I frowned. I’d never heard that term before. “What does that mean?”
“It means, you’re one of us, brothers for life…” Wolf said.
“And our lives for our brothers,” the rest of the men chanted back, stamping their feet.
“It means, you’re a Highwayman but you don’t belong to any chapter. At least not yet. You can move around as much as you want. You’ll be welcomed in all the chapters and you come back here when you’re ready to, or when you’re needed. You belong to no one and to everyone. You feel me?” Bull finished, clasping his hands together. “It’s never been done like this before. And I ain’t gonna lie and say I’m entirely happy about it, but I don’t want to lose a brother either. Seems this is the best of both ways. Cleared it with Hardy and they’re down with it too.” Bull looked at me seriously. “When you’re ready, you come home, and we’ll be here for you.”
“So, what’ll it be?” Hammer asked with a grin.
~ 18 ~
I climbed onto my bike and pulled my helmet on. Stone stayed inside, sensing I didn’t want to see him, and Bull was already in another meeting.
“You gonna be all right?” Wolf asked.
“Of fucking course he is,” Sketch replied, striding over. He had a bag slung over one shoulder and he lifted a leg over his bike. “I’m going with him.”
“What?” Wolf asked with a scowl.
Sketch pulled on his helmet. “This man’s my human sketchbook. Where he goes, I go.”
“You’re all fucking weird,” Hammer said, his gaze looking between the two of us. “So you’re going nomad too, huh?”
Sketch nodded. “Yeah, so look after my room. Because I’ll be back, Thor.”
Thor reached out and shook Sketches hand. “I hope we do, brother.” He looked back at me. “I’m not good with goodbyes, so I’ll be seeing you both.” He waved and walked away.
Ranger had his arms folded across his chest, and he saluted me without saying anything and walked away, heading back inside the clubhouse too.
“You make sure you check in once in a while. And you make sure you get your ass back here if we need you to,” Wolf said, shaking my hand. He shook his head at Sketch. “This all because of that Kelly bitch?”
Sketch shrugged. “Time I got on the road for a while is all. Need to clear my head.”
“You just need to sample new pussy is all. That’ll clear your head up.” Wolf sighed when Sketch looked away from him. “This is why I prefer being single. All this shit is caused by bitches fucking their men’s heads up.”
“That’s why you’re single? Please, brother, we all know that’s not why! No woman would settle with you,” Sketch laughed. “Besides, I’ve seen you going all soft on a woman before. Don’t act like you don’t ever wanna settle down.”
“Fuck nah, I’m not made for one woman. No one can tame this beast!” Wolf gave us the middle finger and headed back inside.
“I’m good on my own ya know,” I said to Sketch, and I meant it. I’d always been on my own—kinda liked it that way too.
“And I said I’m not letting my human sketch pad ride out of here till I’ve finished what I started,” he laughed.
His expression turned serious as Kelly pulled up in her little truck and jumped out. She strutted across to the main doors, not noticing us sitting outside, and he sighed again.
“I need some space too. Hate to admit it, but that girl got to me.”
“What happened?”
Sketch opened his mouth to say something, his expression turning dark until he shook his head, deciding against telling me whatever he was going to say. “Another time, brother. Another time.” He started his bike and we took off out of the clubhouse.
It felt strange driving away from that place and those men. I honestly wasn’t sure whether I would ever go back, but I definitely hoped to, one day. One thing I was certain of—I was glad I was a Highwayman. I had definitely found what I had been searching for my whole life: a real family.
That club, those men, they’d given my life purpose.
They’d taken me in when I had nothing to offer them, and they’d forgiven my sins when I couldn’t even forgive myself.
But most of all, they’d given me Hope.
