“Okay.” Sam smiled, and I kissed her head.
I’d spent a lot of time with Haizley talking about my childhood, my parents, and my resentment toward Jack being given away. We’d had sessions with the three of us, and I’d had sessions with Jack and Sam separately to work through different things.
While I’d once believed I loved this woman with everything I had, I now saw her as a sister. She was my brother’s wife, nothing more.
“Lunch is just about ready. Are you seeing Haizley today?”
“I am, right after lunch.”
Sam nodded and turned back to the counter. I tried not to keep secrets from Jack and Sam. They knew I was still seeing Haizley. I had a lot of shit to work through, and talking to Haizley helped. But I couldn’t tell them about Frankie. I was sure they didn’t know, despite how similar she and Charlie were.
But I could talk to Haizley about it. She’d proven time and again I could trust her with my secrets. I didn’t count her as a friend, though we were friendly outside of our sessions. Haizley was my therapist. One I’d needed desperately but never would have taken a chance on had it not been for Jack.
After everything that happened with Marsha, Jack came to me and asked me to stay. He wanted me to be a part of his life, a part of his family. I’d agreed to stay through the holidays but had to go back to Arkansas to wrap shit up before coming back here to build his house. From there it snowballed. Two houses were done; I was working on the third and planning the fourth. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear these guys were settling down just to keep me busy enough to stay here.
Jack had also asked me to talk to Haizley. At least about what went down with Marsha, and then go from there. The first visit was awkward as fuck, being it was at the clubhouse and there was no love lost between myself and the Silver Shadows.
Blade tolerated me because he was Jack’s best friend. King was a diplomat and a leader through and through. He saw something in me that benefited his club and decided if Jack could work through it, the club could as well.
That didn’t hold true for all the brothers. Mimic and I would never be friends, but we’d settled on a mutual respect for each other when shit went down with Indie.
Most of the others were cordial, if not slightly friendly. Except for Zero. I didn’t know what that asshole’s problem was, but he wouldn’t let shit go. Shit that had nothing to do with him.
Sure, I got the whole loyalty bullshit, though I’d never experienced it myself. At least not until Jack. My little brother was a marvel. I still couldn’t comprehend how he could forgive me for what I did.
“I met my daughter.”
The words tumbled out of my mouth a second after Haizley closed the door.
“What? How?” she asked, her face a mix of confusion and surprise.
I paced her living room. Haizley had planned to open an office with her old man’s sister. But after the attack on the clubhouse, everything changed. Now Melissa lived in New York with no plans to return.
“King asked me to fix a leaky pipe at Grace’s house.”
“Where the woman who Stocks found is staying?”
“Yeah.” I ran my hands through my hair and looked at Haizley. “When I knocked on the door, the woman’s daughter answered. It was her.”
“How can you be sure? You’ve never seen her.”
I grabbed the back of my neck, avoiding eye contact with Haizley.
“Derek?” Haizley’s question told me she knew I hadn’t been completely truthful with her. It wasn’t that I lied. I never actually said I hadn’t met her.
“I met her before I signed my rights away.”
“I see.”
“Please don’t do that,” I begged.
“Do what?” Haizley asked as she sat forward, legs crossed, leaning her arms on her knee.
“That disappointed tone.”
“Well, I am disappointed, Derek. I thought we were doing really well.” She sat back, and the look on her face had shame washing through me.
I sat on the couch across from her. “I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you everything.”
