Acceptance (The Chicago Defiance MC Series Book 5)

by K E Osborn

  “Ty was amazing yesterday, Mom. Obviously, we won’t go into every detail with you, but he saved lives yesterday, including mine, including those kids. He’s a hero—”

  “I’m not. I just wanted to see someone pay for their sins against kids who can’t protect themselves,” I reply.

  Abi tightens her hand in mine making me look back at her. “And that son, is the definition of a hero.”

  “I wasn’t alone in this, I had help.”

  Abi’s eyes soften. “Of course, but if it weren’t for you, that help wouldn’t have even been there. You were the catalyst in all this, Ty. Just accept you were the one who broke the final link in the evil chain. You’re a savior to yourself and to those kids.”

  “Just accept it, Ty,” Will calls out from behind his computer screen.

  I laugh. “I accept I had a hand in freeing those boys, but this isn’t why we’re here today.”

  Abi raises her brow in question as I tighten my grip on Chills’ hand. I glance at her, she leans in a little closer. “Will, could you come join us, just for a moment, please?”

  He turns to look at us, seemingly annoyed, but when he notices the look on our faces, he stands, joining us at the small table. The wooden chair squealing on the linoleum floor as he drags it out to sit down.

  “What’s going on?” Will asks.

  Chills tightens her hand in mine letting me know she’s here for me. She knows this means every-fucking-thing to me.

  All I want is to be a part of this family.

  To be accepted.

  To be loved.

  So, if this turns south, it will kill me.

  “Bex and I are getting serious. Our relationship is moving faster than we thought it would. We wanted to take it slow, but we realized after what we went through yesterday, that time’s short, but we also know each other inside and out. We have been here for each other more than any other couple.”

  “What are you saying, Ty?” Abi asks raising her brow in curiosity.

  Taking a deep breath, I find the strength to tell them. “I claimed Bex. She’s officially my Old Lady, and I’m going to be moving into her home with her.”

  Abi and Will look at each other, passive looks on their faces, not giving anything away. Tension swarms through me—their approval means everything to me. I love them more than life itself. They gave me my life. They gave me a fresh start. They made me who I am. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I’m sure of it.

  Abi stands up rushing to the refrigerator. Will tilts his head wondering what the fuck she’s doing as she fumbles around in there for something. She finally pulls back with a bottle of champagne in her hand and the brightest excitement on her fucking face.

  “Well, this is something to celebrate! Isn’t it, William? Our kids moving into a happy life together? What the hell could be more fucking perfect than that? I’m so excited! So, Old Lady, I don’t really know what that means? Does it mean a wedding? Will I get grandbabies? How far away is this wedding?” Abi prattles on while I tense up glancing at Chills as she lets out a loud laugh.

  Will rolls his eyes like he knew the twenty questions were coming.

  “And seeing as your one hundred percent part of the family now, how about you call me Mom? I never liked you calling me Abi anyway.”

  My eyes widen in shock, but it’s fucking awesome shock. The idea of gaining their acceptance is all I have ever wanted. Being able to call them Mom and Dad officially brings me so much joy it’s indescribable. I feel like my heart is bursting at the seams with love for my family and for Chills.

  Chills goes about setting Mom straight on the wedding part of it as Mom rushes about getting our champagne ready. I sit back in my own happy bubble—Mom and Dad are happy about us, and they’re completely on board.

  At first, I was afraid. I had no idea how they would react to the news of Bex and I together. The first time they found out was the hardest, but then they went out of their way to show me I am, and will always be, a part of this family.

  Now, Chills and I are moving forward in a big way. Mom and Dad’s utter acceptance of us and our relationship truly means everything to me. I guess the acceptance of me being at a place where I can let go of all my past baggage to truly move on means I can finally be happy. I can live a life I deserve. I can have a family, a love, and a brotherhood. I can fucking have it all. I can accept that fact because for the first time in my life, I accept I am worth something.

  Not just a scared little boy running from his past.

  But a grown man facing the world full fucking steam ahead.

  I’ve broken the chains that bound me.

  CHAINS

  Riding into the clubhouse after spending the morning with our parents has me on an unshakable high. Chills holds onto me so tightly I don’t want her to let me go as I pull my ride to a stop. I’m pretty sure I know what’s going on here this afternoon, but you know what they say about assumptions.

  Chills slides off the back of my ride. I follow suit as she pulls off my helmet placing it on the seat as I grab her hand in mine. “Do you know what’s happening here today?” she asks.

  “I have a suspicion, but Torque hasn’t told me, so I don’t know for sure.”

  She bobs her head not asking any further questions as we stroll inside the clubhouse. It’s a general Sunday afternoon, brothers are playing pool, some are mingling around just chatting, others are at the bar drinking. Typical shit. I glance around to see Pyro and Zane hanging out with Lala, Chloe, and Ruby as I peer around the clubroom looking for Torque and Trax.

  I can’t see them anywhere, but I spot Ace sitting in the corner, Cindi on his lap. So, I grab Chills’ hand as we walk over toward him. “Ace,” I call out.

  He glances up from his discussion with Cindi. “Yeah?”

  “Where’s the Pres?”

  “Getting shit ready, should be happening any moment now actually. Glad you got back in time.”

  I grin having it all but confirmed. I thought as much as I peer over to our prospect sitting with his girl, his best friend and his Old Lady, and our head club girl.

  The prospect’s world is about to change.

  The chapel doors open to Torque and Trax walking out grabbing everyone’s attention. I don’t miss the club cut in Trax’s hands as they take the center of the room.

  “Zane!” Torque yells out.

  “Yeah, Pres?” he calls back.

  “Get over here!”

  Zane puts his beer stein on the bar, walking with a limp to the middle of the clubroom floor. His eyes take in the cut in Trax’s hand, and they light up so wide.

  “Zane, you’ve been with us for too fuckin’ long. You’ve been bold, brave, loyal to a fucking tee. You took a little time to get on your feet, but you proved to us in no uncertain terms, putting your body on the line for our VP and enforcer, you’re ready for this life, you’re ready for this brotherhood, for this family.”

  Trax steps forward holding up Zane’s cut. “So, step forward, Zane, take your cut and become Armor. For you protect those around you like a shield. Not just us, but your blood family as well. Don’t think it doesn’t go unnoticed. The way you look after your sister, Mia, and her new family. The way you look out for Chloe and make sure she has everything she needs. You take care of everyone you care about, Zane, so this is why we chose Armor for you.”

  “Welcome to the club, brother,” Torque offers as Armor quickly shrugs out of his prospect cut, stands taller, then slides his hands through his new cut.

  A round of cheering echoes through the clubroom, and Chloe whistles loudly as Pyro cheers the loudest of us all.

  Chills cuddles into my side as I glance to see Luc stroll into the clubroom from down the hall with Noah next to him.

  The dawn of a new era has begun at the club, and to be honest, I’m so glad Luc is a part of it.

  BEX

  A Month Later

  Things with Chains have been amazing. My home has never looked better. Sure, the layout is
still the same, but we went and bought new furniture, a few coats of paint on the walls, then he surprised me by coming home one night with a freaking baby kitten. I had no damn idea he even liked cats. He says he really doesn’t but said the place needed something—even though he wanted a dog so damn bad, but he knew I wanted a cat. After having Scruffy when we were younger, I haven’t been able to get another dog since. He was too special to the both of us. So, I’ve always wanted a cat instead.

  He named her Nessie. It’s a long story, but if I break it down, her actual name is Nestle, as in the makers of Kit Kat, because he thinks it’s hilarious to call a cat after the Kit Kat chocolate bar. Yeah, my lover has the mentality of a two-year-old. But it makes me happy he’s now finding ways of being more relaxed and playful. He’s still attending his psychology appointments. After the shit that went down with Edgar, he went a couple times that week just to settle his thoughts, but now he’s doing good. He only had the one night without the nightmares, but they are less violent and less frequent. Where he would have two sometimes three a night, now he’s down to one, and the severity of the nightmare is minimal. The therapist thinks with time and more therapy they should lessen even more.

  Today we’re going to spend the day at the clubhouse. It’s a Saturday and the club girls are doing brunch for everyone. So, as we pull up at the club in my car, I turn to Chains cocking my brow. “See, wasn’t so bad bringing my car today, was it?”

  He grunts and pouts. “I still don’t see why we couldn’t ride my bike.”

  I smirk but slide out of the car without saying anything. He follows as we head toward the entrance. As we enter, people bob their heads in greeting. We greet them back in a general hello and good morning. It’s a great day, it’s always fun to be here. I know Chains misses being here twenty-four-seven, but I know he loves being at home with me. Plus, he’s here all the time anyway. He generally only sleeps at home, it’s not like he doesn’t spend time here. He’s even kept his room at the clubhouse.

  “Morning, Chills. Morning, Chains, want some brunch?” Ruby asks as she walks past.

  “Yes, please, I’m starving,” I answer making Chains look at me weird.

  “You’ve been so hungry lately,” he adds.

  I snort. “Shut up! Girl’s allowed to eat.”

  He watches me cautiously as we take a seat next to Torque and Foxy who look happy as pigs in shit. The room’s alive and buzzing, everyone’s in a great mood. I love this club. I’m so glad I get to be a part of it.

  The front doors burst open as Sensei and Sass come running in. All of us turn to look at them. Sass has on a short dress and is carrying a bouquet of flowers. Sensei’s wearing all black.

  They look a little dressed up for brunch.

  Torque stands up from his seat as they rush in sporting the biggest of fucking grins. They stand in the middle of the room like they’re the happiest I’ve ever seen them.

  “Where the fuck did you two go last night?” Torque blurts out.

  Sensei takes a deep breath looking at his best friend. “I hope you understand when I tell you this, Torque. We didn’t want to hurt anyone, but with Sass’s family of stubborn brothers and my family of Japanese religion, we knew we would never get them to agree on anything. So, we had to do it our way.”

  “We wanted to do it, it was time,” Sass chimes.

  All of us open our eyes wide.

  “What are you talking about?” I ask.

  Sass sticks out her left hand with a slight jump in her step. “We got married!”

  We all gasp as I glance at the sparkling ring on Sass’s left ring finger.

  Foxy stands up letting out a giggle. “We didn’t even know you were engaged?”

  Sensei’s excitement is palpable. “I asked her last week when I took her out for dinner. We got to talking about the wedding, and we realized nothing else would work other than us eloping in secret. We wanted to tell you guys, but we thought if we had anyone there, it would hurt our families. So, it was best to have no one. That way, everyone was in the same boat. Our families couldn’t interfere, and we got what we wanted which is to be married. Without fuss.”

  I’m happy for them, but everyone else looks stunned, so I step forward. “I think this is fucking awesome. I totally get why you did it that way. This was one hundred percent the best option. I think you did the right thing. I, for one, am so damn happy for you.” I step forward taking Sass into my arms hugging her tight as Sensei looks at me dipping his head in a gesture of thanks as I turn to see everyone starting to register what’s happening.

  “Chills’ right. I was shocked at first, but if you guys are happy, which you clearly are, then we don’t need to be there for the actual event. We can have a huge celebration here tonight, can’t we, Torque?” Foxy’s eyes widen as she looks at her husband with a bob of her head.

  “Fuckin’ yeah. Celebration here, tonight. Lala, you’re in charge. Let’s show these new prospects how we party,” Torque calls out making Noah and Luc beam as I glance over at Luc with a genuine smile. He returns the gesture. It’s so strange to see him wearing leathers, but it suits him.

  “On it! I’m gonna have this place rocking so hard. Right. Cindi, Ruby, Hayley, come with me, we need to talk decorations. Sass, let’s talk outfits. Foxy, you go sleep, you need your rest. Sparx… wait where’s Sparx? Anyone seen Sparx?” Lala calls out throwing her orders around like the organizer she is. She makes everyone laugh as Pyro rolls his eyes at his Old Lady taking her into his arms, pressing his lips to her to shut her up.

  Chains wraps his arms around me from behind as I notice Luc making his way over to us. Chains tenses a little while holding me, so I wrap my arms over his to comfort him.

  “Hey, Luc,” I break the ice as he steps in front of us.

  Luc clears his throat like he’s unsure of how this will play out. “First of all, I want to apologize again to you, doc, for how I misled you—”

  “Forget it, I know it was to help Chains and the club. It worked out, it’s all that matters. Don’t keep beating yourself up about it, okay?” I tell him.

  He doesn’t seem convinced. “Still, I’m sorry. I feel I could have done more—”

  “Do we have to talk about this?” Chains grunts from behind me seemingly frustrated.

  My face scrunches as Luc slumps “No. I guess it’s something me and the doc have to work through, but Ty, there is something I want you to know.”

  Chains holds me a little tighter from behind. His tension flows through into me. I wish I could do something to help him, but all I can do right now is hear him out. “I’m listening.”

  Luc licks his bottom lip, he looks Ty right in the eyes, unwavering, strong, full of conviction. “The reason I made you go without me all those years ago…” Chains squeezes me so tight it’s a little hard to breathe. “I knew if the two of us got out, they would go looking. We would have inevitably been found. They would have either taken us back or killed us. But if one of us got out, and the other stayed behind saying the one died…” he pauses while my bottom lip trembles, and I hear Chains gasp. “I told them you died in the marsh pond, Ty. I let them think you were dead. It was my plan all along. You get out, so you could live your life. Only one of us was ever getting out of there. The other stayed behind so one could live a normal life.”

  Salty tears fill my eyes as I turn my head to glance at Chains. I feel him shaking against me. “Why? Why would you do that? Why, Luc? I did everything to protect you from them.” Chains’ voice is almost broken as I hold onto his arms tighter.

  “That’s exactly why, Ty. You fought for me, time and time again in that place. It was time for me to sacrifice myself for you. So, when the time came for us to leave, I made you go. It was the only way.”

  Chains shakes his head like he’s having trouble comprehending, but I know what I need to do. He needs to stop using me as a security blanket. So, I slowly pull his arms from around me. He slumps as I step to the side edging him forward toward Luc. They
look at each other then I see it, the moment it clicks.

  Childhood best friends reuniting.

  Chains lets out a long puff of air, he rushes forward pulling Luc into a tight man hug. “You’re a damned fool, you know?”

  My heart leaps into my chest as Luc beams so fucking wide wrapping his arms around Chains in a tight embrace, back slapping manliness included.

  Luc lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, I think I am. Though, I honestly didn’t think it would take you nineteen damn years to come get me.”

  Chains pulls back shaking his head. “Too soon, brother, too soon.”

  “My bad, still got my cockiness in me. But in all honesty, thank you, both of you. I hope I can get to know you, who you are now, you too, doc. I honestly do.”

  My hand reaches out threading with Chains’, he looks down tightening his grip in mine. “I’d like that.”

  “Me, too, Luc. Me, too,” I add.

  “I better let you two get to your day, I just wanted to let you know. I’ve been wanting to tell you for a real long time, Ty.”

  A look passes between the long lost friends. A mutual understanding. A look I interpret to say something along the lines of ‘this will take work but fuck if we’re not both going to try.’

  Luc turns striding over to the pool table toward Noah.

  I spin to face Chains, my eyes widening. “Shit,” I murmur as Chains wraps his arms around my waist pulling me close to him.

  “I don’t even know what to think. All this time, I thought he wanted to stay behind, he wanted to be a Sovereign. He did it just so I could have the life I got to live.”

  Sighing, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Don’t let it eat you alive, Ty. Take his gift, cherish the life you had. Take heed in the fact you came back for him. Now, you’ve given him a chance at a new life.”