Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
He gave me a couple of days to stew over things before coming up to me and saying, “You’re still mulling in it.”
I didn’t ask what he meant. I knew. We all knew. I ran my hand down my face and sighed, “I should’ve seen it sooner.”
“Seen what?”
“That he was full of shit.” My throat tightened. “I vouched for him… put my patch on the line. Hell, I put the whole damn club on the line.”
“You trusted your brother.”
“And look how that turned out.”
“It’s a tough one.” Preacher let out a long breath. “Blood doesn’t always guarantee character. It just gives history.”
That hit harder than expected.
“You wanted to believe the best in him.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. “That isn’t weakness, son. That’s who you are.”
“It cost the club.”
“Yeah, and it cost you more.”
That was the part I hadn’t let myself say out loud. I swallowed hard, then muttered, “I wish I could go back. I would do so much differently.”
“Hindsight is 20-20.” He gave me a nod. “You learn from the pain. You don’t live it. That’s the difference between a mistake and a downfall.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will. You’re a good man, Goose. You gave your brother every chance. He made his choices.” He gave me one last pat. “Don’t carry what isn’t yours to carry.”
And with that, he walked off, leaving me to soak in every word he’d said.
And I did.
He and the others had slowly helped me find my way back to reality, and it meant a great deal to me. I eased back in my chair as I told him, “I am, and I gotta say, it’s good to know I was missed.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” I gave him a brotherly slap on the shoulder. “And I gotta say, I think the whips and chains would do you good.”
“And I think a muzzle would do you good.”
“You did this,” Creed fussed at Memphis. “You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”
“Don’t give me that shit,” Memphis piped back. “You know you were worried about his ass, too.”
“Pfft.”
“Awe, you boys are making me feel all warm and fuzzy.”
“I think I’ll get while the getting is good.” Creed finished off his beer and stood. “I’ll let Preacher know we’re on board, and you two try to behave.”
“I make no promises.”
Once he was gone, Memphis nudged me with his elbow. “All jokes aside… you okay?”
“Yeah. Just having a hard time shaking the guilt.”
“I get it, but you gotta know none of us blame you for what happened.”
“He was my brother.”
“Yeah, but he acted on his own accord. You couldn’t have stopped him even if you wanted to. So, listen to me when I say… put this shit behind you and move on.”
“I hear ya.”
“Good. Now, actually do it, and maybe we can get back to normal around here.”
“Have we ever been normal?”
“Hell no, but we can pretend.”
“That we can.”
“How are things with Presley?”
“Couldn’t be better.” I cocked my brow. “Even met the folks.”
“No shit?”
“Yeah, I think it went okay. I won her mother over pretty easy, but her father’s gonna take some time.”
“Protective type?”
“Absolutely, but I respect him for it. Hell, I’d be the same way if I had two girls to raise.”
“You’ll win him over.”
“I’m definitely going to try.”
We talked a bit longer, then we both decided to call it a day and headed home. When I got to the house, Presley was standing at the stove. I never thought I’d like having a woman in my kitchen, making a mess while she cooked dinner, and treating my house like a home. But I did.
Hell, I liked it more than I ever thought I could.
This woman had me wanting things I’d never imagined I’d ever want or need. She had me wanting a real future with her—one with all the bells and whistles. The perfect house. Fenced-in backyard. Kids. All of it.
Unaware of the thoughts racing through my mind, she asked, “How did it go?”
“It went.”
“That well, huh?”
“We’ve got a lot to hash out, but we’ll get there.”
I walked over and slipped my arms around her, pulling her closer. She watched me with those beautiful dark eyes as I dropped my mouth to hers.
The kiss quickly became heated, and a slight whimper escaped her lips when I stepped forward, pressing her back against the refrigerator.
She wound her arms around my neck, and just as we were about to lose ourselves in the moment, the oven timer went off. “Hold that thought.”
She quickly pulled away from me and rushed over to the stove. A wonderful aroma filled the air when she opened the oven door, making my mouth water. I stepped over to get a better look as I asked, “Whatcha fixin’?”
“Dirty rice with chicken and sausage, and I’m roasting some of that corn Grim and Jenna sent us.”