One Wild Ride (Lords of Mayhem 2) - Page 42
“This isn’t where she belongs! You expect me to watch her fly their flag instead of ours? She’s not an old lady. She has a rightful legacy.”
“Don’t you think that choice is up to her?” she asked.
“It’s not a choice. It’s a fact of life.”
Ellen shook her head. “Not for my daughter. I left to allow her to do whatever the fuck she wanted. I’m sorry you don’t like the path she’s taken, but no one is taking away her freedom.”
“So we’re at a stalemate.”
“I guess so.”
He shook his head. “You know I’m not going to stand for this.”
“You can do whatever you like. I’m not the one who has to prove a damn thing. So if you plan on going in all boss M.C. Prez, you might want to think about that.”
“Never make it easy, do you?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? What do you think the past twenty-some years have been?” She balled her hands into fists and shook her head, making the dark curls bounce.
The passion between them was volatile and could sour as easily as it sizzled.
“I don’t want to argue, Ellen. It’s not why I came here.”
She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair.
He ducked down to meet her gaze and cupped her face. “I’m trying to make amends. Right the wrongs.”
“I’m not ready to make nice, Wanderer.”
His chest ached. “I understand that. What I need to know is if you’ll ever be.”
“I can’t answer that just yet.”
Chapter Seven
Joey studied her melancholy lover and frowned. It wasn’t like him to be so subdued. “What’s going on with you? You’re withdrawn tonight.” She turned off The Walking Dead episodes they’d been getting caught up on and angled her body to face him on the couch. It was a lazy Sunday, and they’d opted to spend it together in her home.
He sighed. “It’s been a long time since I talked to anyone about this. It’s a part of my life I don’t rehash much.”
He looked at her, and the stark pain in his eyes hit her like a fist to the gut. “Moose?”
“You know I came here for a fresh start after my mom died, but you don’t know the details. Today my mom would’ve been sixty-four. So she’s been on my mind all day.” He rolled his shoulders and fidgeted. The uncertainty looked strange on her massive male. “My mom was freaking amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a better woman to raise me. She was always laughing and cheerful. She had one of those half-full life philosophies. I could never buy into it, but I respected the hell out of her for it. After my dad passed from a heart attack when I was ten, and my mom and I became super close. She’d had issues over the past five years. We figured old age was setting in when she started having numbness, aches in her limbs and stiffness. I mean everyone knows about arthritis. Then it worsened to the point where she needed help to do everyday things. When I was twelve, she was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.”
Joey covered her mouth with her hand. “I am so sorry.”
“Me too. It was painful watching her go from this firecracker of a woman to a shell, unable to care for herself. We had aides, but the brunt fell on me. I lost my father, so there was no way in hell I’d abandon her to some home. Thank God Dad worked for the government and his insurance still paid for pretty much everything she needed.” Moose shook his head. “The more time passed, the more her care took up every aspect of my life. We’d spend the time telling stories about the family trips we took or her years as a twenty-something in America.” He smiled. “She always told me get out and explore the world. It’s why I came here after she passed. A way to escape the memories that were too fresh, and honor her at the same time. I was named after my parents. Dylan because he was Ryan, and she was Diane.”
“Okay, that’s adorable.”
“Yeah, don’t spread it around.” His voice sounded gruff, but the smile on his face took the sting out.
“My lips are sealed.” She made a zipping motion with her fingers.
He grunted. “She loved horror movies. My dad hated them, but she and I would get out the popcorn and have mini-marathons.” He shook his head, obviously amused.
Seeing him open up moved her. He spent a lot of time being closed off. This step was giant. “Is that why you wanted to catch up on The Walking Dead?”
“Yeah, I figured it’d be a fitting tribute.”
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