Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92397 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Wasn’t sure I wanted to go there, but it hit me the other day that she’s the ol’ lady I need.” It was time to outright ask. “You givin’ your approval?”
Crow sucked on his teeth. “Here’s the deal. Not thrilled with her movin’ in with you so damn soon, but she’s her own woman. She can make her own decisions, make her own mistakes. She’ll learn from both.”
“You sayin’ I’m a mistake?”
With his hands on his hips, Crow studied him while he took his time answering. “No. Sayin’ movin’ in together so damn quickly might be. So, will give my approval if you wait to claim her at the table.”
“How long?”
Crow took a few heartbeats to answer. “Give it six months.”
Six months was a good time frame and completely fucking acceptable to Rage. Whether it was acceptable to Lyric was a whole other story, but if it wasn’t, then she could take that up with her father.
“But after that, your ass needs to claim her. Ain’t gonna watch you use her, then toss her away.”
Damn. But then, he understood where Crow was coming from. Rage didn’t have a good track record. He’d never been serious about any woman before. In the past, they were a means to an end. The difference was, Lyric wasn’t just any woman. “Won’t happen.”
“Which part?”
“The last part.”
Crow nodded. Then came another warning. “Got respect for you, brother. Don’t fuck that up.”
“Gonna do whatever I gotta fuckin’ do to make sure I don’t.”
“Good man.”
Rage snorted. “That might be pushin’ it.”
When the OG’s head tipped to the side, his long black braid with gray streaks appeared over his shoulder, reminding Rage of Crow’s heritage. One he was proud of. A pride he had passed on to his kids. “Yeah, know it. You got a few jagged edges, but at your core, you’re a damn good man like your pop.”
If that didn’t get him choked up, nothing would. “Lyric deserves the fuckin’ world.”
“Gonna give her that?” Crow asked.
“Plan on it.”
“And what does that look like for you? ‘Cause plannin’ on it and doin’ it are two different things.”
Rage agreed with that. All the plans in the world were useless unless you followed through. “Keepin’ her safe and takin’ care of her to the best of my ability.”
“You love her?”
That stopped Rage cold. If he did, he certainly wouldn’t tell Crow before sharing that with Lyric herself. “Can’t tell you that.”
“Can’t ‘cause you don’t? Or can’t ‘cause you haven’t told her yet?”
Damn, the man was putting Rage on the spot. “Just gonna say that you don’t gotta worry ‘bout your girl.”
“Never not gonna worry. When we brought her into this world, made a vow to protect her. Don’t matter if she’s one or one hundred years old. She’ll never not be my blood.” Crow slapped a hand over his heart. “She’ll never not be in here.”
“Hear that.” It was another warning that wasn’t an in your face type. But then, that was how Crow rolled. Subtle, but effective.
“Good. Got one other thing to say.”
Rage braced.
“Just glad she picked someone who ain’t gonna take her away from us. Back in the 70s, this club welcomed my mother, despite her not bein’ lily white. Accepted me when I returned from my mother’s rez and didn’t hesitate to hand me a prospect cut when they coulda told me to fuck off, find somewhere else to go. Not all MCs are equal. This one’s truly a family and will always be. A family’s always gonna have issues, but it’s how those issues are dealt with that makes a huge difference.”
Since Crow was spitting out some truth, Rage did, too. “It’s why none of us in my generation left. Why none of us hesitated to accept our prospect cuts. It’s why the Shadows’ kids joined, too. They saw what the DAMC had and wanted the same.”
“Yeah. Sittin’ at the table like you do, it’s in your hands, as well as the other officers, to keep improvin’ this club and to keep our family strong and safe. It’s up to you, Rage, to keep this club together for our generation, yours, and the next.”
Damn, this conversation was a bit heavier than he’d like. “Take that job seriously.”
“Just like your pop and your uncle.”
Rage took that compliment to heart. “Learned from the best.”
“Six months,” Crow reminded him.
“Six months,” Rage acknowledged with a chin lift.
When they clasped hands and bumped shoulders, Rage’s tension eased. While Crow wasn’t one to make a scene, that didn’t mean he couldn’t put a kink in Rage and Lyric’s relationship.
Respect was huge between club brothers and not approaching Crow first could’ve been taken as totally disrespectful. Rage knew that.
He was lucky as fuck Lyric’s father gave him some grace. Rage was also damn sure if he’d been an outsider, things would’ve gone differently.