by Franca Storm
I nodded, then took a moment outside the door to get myself in check. I didn’t want to collapse into another blubbering mess. I’d been pushing for my dad to see me as a capable adult, so breaking down in front of him really wasn’t something I wanted to be doing.
Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.
My words got caught in my throat the moment I took in the sight of my notoriously powerful and near-invincible dad hooked up to so many tubes and what-not in a hospital bed. He looked so helpless, so terribly weak. I’d never seen him this way before. It was a lot to take.
“Dad,” I finally managed, my voice coming out shakier than I would’ve liked.
He turned from staring out the window and swung his head my way. His face lit up as he took me in. “Princess.”
“Hey, Dad. How are you feeling?”
“All good.”
“Where’s Mom?” I asked, glancing around and seeing no sign of her having been here.
“Lockdown.”
Urgh. “You couldn’t make an exception for her, of all people?”
“Believe me, sweetheart, I want her here with me right now. She’s my fucking rock, ain’t she? But I ain’t gonna risk her for my own selfish wants. The only reason you’re here right now is because you were already down on Iron Kings territory.”
I crossed to his bedside and grasped the metal frame at the foot of the bed. “Actually, there’s another reason now.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Anarchy claimed me.”
I braced myself for his reaction, my hands instinctively tightening around the frame in a frigging death grip. To my astonishment, the only reaction about the news to come from him was a drawn out sigh. “All right,” was all he said.
“Really?” I asked, hesitantly.
He sank back against his pillows, his gaze locking with mine. There was no animosity there, no upset. Just… understanding and acceptance, it seemed, much to my surprise. How had this come about? Was he seriously suddenly okay with Damien and me being together and with me leaving the protection of Lone Outlaws?
“The guy’s protected you, fought for you, bled for you, and he’s faced-off with me more than once. He’s risked everything for you. That ain’t just some fleeting infatuation. He’s devoted to you. That’s the kinda love that don’t die.”
I smiled. He was finally seeing what I already knew to be true. “It works both ways, Dad.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that, princess.”
“Good. Thank you.”
He winced as he shifted his weight in the bed to reach out for me.
I hurried over there and took his hand. “Dad?” I questioned, worried about the urgency spilling from him. “Calm down. You’re in no state. What’s wrong?”
He scrubbed his free hand over his face. “Too fucking much.”
I frowned and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Tell me.”
“I'm… sorry.”
I started in shock. My dad never apologized. Not for anything. Not to anyone.
“What?” I eked out.
He shook his head, pain in his eyes, as he told me, “The moment you were born, all I wanted was to protect you. From anything and anyone. From danger and from ending up stuck in the world you’d been born into. I didn’t want you becoming like me. I didn’t want the MC lifestyle keeping you rooted there. I wanted more for you. But I overdid it and got lost in it, so much so that it became about me not wanting to lose you. It got… controlling. Suffocating.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “It took all this with Anarchy for me to see what it’d all ended up becoming. You’re a grown-ass woman now. It’s your life. You gotta decide shit for yourself and it looks like you’re already on the path of doing that. So, you don’t gotta worry about me no more. I won’t be standing in the way.” He smiled. “You’re free and I’m sorry it ain’t always been like that for you because of me.”
Wow. That was… a lot. “You’re sure this isn’t about Anarchy claiming me?”
“Nah, him making a claim is what got you here while I was outta it. But it ain’t gonna mean nothing going forward. All right? I gotta let you go. And I know he ain’t gonna do things the old school way with the woman being protected property and all that. He respects you too much for that and it ain’t in him. He’s young, modern, all about fresh ideas. You’re a partner to him, not some weaker thing, or some kinda trophy, or whatever the fuck. When I said you’re free, Hayley, I meant it. I just wish it weren’t something I had to fucking well announce, wish it were just a given, that it’d never got to this point in the first goddamn place.”
“You and me both.”
“I know it’s gonna take some time, but, do you think you’re ever gonna be able to forgive me?”
I looked into eyes full of such stark vulnerability, that it had me on the verge of choking up. I’d never seen my dad show any sort of raw emotion like this, not even to me. I could see his fear too, fear that he’d lost me after everything that he’d done, everything that had happened.
I offered him a smile and told him, “I never thought you’d recognize any of this and it means the world to me that you have. That’s all I need. It’s not me who you need forgiveness from. It’s yourself.”
He choked on his emotion, only just managing to eke out, “You don’t hate me?”
“Never. You’re my dad. I know you just became… intense about protecting me, because of the dangerous world we live in. You letting up now is all the apology that I need.”
His eyes brimmed with tears. “Thank you,” he choked out. Struggling against his weakened, pained state, he tried to reach out for a hug. I leaned in and sank into him, and he wrapped his arms around me. “You mean the goddamn world to me.”
“I know, Dad,” I said, choking up myself, his intense emotion affecting me.
The feelings I’d been bottling up in order to put on a brave face for him and Damien, shattered all over the place, tears spilling down my cheeks.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, Dad.”
After a few moments, he eased me back and got himself together to tell me, “Now, you go out there and you live your life on your terms. Kick ass like the fiery, capable woman I know you are, all right?”
“I will. I promise.”
EPILOGUE
~Anarchy~
Three Months Later.
HAPPY.
Hayley was practically giddy with it. There was a literal spring in her step. She hadn’t stopped smiling and giggling. That giggling. There was nothing else like it. I’d never get tired of hearing it, of warming at the sound of it.
She was so full of life, so light, so carefree. Open and uninhibited. She was herself, through and through. She owned it now with no apologies and no holding back.
Everyone else had now come to see the strong, powerful, confident woman that I’d known she was. The real her.
I hung back, watching her saying her goodbyes to her mom.
They were standing on the porch of Python’s house on the outskirts of the City of Taunton.
We’d spent the last hour loading Hayley’s stuff into one of Iron Kings’ trucks. She was moving into her new apartment in Ridgefield today. Her job with Sky started the day after. A lot of big changes were happening for her, something I knew she was so excited about. So much of her life had been spent stuck, restricted. Now it was all wide open for her.
The crunch of heavy footsteps had me turning to see Python striding up to me.
He’d finished his call then. He’d been fielding calls and texts pretty much non-stop since we’d shown up here to move Hayley’s stuff and say goodbye to her folks.
A lot of shit was happening for Lone Outlaws right now.
After that attack on their president, himself, tensions were high. Everybody was on high-alert. Python was worked up in a major fucking way. So much for him taking it easy after that brutal heart attack he’d suffered. That day had b
een a bitch for both of us and it’d taken us both longer than either of us had wanted, or been patient enough for, to recover.
“You got everything?” Python asked, as he reached me.
“Yeah. All good to go.”
“Good,” he said, his smile tight. For once, I knew it wasn’t about me. He was having a hard time with his only daughter leaving home. Unlike when she went away to college, with them knowing she’d come back, this was more… permanent. She was starting out on her own path, building her own life. Hell, it’d been a long time coming for her. It was way beyond time for it.
“Everything all right?” I asked him, careful not to ask anything more detailed than that. Although our clubs were tied together with an alliance now, we were still separate entities, and you didn’t ask about another club’s business. It was a little more complicated for me, though. He was my woman’s father. If something was wrong, or a threat was imminent, I had to be ready.
He got that, telling me enough, “No movement on their end. We’re just trying to keep it that way.”
Yeah, they’d been in lockdown ever since Python had ended up in the hospital. The only reason he and his wife were out here now at their home was to facilitate Hayley moving her stuff out. There’d been heavy security from Lone Outlaws that had been escorting us and watching our backs all the way from just outside Ridgefield’s borders, to Python’s home in Taunton. The guys were good. They weren’t visible to most people, hanging back just enough to keep out of sight of those they were protecting. But I wasn’t just anybody. I knew those tactics, knew how to do it too. It was a testament to the effort that Python was putting in to his new, respectful relationship with Hayley that he’d actually ordered his boys to be invisible security for once, to alleviate that suffocating sensation that normally came along with club princess level protection detail.
“Good,” I responded.
He leaned against the side of the truck beside me. “I got a question for you, kid.”
I tensed. That hadn’t exactly worked out well in the past. My body was well aware and preparing for the worst, despite my mind knowing that things were different now. “Shoot.”
“Hayley’s starting a new life with a load of changes all at once. This woulda been a good time for you two to move in together.”
I eyed him with amusement. “Didn’t hear a question there.”
He grinned. “Funny guy, ain’t ya?”
I shrugged. “Just taking a leaf out of my brother, Deviant’s, book. It helps ease tense situations.”
He nodded his understanding. “So? Why’s she getting her own place, instead of with you?”
I folded my arms across my chest and settled against the truck as I tried to figure out the best way to explain what the deal was without him taking it as a pointed shot at him.
“She needs this,” I told him.
He frowned, not getting it, needing more.
“Independence,” I clarified. “We discussed it and determined that she needs to live alone and experience the freedom of that. There’s a lot she hasn’t been able to experience and to explore. I need to give her the space to do that. She’s starting a new life for herself, one she’s directing herself in every way now. If I’m right there in her space, that’ll be hindered, and I don’t want that.”
“That’s fucking noble.”
“I just want her happy. Whatever it takes.”
He looked concerned and surprisingly enough, it was for me. “You’re okay with that?”
“Yeah. We’re committed to each other. Things are solid between us. I love her and she loves me. We’re both in it for the long-haul. I’m not letting go and neither is she. It’s a forever deal.”
He actually smiled. And the shocks kept on coming, as he said, “Thank you.” He laid his hand on my shoulder. “You’re doing right by her. You ain’t being selfish with her.”
“I can’t be. It’s not even a question. I love her.”
“Seems more than even love. You worship her.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
I watched Hayley and her mom walk over to us.
“Well, this looks… peaceable,” Hayley commented as they reached us.
“Hell must’ve frozen over,” her mom joked, eyeing Python. “You actually getting along with your daughter’s biker boyfriend isn’t something I ever thought possible.”
Python chuckled. “Either that, or we got pigs flying somewhere nearby.” He pushed off the truck and went to Hayley. “You all good to go?”
“Yeah.”
I stepped out of the way and headed around to the passenger door to wait for Hayley as her parents wrapped her up in their arms and said their final goodbyes before we headed out.
Watching her with them had a pang of regret hitting me. They’d had their differences, some battles, even. Her father had made some mistakes when it’d come to her. But it was clear how much they all loved and cared for each other. Despite everything, they were a supportive, loving unit, one that would never give up on one another. Not for anything.
I shook off the emotion that had snagged me out of the blue. Every once in a while when I witnessed other people’s familial interactions, it crept up on me.
But it felt different this time.
This time, there was a realization there that shattered that nasty sensation of regret.
It was her.
Even with being a part of the Iron Kings brotherhood, I’d still worried. I’d still been plagued with my abandonment issues, believing in my lowest moments that it was a never-ending cycle, that I’d lose my place there, that they’d turn their backs on me.
Until her.
With everything we’d been through, all of that had been put to the test. It’d been a hell of a time, but it’d proved to me, beyond a doubt, that they’d never forsake me. It was solid. It was a forever deal. I belonged somewhere. I was wanted, respected, loved.
I had a family of my own.
Iron Kings.
And now, Hayley Calloway.
“Hey,” she said, cutting through my thoughts. She came up on the passenger side.
“You all right?” I asked, seeing the emotion welling in her eyes.
She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “Yeah. These are happy tears. I’m excited.”
I stepped up to her and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad.” I opened the passenger door and gave her a hand up.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, as she settled herself into the seat.
“You know it.”
She giggled and I laughed, then shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. Hopping up into the seat, I pulled my keys out of my leather jacket pocket, then looked over at her. “Did you say everything you needed to say?”
She nodded. “And then some. Mom and I are pretty intense about our goodbyes. The surprising thing was that Dad was right here with us this time.”
“He knows this is for real, this time.”
“Yeah, he gets that I’m not his little girl anymore.” She rolled her eyes. “About time.”
“It might be hard for him, but he’s proud of you. Stepping out on your own is a big deal.”
Her face lit up. “I can’t wait.”
“You won’t have to. It’s here. This is it, Hayles.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re right. It is. This is a seminal moment, isn’t it?”
“Definitely. Make sure you take some mental pictures.”
“Wait. I have a better idea,” she said, rustling around inside her suede jacket. She pulled her phone out in the next moment and started taking photos. “Come here,” she said, reaching out and pulling me into her and snapping some photos of us. “Perfect!” she cried, excitedly.
“You gonna make a scrapbook?” I teased.
“Absolutely,” she said, loving the idea. “From here on out, that’s what I’m going to do. I don’t want to forget a moment of our life together, Damien.”
She was so fucking sweet. “Me ne
ither.”
Settling back in her seat and putting her seatbelt on, she looked over at me, love radiating from her. “I love you, Damien.”
“I love you, Hayles.”
I saw her looking back at her parents’ house. She nodded to herself, then put her seatbelt on. Drawing in a breath, she said, “Okay.”
“Yeah? You ready for this?”
“There’s not a doubt in my mind.”
I grinned. “Good.”
As I gunned the truck, she reached out and grasped my hand.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Lovely?”
Her gaze was intense as she said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“I’m free now. You did this. You changed everything. You gave me my life back.”
“Lovely, you did the same for me.”
WANT MORE MC ROMANCE?
Check these out…
BLACK THORNS MC
STEEL TITANS MC
Franca Storm Library
IRON KINGS MC
WRAITH
SPARTAN
DEVIANT
ANARCHY
BLACK THORNS MC
RECKLESS
SOULLESS
BLAMELESS
HEARTLESS
STEEL TITANS MC
RIDING ROUGH
RIDING WRONG
RIDING WILD
RIDING DIRTY
OTHER BOOKS
DAMAGED HEARTS SERIES
BLEEDING LOVE SERIES
TWISTED DESTINY SAGA
CIRCLE OF DARKNESS SERIES
KINDRED CALL: SANCTUM FALLS SERIES
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Succumb to a Bad Boy.
Franca writes stories about bad-boy alpha males and the tough women who turn their worlds upside down.