Truly, Madly, Whiskey

by Melissa Foster

  She melted a little at the way he remembered it. “Yes,” she said softly. “But how did you get me to go with you?”

  His brows knitted, and that cocky smile she loved so much appeared.

  “Sweet girl, I remember the day I met you. You were so full of snark and attitude, and more beautiful than anyone I’d ever seen. You snagged my attention that day, and you’ve captivated my heart ever since. Chrissy, Christine, Crystal, sugar, baby, baby cakes, sweetheart, will you please make me the happiest man on earth and move in with me?”

  Overwhelmed with emotions, she let “Bear” out like a whisper as she fell into his arms. “Yes. Yes, yes, yes.”

  Chapter Twenty

  THE NEXT WEEK blew in with a surge of happiness and passed in a whirlwind of busy days and busier nights. They spent the evenings packing up Crystal’s apartment and fell into each other’s arms at night with a second wind, making love until the wee hours of the morning. Bear wondered if a person could live on love. If not, he couldn’t think of a better way to die than from too much Crystal. On Sunday Bear’s brothers, Tru, Gemma, and Dixie helped move Crystal’s things into Bear’s house. Our house. Damn, it felt good to think of it that way. They rearranged his den for Crystal to use as a design studio and moved the extra bed to Quincy’s apartment for Jed, who they were helping move the weekend after next. It was amazing how the addition of her belongings transformed the cabin from what Crystal called a gearhead bachelor pad into a warm, welcoming home. She and Bear had taken extra care placing the dolls from her father around the house, setting a few in each room. He liked knowing a piece of the man who had cared enough to try to save her from her mother’s deterioration was with her no matter where she was. Crystal had hung up pictures of her, Jed, and her father. She had no interest in including pictures of her mother, but for her sake, Bear hoped one day her mother would get sober and try to mend the broken fences.

  Bear had spent months waiting for things to fall into place with Crystal, and it was worth every second. He’d never felt so complete, but he’d also learned a lot about strength and fortitude from her. As he paced behind the clubhouse Monday night with his cell phone pressed to his ear, waiting for the last of the members to drive away, he prepared to take his final stand in the battle he’d been waging for far too long.

  “I just want to be sure that managing the bar is what you want before I make it happen,” he said to Dixie. He’d put off this showdown for long enough, and at this point, it was as much about equality for Dixie in the family businesses as it was about him being able to lead the life he’d always dreamed of. And with Crystal by his side, he’d settle for nothing less.

  “Hell, yes. If it weren’t against the stupid club rules, I’d be there with you.”

  “I know you would. Did you meet with Dad this morning as we planned?” He’d tried to get an hour alone with his father earlier in the week, but their schedules hadn’t meshed until tonight. With the Silver-Stone offer pending, he didn’t have the luxury of waiting things out.

  “Do I ever let anything slip through the cracks?” she challenged.

  “Good point. I’ll give you a ring when it’s all said and done.”

  Dixie was quiet for a few seconds. “Bear, I just want you to know how much I appreciate what you’re doing. Regardless of what Dad says or does, it means the world to me that you’re willing to go to bat for me.”

  “For us, Dix. I want this to work out for my own reasons, too.”

  “I know, but you’ve been fighting with Dad on my behalf for longer than you’ve been trying to work with Jace or spend time with Crystal. That counts for something.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  After they said goodbye, he called Crystal.

  “How did it go?” she asked before he could say a word.

  “I’m going in now, but I wanted to see how you were doing.”

  “I’m good. I called Jed and told him about what happened when I was in school. I figured since you were taking a big step, I should, too.”

  Bear closed his eyes for a beat, fighting the surge of aggression that came with talking about what she’d gone through and wishing he was with her right now. “How did he take it?”

  “About like you did. He wanted to be sure I was okay, and then he went ballistic wanting to track down the man and kill him.”

  “Good man.” Bear smiled and shook his head. “See, baby cakes? You’ve got more support than you ever imagined. I’m glad he’s moving closer so the two of you can get acquainted with the people you’ve become. Sounds like you’ve both changed a lot since you lived under the same roof.”

  “I feel the same. Hey, Bear?”

  “Yeah, babe?” He walked toward the clubhouse.

  “Even if it doesn’t go the way you want it to, I’m proud of you. And I’m rooting for you.” He heard her moving the phone and then the rumbling purr of the kitty came through the line. “Harley is, too. We can’t wait to see you afterward.”

  She’d insisted on waiting up for him tonight, and he loved knowing that they would be there when he got home. “Love you, babe.”

  He walked into the clubhouse even more determined to make tonight go the way he wanted.

  Bones was leaning over the pool table, cue in hand. He lifted his eyes as Bear came through the door, and without a word, he made his shot. Bullet stood beside the pool table, tracking Bear across the floor to the table where their father sat talking on his phone. Going against his father was one thing. Taking on all three at once? Definitely not a walk in the park. He’d hoped they’d leave while he was outside.

  Fuck.

  “You guys taking off?” Bear sat across from his father.

  Bullet took his shot and nodded to Bones. “Not a chance.”

  His father ended his call and set his cell phone on the table, looking at Bear expectantly.

  Conflicting emotions pummeled him, from respect and love to anger and trepidation over whether he was making the right decision for himself and their family. One way or another, life as he knew it was about to be forever changed. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans and squared his shoulders, feeling as though he was preparing for Russian roulette.

  “I want to talk to you about the bar.” Bear was acutely aware his brothers were listening to his every word. Forcing himself not to look over, because it would only further piss him off, he remained vigilant in his effort to get his point across.

  His father leaned back. “I’m listening.”

  “How serious are you about expanding the bar? You’ve talked about it in the past, but you never followed through.”

  “Dead serious,” his father answered. “It’s time. We’ve hit a plateau, and if we’re not moving forward, we’re going to shift in the wrong direction. There’s only one way to make sure this place remains profitable enough to mean something for your kids’ futures.”

  “And how do you know that?” Bear knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from his father.

  “Dixie’s projections, of course.”

  “And you saw our outline for the expansion? Do you think it’s solid?”

  “Absolutely. I never doubted it would be.”

  “Then you know we’re estimating it’ll take roughly twenty hours per week of oversight during the expansion and hiring process.” Twenty hours I don’t have.

  “Yes.” He stroked his beard. “I assume you’ll manage the process and Dixie will step in when you can’t be there.”

  “You’re comfortable with that scenario?”

  His father’s lips curved up in a slow smile. “That’s the scenario we’ve talked about since day one.”

  “Great. Then you have no issue with Dixie stepping in in my absence.” Bear inhaled deeply, preparing to drop his bomb. “I’m cutting back my hours at the bar and the shop. Dixie will be overseeing the expansion.”

  His father’s chest expanded.

  “I’m committing to twenty-five hours a month working with Silve
r-Stone Cycles, and I’m selling my share of the bar ownership to Dixie. She’s going to own two-fifths. I’ve given up a lot for our family, and I don’t regret it, but it’s time for me to take a step back.”

  Bear felt Bullet’s presence before his father’s eyes flicked up to meet him.

  His father pressed both hands on the tabletop. The fingers on his left hand wouldn’t follow his lead, curling up beneath the pressure. His icy stare chipped away at Bear’s heart. “You can’t sell your shares.”

  “What the fuck have you given up?” Bullet asked.

  Without looking away from his father, Bear said, “I can sell, and I am.” He lifted his eyes to Bullet. “You were away. Bones was in med school. I never left. You figure it out.”

  Bullet pulled out the chair beside Bear and straddled it. “You said you wanted to run the bar. I offered to take leave.”

  Bones put a hand on Bear’s shoulder. “He’s right. It’s his turn regardless of what he said. I’m with Bear.”

  Bear’s throat thickened. Bones was so careful about which battles he chose to fight, and having his support felt like the biggest gift on earth, despite how long it had taken him to get there. He gave Bones an appreciative nod and returned his attention to Bullet.

  “You think I’d make you give up the only thing you talked about for as long as I can remember? Special Forces was to you what building bikes is to me and medicine is to Bones.” He met his father’s angry stare and said, “And what running this bar is to Dixie.”

  His father pointed at him. “You know your grandfather asked that the men in this family run the bar. You heard that with your own ears.”

  Bear shrugged. “You’re right. I did. The same ears that heard Mom crying when you had your stroke, wondering how we were going to make it. The same ears that heard Dixie begging for more authority to run the bar on her own since she first got involved. And the same ears that hear your excuses for not giving it to her. She’s capable. She wants it. And damn it, Dad. I’m sorry. You know I respect the hell out of you, but I respect her, too. I can’t sit back and pretend this is okay.” Thinking of Crystal’s struggles with her family, her reason for leaving college, and even telling Gemma the truth pushed him to say more. “You’re a good person and a loving father. Dixie knows that, but you don’t want to be remembered as the guy who held her back. This control, or whatever it is you need to hold over her head. It’s not worth it. She deserves the credit for her work, and honestly, Dad, you owe it to her.”

  Bullet pushed to his feet, and they all followed. Anger and nervous energy trailed them like shadows.

  “I would have come back,” Bullet said angrily, clearly still hung up on the earlier part of the conversation. He glared at Bear. “I wouldn’t have saddled you with anything you didn’t want. Damn it, bro. You should have said something.”

  “I made my choices, and I don’t blame you.” Bear squeezed his hands into fists, trying to keep calm. “There’s no blame to be had. It’s just time to fix this backward situation.”

  The sound of their father’s uneven gait drew their attention. He stroked his beard with a distraught expression. “She’s as stubborn as your mother.”

  “Dixie?” Bear asked, trying to catch up. “You raised us all to be stubborn.”

  His father’s eyes moved between the three of them. “I raised you all to be men, and we raised Dixie to be a strong woman. But she’s as stubborn as your mother. I want more for her. Don’t you see that? Every damn time I tell her she can’t do something, what does she do?”

  “She blows it out of the water,” Bear said.

  “Exactly.” He limped to within inches from Bear. “I respect your grandfather’s wishes, but I also respect your sister, no matter what you believe. Do you want Dixie to spend the rest of her life in a bar? Around drunken men? Don’t you want more for her?”

  “More? Hell, yes. But Dix loves working at the bar and the shop. She doesn’t want to work for anyone else. Have you ever asked her what she wants?”

  Bullet stepped up beside Bear, arms crossed, face serious. “What do you want?”

  “I want what’s right,” Bear answered. “I want Dixie to manage the project, and whatever else she wants to handle.”

  Bones came to Bear’s other side. “No. What do you want? For yourself?”

  The question slowed him down. He pushed away the guilt, forcing the truth. “I want to continue at the shop, and I want to work with Silver-Stone designing motorcycles. I’ve paid my dues. I’ve run the bar since I was barely eighteen. But I’m thirty-three, and I’m in love with Crystal. I don’t want her sitting alone at night while I’m working at a bar. Family comes first. Always. She’s my family now, too. That’s what I want, and that’s why I’m selling my shares of the bar to Dixie. The bar is her dream, not mine, and she has earned the right to manage it.”

  The muscles in Bullet’s jaw clenched repeatedly. He stepped closer to Bear, and Bear held his breath, waiting for him to cut loose about how what he wanted didn’t matter. But he refused to stand down. Not now, not ever again.

  Bullet put a heavy hand on his back and faced their father. “He sells, I sell.”

  “Mine’s already a done deal.” Bones held up his phone, on which was a text he’d sent to Dixie ten minutes ago. You can have my shares, too. Love you.

  Bear felt the earth tilt on its axis.

  Their father scrubbed a hand down his face, eyeing his sons. “Stubborn motherfuckers. All four of you. No one’s selling a damn thing. You think Dixie means it when she says she wants the bar? Then she’ll have it. I thought I could push her toward something else without having to actually force her out of the family business, but not because she can’t handle it.”

  “Right. Because she’s a woman,” Bear said with disgust.

  “Damn right because she’s a woman. She should work someplace where there are no drunk guys or late nights. She’s my daughter. Would you want Crystal working at a bar until two in the morning?”

  “Hell no.”

  “Well, son, maybe one day you’ll understand why I’ve done what I’ve done. But she’s your mother’s daughter. I’ve been trying to get your mother to stop working at the bar for years.”

  “You don’t want Red working at the bar?” Bear asked. “But you’re all about family doing it all.”

  “Damn right I am.” His father stood up taller. “I know you boys won’t let anything happen to the girls when they’re at the bar. But that doesn’t mean I like them working there. Why do you think I pushed Dixie so hard in college?”

  Bear shook his head. “I’m so fucking confused. Why didn’t you just tell her?”

  “Oh, yeah. That would go over well with little Miss I Can Do Anything My Brothers Can Do but Better.” Their father tugged at his beard. “This was the only way I knew to get her to see the light. But she and your mother are two peas in a fucking pod.”

  “Pop, you let us believe you were a chauvinistic asshole.”

  “Hey.” Bullet elbowed him.

  “It’s okay.” His father gave Bear a hard look. “Better that you think I’m a chauvinistic asshole than Dixie think I don’t want her in the family business at all. That girl’s tough as nails, but she’s also as sensitive as a hair trigger. She can see how I am about protecting our girls, and that fits in her mind as who I am. But hearing I don’t want her in the family business for any reason? That would break her heart.”

  He rested his cane against his leg and set a hand on Bullet’s and Bones’s shoulders, staring at Bear. “Get your ass in here. I don’t have three hands.”

  Bear stepped into the group hug.

  “When your grandfather turns over in his grave,” his father said, “that’s on your shoulders.”

  “Thanks, Pop.”

  “No, Robert. Thank you. You held this family together for so long, I forgot it wasn’t your job.”

  The recognition he’d spent years telling himself he didn’t need made Bear’s heart feel full to near
bursting.

  Bullet broke away from the embrace. “Don’t tell him that shit. He’s going to get a big-ass ego.”

  Bones cracked a smile. “Going to get?”

  “I’ll kick his ass and take care of that.” Bullet slapped Bear on the back so hard he stumbled forward. Bear cocked a fist, and the three of them fell into a fake fight and ended up laughing.

  When he walked out the door half an hour later, his father called after him, “Lunch, Sunday. Bring your little gal,” and he knew life as he’d known it had changed.

  For the better.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “COME ON, BABE. They’re not going to care what you wear. We’re just having lunch,” Bear called into the bedroom.

  “Just one more minute, promise,” Crystal called to him. It was Sunday and they were meeting his parents at their house for lunch. She’d gone shopping with Gemma and Dixie Friday night and picked out a pretty wine-colored spaghetti-strap minidress with tiny off-white and black flowers. It was more feminine than she was used to, but she’d liked how she’d felt in the dress for Gemma’s wedding, and she wanted to explore that side of herself a little more. She paired it with black biker boots, a few long silver necklaces on black strings, and silver bangles, making it look edgier, but she was still a nervous wreck. Of course, that had less to do with the dress than it did with having lunch with his parents.

  “Babe?” Bear appeared in the doorway. His lips curved up and his eyes blazed a trail from her head to her toes. “Hot damn. You look gorgeous.”

  She fidgeted with the hem of the dress, thinking about how easy it was for guys to pick out their clothes. Bear always wore jeans and a T-shirt, with his leather vest thrown in most days. His tattoos were like permanent accessories. “Are you sure? Is it too girly?”

  “Too girly? I don’t know what that means, but if it’s a bad thing, then hell no.” His arms circled her waist and he began kissing her neck, sending shivers through her. “Why are you suddenly nervous about what you’re wearing? You always look great.”