“You have me, Meg.”
“The man who keeps secrets from me.”
“One. One secret I kept from you. I can tell you right now, that most ol’ ladies would know only half of what you know. Hell, most wouldn’t even know a quarter of the shit that I tell you. So to me, one secret is nothing.”
“It’s something to me, Lo. One turns into two and before you know it, you have to think twice before you tell me anything because you can’t keep track of the lies and secrets anymore.”
“I have never once fucking lied to you,” he thundered.
“How would I know?”
“Because I’m God damn telling you I haven’t.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. “Look at me.”
I shook my head, no, and I felt the tears threatening to fall. He stalked over to me and lifted my face to look up at him. “I want you safe, and if I need to keep one thing from you to keep you safe, then I will.”
“I don’t know how you thought not telling me that Big A was in town kept me safe. I was walking around blind, thinking that things were finally getting back to normal.”
“And that is what I want for you. I don’t want the shit from the club to touch you and make you worry, thinking that things aren’t normal. I don’t want fear and worry in your life. You have to trust me to give that to you.”
“I don’t like the secrets,” I whispered.
Lo sighed, dropped my chin and grabbed the chair that Ethel had been sitting in. He flipped it around and sat down, straddling it. “You remember that night I got a phone call and had to deal with club shit late into the night?”
“Yeah. That’s when you stopped telling me things.”
Lo shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. “One thing, Meg. One damn thing that you are making into a huge deal.”
“Because it’s a big deal to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“That night, Big A had broken into Gwen’s shop and held her at gunpoint, giving her a message to give to me. He didn’t hurt her, just told her that he was coming for us and to be prepared. He locked her in the bathroom of the salon and took off before Gambler came back.”
My eyes got huge, and I couldn’t believe what he had just told me. “Why the hell couldn’t you tell me that? Gwen is my friend. She probably needs someone to talk to.”
“She has Gambler to talk to about it. She is fine. You do not go to her after I’m done talking to you, questioning why she didn’t tell you.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because I told her not to.”
I growled at his words, pissed off that he was telling my friends to keep secrets from me, too. “Is your telling me this supposed to make me less pissed at you? Because let me tell you, it’s not working.”
“No. Me telling you this is supposed to show you that, although you are pissed off at the Assassins and want to help Gwen, there is nothing that you can do. I have everything under control, and I don’t need you trying to interfere, so then I not only have the club to worry about, but I also have you to worry about.”
“If you would tell me in the first place, we wouldn’t have an issue.”
“And I repeat. Club business stays club business.”
“And I repeat, Lo, I don’t want secrets.”
“It’s like talking in fucking circles with you. This is not going to change. I have told you more about the club than I have ever said to anyone. If what I give you isn’t enough, then I don’t know if this is going to work. Will I keep a secret from you again? Yes. Do I like doing it? Hell no, but I will do whatever it takes to keep you and your son safe. I will die before I let anything that has to do with the Assassins touch you. You need to trust me, Meg. Just fucking trust me.” He stood up, looking down at me. “I don’t want to lose you, Meg, but I don’t know what else to give you to make you happy. I’m sorry I kept that from you, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.” He walked out of the kitchen, and I listened to his footsteps as he stomped across the living room and out the front door.
“Can I come with you, King?” I heard Remy ask. I couldn’t hear Lo’s reply, but I heard Remy grab his jacket and head out the front door.
I dropped my chin to my chest and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to think or do. Everything Lo said made sense, but it felt like if I accepted him not telling me everything all the time, I’d never be able to believe everything he said.
“You let him go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life, my girl.” Ethel walked back in the kitchen, her glass empty and set it on the table. “Where the hell did the vodka go?” she asked, looking around.
“Lo put it away. Besides, I don’t think I should be drinking right now.”
She reached up into the cabinet and pulled the bottle down and splashed some into her glass. “Well, I’ll drink yours.”
“Everything okay?” Here I was freaking out some stupid thing while Ethel was dealing with cancer. I was really fucked up lately.
“Some days are better than others, hun, but Gravel makes every day good.” She filled her glass to the top with tea and set the pitcher back in the fridge.
“You two really love each other, don’t you?”
“With every breath I take.”
“Does he tell you everything about the club?”
“No. And I don’t ask him to either. I’m gonna lay it out for you, Meg, and then it’s up to you.” She sat down in the chair Lo had just left and set her glass on the counter. “No relationship is ever going to be perfect, no matter how bad you want it to be. You have to figure out if Lo keeping things with work from you is worth walking away from him. Would you rather have a man who lies and cheats or a man who does everything in his power to keep you safe? I know what I would choose. I just hope you make the right decision, hun. No man is perfect, but Lo is the closest you’re going to get.”
She walked out of the kitchen after sharing her words of wisdom, and I felt like an idiot. I stood up, dumping my glass in the sink, and leaned against the counter. I needed to get over this.
Lo didn’t tell me what was going on because he was cheating on me or anything like that. He did it so I wouldn’t worry. He did it to keep me safe, and I was an idiot for not understanding that.
I strode into the living room, walking out the front door and stepped out on the front porch. Lo was standing in the front yard talking on his phone, and Remy was sitting in the rocker that Ethel always sat in.
“I like you with him, mom.”
“I like me with him, too, Remy.”
“Then don’t make the wrong choice. Don’t be mad at him for something he didn’t do.” Dammit, even my seventeen-year-old son saw what I didn’t.
“I’m not mad anymore, Remy. I just… I just don’t know.”
Remy stood up and walked over and put his arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay, Mom. I just want you to be happy.”
I rested my head on his shoulder and wondered when my son had grown up and how I had missed it. “Thank you, baby boy.”
“You think we can still go to the movies with everything that’s going on? King’s been barking into his phone since we came out here.”
“I already bought the tickets. I hope we can still go.” I watched Lo pace up and down the sidewalk, and I could see the aggravation and worry roll off of him. I know Lo didn’t ask for any of this, and I had no reason to blame him for Big A coming to the house.
He finally hung the phone up and shoved into his pocket. “Hey, handsome,” I called.
Lo turned to look at me, uncertainty on his face. “Yeah, Meg.”
“You think you can still take Remy and me to the movies? I think a night with my two favorite men is what we all need.”
A smile slowly spread across Lo’s lips, and I knew I had made the right decision. Lo not sharing everything about the club with me wasn’t worth throwing away what we had. I loved this man, and nothing was going to make me run away from him.
“I think we can manage a night out, babe.”
“Thank God,” Remy whispered. “I love Ethel, mom, but it’s freakin’ boring here. I was afraid we were going to have to stay here all night.”
I laughed as Lo made his way up the sidewalk and Remy walked back over to the rocker he had been sitting in. I jogged down the steps, right into Lo’s arms and wrapped my arms around him, not wanting to let go.
“I love you, babe. With everything I am, I love you.”
“I love you, too, Lo. I’m sorry I’m such a fool.”
“Not a fool. I would feel the same way if I were you, that’s why I hate not telling you everything, but I do it because I know I have to.”
I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed. “How about from now on you just don’t tell me if you’re keeping something from me. Ignorance is bliss after all.”
“Deal. But for the record, I didn’t tell you I was keeping something from you, you just assumed I was.”
“Details, Lo,” I grumbled. Lo’s body shook as he laughed and all I could do was smile.
Our first real fight and we managed to work our way through it. Well, I had a little help from Ethel and Remy, but I eventually saw the light.
“Alright. Grab your boy and let’s get the hell out of here. If I know you, you already have everything you want to buy at the movies all picked out.”
I pulled out of his arms, “You know me too well, handsome,” I laughed.
He knew me, and that couldn’t have made me happier.
________
Chapter 18
Lo
“Uh, you do realize we are getting married in eight days, and you just let me eat the whole concession stand at the movies? I’ll never fit my ass in my dress.” I glanced over at Meg, her hand holding her stomach.
“Wear your jeans down the aisle. I don’t care as long as your ass is there.” I shifted the car into reverse and backed out of Hunter’s driveway. It was past ten o’clock, and we had just dropped Remy off. Leo’s two men, Creed and Princeton were parked in front of the house, keeping an eye on things. They had said that Leo had given them strict instructions to not let Remy out of their sight.
“Hmm, as sweet as that is, Lo, I think I better wear the dress I spent hundreds of dollars on. I can always close the back up with clothespins,” she giggled. We drove by Creed and Princeton, each of them nodding their heads at us. “What kind of names are those anyway?” She asked, looking over her shoulder at their car.
“I’m assuming last names.”
“Oh, the mafia doesn’t do names like y’all do?”
I chuckled under my breath and shook my head. “I have no clue, but I’m just assuming those are last names.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” She smothered a yawn with her hand and laid her head on the seat. “Are they going to be at the wedding?”
“Yeah, babe, unless we manage to get to Big A before then. I already invited Leo. He said that he’ll be there.”
“What about Fayth? I haven’t met her yet.”
“What about her?”
“Is she going to be at the wedding?”
I glanced over at her, “Do you want her to be? I don’t really know her. Slider is the one who has been keeping an eye on her.”
“I bet he just loves that,” she laughed. “I wouldn’t mind her coming.”
“I’ll let Slider know to ask her.”
We drove in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The thing that kept running through my mind was what the hell Big A was doing. I had to assume that he was going to go after our families now, but why would he do it in plain sight. It was like he wanted me to see him.
I had called Demon after fighting with Meg, letting him know what was going on and to get out on the streets and see what he could find out. I had Edge scrambling to find any and every piece of information on the Assassins, except he had been running into a dead end since day one.
“You’ll get him, handsome. I know you will.” Meg reached over, grabbing my hand and threaded her fingers through mine. Here I was lost in my own thoughts, and she still knew how to make me feel better.
“I hope so, babe. I’m getting sick of all of this bull shit. I just want everything back to the way it was before the Assassins came into our lives.”
She squeezed my hand and scooted over to the middle of the seat and rested her head on my shoulder. “I trust you, Lo. You’ll make everything right.”
I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her into my side. I hoped she was right because I was going to die trying to make everything right.
________
Chapter 19
Meg
“Oh, my sweet Jesus. Rigid is going to have to roll me to our room. Who let me eat that last piece of pie?” Cyn was sprawled out on the couch, clutching her growing stomach and groaning.
“I tried to tell you that was enough, but you threatened to cut my pinkie off if I didn’t step away from the pie,” I called from behind the bar.
We had just gotten done cleaning up all the dishes from Christmas dinner, and everyone was scattered around the common room of the clubhouse either playing pool, watching TV, or starting a game of poker. After a long, drawn out fight with Ethel about where we should have Christmas, she finally relented and agreed that the clubhouse was the best place. She had taken over the kitchen the whole day before, having cooked and baked her ass off.
Everyone was here beside Gwen and Gambler, who had left a couple of hours ago to spend the rest of the day with Paige and her Grandmother. Remy had also been here earlier, but he had to leave to go spend time with his dad.
“Babe, grab me a beer, would you?” Lo called, grabbing a cue stick.
“Me, too,” Troy added.
I grabbed two beers out of the fridge, popped the tops and headed over to Lo. “So I’m the beer wench today?”
“Not just today, every day,” Troy laughed, grabbing his beer.
I growled at Troy, glaring and Lo grabbed his beer and threw his arm over my shoulders. “Not my wench for very long,” he whispered in my ear. “Soon to be my wife.”
“Can we please play pool without you manhandling my best friend the whole time?” Troy complained as Lo nuzzled my neck.
“Five more days before you can call me your wife, handsome.”
“Counting down the days, babe?” Lo asked, wrapping his arms around me, ignoring Troy.
“Who me?” I asked coyly.
“Hmm, you feel like playing tonight, don’t you?” He nipped at my ear, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, tilting my head to the left.
“Pool or something else?”
“Hmm,” he growled. “You know what I want, babe.”
“Finish your game before Troy has a coronary. I’ll let you unwrap your last present before bed tonight.” I pulled out of his arms, throwing a wink over my shoulder and sauntered over to the couch where Cyn was laid out.
“Twenty minutes and you’re mine, Meg,” he called.
“I’ll be right here,” I replied, sitting down next to Cyn.
“You’re teasing that poor man again, aren't you?”
“Eh, he can handle it. He needs to see what kind of crazy he’s marrying.” I grabbed the pillow that was in between us and set it on my lap.
“I think King is very much aware of the crazy that encompasses you.”
“So, what’s left to do in the five days before the wedding?” Ethel sat down on the couch across from us with Gravel following right behind her.
“Well, I’m going to start baking the cake in two days. Tomorrow I have to go shopping for all the taco stuff, get the meat marinating, fry up a shit ton of cinnamon nachos, and buy probably five gallons of ice cream.”
“Hmm, ice cream. You should probably buy six gallons, I’m likely to eat one gallon all by myself.” Cyn laid down completely, stretching her legs out and propped her feet on the pillow that was on my lap. “Make it seven.”
“I can help wit
h the cooking if you want, sweetie. I don’t go to the doctor till after the wedding. I’m done with this round of chemo. Now we wait to see if it worked.”
“It worked,” Gravel rumbled. “And if it didn’t, we’ll try until the fucking cancer goes away.”
Ethel waved her hand at his, shushing him. “I need something to do to occupy me. Hell, I’ll blow up balloons as long as I don’t have to sit in my house and worry.”
“I can totally use help, Ethel. Lo was mad that I had decided to make everything myself so this will make things easier if you help.”
“Great. I’ll come shopping with you tomorrow. We’ll take my car because it’s supposed to snow.”
“I have a car, too, Ethel,” I laughed. “I just hate driving it.”
“I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow. Lo mentioned that you took off work for the wedding.”
“Yeah, I was going to try to keep working, but it’s just easier to use vacation time. I have over a month's worth of time saved up, so I also took a couple days off after the wedding, too.”
“Ten minutes, Meg,” Lo called. I glanced over my shoulder at him, watching him shoot a ball into the pocket. He leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his chest.
The damn man looked good no matter what he was doing. “Whatever you say, handsome.”
“What’s Lo yelling about?” Ethel asked.
“Oh, he wants to open his last Christmas present, but I told him he had to wait until after dinner.” I turned back around, a small smile on my lips.
“He’s eager to open it,” Cyn laughed.
“We have wedding plans we need to discuss. Tell him he can open his present out here while we plan.” Ethel shook her head.
Cyn busted out laughing, “I don’t think this is the type of present King wants to open in front of everybody.”
“Oh, Lord, Lo,” Ethel called, “keep it in your pants. I’m talking to your girl.”
“Eight minutes, Ma, then she’s mine.”
My face turned bright red, and I couldn’t believe this man could still make me blush. Although I’m sure, anyone would blush if the person they were sleeping with announced to their mother they were going to get it on. “I’ll be ready at eight, Ethel. I’ll make sure to bring all the lists I’ve been making.” Blue ambled in from the body shop and collapsed at my feet, resting his head on my shoes. “Hey, big man,” I mumbled, reaching down and scratching him behind his ears.
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