We don’t talk about her much. She’s Oscar’s mom. They had one night together, and she got pregnant. I’m not sure how Nero let it go that she didn’t tell him until the kid was born. He dodged a bullet going through all thepregnancy shit.
Sheridan had her issues, including a massive confrontation that led to a physical altercation with my sister, but she is a good mom, and she and Nero figured out co-parenting their kid. They never fought over him, loving him enough to understand Oscar needs them both. That’s what makes what happened to her harder to swallow.
Nashville doesn’t discuss it either, but he’s still affected by where he found Sheridan after Storm abducted her, got her hooked on heroin and sold her night after night.
“Not great,” Nero stares off into the distance. “She doesn’t want Oscar to see her the way she is.”
“That’s understandable.”
His jaw tightens again. “Taylor has stepped up, but she doesn’t want to take his mom’s place. She’s worried he might forget her.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“He’s young, they forget things when they’re that little.”
“You can’t push her if she’s not ready.”
“Taylor keeps saying it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love and miss him, that it means she loves him more because she wants to shield him from the demons Storm left her with.” He grits his teeth, the rage emanating off him. “We see that differently,” he says after getting his shit under control. “I can’t understand why she doesn’t want to pull him close.”
I can’t comment because I’ve never been in that situation.
“Speedway has been coming around,” he says about Sheridan’s brother, one of our members who has been around Oscar his whole life. “He talks about her. Tells him she’s sorry she can’t visit, but she loves him very much.” He sighs. “I hate lying to him.”
That is tough as hell. She has a long recovery ahead of her, the worst part of it being she is now a heroin addict who has to break that habit. Nero is paying for the best treatment he could find for her.
“It’s for the best,” I say, not knowing what else to do to make the situation any easier.
“You don’t get it, but Taylor has been good for him. For both of us,” he adds, glancing down the street as two bikes approach.
“Taylor’s good people,” I say. I rarely say shit like that, and surprise crosses Nero’s face at my words.
She might not be what I envisioned as my best friend’s old lady, she hasn’t tried to change him. If anything, she is on board with who he is. You have to be some kind of way to fall for a man like us.
The sound of bikes draws Kinsley’s attention, and she turns to watch them driving into the parking lot outside the bar, which means she also spots me.
Her eyes linger for a moment, but she is too far away for me to read her expression. She turns back to her task and starts up the sander on a new section of wall.
“Anyway,” Nero shrugs off the talk about Oscar’s mom and gets back to business. “Right now, Storm thinks he got away with attacking Elegance and his man is safe. They’re going to meet up soon enough. When they do, he won’t see us coming.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Nero stares at me. “If I’m not, we do it your way.”
Chapter Seven
Kinsley
Most of the imperfections on the wall are gone, so I’m ready to get the base layer of paint on. It took a couple of days for the cement to set and a lot of sanding to get it smooth. Now I can focus on getting the design right.
I tried to run a few things past Colt last night, but he trusts me to make it work.
For the last couple of days, my brain has been occupied with filling my sketchpad with portraits of a man I shouldn’t let into my brain at all. And it’s not Stryker, even though he still fascinates me.
It's irritating Rebel has the kind of face that gets my creativity all fired up. It’s so vivid in my mind that I can’t help pouring it all out on paper. I’ve even prepped a canvas, which is insanity.
Maybe to take my mind off visiting my uncle. From what Colt’s told me, the last couple of years he’s deteriorated to the point he doesn’t recognize anyone but his caregivers.
What is he going to think of me? A man I adored. A man of unending patience and tolerance who put up with my attitude and talked me through tough times, guiding me without ever judging me.
