how great he is.”
“I agree,” I told her.
“He also doesn’t think he deserves anything good in life. The fact that he opened up to you, well, it’s big.”
I swallowed thickly, trying my hardest to choke back the emotions.
“I know. I promise I don’t take it for granted,” I told her.
“Oh, I can easily see that you don’t. Don’t worry, that’s not where I’m going. I guess, I just want to make sure you’ll stay. That you’ll take care of him because deep down, he’s the kindest soul I’ve ever known.”
Hearing her talk brought unexpected tears to my eyes.
To know that he had at least one person out there in his corner made my heart soar.
“He really is,” someone said from the doorway. As I turned my attention to her, she breezed into the room. Cami. Laurel’s sister. It was hard to keep everyone straight, but I promised I would try my hardest. “He’s one of the best people I know. He…” Her words drifted off and I saw everything come crashing down on her. “He would have given his life to save mine. That’s something I can never repay.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was almost as if they were begging me to take care of him. That wasn’t something they had to ask of me, I would do it no matter what. But how could I tell them that? How could I explain just how much I loved Sketch?
Laurel walked over and took her sister into her arms.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. That was the best thing I felt I could say to them.
And it was like everyone in that room understood what I meant with those few simple words.
“Okay, enough,” Laurel said, standing tall. “Sketch deserves the best, and I think he’s found it. Welcome to the Old Ladies Club.”
I never would have thought hearing something like that would have made me feel as amazing as it did. I felt whole and welcomed completely. No one questioned anything about the fact that Sketch and I were together. No one snubbed their nose at our love. No one looked sideways at the fact there was an obvious age difference between us.
No, these women held open their arms and took me in like they’d been waiting forever to do so.
We all took a long moment to calm down and get the emotions under control.
Then we talked like we’d been friends forever.
They opened up to me a little more but it wasn’t anything deep. Which was good because I’d been through enough heavy stuff the last few days. So had the club. I ended up going into details about what I’d been through. I explained how Tripp’s father and I were no longer together and how that was the reason I’d come to be here. Most of them already knew that I was Tripp’s mom, and I explained a little more about that. However, I didn’t dwell on the fact that I was recently divorced or the fact that I’d spent nearly the last twenty years losing myself to a marriage that never should have been.
And the thing was, I was finally okay with it. I wasn’t holding onto the anger anymore. Or the resentment, because I had to be honest, there had been a little of that there.
I was actually… happy. I was excited to see where the future would go.
In other words, I’d forgotten all about my failed marriage and how Reginald had made me feel.
I had Sketch to thank for that, and I didn’t mean in a rebound sort of way. I’d had these women to thank for that. And if I boiled it down, I had this club to thank.
“Hey, Mom,” Tripp said when he entered the kitchen and saw me.
The conversation halted as I got up to hug him, but we hadn’t really been talking about anything he shouldn’t hear. I was surprised when he didn’t hesitate to hug me back. I would have figured he had this tough guy persona to keep up and wouldn’t be caught dead hugging his mother.
“Can I make you some lunch?”
“No, I’m good. About to head out.” He paused, his eyes looking as if he knew something I didn’t. “Stick close today, okay.”
“Okay,” I agreed, the word drawn out and full of question.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I’m thinking you should be here for him.”
“Care to give me more information?” I raised my brow and my voice held that serious mother tone to it.
“Can’t,” he shot back with a shake of his head as his eyes drifted over my shoulder to look at the women behind me. “Club business.” His gaze shot back to mine after he said those two words. I was missing something. I’d find out once he left and I could ask the ladies in private. “I really don’t know much. Just feel like you should stay close…”
“Fine,” I replied in that mother tone that said I wasn’t happy but I was letting it go. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I told you, it was just a scratch.” He pulled me in for a hug and kissed my head. “Gotta go.”
Then he was gone.
“Alright,” I said with seriousness in my tone as I turned back to face the ladies. “What the hell does “club business” mean? And what do I need to know?”
They all laughed. Some of them louder than others.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Sketch
I’d been called in.
Of course, it was only fitting that I’d dragged my busted ass out to work only to have to turn right around a few hours later and come back here.
I’d really tried. I might have looked like I’d been run over and scraped off the pavement, but I had to prove that I still wanted to be a part of the club. That I was a Paragon for life and I took that shit seriously. I just needed them to see it.
Yeah, I was hurting, scared, and hanging onto every little thread I could. I could admit it. Didn’t mean that I’d stop trying.
And maybe I needed a bit of a distraction.
Melissa had provided a good one the
last few days while I was healing up, but being at the compound kept my thoughts going about what my future held. Hell, being around her did the same thing. Shame washed over me too many times to count. See, when you loved someone, it wasn’t just you that you had to worry about. They became like this other half sewn into you or some shit. Whatever affected me, did the same to her. And whatever disappointment I brought on myself, I brought on her too. She didn’t need any more of that shit in her life. So, what if I was stripped of everything and left with nothing? I had started over and survived on my own plenty of times before, but this was different. I couldn’t drag her down into that.
I guess I had no choice since she’d made it real fuckin’ clear she wasn’t going to leave my ass no matter what.
Then I couldn’t help but think if this was the end for me. That was worse because I’d leave her with nothin’. She’d devoted all this love and she’d be on her own again. I didn’t want to leave her just as much as I didn’t want to leave my club.
I was a Paragon.
It was in my blood.
In my soul.
And I’d quickly come to realize that if I lost them, it wouldn’t even compare to anything else I’d ever lost before. Even death wouldn’t ease that for me. I knew it.
All I’d wanted my whole life was to survive. Never thought that I could rise to be more. This club, they’d done that for me. They’d not just given me a place, they’d made me feel like I was something.
And Malissa had become like the cherry on top, but that cherry meant everything.
So, here I was, just waiting all alone in my room.
I was glad Melissa wasn’t here because I didn’t think I’d be able to stay strong if she tried to comfort me.
I had to face this like a man.
And I would.
Iron called Church and they were all up there having a meeting. Knew that meeting was about me. No doubt. Why else would they shut up shop and tell me to come back to the compound with everyone? There wasn’t any danger, the club wasn’t on lockdown, so what other reason could it be?
While Brand and Blade went off to join the others, I was left here pacing my room. I tried not to let it get to me, but the truth was, it did. They held my fate in their hands. And while I wouldn’t fight whatever punishment they saw fit, I honestly wasn’t ready for what was to come.
My phone went off and I jumped like a fuckin’ scared-ass bitch.
A text came through and I hesitated to look at it.
When I did, I didn’t feel any better.
I was being called up.
I suppose it was better than walkin’ around my room waiting.
I jumped up and down a few times, pumpin’ myself up, all the while tellin’ myself it’d be fine.
My hands slapped together and I rubbed them back and forth a few times.
“Let’s do this shit,” I said out loud, then headed out of my room.
I snuck in the back door and as I headed up the stairs, I heard a lot of chatter coming from the kitchen.
Wasn’t sure how much I liked that a lot of the women seemed to be here, but what could I do about it? Had me wondering if they had an idea that something was up. Did they fuckin’ know what was about to happen?
I ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The last thing I needed was for one of the Old Ladies to catch me and give me a look of sympathy like they just fuckin’ knew.
At the door, I paused.
Then I shook my head.
Nah, wasn’t going to go down like a pussy.
So I straightened my spine, held my head up, and knocked firmly. I wanted to prove that if I was about to face the executioner, I was fuckin’ ready for it.
“Come in,” Iron called out.
And so I did, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind me.
It was weird as fuck being in here.
It wasn’t something I’d gotten the privilege of that many times before.
There had been certain circumstances where I was needed for something, and so for a brief moment, I was almost one of them.
But I didn’t feel any of that now.
“It’s time to vote,” Iron said and I blinked in surprise.
Vote?
What?
Why the fuck were they doing this in front of me?
Was their plan to torture me as much as possible?
Well, if it was, it was working.
My heart fell to the floor.
I’d have to look each one of them in the eyes as they delivered my fate.
This was worse than just hearing the verdict.
It must be bad if Prez had brought me up to stand here before them while they voted. There was no way this would end good for me.
“Mason?” Iron said and looked at the man beside him.
The VP looked me dead in the eyes as he spoke.
“Aye.” Didn’t understand the nod he gave me with his vote, but whatever.
“Knight?”
“Aye.”
“B-ry?”
“Aye,” B-ry said with flared nostrils.
Fuck!
I knew he could tear a man apart with his bare hands. So could Blade. And I woulda guessed that he was ready to hear the word so that he could get a go at me, likely hating the fact that he was having to hold himself back right now.
Sweat began to dot my forehead but I didn’t dare wipe it away. I wasn’t going to look weak. I owed them this moment.
I faded away for a hot minute, hearing a few more ayes ring out in the room.
By this point, there were too many for me to be saved even if the last few brothers voted against it.
Whatever it was.
To strip me of my colors?
To end me for good?
“Mouse,” Iron said and I focused on the man, waiting to hear him speak.
“Aye,” he answered quickly as if he’d been waiting all this time to throw his vote out there.
“Lake?”
“Aye,” he said, but there was this light in his eyes that I couldn’t explain. It was like he was laughing at me.
“Ky?”
Ky cleared his throat before he answered.
Like, come the fuck on man, just say it!
There was no way he’d vote any differently than how everyone had.
“Aye,” Ky said, his voice raw and deadly. He meant that shit!
“Aye,” Iron finally said as his hand flattened on the table. “Table is unanimous.”
I met my Prez’s eyes and nodded, letting him know that I accepted whatever was to be.
“Sketch,” he said. “You’ve been with us from the beginning. Anything asked of you, you did it, no questions asked.”
I nodded respectfully. I’d tried my hardest to prove my worth to the club, even after I got my patch.
“You’ve always thought you weren’t good enough. But you’re as much a part of the club as anyone here at this table. I’ve been waiting for you to see it. I guess it’s time to just show you.”
“What?” I asked, my eyes blinking like crazy.
Fuck yeah, I was confused.
He lifted his hand and there was something sitting on the table in front of him.
My fuckin’ jaw dropped to the floor.
“You gotta explain this to me real clear, Prez, ‘cause I need to hear the words right now.”
“Welcome to the table, Sketch,” he told me and I looked around to see damn near everyone smiling at me.
Not Blade though, that guy rarely smiled. Well, he did now, but that was at his woman. Since I wasn’t as hot as her, I figured it wasn’t a bad thing that his face was pretty flat. Besides, it was there in his eyes. Oh, yeah. I wouldn’t let him live that shit down either.
“Is this for real?” I asked. I felt like I was dreaming.
“It is. You’re too hard on yourself most of the time. You don’t need to prove anythin’, we see it constantly. You’re a Paragon through-and-through. You’re the heart of this club and
it’s about time we let you know it.”
“But I fucked up.”
“And you stopped at nothing to fix it. You kept them safe. You would have given your life to do that and I don’t need to hear it from Claire and Cami to know that. Shit happens. I take the blame for letting Monty go and not seeing that there was more to Keften. I should have dug deeper. So see, we’re not all that different. We mess up sometimes, but we always stop at nothin’ to make it right.”
Did you hear that?!
Iron said I was just like him.
I mean, I didn’t have no hero-worship or anything, but those words really hit me in the damn chest.
“Will you accept this?” he asked like he’d been waiting for me to run forward and snatch the patch that was waiting there for me.
“Fuck yeah!” I said and damn near flew to the table.
He picked up the patch right before I could grab it.
With a smile on his face, he held it out to me.
I wasn’t a dead man walking.
Far from it.
Never imagined it would have turned out like this.
I snatched up that patch like I needed to make sure he wouldn’t have time to take it back. I fuckin’ accepted that shit with pride swelling up my heart.
I stared down at it for a long minute, my thumb brushing over the black stitching that made the letters.
Officer.
“I don’t feel like I’ve earned this,” I started and licked my dry lips. My heart was beating so fuckin’ fast. “Especially since I thought I was about to meet my maker and all, but I promise I’ll never let you down.”
“You haven’t let us down, Sketch,” Iron said. “We all fuck up. And those who haven’t, all I can say is that day is comin’. You got them out of it. We’re still a club. We’re still standing. Whatever comes now, we’ll get through it.”
I turned to look at Brand. He looked many things, but angry wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t exactly happy, there was this blip of sadness flickering in his gaze. Which I could understand. What I didn’t understand is how he could have that look there and not hate me.
“Let’s be real, Sketch,” Brand said softly. “Her eyes were always going to be opened, it was just a matter of time. As hard as we all try to shield them from some of the uglier stuff we have to do, there’s only so long we can do it. We are who we are. She still loves us all. She’ll process, see things for how they are, and move on. We’ll be stronger for it in the end.”
