I shook my head. “I don’t want to. But you saw how she reacted. We, uh, we have a tangled past.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Fuck, Prez, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It’s not like we planned this. I want to be involved and help her however I can; but I don’t want to upset her any more than I already have,” I confessed.
Copper’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Maybe it’s just her pregnancy hormones making things seem worse than they are.”
“I wish it were that simple. Trust me, Prez, she has every right to be upset with me.”
“You know, Phoenix never told me why he ordered your transfer. And really, it ain’t my business if it doesn’t affect the club directly. But, your brothers can’t help you if they don’t know what kind of help you need.”
I sighed. He was right. I didn’t want all the brothers to know about my past, but I was in over my head, and I needed some help. “Can we keep this between you and me for right now?”
“Of course.”
“A little over two years ago, I was driving home from a long day at work. I even turned down an invitation to hang out with some friends that were in town because I was so exhausted. I was about halfway home when I fell asleep behind the wheel. My truck crashed into a police cruiser parked on the side of the highway and killed the officer inside. That officer was Ian Parker, Avery’s husband,” I said and gestured to her hospital room.
Copper sucked in a sharp breath and glanced at her closed door. “Shit, Savior.”
“I didn’t know it was her. I’d never seen her before. When I met her at Precious Metals, she said her name was Grace. I told her my name was Savior. Neither one of us knew who the other one was.”
Copper rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. “I’m guessing you figured out who she was when you disappeared a few weeks ago and Ranger found you drunker than a skunk in the cemetery.”
“Yeah,” I rasped. “I saw a picture of her kids on the wall and figured it out. I, uh, I went to the cemetery to apologize to her husband.”
“So, I don’t get it. Why’d Phoenix send you up here?”
“It was actually Ranger’s idea. He knew she moved to Devil Springs and thought it would be good for me to be here as well. After the accident, my lawyers told me not to contact the family in any way. But I had to at least do something for the kids. So, I found ways to make sure their school lunches were paid for, had things delivered to their house, prepaid for their meals at different restaurants around town, stuff like that.”
“Fuck, Savior, if there’s anything I can do for you, I will.”
“Thanks, Prez. I appreciate it,” I replied. It was a nice offer, but there wasn’t anything anyone could do to help me.
“I’m going to go wait in the visitor’s area. Will you let me know when there’s an update on Grant?”
“Of course,” he said and patted my shoulder.
I took a seat in the empty waiting room and slumped in my chair. How had my life become such a fucked-up mess? I couldn’t blame Avery for not wanting to talk to me. I would hate me too if I were in her shoes. I hated myself as it was. Fuck! I wanted to hit something. Anything.
“Mind if I sit here?” a woman asked softly.
I looked up to see Avery’s mother pointing to the seat beside me. For a brief moment, I was distracted by how much the two of them looked alike.
She didn’t wait for me to answer before she dropped into the chair. “I’m Claire Cameron, Avery’s mother. I’m not here to be hateful to you or to tell you to leave. I overheard you talking to your friend, and I understand what a tough position you’re in. My Avery has always reacted defensively to hide her feelings. Once she’s had time to process, she usually comes around.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be the case this time.”
“Well, if I know my girl, she’ll come around and do the right thing. It might take her a little longer than usual, but she’ll get there.”
“We, um, we didn’t exactly have a relationship, but I do want to be there for her and the baby. She can’t do everything by herself and be as sick as she is.”
“No, she can’t. Her father and I are going to make arrangements to stay in town and help with the kids until she gets better, however long that may be. Your friend gave me his card, but let me get your phone number so we’ll be able to get in touch with you.”
I rattled off my cell phone number and looked at her curiously. “Why don’t you hate me?”
She gave me a sad smile. “I think I did for a short period of time before we knew what happened, but it was an accident. And even as devastating as it was, it wasn’t your fault. Avery knows that, too, but this sudden turn of events has thrown her for a loop. Well, I better get back to her room,” she said.
“Can I get your number, too? Maybe I could text you and see how she’s doing?” I asked.
“Of course. I’ll send you a text from my phone.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I—”
