Good question. And now the kid had me thinking about my own dad. He and I rarely saw eye-to-eye on anything, but I couldn’t imagine growing up without him. While Gramps had been my teacher, Dad had been my anchor. My moral compass. Hard telling how I would have turned out without his heavy-handed guidance.
“Do you have a grandpa or an uncle you could give it to?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. It’s just me and mom.”
“I have a buddy who grew up with just his mom. Since his mom pulled double duty, he used to give her a Father’s Day card every year.”
“I don’t want to make mom a Father’s Day card. She’s not even a boy.” He looked up at me, and a hesitant smile ghosted his lips. “But you’re a boy. Can I make the card for you?”
What the fuck was I supposed to say to that? I didn’t want a Father’s Day card—fatherhood was nowhere on my radar, and the idea scared the shit out of me—but Trent was one cool kid, and he looked so goddamn hopeful I couldn’t possibly say no. “Yeah, buddy, you can make me one.”
His entire face lit up as he hurried back to his table. While I joined my brothers, speaking and answering questions, Trent cut, glued, and drew, barely paying attention to us. By the time we finished our lesson, he had a sparkling glue-covered mess of a card in his little hands and a big smile stretched across his face. I went right over to check out his work, but before I made it to him, the classroom door opened and Carly, the hot little bartender from the Copper Penny, marched in looking like she was about to spit fire.
Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore a sleeveless white summer dress that showed off her sexy curves and stopped just above her knees. Paired with her signature red cowboy boots, she had that whole girl next door inviting you in for a cool glass of lemonade and a hot fuck look down to a goddamn science. I hadn’t even known that look existed before I met Carly, but now it was my favorite.
Carly scowled as she took in the messy room before homing in on Trent and making a beeline for the kid. “Seriously, Trent?” she asked as she approached. “What were you thinking? I had to take off work to come and deal with this. Now I’m in trouble with my boss. This is the third time this month. You promised you’d be good today.”
Trent dropped his gaze, fiddling with the card in his hands. “I tried, Mom. But Ms. Theresa wouldn’t listen.”
“You’rethe kid and she’s the teacher.You’resupposed to listen. Now, hand me your stuff and get this mess cleaned up so we can go.”
He looked at the card then glanced at me. “But it’s not for you. It’s for Wasp.”
Carly had been so focused on her child, she hadn’t even seen me until that moment. Or maybe she didn’t recognize me since I was wearing cammies and not my usual T-shirt, cut, and jeans. Her gaze landed on my boots and roamed up my body, eyes widening with recognition when she reached my face.
“Wasp?” she asked, looking from me to Trent. “Why is my kid giving you a card?” She intercepted it and scanned the front, her eyes hardening as her brows crept up her forehead. “A Father’s Day card? How do you even…? Why…? Is this…?” She was so shocked she couldn’t seem to get out a sentence.
“Hey Carly,” Spade said, joining us. “Good to see you. What are you doing here?”
Her shocked gaze took him in. “Spade? My son goes to school here. What are you guys…” She glanced back at me, then at Tap, Havoc, and Sage. Understanding flooded her eyes. “Wait.You’rethe soldiers he’s been talking about?”
Trent was talking about us? That was kind of cool. I nodded.
“I didn’t see that one coming,” Carly said on a breath.
“What?” I asked, feeling a little offended. “Bikers can’t volunteer to help kids?”
Ignoring me, she turned back to Trent. “Start cleaning up this mess so we can go.”
“But Mom, I—”
“Don’t ‘but Mom’ me. You broke your promise, and now I’m missing work.”
He started to argue again, but she leveled that no-bullshit look at him until his shoulders dropped and he got down on the floor and started doing what he was told.
Carly turned back to me. “Can I talk to you? In the hall?”
“Sure.”
I followed her out of the classroom. With her hair up like that, I had a great view of the sexy lines of her neck and was trying to decide which spot I’d kiss first if she ever gave me the chance. Her shoulders tensed, making her look like a rubber band stretched too tight and about to snap. Knowing I had to diffuse the situation, I stopped fantasizing about licking her neck and asked, “Is this whereyouask formynumber?”
She gave me a tight, forced smile. “No, Romeo. This is where I ask you to leave my kid alone. He’s been through enough and doesn’t need the confusion of…” She pointed at the card. “Whatever this is. I mean it’s great of you guys to come in and hang out with the kids, but a Father’s Day card? That’s a little over-the-top, don’t you think?”
Surprised and stung by her tone, I defended myself. “He asked if he could make it for me. What was I supposed to say? No?”
She stared at me, some of the fire going out of her eyes only to be replaced with worry and exhaustion. Looking at the door to the classroom, she shook her head. “I can’t believe he started a riot over making a card. A Father’s Day card that he then gave to a stranger he expects to protect him.”
“To protect him?” My ears perked up at that. “Last week he said he wanted to protect you. Are the two of you in trouble, Carly?”
