Chapter Three

Playboy

KINGSTON REALLY FUCKING surprised every single one of us when he turned down becoming a full patch member at first. Out of all the boys, he's been the most open about joining the club and following in his dad's footsteps. Kingston's been working with Fox for a long time. Long before he became a Prospect of the club. Fox has been teaching his boy everything he can from the second he showed an interest in computers. It was a match made in Heaven and none of us were ever gonna get in the way of those two doing their thing and helping the club search for shit no one else can find. Kingston zones out for hours at a time when he's working on something and no one can reach him. Not even Carson. Carson and Kingston are closer than brothers and always together.

When Kingston was in his accident, it killed Carson. He didn't leave the hospital until Fox forced him to. My boy thought if he left his best friend alone that Kingston would have something more happen to him and he'd be the reason why it happened. None of us could talk him out of that crazy thought process. So, he slept at the hospital, ate all the hospital food, and waited for his friend to wake up so he could make sure Kingston was okay. It was touch and go for days and I've never seen my son as scared as he was when the doctors didn't have any positive news for us. If anything, they were preparing all of us for the worst to happen. Kingston's a fighter though so he eventually pulled through and is still dealing with the aftermath of the accident physically, mentally, and emotionally. I know Carson is there for him the best he can be, but Kingston holds a lot in. Hopefully that will change now that Fox, Killer, and my dad forced him to open up about what's going on with him.

Walking in the house after a long day at work, I find Sam in the kitchen making dinner. Heading straight for my wife, I wrap my arms around her from behind as she melts into my body. Sam is the love of my life and I regret every fucking day that I almost ruined us. Thankfully, she's smart and gave me a second chance. Now, I spend every day making sure she knows how much I love her and that I will do everything in my power to make up the time we had to spend apart. There wasn't a day that I sat locked up that she wasn't on my mind along with Caleb.

Caleb is my son as much as Carson and Dylan are. I don't give a fuck what anyone says, that's my boy and I'll go above and beyond to protect him from everything I can. That's kind of hard to do these days. Caleb made the decision to put off Prospecting for the club and went into the military. He's off fighting for our freedom and protecting those who can't stand up for themselves. Sam hates that he made the decision to enlist, but did nothing to stop him. Now, we live for the calls, short trips home, and letters from him. Sam is always sending him care packages and buying things for our son and the rest of the guys he's serving with. She's got Skylar baking a ton of food to send to them too. I miss Caleb, but he'll hopefully be home for a visit soon.

"How was your day, baby?" I ask her, nuzzling my face into her neck as she continues to cook dinner.

"Bittersweet and long," she answers with a pout on her face as I step back and turn her to face me.

Sam has unshed tears in her eyes and I know the boys have started packing their rooms up to move. She doesn't have to say a word to me. My girl hates crying and will avoid it at all costs. There are only four things in this world that will ever make her cry—Caleb, Carson, Dylan, and me. No one else will ever have that power over her for any reason. Sam's hair tickles my neck as I pull her into my arms and hold her close. Still to this day she keeps her dark hair short and barely long enough to pull back in some kind of messy bun to keep it out of her eyes. As long as I can grab ahold of it when I'm fucking her, I don't give a shit how long she keeps it.

"They're packin' their rooms up today?" I question her as I look toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms of the twins.

Carson and Dylan might be identical twins, but they're as different as two people can be. Carson is outgoing and always the center of attention. He loves riding his bike and still takes the dirt bikes out as often as he can to get that rush of speeding the boys love so much. Dylan prefers to be alone or with his best friend, Wade. The two of them are always off together and I know they share girls between the two of them. Yeah, I walked in on that shit and it's something I didn't need to know about them. Dylan is very quiet and reserved. He watches over the world around him and thinks through every move he makes. He's not one to lash out in anger either. I can't always say the same about Carson. That boy can be a fucking hot head and lets his temper overrule rational thought at times.

The boys have so many similarities to one another though. They've got eyes the color of a storm and it changes depending on their moods. With Sam's bright blue eyes and my gray eyes, the twins somehow managed to get a mixture of the colors to create that storm cloud color. It's so hard to describe. Both of them have the darkest blond hair and they keep it cut short. Sometimes they do something different with their hair to look different from the other one, but most of the time, they simply go with their normal cut. Our boys are as tall as I am these days and the only other major difference is the muscles each boy has. Dylan is just a bit bigger than Carson. He works out daily and never misses time in the gym. Even when he had to Prospect, he'd get up even earlier just to workout. My dad used to meet Dylan in the gym just to spend time with him while Carson would sleep in and then rush to the clubhouse.

"Yeah. Went out and got boxes this morning and they've been packing ever since. I'm not ready for them to leave, Griffin," she says, tears soaking my tee-shirt under my cut as she buries her face in my chest. "Caleb is already gone and rarely comes home. Now the twins are leaving and I don't think I can handle it."

"Honestly, I'm not ready for them to leave home either, baby. But, they're grown and it's their decision to make. We can't hold them back. The best thing we've ever done for the boys is show them constant support and make sure all our boys understand they can turn to us no matter what's goin' on in their lives. It's what we've done for Caleb over the years and we can't do anythin' different with Carson and Dylan. I'm gonna go see them before I jump in the shower," I tell Sam, placing a soft kiss against her lips as she keeps her arms wrapped tight around my body.

"I love you, Griffin. Always have and always will," she says as I swat her on the ass and make my way toward the boys' rooms.

Knocking on Dylan's door first, I wait for him to respond before opening the door. His music turns down and I listen to him walk across the room before the door opens.

"Hey, Dad. Did you just get home from work?" he asks me, stepping back so I can enter his room.

"Yeah. Damn, you've got almost everythin' packed already," I state, looking around the room Dylan's had for most of his life.

He's got a few posters hanging on the walls of his favorite bands and one my dad got him of a naked girl draped over a motorcycle. I can't help but smile at that one because Sam lost her shit when she saw it the first time and I thought we were gonna have to pull her off my dad. Thankfully it didn't come to that, but my wife and Shy didn't talk to Dad for over two weeks. He wasn't a happy man at all. The boys love the poster they each got though. Along the wall over his desk are the trophies he's earned from football and baseball. He's got two huge poster frames with his jerseys on each end of the shelves. Dylan did play sports and is fucking phenomenal at both he chose to play in. I've spent countless hours with him practicing in our backyard and going to every game and other event he's been in over the years.

"You're leavin' your sports stuff behind?" I ask him, as he walks over and takes the frames off the wall to stack with other frames leaning against his bed.

"Yeah. I don't want to break the trophies in the move. Unless you want me to take them," he says, sitting on the bed and facing me.

"Son, you can leave whatever the hell you want here. Just because you're movin' to Pine View doesn't mean you'll never come back home," I state as I move his computer chair and take a seat across from him. "This will always be your home and I don't give a fuck if you leave everythin' here and buy all new shit. You've been savin' your money most of your life and have a great nest egg built up. Do whatever you want. Are you okay with the move? I haven't really been able to check in with you lately."

Dylan's hiding something from us. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something going on with him. I can always tell when the boys are going through something and this is no different. However, I'm not going to force him to talk to me about something he's not ready to say. I have a pretty good idea of what's going on and it kills me to know he doesn't feel as if he can talk to us about what's going on. It's his story to tell though and eventually, he'll be ready and I'll remain at his side.

"I'm good with the move. I think it's time to see somewhere new and spend some time away from Benton Falls. I mean, this will always be home, but maybe I've outgrown this place. I think I need a change of scenery or somethin'," he answers me, looking at the floor so I know he's not giving me the whole truth of the situation.

"You know you can talk to me about anythin', yeah?" I question Dylan as he remains on his bed with his chin resting in his hand.

"I know I can, Dad. There's nothin' I wanna talk about right now. Eventually, I will, but today isn't the day," he says, confirming my suspicions about something going on with him because of the way he's been acting.

If there's one person who knows what's going on, it will be Wade. But, I refuse to go behind Dylan's back to find out what's going on with him. As long as I know he's not gonna hurt himself, I'm okay with him keeping his secret for a while longer. Dylan won't hurt himself. There's too many eyes on him for him to do anything rash. Carson will always keep an eye on his brother no matter what's going on with him.

"Okay, Son. I love you. I'll let you finish packin'. We'll load the U-Haul when everyone is done gettin' what they need together. I think Vault is gonna head back sooner than that though. Annabell and Savannah want to get home to see the Nomads before they go. Valor doesn't have a problem stayin' behind with the rest of us for the trip to Pine View," I state, standing from the chair and pushing it under the desk where it was before I moved it.

Dylan walks me to the door of his room and closes it behind me before I hear his music turn back up once again. Stepping across the hall, I don't have to knock on Carson's door. His is open as he packs up his room. It's a fucking mess and I don't honestly know how he's getting anything done. I laugh as I make my way inside and find him tossing things out of his closet and letting them land wherever they fall.

"Son, what the hell are you doin'?" I ask, watching as Carson pokes his head out of the closet and gives me a smile that reminds me so much of his mom's.

"I'm packin' my room up, Dad," he answers before leaving the closet and looking at the mess he's made. "Well, that's what I'm attemptin' to do. I guess I didn't realize the mess I made. It will get done though. I have a few days before I have to really worry about things."

"Always waitin' till the last minute, Son. When are you gonna learn?" I ask him, sitting on his bed and moving a pile of clothes out of the way. "How are you gonna sleep with all this shit on your bed?"

"I'll pack this stuff first. Did you just get home from work?" he returns, grabbing a box and taping one end together before tossing all the clothes inside without seeing if they're clean or dirty. Carson is definitely one of a kind and I love him for all his crazy ways.

"I did. Went in to see Dylan and talk to him for a minute. Just want to check in with you both. Mom's not doin' so well now that it's becomin' a reality that you're both movin' to Pine View. I'm not doin' the best either if I'm bein' honest," I tell him honestly as I continue to look around the room and notice a spare tire for one of the dirt bikes leaning against the wall of his room.

"I know you're not. We'll be okay, Dad. Everyone will be with us and Vault and Valor won't let us get into too much trouble. If I know all of you parents the way I think I do, you'll be down to see us before too long," Carson says with laughter filling his voice. "You and Mom aren't gettin' rid of us that easy. And I know we'll come home to visit too."

"Yeah, I know. It just feels like everythin' is changin' and with Caleb still bein' overseas, it's just too much. It feels like you boys were just born and now you're both leavin' the house and movin' to a new town on your own. We have no clue where Caleb is or what's goin' on with him. I'm not used to havin' an empty house and it's not even empty yet," I say, emotion clogging my throat as I look over at Carson.

"I'm sorry, Dad. Caleb will call soon. He never goes too long without contactin' us. Didn't he say this was his last tour? That he plans on leavin' the military once this contract is up?" Carson asks me, continuing to put things in the box in front of him.

"Yeah, I think that's the plan. I don't know what he plans on doin' once he's out though. He might not come home."

"He'll come home. At least for a while. You know he's not gonna just disappear because he's scared of Mom. We're all scared of Mom. She'll hunt his ass down and make sure she drags him home by the ear," my son says, and I can't stop the laughter because it's the truth. Sam is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her boys.

"So, have you made any decisions about Hope?" I ask Carson, putting him on the spot because he needs to figure out his shit with her one way or another.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, Dad," he says, a blush covering his face as I chuckle because my son is one of the only boys I know who still blushes as a grown man.

"Yeah, you do. Neither one of you have hidden the way you feel about the other in years. You want her and she wants you. I'm gonna tell you now that if you think of goin' there with Hope, you better be fuckin' serious and know she's not like the rest of the girls you hang out with. She's a settle down, make her your ol' lady, and marry kind of girl. Plus, you better talk to Killer before you take a fuckin' step toward her. If you don't, he'll gut you and I won't be able to stop him. You know like the rest of us that you don't fuck with Hope and Faith. So, man the fuck up and talk to him before you make any moves with Hope," I tell him, knowing Carson isn't stupid, but he needs that reminder to talk to Killer about Hope and what he wants with her.

"I will, Dad. But, Hope doesn't like me that way. And, I'm about to leave Benton Falls. Hope isn't gonna leave home. Killer won't let her despite her bein' an adult," my son says, a dejected look covering his face.

See, I know my son enough to understand that not everything is as it seems. Hope wants my son and she stays away from him because of the fact that Carson makes himself look like a manwhore. I can't say one way or another if that's the truth, but that's how he's portrayed himself for a long time now. It's one of the reasons Killer isn't gonna go easy on him. Carson is really gonna have to look deep in himself and figure out what he wants. Yeah, Killer and I have already talked about this situation and he knows his baby girl is ready to follow Carson out of Benton Falls. He's not happy about it, but there's really nothing he can do. Killer is a softy when it comes to his girls and everything he does is to protect them. Yeah, he's strict as fuck, but if I had girls, I'd be the same damn way.

"Just make sure you see Killer before you leave here. I mean, he'll be goin' to Pine View with us, but a conversation needs to take place sooner rather than later. Mom's almost done with dinner I think. Make sure you're both at the table when she calls you. I'm gonna jump in the shower before it's ready," I say, getting off Carson's bed and leaving him to the mess he's created in a few hours he's been ‘packing'.

Heading up to our room, I strip out of my clothes and toss them in the hamper before getting in the shower. The water is cold, but it doesn't bother me. I've been sweating all day long and it feels good. But, now the hot water is loosening up my muscles and I feel my age. I'm fucking old and the boys remind me of that on a daily basis. I hate this feeling and want to go back to the days when I could jump out of bed, work all day, drink all night with the guys, and then get right back up the next morning to start all over again. But, then I wouldn't have my boys and Sam at my side. I wouldn't trade this life for any reason at all.