you. Not just for the club, or for Lucy, but for your kids. They don’t trust you now.”
“No. They trust this Lewis guy. I was in the diner when Lucy, the kids, and this mystery guy turned up. I was so fucking angry, so jealous. He had no right touching my woman, and then it was like a switch went off inside my head. When I was screwing all those fucking road bunnies, I didn’t give a thought to Lucy, or my life, or anything else.”
“Do you want to give a shit now?”
“I don’t want to leave town. I don’t want to leave the club. I’ve signed the divorce papers, and I will do everything I have to do. I want to make this right.” Dane handed over the papers, and James saw the signature.
“We’re going to need to take a vote.”
Dane held his hand up. “I understand. I let everyone down.” He sighed. “Even if you vote me out, I’m not leaving. I’ll earn my patch again if I have to. I fucked up once. I’m not going to fuck up again.”
During dinner with Cora, James told her about the meeting.
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to kick his ass out.”
“Is that as a club prez, or is that because he left his wife and kids?” Cora asked, stealing a fry from his plate.
“I think it’s a mixture of both. He was a good guy. Fought like a fucking fiend, like the depths of hell was chasing him. Up until this moment I’d say he was loyal as fuck.”
“Now?”
“I don’t know.” James ran a hand over his face. “I really don’t know what to do with him. The club needs to vote on it.”
“I heard Leo and Paul saying that they couldn’t trust him anymore. They wouldn’t be surprised if he ran or something.”
“See, and that is why I don’t know what’s going to happen.” James sighed. “We’re not a conventional club, Cora. We don’t run drugs, guns, or shit.”
“You fuck, I get it. The Dirty Fuckers MC and all.” She smiled. “I happen to know that their prez is one hot piece in the sack.”
James chuckled. “You bet your hot ass I am. There’s something else I want to talk to you about.”
“This sounds serious.”
“I know we’re not married, and neither of us need a piece of paper to know that we’re married in real life.”
She covered his hand. “This is about Chloe, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“I was thinking the same thing. If anything was to happen to me, I’d like to know you’re safe,” she said, surprising him.
“About me being safe?”
“Hello, the house is all in my name. I pay the mortgage, babe. I want that house to go to you, and to our kids when we have them.”
“You see us having kids?” James asked.
“Don’t you? I know we’re not in a rush, but I want to be a mother one day. I won’t be the conventional mother, standing at the stove, making her own medicine, and telling kids how to make the best apple pie.”
James burst out laughing. No, their kids wouldn’t have that, but they’d have Cora. Her loyalty and heart were worth a lot more than that.
“Marriage in a way protects that. It protects us, and it will protect you. It’ll mean you’ve got what I own, and so do our children.” Cora grabbed his hand. “Are you afraid yet?”
“Not a chance. I’m just trying to wonder who won what today? Neither of us wanted a big lavish wedding or shit.”
“Then let’s not. Let’s just go down to the town hall with a license, and get married. That’s it.”