“His wife?” Becks clarified. She hadn’t known about any of this. Liam had told her that Scar was mute, and a mystery to the club. Other than being told he was a veteran, the club didn’t even know what branch he’d served in until after he ‘died’ on that bridge. Her heart ached for the man as guilt rose for her anger at him.
Ghost nodded. “She’s blind, by the way. Tally. She uses echolocation to get around.”
Becks took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, and then let it out. She ran her fingers through her loose hair multiple times before sitting up straighter. “I didn’t know all that information about him. Liam made him out to sound more eccentric than suffering from PTSD.”
“There was a lot that we didn’t know about Scar prior to a couple of years ago,” Ghost said in defense of her brother. “And I’m not making excuses for him. I certainly amnevergoing to parade you around naked in front of him. He knows he fuckedup, and don’t be surprised if he finds some very unusual way to make it up to you.” Ghost reached across the table and took her hand. “Scar’s loyal to his core, baby. He didn’t know you, and for him, that registers as a threat. Trust me, there’s no one I would rather have guarding you and our future children than Scar.”
Becks picked up her toast just as a knock sounded on the back door. “I’ll try to keep that in mind with him.”
Since she was sitting closer to the back door than Ghost, she made to stand, but Ghost waved her back down. “You don’t answer doors when I’m in the house.”
Becks’ eyebrows shot up. “I don’t?” She turned in her chair with her coffee mug to watch him approach the door she was perfectly capable of opening on her own. “What if you’re upstairs taking a really big shit and I’m literally a foot away from the door? Can I open it then?”
Ghost paused with his hand on the doorhandle, twisting to look over his shoulder at her. “Then whoever is at the door is going to wait for me to finish shitting before they’re allowed inside.”
He opened the door without looking to see who it was, and Becks heard a young male voice say, “Uncle Ghost, you said a bad word! You owe money to the swear jar!”
Becks wasn’t confused in the slightest by this exchange, and her outlook for the morning just rose. Standing, she set her coffee cup back on the table. “Is that Scotty I hear at the door?”
Anyone else and Becks would have been embarrassed to be dressed in yesterday’s jeans and one of Ghost’s old Navy shirts. It was a little tight over her chest, but the way Ghost’s eyes lit up at the sight of her in it made up for any subconscious discomfort she might have been feeling when he’d offered it to her.
A gasp of excitement came from the doorway before a teenage boy practically barreled Ghost down in his effort to gain access to the house. Becks had never met Scotty in personbefore, but she’d seen many pictures and loved hearing Liam’s tales of Scotty’s adventures. She’d even bought one of Scotty’s father’s art pieces for her mom for Christmas one year. Lucky was an art welder, and donated a portion of his proceeds to the National Down Syndrome Society. Plus, she got a thank you note from Scotty himself.
She knew his birthday was in August, but couldn’t remember if he was eighteen going on nineteen or nineteen going on twenty. She was pretty sure it was the former. Per Liam, Scotty had been all set to go to college last fall, but following the murder of his club cousin, Melanie, Scotty’s parents had opted to keep him home a year to help him adjust and grieve before allowing him to go the following year, which would be this coming fall semester. Becks thought the fact that some colleges had programs for special education adults inspiring, and it proved that there really was good left in the world.
Scotty was shorter than her, but thought he might have her mother beat by an inch or two. He had dirty blonde hair and big, round glasses in front of bright blue eyes. And God, his smile had a way of lighting up the entire room. No fear of meeting a stranger, Scotty ran right up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist while burying his face between her breasts.
“Oh!” Becks exclaimed, automatically closing her arms around him too. Over Scotty’s head, Becks caught sight of Ghost waving at someone out the back door before closing it.
“Aunt Becks! You know me?”
Becks laughed, “Of course I know the famous Scotty. My brother, Liam, is your Uncle Ranger. He’s told meallabout you.”
Scotty stepped back, his eyes wide with delight. “Uncle Ranger is yourbrother? I have a brother too. His name is Conner, and he’s three! I have two sisters too. And a sister-in-law! Her name is Scissors and she has hair likethis!” Scotty held his hands out over his head to indicate large hair, likely an Afro.“My mommy is Harper, and she’s my teacher. I don’t go to high school anymore, because I graduated, but she still teaches me at home. She says ‘learning never stops’. And I have a sister, Sissy, and a sister, Stephanie, but we call her Steph. She’s two and she’sso fat!Daddy calls her his little chunky monkey.”
Ghost came up behind Scotty and gently put his hand on Scotty’s head to tip the teen’s head back so he could look upside down at his uncle. “Hey, Scot-Man, how about you join us for breakfast so your Aunt Becks can eat while you tell her all about your family?”
Scotty grinned widely, loving the attention. “Do you have pancakes? I love pancakes.”
“I know you do, but I didn’t make pancakes this morning. How about scrambled eggs and toast?”
“With cheese?” Scotty added with enthusiasm.
Ghost nodded, “Of course.”
“Deal!” Scotty said with a nod of his head even though he was still tipped backwards. As Ghost released Scotty’s head, Becks realized just how gently Ghost had been holding him. It hadn’t crossed her mind that Ghost would use force to get Scotty’s attention like that. He even had his hand on Scotty’s lower back to help him balance.
Scotty turned and crooked his finger at Ghost. When Ghost bent down towards his nephew, Scotty kissed his nose, which had Becks’ heart swelling like the Grinch’s.
Becks pulled a chair out for Scotty. The table only sat four, with one side against the wall and its chair over in the corner of the kitchen with a gym bag on top. She was definitely going to need to talk to Ghost and Liam about rearranging some things around here. Hell, she didn’t even know if Liam would want to live with them. She wouldn’t mind having her brother around, but it would also be nice for Ghost and Becks as newlyweds to have the house to themselves.
Just one more thing for Becks to figure out over the next couple of weeks. So much for a stress-free honeymoon.
As Ghost fired up the stovetop again, Becks offered Scotty the glass of orange juice she hadn’t yet touched.
“Thank you, Aunt Becks. Is your name Rebecca?”
“It is,” she answered.
