Hard to forget those times. “Done with that shit.”
“You can say that all you want, but I won’t believe it until I see it.”
“Won’t see it ‘less you gimme a fuckin’ chance. Want us to be a family, Ky. You. Me. Ledger.” He grimaced when headded, “Even Thunder. Still got your cut that you threw away.”
That night she had been so upset and ticked off, she had thrown it in the trash. Thank fuck she hadn’t tossed it into the bonfire. One of his brothers saw her do it, retrieved it, and gave it back to him.
Seeing it discarded like that was a kick in the nuts. At the time, he was pretty damn pissed. But once he sobered up, he understood why she’d done it.
She was done with the life. She was done with him.
He hurt her and she was trying to hurt him back.
“I don’t want it, Zeke. I’m not looking to go back to the way things were. All I want to do is raise my son—ourson—right.”
“Want the same shit, babe.”
“Then you should understand if I don’t want him growing up to be a biker.”
A chill ran through him. The Jamisons had been bikers going all the way back to 1974. That wasn’t going to end with his generation. Fuck no. It would continue on with the next. And the one after that.
“He’s gonna be whoever the fuck he wants to be. He don’t wanna be an Angel, gonna accept that. He does, you gotta accept that, too.”
She combed her shaky fingers through her messy blonde hair in an attempt to tame it back into place. “I just want him to grow up to be a good person.”
His chest tightened. “You sayin’ if I help raise him, he won’t be?”
“I don’t know, Zeke, but he now knows you’re his father. He’s going to watch what you do, good or bad. Wouldn’t you be pissed if he ended up in jail or prison? I knowyourfatherwas. He raised you and Zane to be more like him, rather than the previous Angels who were one-percenters.”
“Right. Zane’s more like my old man and I ain’t,” Zeke concluded. “Got it.”
“I don’t have to tell you that. Youknowit. But what I just witnessed here looks like a good start to you being more level-headed and not popping off at every little slight.”
If she only knew what a fucking struggle it had been. “Gave your brother this one shot. He does it again, though…”
“He was in the wrong. He shouldn’t have hit you.”
“Nah, babe, he shoulda. Never said I didn’t deserve it. But gonna repeat, he tries that shit again…”
“Thank you for not hitting him back. I’ll give you some credit, it seems like youaretrying to do better.”
“Yeah, babe. For you and Ledger.”
She sniffled and swiped a finger under her nose. Maybe he should be a fucking gentleman and offer her his T-shirt again.
“I’m not sure where we go from here.”
That part was easy. “Gonna drop my sled off at the body shop so Badger can fix what Rob fucked up. Then takin’ you and my boy to Bangin’ Burgers. After that, who the fuck knows. We can take it day by day. Good with that?”
It took too many fucking heartbeats before she answered, “I’m good with that.”
Thank fuck.
That answer had been worth the wait.
Chapter Twenty-One
Last night,while grabbing a beer at the club’s private bar, Zane had come up to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. “They don’t wanna meet,” he announced under his breath.
