Rowdy pretends to think about it as he pulls out of the hotel parking lot, and even though this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a vehicle with him, I’m still amazed at how far he’s come since his accident.
“Negative five.”
I laugh. “Don’t bullshit me, Pop.”
“No bullshit here, pretty girl. I doubt there’s much you could do that would make my son mad.”
“Oh no?” I tap my chin. “What if I burn the toast in the morning?” He snorts in response. “Okay, how about if I gave him a wedgie?” Again, my future father-in-law snorts. “Oh, I know… Lyric would definitely be mad if I rode on the back of another?—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence, Mellie Kensington,” he barks, but there’s no heat in his tone.
“Won’t be able to call me that much longer,” I remind him.
He grins. “I know. And I’m damn proud that I’ll be able to call you ‘daughter’.”
“You already treat me like one,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t know if I’ve ever thanked you for all you’ve done for me since my parents died in that fire, but I am so grateful.”
“Don’t mention it.”
And those three words are just one of the many reasons I love this man. He might be hard-headed, a cold bastard toward his enemies, and a cantankerous shit at times, but he’d do anything for those he loves. Rowdy is the epitome of a good man.
Don’t let him hear you say it, though, because he’ll argue until he’s blue in the face.
The hotel is on the opposite side of town from the clubhouse, where Lyric and I are getting married. Normally, Rowdy would go through town, but because that takes longer, he hops onto the interstate that circumvents local traffic.
We’re cruising along in silence, my thoughts focused on my upcoming nuptials. I’ve known for years that Lyric is mysoulmate. He’s the only person who makes me feel like I’m important. I didn’t have a bad childhood, but it wasn’t exactly rosy either. My family moved a lot for work, and it never mattered to them that it was hard on me. When they died, I think people expected me to be more heartbroken. I was sad, sure, but Lyric and Rowdy, as well as everyone at KOAMC, stepped up in a big way, which made the grief less… soul-crushing.
I’m so lost in my own head that it takes a second to register that Rowdy’s arm is in front of me, and he’s slamming on the brakes. Suddenly, my surroundings come into focus, and terror like I’ve never felt washes over me.
There’s a semi-truck in front of us with its brake lights lit, and we’re coming up on it way too fast. I don’t even have time to glance behind us before the Jeep rams into the back of the truck, throwing me and Rowdy forward faster than a blink.
My last thought before the world goes dark is that I should’ve let Lyric fix my car sooner.
3
LYRIC
“Big day, brother.”
I grin at Pastor, the club chaplain. He’s one of the older members, and while he isn’t the strongest or the fastest with a weapon, he’s loyal as fuck and a genuinely good dude.
“It is,” I confirm. “But I’m ready. Fuck, I’ve been ready since we were still in high school.”
Mellie has always been it for me since the seventh grade, when I punched a douchebag for taunting her. I’ve never once doubted the instant attraction to her or the way she’s consumed my every thought since. Even when I’m dealing with club business, she’s there in my head and my heart… my goddamn soul. Without Mellie, I’d be nothing.
Don’t get me wrong, Kings of Anarchy MC is everything to me, and I’d do anything for my brothers, including give my life. But Mellie makes me want to live. She makes me a better man. She’s the light in my dark world, and she never makes me question anything.
“I remember when you met her,” Pastor says, pulling me from my musings. With a chuckle, he continues. “Rowdy was trying to read you the riot act because he got a call from theschool principal that day, but you were so far gone and couldn’t stop talking about the ‘pretty new girl’.”
I laugh, remembering. “Dad was so pissed at me. Not because I punched someone, though. No, he was pissed because I wasn’t paying a lick of fucking attention to him.”
“Yeah, but even back then, I think he could see that Mellie was going to become someone important to you,” Pastor says. “And you’re right, he wasn’t mad about how you handled the situation. Shit, he was proud of that.”
Looking out over the back yard at the clubhouse, I search for Rowdy, knowing he should be back with Mellie. When I don’t see him, my insides churn, and that nagging feeling that I experienced after he left to get her returns.
“Speaking of Rowdy, have you seen him?” I ask.
Pastor follows my gaze and shakes his head. “Not since earlier. Want me to call him?”
