by Erin Osborne
Pops
Wild Kings MC
By: Erin Osborne
Copyright 2018© Erin Osborne
All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for brief quotations used in book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Photographer: Reggie Deanching at R + M Photography
Cover Model: John Nomikos
Cover Design: Graphics by Shelly
Editors: Jenni Copeland Belanger and Kim Richards
Pops Blurb
I met the love of my life when I was in my early twenties. She stood by my side no matter what I was going through and supported me. Ma was a beacon of strength when I felt I was at my weakest moment and pulled me through when I didn’t know what was next. I thought I had forever with her; that we’d grow old and have so much longer than what we had. My life ended the day that she was taken from me. From everyone that met her and loved the woman that she was.
Alice was a woman that knew my pain. She could see it on my face and knew what I was going through after the loss that shattered my entire world. No one would ever take the place of the woman that owned my heart. But, I know that Ma would want me to be happy and have someone in my life. I may not ever be able to give her my heart but I know that she’s the only one that would be able to make me feel even a fraction of what Ma made me feel for so many years.
Dedication
Dedicating a book to someone is sometimes the hardest part of the story for me. But, not this time. I’d like to dedicate Pops to my beta team. Some of you have been with me since the very beginning while others have been added in along the way. You are the first ones to see the story and give me information so that I can put out the best story to the readers. Thank you so much for being there and helping me get through this process before I even think about hitting publish. You don’t know what you’re feedback does and how much it means that you’re willing to be a part of the team!! Thank you!!
Table of Contents
Pops
Copyright 2018© Erin Osborne
Pops Blurb
Dedication
Table of Contents
Part One
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Part Two
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Pops Playlist
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Books
Part One
The Past
Chapter One
18 years old
I WAS BORN IN A SMALL TOWN THAT CATERED to farmers or men that worked in the mines. The town I grew up in was so small that there wasn’t a ‘wrong’ side of the tracks. Everyone that lived here was a poor family that did what they could to get by and raise their family right. We all worked together and it didn’t matter what a neighbor needed. I can remember nights spent at a farm down the road helping to make sure that their cattle were taken back into the barn because they’d gotten loose. I learned to work hard from the time I could walk; we all did.
There were only two ways to get out of here; join the military or go to college. I couldn’t see myself sitting in some dingy office for countless hours a day. It would slowly drive me insane and I’d hate the life I was living. So, my only option to get out of here was to join the military. My parents weren’t thrilled with my decision, but I was eighteen and had the right to make my own mind up. When I told my younger sister Elizabeth, she didn’t handle the news good at all. That was the longest period we ever went without speaking. But, she was destined for greater things, like getting out of here and going to college to make a name for herself.
From the time I was a young boy, my dad had been grooming me to take over the ‘family business’. I’m not exactly sure what that entailed because I never really saw him do anything. Sure, he helped the neighbors work on the farms and made sure there was enough money to pay the bills and keep our ancient truck running. He was as strict as they come and made sure that I knew my manners, worked hard, and knew that I was to help him on the farms surrounding our run-down house. Nothing I did was ever good enough for him though.
The day I graduated from high school, I didn’t bother waiting around to walk across the stage. There was nothing here for me. Instead, I walked two miles into town and stopped outside the recruiter’s office. It took a second for me to make sure that this was really what I wanted to do. From there, everything happened at lightning speed.
It was just a matter of time before I went back to the office to wait for the bus to take me to basic training. My paperwork was filled out, I passed the initial fitness exams, and took the ASVAB test that was required to join the service. The day I left, my dad refused to even come to see me off. He said I was abandoning the family and didn’t need to get out of our small town. There was enough here to keep me busy until the day I was buried. My mom, on the other hand, didn’t want me to leave. Elizabeth and my mom were there to see me off. They both cried until I didn’t think they had anymore tears to cry. They’re the ones that I’ll miss here. No one else but them.
My mom did everything she could to try to make my life easier. Dad wasn’t always an easy person to live with; everything had to be his way and if it wasn’t he could be an ass. Elizabeth and I always had a snack when we got home from school, help with our homework, and she’s been my biggest supporter. Her food was to die for and that’s what I’m going to miss when I’m eating MREs. But, it’s time to grow up and get out of this town. Too bad I didn’t realize then that it would be the last time I’d ever see my parents alive. Maybe I would’ve spent a few extra minutes with my mom or had a long talk with my dad about why I was joining the service. Instead, I couldn’t wait to get on that bus and get out of this town. That few minutes could’ve been better than the hug that lasted a few seconds and the last words I chose to say to my mom. I didn’t tell her I loved her like I should’ve. It was basically just a ‘goodbye’ and ‘I’ll see you soon’.
I wasn’t even out of basic training when my dad passed away from a heart attack. He was out helping one of the neighbors when he collapsed. Since the ambulance had to come from the next town over, they couldn’t save him. Within six months, my mom passed away. I’ll forever say that she died of a broken heart. Mom loved my dad with her whole heart. And even though he was a hardass on me, he was gentle with her. They were childhood sweethearts and my mom didn’t know how to live without him. You could easily see the love that my dad felt for her every single time she walked in the same room as him. Or, if we were at a party, the way his eyes continually strayed to wherever my mom stood talking to the other neighbor women.
Elizabeth was almost eighteen when my mom passed away and a friend’s parents said that she could stay with them while I was in basic. They would make sure that she went to school and graduated before leaving. I guess it’s a good thing that she’s graduating soon and then goes off to some fancy college. She was always the one that had the brains in the family. It sure as fuck wasn’t me.
For me, basic was easy. I’m used to getting up at the crack of dawn and busting my ass from sun up to sun down. There was one guy, Jeremy, that was my equal. We went through basic and became inseparable. Our superiors knew that we worked good together and decided
that where one of us went, the other one went too. I even went home with him if we had a leave because there was nothing waiting back home for me anymore.
We got stationed in North Carolina before going on our first deployment. That’s where I met the most amazing woman. Her name was Alana and for me, it was love at first sight. She had the longest light brown hair with natural golden highlights in it. Her eyes were a mix of blue and green that changed based on her moods. But, it was her heart and the way she was with anyone around her that captured me. Alana wore her heart on her sleeve and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do to help others out. It didn’t matter if they were a friend, family member, or some random person she met on the street. Our first encounter will stay with me the rest of our days.
Jeremy had finally talked me into taking a break away from the base. We went to the beach so that he could pick up a piece of ass for the night. He wouldn’t have a problem doing that. He’s the type of guy that girls flock to. I’m not sure what it is about him they like, but it’s funny as hell to watch him as he picks up girls no matter where we are.
Not far from the beach is a hotel. So, we stopped at the pool first so my friend could see what girls were there before we headed to the beach. My eyes briefly landed on a gorgeous, sun-kissed goddess tanning on one of the chairs surrounding the pool. She kept looking out at the kids splashing and playing in the pool and I knew that she wasn’t going to last much longer. The girl sitting closest and her kept exchanging glances at the chaos surrounding them.
He brought a football with him that we started tossing around as he checked out the babes walking around the beach as soon as we made our way there. We’d been tossing the ball around for a while and I was getting tired of it. I’d rather go to the bar or back to base then continue to throw a football around. Before I could say anything about leaving, Jeremy was getting ready to throw the ball again. I knew he was up to something when I saw the mischievous glint enter his eyes. Jeremy dropped back to throw the ball to me and it went sailing over my head. I turned to run after it and ending up landing on my face in the sand. There was a melodic sound of laughter that floated around me as I pulled my head up and tried to wipe the sand off of my face and out of my eyes so I could glimpse the angel that’s lyrical voice was surrounding me.
Looking around, I saw two girls lying out on towels, trying to get a tan on their already bronzed skin. One was a blonde that did nothing for me. She wasn’t the one that was laughing anyway. If anything, she looked at me with such disdain that I’m surprised my entire body didn’t freeze from the ice she was shooting in my direction. No, it was the other one that captured my attention. She was wearing a skimpy black bikini showing off her dangerously long legs and toned body. A small pair of sunglasses rested on her nose until she pulled them down to get a better glance at me. I was instantly captivated and couldn’t look away from her.
“Sorry,” I murmur, sitting up on my knees, the football long forgotten. “I’m Gerald.”
“I’m Alana,” she says, sticking out her dainty hand to shake mine. “This is my friend Gertie.”
“It’s nice to meet you both. This is my friend Jeremy,” I say, never once taking my eyes off of Alana. “Can I buy you a drink for disturbin’ your afternoon?”
Alana looks at her friend and I watch them have a silent conversation. She turns back to me and stands up while her friend remains sitting on her towel. We walk over to the bar that’s sitting back on the beach behind where she was sitting. After grabbing us each a soda, we make our way to the side of the small building and take a seat at one of the tables placed on the small cement pad surrounding the small building serving alcohol and other refreshments to the daily beach-goers.
For the rest of the day, we talked, laughed, got to know one another, and had a great time. Jeremy and I walked the girls to their car at the end of the day. I got Alana’s number and we made plans to meet up again as soon as we could. One day of spending time with her was all it took for me. I didn’t even bother giving her a kiss goodbye that day. She would be worth the wait, no matter how long that was.
I didn’t see Alana again before we got shipped out. I’d planned on calling her the next day to see if she wanted to go out and get some dinner before going dancing or something. I’d leave the details of what we did up to her. But, we got told we were gonna be leaving and there wasn’t time to get a hold of her. Instead, I kept her number in my pocket and took it with me wherever I went. Jeremy said that I was insane for doing it, but I really didn’t care. Alana would stay with me forever. Even if I never saw her again. Hell, the amount of time I pulled it out and looked at it, the writing was smudged and I’m surprised I could recognize any of the writing.
Chapter Two
21 years old
IT TOOK ALMOST THREE YEARS BEFORE WE MADE it back to North Carolina. In that time, I thought of Alana every single day. I wrote her letter after letter and tied them all together, sticking them in my bag. Sometimes I would write her when something happened to us, or if Jeremy was up to his usual antics. Other times, I would be so homesick that I would write to her as my only connection back to the one person that meant anything to me anymore.
But, I figured that she’d gone away to college and forgot all about me. Just from one afternoon, I knew that she was destined to be successful in anything she did. Alana is the kind of woman that deserves nothing but love and the very best a man can give her. By the time three years was up, I was expecting to see her with a kid and a man standing by her side. One that could give her the house with the white picket fence and be there every single night when he got off of work. Not a used-up man at the age of twenty-one.
What did I have to offer her? Nothing. As far as I was concerned, I would live my life in the military. Jeremy and I had already decided that we wouldn’t worry about love or finding that special someone. We would make sure that we served our country and that would have to be enough for us. In the meantime, there were plenty of willing women to have a good time with. They never filled the hole that meeting Alana created; it was more a need for release than anything else.
Jeremy was still out, looking to find every single woman he could fuck with no strings attached. All I wanted was a little peace and quiet. To concentrate on living my life and being the best soldier. We finally had a day off and Jeremy decided that he wanted to go to the beach again. We had just spent so long surrounded by nothing but dirt and sand, it’s the last place that I wanted to be. But, that may be the one place that I could see Alana again. So, I decide to go with him. Even if it was a long shot.
We’ve been at the beach for a while now. I’ve been looking for Alana with no hope of seeing her as the afternoon turns to evening. Finally, just as I’m about to be resigned to the fact that I’ll never again see her, I spot the girl that captured my attention in one afternoon and I’ve never been able to forget her.
Alana is lying on a towel on her stomach. She is facing the other way so she has no clue that I’m here or staring right at her. I thought she was beautiful before, but now she’s magnificent. On full display is her toned and tan body. Her luscious curves and beautiful hair call to me. Without any hesitation on my part, I make my way toward the goddess. My feet seem to have a mind of their own as I stealthily move toward her spot on the crowded beach.
“Alana, is that you?” I ask once I get close enough to say something to her without yelling.
She startles and quickly turns her head toward me. At the same time, she whips her sunglasses from her eyes, and flashes one of her full smiles at me. I can’t help but stare at her full lips and wonder what they taste like. For a minute, we’re locked in a stare off as we take in the changes of the past few years. I’ve put on muscle from having nothing to do other than workout. My skin is tan and I know that I’ve got the beginnings of a beard growing.
“Gerald? Is that really you?” she suddenly asks, starting to sit up before she remembers that her top isn’t tied. “Well, I’d sit up, but at the
moment I really can’t.”
We both laugh at the predicament she finds herself in. I want to sit down and spend the rest of the day with her, but I don’t know if I can. Has she found the man that she deserves to live with until the end of time? Does she want to visit with me? So many questions run through my mind and I don’t know how to ask them. Of if I should just say a quick hello before turning and walking away from her.
“Well, are you gonna sit down and visit or just stand there all day? Tell me where you’ve been that you never called me,” she says, maneuvering so that I can sit next to her and she doesn’t expose anything.
“What have you been up to?” I ask, sitting down next to her and trying to relax.
“Not much. I went to college and finished a liberal arts degree. There’s not really anything that’s called out to me, so I figured I’d at least graduate with a degree in something. Other than that, you see what I’m doing,” she says, her musical voice pulling on my heartstrings and gaining my full attention.
“No guy in the picture?” I ask, needing to know the answer before I go any further.
“Nope. See, I’ve been waiting for this guy that took my number a few years ago. Only, he never called me,” she says, making my jaw drop at her response. Surely, she must be kidding. “I’m serious. I don’t know what it is about you, Gerald, but I haven’t been interested in anyone since meeting you.”
“I’m sorry, Alana. The day after we met, I got informed that we were shipping out. We had to get ready and there wasn’t time to get away from base for anythin’,” I tell her, reaching out to push a piece of hair behind her ear that fell in front of her face. “I’m sorry that I didn’t get a chance to call you. Trust me, I thought about it. Whenever we got time to make calls, I wanted to call you. But, by then I’d figured you met someone and I didn’t want to hear it from thousands of miles away.”