“Mom, it’s been two days since I’ve talked to her, and that phone line works two ways.” Truth be told, we both get busy and forget sometimes, which is clearly what has happened now.
“I know that. I’m just saying, you’re going through a lot. You could use Daisy right about now. Your dad isn’t perfect, he makes mistakes, and don’t be mad at me, honey. But there’s no way I’m letting your dad sleep in the clubhouse tonight. Not after the beating he took.” That’s when I clue in on why she was talking about archaic shit. My dad is walking stiffly, still trying to hold that confident rugged swagger he has, but I can see the smattering of bruises beneath his tank top.
“Good grief, what the hell happened to Daddy?” Yes, I’m still upset with him. No, I haven’t forgiven him, but that doesn’t mean I like seeing him hurt.
“That’s for your dad to tell you, but, honey, just letting you in on a little piece of information. The club forgave him, which means so did Ryder. I know you’ve always been tight with your father. He made a mistake. A huge, epically big one. He’ll live with that the rest of his life.” I go to talk when Mom raises her hand to let her finish, the air deflating out of me. “I’m not saying give in right away. Give him hell, but also don’t drag it out to where you’ll have regrets later on in life.”
“Harsh, Mom, totally harsh with a dose of guilt trip. I think there’s something else I have to do first before talking to Daddy, though.” Mom sees me peek over her shoulder and nods, knowing what I’m getting at.
“I’ll leave you to it. For what it’s worth, some of your Aunts, they weren’t nice to Ryder. He took it in stride, doing what was demanded of him. A piece of me always knew you two would find your way back to each other.” Mom pulls me in for a hug and then leaves, like a woman on a mission. I’m not sure if Dad should be happy she’s letting him in the house or scared of the guilt trip Mom is capable of. I think he might be in for a rude awakening.
CHAPTER 13
HAWK
There’s a reason for my road name, and it’s because my eyes are always on my prey. This time, it’s not on someone who could do evil against me or the club; it’s on Ender, like fuckin’ always. The only person who knew about my trips to Ender’s college while she was there was Jackson. Fucker told me I was obsessive when it came to my woman. He’s not wrong there either. If it weren’t for the fact that her mom was zeroing in on her, talking like she meant business, I probably would have interrupted. Just because I told Ender I’d give her time, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to be around her while she’s screwing her head on straight.
“See ya later, yeah?” Dad jars me out of my stupor.
“Sounds good. Mom cookin’?” I ask. A sandwich for dinner is fine every now and then, but with the way I’m burning calories, a home-cooked meal from Mom wouldn’t be so bad either.
“Boy, that’s a dumb question if I ever heard one before.” Dad walks off, shaking his head. He’s not wrong, but they’d head into town on the rare occasion, giving Mom a break from cooking dinner.
“Then I’ll be at dinner.”
“Good, I imagine your mother will want to mother-hen you to death, and it’s better she’s up your ass than mine.” Such bullshit. I can read him all too easily.
“Right, later.” I wave at him, take one last look at Ender, and make my way into the garage to start my work. There’s always a bike to build, a car to fix, or something that needs working on.
“Yo!” I call out to Jackson. Seeing as how he’s still prospecting, he got to miss out on church and the fun afterwards, not that I like watching a man who, even though he did me wrong, gets his ass handed to him by his family.
“About time you make it to work.” Jackson snorts, knowing he’s got the grunt work until he becomes a member. It’s some shitty-ass work, but the way Jax is doing, takin’ it all in stride, it won’t be long until he’s patched in.
“Funny guy. Looks like you’ve been busy.” I see that he’s drenched in oil. My guess is he fought with the oil plug, and the oil pan won.
“Fuckin’ jack wagon. Tightened the plug so tight, the only way it would come out is with a hammer and screwdriver. Hence the mess.” He points down to his shirt that’s drenched in oil.
“Been there a time or ten.” I recall my early days when the older brothers knew damn well what was going on and would give me the shit jobs. It’s just a domino effect at this point. I walk towards my bay and open the door, getting it ready for the day, knowing that today will be a full one to make up for yesterday’s fucked-up shit.