“You’ve known me for a long time. If I didn’t think Zeke could step up, I never would’ve given him your info. I’d be helping you go underground instead.”
What?
Okay, she hadnotexpected that. “And if I give him a chance to be a good parent and he fails, you’ll help me disappear and not tell him where we land?”
“Zeke isn’t the only one Ledger is related to. He has grandparents here. Aunts, uncles, and plenty of cousins. And that’s only our side of the family. Do you really want to take him away from your family, too? How isthatfair to Ledger?”
That was what Kyra thought. Coming home to western PA was a mistake that couldn’t be undone. Just like dating Zeke. “Ledger is my priority, Vi. If you had a child, you’d understand.”
“I don’t need to be a parent to understand. Do you forget who my father is? The man was smothering when my sisters and I were little because he worried something might happen to us. He was one of the worst helicopter parents to ever helicopter. Anyway, no one expected him to be a good parent. He was gruff and grumpy and the king of assholes, but he turned out to be the best father. Zeke could turn out to be the same. But we won’t know that until you give him a shot.”
“I need your reassurance, Vi. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night if I think Zeke will be nothing but a bad example.”
“You know he’ll have his moments, they all do. They’rebikers, after all. If you expect him to turn into a choir boy, you’re expecting too much.”
“I don’t expect him to be perfect. I’m far from that myself. I’m doing the best that I can and would expect the same from him. But I want to be the one in control of their relationship, not him.”
“What if he proves himself to be a great father?”
“If that happens”—and she hoped it did—“then fine, we can do more co-parenting. But he’ll need to prove it first.”
Bikers tended to lean toward being misogynistic and even considered the women in their lives as club property. She did not want that outlook rubbing off on her son. She wanted Ledger to treat girls—and women—with respect.
“It sounds like you’ll give him a shot.”
“Do I really have a choice? If I don’t agree, he’ll get Lily involved.” She didn’t have the money to hire a lawyer of her own to fight him. Even if she did, it could turn ugly. She wanted to shield Ledger from any ugliness. He was such a happy little boy and she didn’t want to dull that shine. “The whole reason I stopped here was so that you’d discourage him from doing that.”
“He’s my family, Ky. So is Ledger. The club has always been family first, whether by blood or by bond.”
“Funny you say that because that’s not true. You forget I know the history between Zeke’s grandfather and father. Hell, between Zak and his brother Axel. So no, it hasn’t always been family first.”
Vi’s lips thinned. “You know how the bikers feel about law enforcement.”
“By blood or by bond,” Kyra quoted. “Apparently, there’s an asterisk next to that, stating those exceptions.”
“You’ve been around enough bikers to know how damn stubborn they can be.”
“You were raised by one.”
Vi finally smiled and chuckled. “Yes, he was the king of a lot of things. None of them worth bragging about.”
“I really missed you, Vi,” Kyra breathed.
Her friend got up and came around the desk. As they hugged, Vi said, “Do you want me with you when you tell Zeke the news?”
Kyra shook her head and pulled in a deep breath. “No. I can handle it.”
Vi pulled away. “Good. But if you need support, I can be there for you. Now, let’s go find Grim and Ledger. I want to officially meet my newest cousin.”
As they headed toward the door, Kyra asked, “When did Leo become Grim?”
“He earned that call name in the Army as an EOD Specialist. He kept it as his road name.”
So, not only was Leo a Shadow, he had also joined the MC.
“EOD?” It sounded familiar but she wasn’t sure about what it was.
“Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Basically, he fucked with explosives. He got out six months ago and I immediately added him to the team.”
