by Lane Hart
“Give it up, Trina! Are the marks still there?” Giselle asks the other woman.
“No.”
“Then it’s over and done. Joanna is right. I’ve been holding Sierra’s hand when she suddenly trips and falls over the air and tears up her knees. They’re kids, shit happens, like when Asher tried to eat that detergent pod…”
“I was in the shower, and he was only three!” Katrina shouts defensively.
“And thankfully you got out and stopped him right when he popped it in his mouth, or he could’ve been really sick.”
“But he wasn’t.”
“And the dog didn’t tear his hand off either, so let it go, Trina.”
Katrina gets up in a huff and goes to round up Asher. He’s clearly not happy about leaving the playground so soon, but he takes his mother’s hand and starts to the parking lot. When he sees me, he smiles and waves his other hand happily.
“She’ll sign the agreement,” Giselle says as we watch them leave. “She’s gotten too dependent on Fi-, I mean, Phillip’s money not to.”
“I hope so,” I say with a sigh as I watch Katrina help Asher into his booster seat in the back of her car. I hear a pen click and look back down at Giselle. She’s signing her name on the agreement.
“You don’t have to rush into this. Go home and think about it and decide if you want to consult an attorney.”
“I know it’s a good deal, so there’s no point wasting money on a lawyer,” she says when she hands the document back to me. “Tell the attorney to have Phillip call me to schedule what day he wants Sierra to come over.”
“Thank you,” I tell her with a smile as a tear escapes the corner of my eye. “He’ll be so happy to see her.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fiasco
“What’s with the Sunday morning meeting?” I ask in annoyance when I drag my ass to the pool hall at nine a.m. on my day off.
The truth is, all I’ve been doing lately is sleeping when I’m not working. A few shots, and then I’m out like a light with no dreams of Joanna or playing with the kids. It’s just darkness.
“We’ve got important shit to discuss,” Malcolm says from the doorway of the chapel. “Get your ass in here. Everyone’s waiting.”
I shuffle my feet to the table and collapse into my chair, surprised to find everyone else looking so…awake and happy. But the difference between them and me is that they all woke up in bed this morning with the woman of their dreams next to them.
Malcolm passes out a stack of papers to each of us, sliding mine down the table.
“What’s this?” I ask him.
“Read it.”
I wait for someone to make a joke about whether or not I can actually read, but everyone’s head is bowed, reviewing the papers.
My eyes skim over it, and I see my name in all caps, my real name. “Seriously, what the fuck is this about?”
“It’s a custody and child support agreement between you and your baby mamas,” Nash informs me.
“I don’t understand. I fucked up when Asher got bit by the dog. Katrina and Giselle said I would never see the kids again.”
“That wasn’t your fault, Joanna’s, or the dog’s,” Malcolm says. “Shit happens. Honey shoves peas up her nose every time we have them because she can. Kids will be kids, man. Our job is to just try and keep them safe from themselves, but we can’t control the rest of the world.”
“But what if the next thing that happens is even worse?” I ask.
“You’re right. Something worse could happen to your kids,” Malcolm agrees. “It sucks, but that paranoia and worry is called being a good fucking father.”
After that explanation, I shut up and start reading because it seems too good to be true. Maybe I should pinch myself to make sure this isn’t some sort of bizarre dream. But nope, on the last page of each of the two agreements is Giselle and Katrina’s signature. They’ve agreed to let me see Asher and Sierra one day a week for as long as I want, even overnight; and in exchange, it says I’ll pay them both forty percent of my wages.
“How much is forty percent of what we make?” I ask Devlin.
“About four-hundred dollars,” he answers. “So, it’s less than what you’ve been busting your ass to give them.”
“How the fuck do you know that?” I ask.
“Because Joanna told us,” Nash replies.
“Why have you…never mind,” I say after remembering that she’s his sister and he can talk to her whenever the hell he wants.
“Joanna not only helped us find the attorney, but she also convinced the two women to sign the agreement,” Nash tells me.
“Why the hell would she do that?” I ask.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Did you forget who you’re talking to?” I huff. “No, dickhead, it’s not obvious.”
Some of the guys chuckle at that and then look back down at the paperwork. “What? Why is everyone here to talk about my business?”
“Because part of the agreement is that one of us will be with you when you have your kids over,” Malcolm says, which is a huge relief. He holds up his hand and says, “Not because you need supervision, but I know how hard it is to keep up with one little rug rat. Two of them can get into a lot of trouble together.”
“You all would really do that?” I ask.
“Absolutely,” Nash agrees. “Unless you would rather have Joanna there with you?”
For a second, I think fuck yes, but then reality hits me and I shake my head. “No, she’s too good for me. It would never work between us.”
“Hell, man,” Silas starts. “Cora is way too good for me. Same for all these other assholes and their old ladies.”
“Is that true?” I ask the other men at the table. “Do you think your woman is too good for you?”
“Yes,” they all agree.
“Told you so,” Silas says. “That’s just called getting lucky, motherfucker.”
Everyone laughs at that and even I smile.
“Now that you’ve got your kids back, what’s your plan to get your girl back?” Nash asks me.
“I have no fucking idea.”
“Then we’ll help you figure it out, because Joanna misses you like crazy, for some strange reason,” he says with a grin.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joanna
There’s a knock on my front door when I’m sorting laundry on the bed Sunday morning, and then Ace starts barking before he takes off to the living room, making me break into a smile.
He’s been moving better and better each day as he gets used to one of his legs being in a cast. I wish Phillip could see how well he’s doing.
The thought makes me sad as I throw a robe over my pajamas and walk to the door to unlock it and open it.
“Phillip!” I exclaim in surprise when I see him on the other side of the glass, holding a colorful bouquet of flowers. He looks good, better than good in his usual leather cut and jeans with a white tee underneath.
“Can I come in?” he asks, making me realize that I’ve been staring at him for a long time.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” I agree. “Get back, Ace, you know him,” I tell the dog before I unlock the glass door to let Phillip in.
“Hey, buddy.” He squats down to rub his head, and Ace gives his hand a happy lick. “You look like you’re feeling better.”
“He is,” I agree.
“Good. Oh, these are for you,” he says, offering me the flowers as the door shuts behind him.
“They’re beautiful,” I reply with a smile as I bring them up to my nose to smell them. It’s a mixture of hot pink roses, orange lilies, yellow sunflowers, and some little purple flower I’ve never seen before. “Thank you, Phillip.”
“No, I came to thank you, for all the shit that you did with the attorney and with Giselle and, by some miracle, even Katrina.” He shakes his head and adds, “I’m not sure how you did it or why, but I’m really glad you did.”
“Oh, Phillip. It was th
e least I could do. I’m so sorry about what happened with Asher and Ace.”
“It wasn’t your fault or Ace’s,” he says, crouching down to scratch the dog’s ears again. “I’m sorry you got upset, buddy. Can you forgive me for being mad at you?”
Ace licks up the side of his face, as much as he can reach.
“See, all is forgiven,” I tell Phillip.
“Is it?” he asks, still rubbing the dog while looking up at me with big, brown eyes.
“Of course. Dogs don’t know how to hold a grudge.”
“What about with us? Is all forgiven there too?” he asks as he stands up to his usual towering height above me again.
“I really hope so,” I answer softly.
“Me too,” he agrees. “No one has ever made me feel the way you do, like I’m smarter, funnier and better than I ever thought I could be. I love you, Joanna, and I’ve missed you like crazy.”
“I love you too, Phillip,” I reply with a smile.
Reaching for my face, he cups half of it in his big hand. “Have I told you how much I love that you use my real name and not the fuck-up name?”
“Phillip?” I whisper.
“Yes, angel?”
“Just kiss me already.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agrees with a grin before he finally leans down, and I go up on my toes to meet him halfway.
Epilogue
Phillip
The bar smells great when Joanna and I step inside, both of us holding hands with my children. Sierra and Asher immediately spot the old arcade machines in the corner and pull away from us, sprinting over and being welcomed immediately into the group.
I look around and spot the source of the mouth-watering scent. A long table has been set up near the bar. Two older gentlemen wearing white uniforms from a local catering company are just finishing setting up a huge spread. My MC brothers are all gathered near the bar, watching the food be set while pouring fresh drinks.
Joanna gives me a smile as I take her hand and lead her to a nearby table, where Nash is sitting with his girl Lucy. I pull out a chair for Joanna, then take a seat.
“You look good,” Nash rumbles as he pours Joanna and I a beer from a large pitcher at the table. “You too, Joanna. You took good care of him, and none of us are ever going to forget the help you provided.”
“She’s got that healing touch,” I sing off-key, “that…sexual healing.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Phil, that’s my sister,” Nash snaps.
“Damn, that’s right,” I reply, my eyes widening while I really consider the extent of what that means, and how it effects our relationship. “So that makes us…like, brothers, doesn’t it?”
“We’re already brothers here, in the MC, knucklehead,” Nash snorts. “But yeah, I guess it’s going to be a bit different moving forward. I never thought I’d see you settle down, especially not with my long-lost sibling.”
“Hell, I never thought I’d live long enough to get a chance,” I tell him.
Joanna takes my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m hopeful that things are going to be settling down in the near future,” she tells everyone at the table.
“Me too,” another voice says as Malcolm sits down with his wife Naomi at the table next to ours. “We’ve had some issues the last couple of years, problems with other MC’s. I think we’re past the worst of it, though, now that shit has settled with the Irish.”
“You’ve done a hell of a job guiding us into calmer waters,” Nash remarks as he turns towards Malcolm. “Where we’re at now, we can go back to focusing on our legit businesses and having fun the way we used to.”
“This dinner, is this how you guys used to celebrate things?” Joanna asks.
“Well, we used to have slightly rowdier parties,” Malcolm replies with a faint blush coming to his cheeks. “Now that most of us are in relationships, I’m afraid there just aren’t as many women coming to see us as there used to be.”
When that comment earns him a smack in the arm from his wife, Malcolm leans down to focus on the plate of barbecue in front of him. Taking the hint, I jump in to try and change the subject. “Well, I’m glad to have finally met someone like Joanna,” I say. “I guess I didn’t know the appeal of having someone love you as a person, not just ‘love you’, you know, for a few minutes at a time.”
“It’s different, isn’t it?” Nash agrees.
I look around the crowded room, really taking it all in for the first time. This bar, my second home, used to be a smoke-hazed and booze-fueled twenty-four hours a day party. Now, it looks more like a church social. Well, if the church allowed kegs of beer, tube tops, and leather clothes.
“It really has all changed,” I confirm with what sounds like wonder in my voice. “I never really knew anything about family, other than being a brother to all you guys,” I add as I look up and see Silas, of all people, getting plates of food for my son and daughter. “But now that I’ve seen this…this community, this love, from all of the ladies you’ve found along with all the fun we’re having with the kids…”
“Is this what you were looking for all this time?” Joanna asks me softly as she leans in to speak only to me.
“I believe it was,” I smile down at her. “And to think that none of it would have been possible…not my kids, not what I’ve found with you…if I hadn’t been shot.”
“Don’t do it again!” Joanna warns me with a mock frown.
“Why not?” I quip with a smile. “Taking two bullets to meet you, and all the joy that it’s brought me has been the best thing I’ve ever had happen.”
“That’s always the way of it,” Malcolm agrees as he leans back over towards us. “There are trials in life, sure, but if you lean on your family and make it through…”
“When we make it through together, in the end, there is always a happy ending,” I finish his thought. “Together, with my brothers, and all the family we have found,” I add as I stand up and raise my beer to the room. “To the Dirty Aces!” I roar. “The greatest, most dysfunctional family a man could ever hope to have!”
The End
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading the Dirty Aces MC series! Fiasco will be the final story for now.
If you’re looking for more hot bikers, check our our Savage Kings MC series!
https://mybook.to/SavageKingsMCboxset
Also by Lane Hart
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About the Authors
New York Times bestselling author Lane Hart and husband D.B. West were both born and raised in North Carolina. They still live in the south with their two daughters and enjoy spending the summers on the beach and watching football in the fall.
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