Every picture in the house that had included Z had been changed out.
Even the lines drawn on the wall in the pantry measuring their growth throughout their childhood had been painted over.
Nothing was left.
“Had to wipe every fuckin’ trace of me from this house,” Z said, standing in the middle of the room, staring at the large desk near the window that held a desktop computer. “Every fuckin’ trace. Not one picture. Not one fuckin’ memory.”
Jayde wanted to say something that would make him feel better, but she had no idea what, because what he was saying was the truth. And she was sure it killed her older brother to be wiped clean so easily from his family’s home and life.
“Mom...” he said, his voice thick.
“Mom didn’t agree with any of it.”
He shook his head, not meeting her eyes. “Still allowed it.”
And that was very true, too. “Yes, she did. You know she was always one to try to keep the peace.”
“Shoulda stood up to ‘im.”
“She has to live with him.” Even though Jayde agreed with what he said, she still felt the need to defend their mother.
No matter how her father felt about her brother, she knew he loved her mom fiercely and completely.
“Gonna be able to live with it when he wipes your ass clean from this house, too?” He turned and pinned his blue eyes on her. He was trying to mask the hurt in them, but he couldn’t. That wound went way too deep.
Her heart squeezed. “Downstairs... He took a step forward, Z.”
“Only ‘cause he was forced to. Mom gave ‘im no choice but to take my son.” Z’s fingers curled into tight fists and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “My fuckin’ son. Hates me so fuckin’ much that he didn’t even want to hold my son! His grandson!”
Jayde winced at the agony in her brother’s words. That pain cut her deep, too. There was nothing more that she wanted than her family to be whole again. It had been broken for way too long.
Axel was slowly coming around. Her brothers’ relationship had improved in the last couple of years thanks to Bella, Sophie and Zeke’s birth. But it was still nowhere where it needed to be.
“This dinner was supposed to help mend your relationship with Dad, Z. Or at least be the start of it. Pulling this bullshit by leaving the table when there was an actual breakthrough isn’t going to help.”
Z’s eyes narrowed on her. “The only reason you wanted this was to save your own fuckin’ ass, Jayde. I know it, you know it. Tryin’ to soften the blow that Mitch is gonna feel when you tell ‘im you’re fuckin’ knocked up. With a fuckin’ biker, no less. Usin’ me an’ my son for your own gain.”
Jayde sucked in a sharp breath. “This was Axel’s idea, but you agreed to it.”
“Yeah, I fuckin’ did. Tryin’ to help you out. Help Linc. Shouldn’t’ve though. Big fuckin’ mistake.” He raked a hand through his dark hair. “Fuck!”
“Why is it a mistake? Because you actually felt something deep down when you saw Dad holding your son? Realized that he’s still your father and Zeke’s grandfather, no matter what? That for good or bad, he’s still blood? Zeke has no clue about the past. None. He’s the innocent in all of this. Your son has no idea you went to prison and why. He has no idea how Dad, and even Axel, condemned you for it. Now’s the time to mend those fucking fences before he learns about all of that. It’s time to put all of that in the past.”
“My son’s DAMC born an’ bred. He’s got more than enough fuckin’ family,” Zak muttered.
“Be the fucking bigger man, Zak. Please. Be the bigger man. This will help all of us.”
“It’ll help you, Jayde. That’s it. You. Don’t need his judgmental ass in my fuckin’ life. You do.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. I know he’s done you ugly. We all know that. But do you really want Zeke to not have any grandparents in his life? Sophie’s family disowned her. Wants nothing to do with her. For what? Simply because you’re a biker, Z. She married and had a kid with a biker against their wishes. Do you want that to continue here, too? With all of us? Do I want my baby to never know his or her grandparents, either? No! I don’t know shit about Linc’s family. Not one thing. Mom and Dad may be the only grandparents this baby will ever have!” She stepped closer to her brother, who was now staring at his boots, his hands on his hips. “We need to make this work. Please.”
Z lifted his head, tilted it and studied Jayde. “This is all ‘cause Linc knocked you the fuck up.”
“It wasn’t his fault,” Jayde murmured.
“Bullshit.”
Jayde shook her head. “It was mine. At Hawk’s wedding... I... I knew he’d been drinking and his guard was down...”
“Bullshit, Jayde. He’s been chasin’ your tail for a while.”
Jayde winced at being called tail. “But I took that last step. I pushed him when he was weak. Don’t blame him. Blame me.”
“Yeah, well, that man downstairs is gonna go fuckin’ ballistic an’ he ain’t gonna hear that excuse. He’s gonna blame Linc no matter what you fuckin’ say.”
“I know,” she said softly. “And this is why it’s important that he accepts the DAMC.” She slapped a hand to her forehead and sighed loudly. “Why does he have to be so damn stubborn?”
Z stepped toe to toe with her, and got in her face, growling, “Because his father was fuckin’ killed by a rival MC, Jayde, that’s why. He don’t wanna admit how hard that hit ‘im, but it fuckin’ did. An’ not only that, his only fuckin’ brother landed in prison. Doin’ life for murderin’ some of those fuckers. He lost his older brother an’ his father all ‘cause of the DAMC. If it wasn’t for the club...” Z shook his head. “Why I tried so hard to change this fuckin’ club. Turn the fuckin’ tables. Worked so hard, only to end up in fuckin’ prison myself.” Z spun away from her and strode to the window to stare out. “Fuckin’ disappointed ‘im.”
“He probably thought he’d lose you the same way. I’m sure it freaked him out. And when you went to prison like Rocky, his nightmare became true.”
“Yeah,” Z grunted. “You an’ Axel weren’t born yet when Bear was killed. When Rocky was arrested, convicted, sent away. Jayde, you weren’t around to hear ‘im break down behind his bedroom door.” Zak pressed his forehead to the window. “I fuckin’ heard it. Shouldn’t remember it, but I do. It fuckin’ killed him. Killed him. An’ then I went against ‘im an’ followed in their footsteps. Jesus fuck.” The last came out as a tortured whisper.
Jayde’s breath hitched, and she whispered, “Would you do it differently if you could?”
She watched her brother’s shoulders rise and fall as he inhaled a deep breath.
“What do you think?” he asked her.
Her instinct would be to say yes, since no one would want to do ten years in SCI Fayette for a crime they didn’t commit. Hell, no one wanted to do ten years in a small cell for a crime they did commit. “Yes.”
So when Z turned from the window, his answer shocked the hell out of her. “You’d be wrong. Would do it all over in a split fuckin’ second. Know why, Jayde?” He pointed down at the floor. “That fuckin’ woman downstairs. She’s my fuckin’ everything. If I hadn’t patched into the DAMC, never woulda went to prison. Never went to prison, never woulda had a homecomin’ party that night. If there was no party, then never woulda made the best mistake of my fuckin’ life. Mighta never met Sophie. She gave me my life back. Gave me my son. Owe her everything.”
Jayde blinked back the burn in her eyes. When she went back downstairs, she was giving Sophie a hug. That was for damn sure. “You fought so hard for her.”
“Damn fuckin’ straight. Now I do it all for the two of ‘em.”
Jayde could only hope Linc would fight that hard for her. For them. She wanted that kind of love and dedication. That passion and loyalty. And she didn’t see it just between Zak and Sophie. She saw it between Axel and Bella. Axel had fought just as hard for Bella.
N
either of her brothers ever gave up when it came to claiming their women. Making them theirs.
Jesus, to have that deep desire and need for another person like that... And then to go balls to the wall until you got want you wanted...
Well, it had to run deep in the Jamison veins, since she never gave up and she finally got what she wanted when she had chased Linc down that night. Her hand dropped to her belly. Though she got a little unexpected surprise along with it.
She had hoped tonight would help pave the way for breaking the news to her parents. It needed to be soon since the time was approaching when she’d no longer be able to hide it with baggy shirts. But of course, she should have known the Jamisons were too damn stubborn to make anything easy.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Z,” Jayde finally said in a broken whisper.
“Nothin’ tonight. Gonna get Linc set up in a place, ‘cause you know your ass is gonna get kicked out. Even if you don’t tell ‘em, ain’t gonna be able to hide it for much longer.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s about time you get out on your own. Make your own decisions.”
“Zak... Do you think Linc will make a good father?” She thought back on the day of the ultrasound and his face when he saw their baby on the big screen. How he tucked one of the images into his wallet.
“No fuckin’ clue, but won’t know ‘til you give ‘im a chance. An’ maybe he’s wonderin’ if you’ll make a good mother.”
Jayde snorted, then punched Z in the arm. “Never thought of that, asshole.”
Z smirked. “Know it. But it’s true. Not all women are good mothers.”
“We were lucky.”
“True. But we’d be luckier if Mom wasn’t stuck with that stubborn fucker.”
“Dad loves Mom just as much as you love Sophie.”
Z sighed. “Yeah.”
“Can’t blame her for sticking.”
“Right.”
“So now what?”
“Goin’ downstairs, grabbin’ my woman an’ my son, an’ gettin’ the fuck outta here.”
“Mom would be happier if you stayed and finished dinner.”
“Yeah, sucks not eatin’ her meatloaf. Sophie needs that recipe. But don’t think I can sit at that table any longer. Not tonight.”
“We need to figure out a way to fix this.”
Z shook his head. “Not sure it’s possible, sis.”
“I think Zeke is the key.”
“Yeah. Maybe. Soph can bring ‘im by when I ain’t here. Let ‘im visit with his grandparents. Soften up that stubborn fuck.”
Jayde snorted. Like father, like son. Poor Zeke was doomed to be just as stubborn. “He hears you calling him that, he’s never going to soften up.”
Z shrugged and headed toward the door. “No loss.”
Jayde wished Zak didn’t feel that way. Z paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder. “Gonna get Linc to move outta church this week an’ into a place, even if temporary. Then it’s up to you to break the news.”
“Can I wait until I’m showing?”
Shaking his head, Z’s eyes dropped to her stomach and the loose shirt she was wearing. “Do whatcha gotta do, sis, but ain’t gonna be able to hide it much longer.” He started to step out into the hallway, but stopped. “Hey...”
“Yeah?”
“Was a good idea. Smart.”
Her brows furrowed. “What was?”
“Considerin’ Bella an’ Ax to take your kid.” With that, he turned and headed down the hallway with the swagger that only her brother could make look cool.
Her head snapped up when she heard the rumble of straight pipes approaching the house.
Now, who the hell could that be?
Linc shut his sled down and yanked the black skull bandana off the lower half of his face, then slipped his sunglasses into the neck of his T-shirt. He stared at the typical two–story home, in the typical middle-class neighborhood. Typical two-car garage. Typical manicured lawn, most likely with a sprinkler system. Typical wooden rocking chairs sitting on the front porch. It was probably where Mitch and April drank their morning coffee, read the paper and chit-chatted about their plans for the day.
Typical middle-class family.
Sophie’s car sat in the paved driveway. So did Axel’s custom Harley. The one the pig paid his cousin, Jag, a lot of money to build for him.
Compared to Axel’s bike, the one that sat between Linc’s legs looked like a junkyard special. Yeah, it ran great, but it wasn’t custom, nor was it even shiny with chrome. The sled got him from point A to point B. And it had no problem keeping up with the pack during club runs.
He hoped to save up money to get something bigger, better, more badass. But now that Jayde was carrying his kid, that dream was all shot to shit. All his money would go to raising his kid from here on out. Providing for Jayde. Making sure she finished her law degree. Doing whatever he had to do to make sure she didn’t end up hating his ass for taking away her dreams.
Yeah, Z had said the club would help and there’s no way Linc could turn that down, but he wanted to do what he could on his own. It was a sense of pride more than anything.
He was swinging his leg over the sled when the front door of the house opened and the Jamison brothers walked out, with Z carrying Zeke. Sophie and Bella followed closely behind.
And everyone’s eyes were on him.
Hard to be stealthy when running straight exhaust pipes on a hog.
He stood next to his sled and steeled himself, since Axel was heading directly toward him. “What are you doing here?”
“Someone forgot my fuckin’ invitation,” Linc grumbled.
“You weren’t invited,” Axel stated.
“Was a reason for that, brother,” Z added.
“Why? So you all could make decisions for my woman and my kid without me?”
“Your woman?” Axel repeated, his eyebrows raised as high as the American flag that hung from the front porch.
“Axel,” Bella murmured, stepping up to her ol’ man and placing a hand on his arm. “Clearly he wants to do the right thing.”
“Right thing would’ve been not to knock up my sister,” Axel grumbled in a low voice. He turned to glance over his shoulder at the house. “Speaking of which, here she comes.”
With wide eyes, Jayde rushed down the steps of the porch and over to where they were standing in the driveway. “What are you doing here?” she whispered fiercely, her eyes bouncing from Linc and back to the house like a tennis match.
“Don’t want you to do this on your own, Jayde. Here to stand by your side and take whatever shit your father’s gonna shovel in our direction.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but Mitch Jamison running down the stairs and heading in their direction made her snap her jaw shut and turn a whiter shade of pale.
Blue eyes, just like Jayde’s, were narrowed dangerously on him. “What the hell are you doing here? Zak, take your club business elsewhere. Not in front of my house.”
A slim, but curvy, pretty brown-haired woman, who Linc could only guess was Jayde’s mother, followed on his heels, a worried look on her face. “Mitch.”
Mitch ignored his wife.
Z handed Zeke over to Sophie. “Babe, take ‘im an’ get in the car.”
“Zak...”
“Babe, no lip. Get gone.” With a frown, Sophie headed in that direction, but very slowly. Z shot her an impatient look, but turned to face his father. “Don’t want your neighbors findin’ out your true roots?” Z said, shaking his head and crossing his arms over his chest. He rolled back on his heels. “’Fraid they’re gonna find out where you came from? What kind of biker trash runs through your 5-0 veins?”
“Z,” Axel started.
Z lifted his hand and glanced at him. “Brother, we’ve been doin’ all right lately, don’t fuck that shit up.”
Bella put an arm around Axel’s waist and gave it a squeeze. “He’s right, honey. Stay out of it.”
/> “It’s my sister,” Axel muttered.
Mitch’s spine snapped straight. “This about Jayde?” His eyes narrowed on Linc. “You’re here about my daughter?”
Now was as good a time as any to state his case before things went deeper into the shitter. “Know you don’t like bikers. Know you don’t want Jayde to have anything to do with DAMC...”
“Linc,” Jayde whispered, reaching for him.
He needed to get what he had to say out before anyone stopped him, including Jayde. “Know you’re gonna judge Jayde unfairly about havin’ my kid.”
“Linc,” Jayde squeaked.
“Fuck,” Z muttered.
“Holy shit,” Axel groaned.
“Oh no,” Bella breathed.
Linc’s gaze slid from the thunderous look on Mitch’s face, the shocked look on her mother’s face, to his president, who had his head hanging and was shaking it, to Jayde.
Her eyes were squeezed shut when she groaned, “He didn’t know.”
What? “What?”Oh fuck.
“He didn’t fucking know, Linc! I didn’t tell him yet.” She waved a hand between the two of them. “We haven’t even had a chance to settle things between us yet. I wasn’t planning on telling him until we at least had a place.”
“Fuck,” Linc muttered, this time out loud.
Color rushed into her cheeks and she shouted, “Yeah, fuck! This dinner was a start at trying to get the family back together again. To fix things before I told them.”
“You didn’t tell ‘em?”
“This dinner wasn’t to announce your fucking news!” Axel shouted.
“This is a joke, right? I’m being pranked?” Mitch’s head swiveled back and forth as he searched the yard. “There better be fucking cameras hidden in the bushes and we’re all going to have a big fucking laugh after this... Right?” Mitch spun toward Axel. “Please tell me they’re pulling one over on me and you’re in on this...” His gaze swung from Axel to Jayde, hesitated for a split second before swinging toward Linc. “Because if it isn’t...”
Down & Dirty: Linc (Dirty Angels MC Book 9) Page 8