by K E Osborn
But most of all, I don’t want to wait around to hear her tell me to leave the family.
So, I make the call myself.
I don’t say anything.
I just start moving.
My feet pound heavily on the carpeted floor as I head toward Abi and Will to get to the front door.
“Ty!” Bex calls out, but I don’t wait.
My heart aches like a thousand knives stab through me. Being rejected by the Kline’s is something I thought I would never have to face. They saved me, now they’re the ones breaking me.
“Ty, stop!” Bex calls out as I walk up to Abi and Will who look clueless to my misery.
I walk past them as they watch me leave.
“Ty, where are you going?” Will calls out, but I can’t stop. I just need to get on my ride and feel the wind.
I rush to put my boots on, then race for my ride.
I hear running footsteps teamed with the thumping of my heart in my ears.
I turn, just in time for Bex to yank the door open standing in the doorway. “So, you’re just gonna leave me here?” she calls out.
I tense up as I throw my leg over my bike yanking on my helmet. I risk a glance at her as I see Abi and Will walk out behind her, concern on all their faces. The Kline’s, one big family. Curling up my lip, I look away revving my engine as it turns over then back out of the drive. My chest feels so heavy, it’s fucking hard to breathe as I pull out onto the street and hammer down taking off as fast as fucking possible. The back tire slides out as I let the wind swirl around me. The vibration of the engine rumbles, but all I can think about is Bex’s somber face as I pull away.
I left her there.
Like the piece of shit I am.
I’m not good enough for her anyway, she’s better off without me.
They all are.
BEX
Watching Chains pull away in such a hellish manner only proves to me one thing, he’s freaking out and thinking the worst. I turn to Mom, slumping my shoulders. “He left.”
Mom pulls me into a tight embrace wrapping me in her love. “Oh honey, I don’t think he left out of anything other than fear.”
Dad steps up to us nodding his head. “I agree. The look on Ty’s face was pure fear. What I don’t understand though, is why?”
I shrug. “He’s terrified us being together will hurt you, that you’ll kick him out of the damn family.”
Mom’s bottom lip quivers as her eyes mist up. “Oh no. No, no. It’s anything but. I knew,” she looks at Dad. “We both knew from early on that you two had a strong connection. We’ve been waiting for this day, praying for this day. I’m more than okay with this, Rebecca, I’m so fucking excited I can hardly contain myself.”
Tears fill my eyes as I see the utter joy on Mom’s face. She’s telling the truth. I glance at Dad and he seems to be oozing the same energy. “You both feel this way?”
Dad chuckles. “We do.”
I glance back to the road. “We have to let him know you’re both not giving up on him.”
Dad nods. “We have to let him know he’s still a part of the family, no matter what happens with you Rebecca.”
Mom stands taller like she’s on a mission. “Shall we go to the clubhouse, Bex?”
Pride floods through me. “Lead the way.”
“Great. William, pack them pancakes to go. We’re going to feed us some bikers!”
“You make it sound like a petting zoo, Mom.”
She laughs. “Shh… c’mon. Snap, snap, no time to waste. We have to go fix things with our boy.”
I turn to head back inside with purpose. It feels good to know it only took her a moment to realize, even though my relationship with Chains isn’t conventional, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is, in the end, we’re all there for each other, and right now we’re going to show Ty exactly what it means to be a Kline.
Dad’s truck pulls into the yard, the smell of the pancakes is driving me a little crazy but not as much as the ache in my chest. Knowing Chains hurts right now breaks my heart. Having him think we’re abandoning him is something I can’t even fathom. So, Dad pulls the truck to a stop as I see my car parked in its spot. Chains’ ride is backed up in its rightful place. I’m so grateful he came back here. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure he would. But I’m fucking glad he did.
Gatekeeper closes the gate behind us as I slide out of the truck. Mom and Dad get out too, then Mom and I get to work pulling out the basket full of pancakes. We’re here on a mission.
Dad shakes his head taking in the buzz of being here. “This place is bigger than I remember.”
“It’s been a while since you guys were here last,” I state as I grab one of the baskets. Mom picks up the other as Dad locks the truck.
We start walking toward the giant doors. It’s like a roller door set up then inside the roller door is a normal door for more functional, everyday use. We step up to it seeing it’s open already—that must mean some brothers are awake. It is nearly ten in the morning, so I guess some of them will be up by now.
We walk in to see Torque and Sensei sitting at a table drinking what looks to be coffee. Foxy and Sass are standing at the bar chatting with the club girls. Sparx and Trax sit in the corner with their thirteen-month-old twins feeding them their breakfast, or maybe it’s their morning snacks.
All eyes turn to us as Torque instantly stands to walk over as I move us to the bar. Foxy assesses me carrying a basket. Everyone else is clearly eyeing Mom and Dad suspiciously. Normally, you need to get permission to bring outsiders onto club property. Guess, I’m kinda breaking the rules here.
Torque walks up, Sensei quickly striding in beside him. When Trax notices what’s going on, he jumps up jogging over too. Mom and Dad both tense up obviously wondering why the attention is suddenly on them.
“Kline, something you want to tell us?” Torque asks brashly as Sensei takes the basket off me opening it suspiciously like he’s scared it’s got a bomb in it or something. I didn’t even think about how suspect this would look, me walking in here with Mom and Dad carrying two random baskets.
I’m a dickhead.
“Shit, sorry, it’s just pancakes. Mom and Dad made them for everyone as kind of an olive branch for Chains. He kinda left in a hurry.”
Mom steps forward with a sigh. “He got the wrong impression from Will and me, so we want to show him he’s a part of this family, no matter what.”
Torque raises his brow with a tilt of his head. “That would explain why he rode in here like a bat out of hell and wouldn’t talk to us.” He lets out a heavy sigh looking right at me. “Bex, he picked up his chain, went to his room, and slammed the door. He hasn’t been out since.”
Wincing, I hate that damn length of chain. The very thing which were a source of torture for him in his early years are now the only thing that bring him comfort. I glance at Mom and Dad as I place the basket up on the bar. “Mom, talk to Ruby about getting the pancakes arranged. I gotta go talk to Ty.”
“Shouldn’t we come?” Mom asks.
“No, just let me go first. He’ll be vulnerable. I need to see what state he’s in. I’ll bring him out to you. You be ready with the pancakes to show him you’re here for him.”
Dad stands taller as Mom takes a deep breath. “We got this.”
Torque looks at Mom and Dad with a take-no-shit attitude. “Wanna tell me what’s going on with my fellow brother?” he asks as I take off down the hall. Everyone here knows about Chains and me already, so Mom and Dad telling Torque what’s going on is for the best, so he can be prepared for whatever Chains is going to throw at us right now.
Nerves filter through me. I don’t know what I’m going to be walking into. I don’t bother to knock, I slowly open his door peeping my head through. I hear music, but it’s dulled as I open the door, then I walk in to see him sitting on the edge of his bed with his chains around his neck dangling down into his hands as they run through his tight fingers. His head’s down as the
earbuds play music in his ears so loud I can hear it from over here. I’m fairly certain it’s Wherever I May Roam by Metallica.
The heavy electric guitar, deep drum beat, and somber tone of the song lets me know what mood Chains is in. I sink in on myself that he’s listening to such a sad song about being alone. He’s not alone. I need to let him know. I walk over to him, his eyes are shut, he’s focused on the song. I don’t want to startle him as I gnaw on my bottom lip wondering how best to play this. So, I casually sit on the end of his bed a little bit away from him. The mattress dips, his head snaps up, his eyes hard as he goes into fight mode. I see the minute he wants to attack, but the second he sees it’s me, he lets out a long breath, his muscles relaxing as his hand comes up pulling an earbud from his ear. The music gets a little louder as I cringe at the sound while he flicks the iPod off turning to me.
“How did you get here?” he asks.
“Never mind.”
He’s not in a mood, so I slide forward putting no space between us, our legs touching as I reach out for his hand taking it in mine. The click of those damn chains around his neck clatter as I bump them. “Ty, what happened at the house… you left too soon—”
“No, I didn’t,” he interrupts.
I grip his hand tighter. “Ty, stop being a fucking ass and listen.”
He raises his brow with a shocked expression. “I know you’re upset, I know you think Mom and Dad want you out of the family, but it simply isn’t true. If you’d stayed and listened, you would have seen that.”
Ty looks around the room like he’s processing. “They… they still want me in the family?”
I let out a small laugh. “Always. They want you. I want you. No one’s abandoning you, Ty.”
He looks right into my eyes, the anguish in them is clear. It’s obvious that’s what this is about. He’s terrified after everything he’s been through he’ll be on his own. The thing is, he will never be on his own not with us around, and certainly not with all these brothers at his back. This man has been through so much trauma in his first sixteen years the scars run deep. So deep that at times like this, they glow fucking neon red. It doesn’t take a doctor to work out he’s fractured, damaged, but it takes a family to put his pieces back together, and right now he doesn’t need me as his lover, he needs me as his friend.
“C’mon, how about we go out into the clubroom and have a real breakfast?”
He yanks his chains off, they fall to the bed clattering in a tangled mess. He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Can’t we just stay in here?”
“No. Right now you need to be around people, not just me.”
He sighs. “Let’s go. I’m pissed I missed out on Will’s famous pancakes.”
I stand up taking him with me, my fingers looping with his as we walk to the door. The sounds of the festivities of the clubroom are in full swing as I glance at Chains to see if he’s any wiser on the situation, but nope, he’s oblivious.
We walk in, but as we do, Mom and Dad are standing there, calm and relaxed, one with a tray of food, the other with a juice and a coffee. I think I actually feel his body relax a little as we walk over to Mom and Dad. He glances at me, I wink in return.
We reach our parents as the rest of the club is feasting on the pancakes already. Chains looks at Mom with hesitation in his eyes. She hands me the tray, I place it on the nearest table as Mom steps forward wasting no time taking Chains into a tight hug. He hugs her back as Dad places the drinks down, moving to them to join the hug. I fill with warmth watching them embrace.
“I love you, Ty. Don’t you ever doubt it,” Mom tells him as they pull apart.
Dad simply slaps him on the back.
Chains clears his throat straightening out his cut trying to make himself look manlier. I smirk at him as he exhales. “Abi, Bex and me—”
“Ty, stop! There’s nothing to explain. You ran out so fast before I could tell you what I thought. But, Ty, sweetheart, if you and Rebecca make each other happy, which you always have done, then you’re perfect for each other. I couldn’t be happier about anything.”
Chains visibly relaxes a little more as I slide my hand into his, threading our fingers together in front of everyone.
“And just think of the look on Mrs. McCreery’s face when she sees this, you guys are going to make this so much fun for us,” Dad teases making us both scoff at him.
“Dad!”
“William!”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. But really, I’m happy for you guys. Just, when you fight, make sure to talk it through, no rash decisions. If things go south, we won’t be picking sides. We love you both equally.”
I lean into Chains’ side. “We know, and we know what a big deal this is. Trust us, the feelings have been there since the first day,” I admit.
“Well, then, let’s have some pancakes, shall we?” Mom asks.
Chains’ happiness lights up the room as a thought runs through me. I tense up as Chains looks at me. “Right, yes, but there’s something I want to do first. You guys go on ahead, we’ll catch up.”
Mom leads Dad away to sit at one of the ‘summer camp’ tables. I grab Chains, walking him over to Torque.
He peers at me questionably. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I tense a little. I don’t know if Chains will approve of my idea or not, so I’ll simply want to ask it in front of Torque rather than explaining twice. We step over to Torque who looks at us with a piece of pancake in his mouth as he chews.
“Pres, my woman wants to ask you something, though I have no fucking clue what it is,” Chains admits as I gnaw on my bottom lip.
Torque wipes his mouth with a napkin, bobbing his head like he’s waiting for me to speak.
“Okay, hear me out.”
“Oh, this is gonna be good.”
Steadying my shoulders, I stand taller to look assertive. “I think after last night, Luc deserves a reward.”
Chains’ head snaps to look at me like I’m going mad. But Torque raises his brow. “What kind of reward?”
“I think Luc proved himself. He saved me, he showed he wanted to be here, be a part of Defiance, not the Sovereigns. I think, if you gave him some time out of the supply closet, say an hour, even half an hour to experience club life, the brotherhood, to see how you all treat each other… it could be a real turning point for him.”
Chains clenches his jaw like he’s unsure of how this is going to go over with his president.
Torque rolls his neck. “How do you feel about this, brother?”
Chains flares his nostrils looking at me, then back to Torque. “My initial instinct is it’s too soon. But then, last night he definitely proved himself.” He shrugs. “Maybe she’s right. Maybe all he needs is to see how we are. Maybe it’s what’s needed to bring him completely over to us. We don’t know what else might be coming. He could help us if he fully turns. He could tell us if more men will be coming, if we should plan a return attack, there’s so much we could do if he flips completely.”
Torque rubs his chin glancing at Foxy. He then looks back at the both of us. “He can come out for some pancakes, but not until your parents are gone. I don’t want him seeing them, having some moment about them being in your life, but he wasn’t bullshit.” I nod as does Chains. “Agreed. Once they leave, Luc comes out. An hour, no more, and you’re on him constantly.”
I cuddle into Chains’ side.
“Got it, Pres,” Chains replies as we turn to walk over to sit with Mom and Dad to have a nice family breakfast.
Chains is back.
He knows Mom and Dad aren’t letting him go anywhere.
He knows I’m not leaving him.
He’s settled.
Life is great.
The best part is, I think things with Luc are going to take a turn—a turn for the better. Because when he gets a taste of the brotherhood, there’ll be no turning back.
He’ll be a part of Defiance. I can feel it in my bones.
Let the healing process begin.
CHAINS
Bex is in such a good mood, and considering the disposition I was in when I got back to the clubhouse earlier, I’m in a much better mood as well. Knowing Abi and Will are good with us fills me with hope. A hope of a life with Bex as my partner is something we can move forward with.
It’s what I want.
We fought it. It doesn’t work. We’re better off together than fighting our attraction.
Abi and Will have left, now it’s time for us to get Luc. There’s still some pancakes in the warmer for him, and to say I’m anxious about this is an understatement.
But, I trust Bex.
I trust her judgment.
If she thinks Luc isn’t a flight risk, then he isn’t a flight risk. Hell, I should have more faith in the guy. I’m the fucking reason he’s here.
Bex and I walk up to the closet door, then I unlock it. We walk in to see Luc sitting on the floor, knees up, staring at the ceiling like he’s bored out of his brain.
He looks up at us with somber eyes. “Sounds like something fun’s going on out there,” he states matter-of-factly.
Bex steps forward as I close the door behind us, smiling at Luc. He warms instantly as she nears him. I don’t like it at all, but I need to put my jealousy aside right now. “How’d you sleep?” Bex asks kneeling to his level, grabbing his wrist checking his pulse.
Always the doctor.
“As good as can be expected on a concrete floor where some of the men I used to live with were killed by me…”
Raising my brow, I exhale as Bex murmurs in understanding. “Yeah, sorry. But thank you for what you did for me last night. I want you to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed.” She stands up placing her hands on her hips. “What do you say about having a decent breakfast?”