Chapter 14

14

Piston

Squeezing the steering wheel, I pull up into the pickup line outside Cooper's school, not giving a shit that I’ve got my cut on in a cage, my mind baffled by what I just learned.

Her stepmother fucked her high school boyfriend, her only actual boyfriend, but the guy she gave her virginity to.

My grip tightens on the wheel at that thought.

I knew she wasn’t a virgin when we met, but fuck, the thought of someone else touching her makes me want to kill someone.

How in the fuck did I go from the guy who just wanted a casual fling to not being able to enjoy women fucking each other, and needing to be near the woman I was forced marry?

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Steal! She fucking lied, the test wasn’t even positive, why can’t I divorce her!” I shout as I bang my fists on his desk, my emotions all over the place after Natalie dropped the bomb that the test was negative. Steal doesn’t flinch.

“You know the club law, Piston. If you divorce her and take your cut back, then you’ll lose your patch, and I’m not willing to lose you. I’m sorry, but you made your bed, and now you have to lie in it, just like all the other brothers who believed they made a mistake in who they chose.”

I chew my bottom lip before mumbling, “I really need to thank Steal for not allowing me to divorce her….”

I don’t think I would have gone through with it if he had agreed, but if I had, fuck me, would I have destroyed the clubhouse with regret, which is something I believe he foresaw.

A relationship was something I never wanted, and even now, I’m terrified I’ll turn into my father, and then there’s the whole baby-trapping thing, but the thought of not having her in my life…I feel like I’m suffocating.

But how can I get over something like that?

Maybe by talking to her, a voice whispers in the back of my head just as the backdoor opens.

I smile as Cooper climbs in, and his eyes light up seeing me, “Piston!”

I grin. “Buckle up, kid.”

He nods and does as he’s told, before talking about his day and asking how his sister is.

The kid’s fucking amazing, despite the fact his mother is a bitch. I’ll ensure she never hurts him again, that her vile, nastiness won’t touch him, even if it’s the last thing I do.

I won’t let him become jaded like his sister…like me….

One Week Later

“That kid is awesome,” Acid states as he sits next to me at the counter, and I chuckle, turning to check on him.

Cooper is hunched over in the booth, drawing another picture for his sister’s fridge, a chocolate milkshake in front of him.

Natalie has a meeting with two parents this afternoon, after two boys started punching the shit out of each other during recess. She called me while I was underneath her kitchen sink, begged me to pick Cooper up, saying that she doesn’t trust Christy after last week, and I agreed instantly.

The kid’s become family, and Aunt Holly adores him.

I nod and agree, “That he is.”

Smiling at how much he’s trying to concentrate, I turn and calculate the numbers before me.

Anchor called and mentioned the takings for Huntsmen’s Grub didn’t add up. Roughly $1000 is missing a month, and my calculations also come out to that amount, which means we have a thief. This is sad considering the club not only allows the staff to keep the tips they earn, but also gives them advances on their wages when needed, plus sick pay and health insurance.

“Well, Anchor was right; we’re $1000 short,” I confirm, and Acid curses. “I’ll check the feeds tonight once Cooper has gone to bed,” I continue, quickly stacking the papers up and putting them in the folder.

“You’re staying at Natalie’s again?” he asks with curiosity, and I nod, not bothering to lie. I’ve not been home for more than five minutes since finding out someone tried to attack her, someone I still have yet to find, because her neighbors’ door cams don’t reach her.

“Yeah. I promised Cooper I’d cook mac and cheese after Natalie accidentally spilled all the pasta down the drain yesterday,” I remark.

Acid laughs, asking, “How in the hell did she manage that?”

I snort. “The woman is a klutz. Two days ago, she dropped a five-pound bag of rice on the floor before slipping on it, and landing on her ass, and don’t get me started with the lid I found down her fucking bathroom drain.” Acid laughs again, and I shake my head, and let slip, “She’s just lucky I fucking love her….”

I freeze, and Acid instantly stops laughing, shocked that I just admitted that.

“Well,” he says, clearing his throat, “it’s about time you said that out loud.”

I swallow hard. “I do love her,” I admit, and he nods. I whisper, “And it scares the living shit outta me.”

“You’re not like dad, Elijah,” Acid says sternly, and we lock eyes; his are serious. “Do you get angry? Fuck yeah, but you blow it off in the ring, you control it, fuck, you were adamant Natalie tried to trap you, and did you smack her like dad hit us or mom?” His eyes peer deeply into mine. “No, you didn’t, instead you asked Steal to allow a divorce once– once, Elijah. He had already told me that if you asked three times, he would have allowed it, but you only asked once ….”

I sigh. “So much has happened, though, Ol, so much hurt, and then the distance over these past few years, Desiree and Angel?—”

He cuts in, “You need to sit down with Natalie, Eli. I mean, could you sit back and allow someone else to call her his, to touch her?” I growl at the thought, and he nods. “Exactly. You both need a serious talk, brother. I know you don’t want to, but you need to tell her your–our past. She’s finally told you some of hers, which helped you understand her, to realize she didn’t mean to fall pregnant….”

I swallow and look at the counter. Telling Natalie my past, fuck me, that weight presses on my chest.

“You don’t have to do it tonight, brother. Just think about it,” he continues.

I nod but don’t reply.

Could I do it? Could I tell her about my childhood?

Would she understand me more?

I never pretended to be something I wasn’t; she knew my reputation in college, but I also never predicted that she’d become my “one.”

I look back at my brother but smirk when I see his eyes on Perrie.

Here he is, trying to give me advice…. Maybe it’s time he took it himself.

“Dad, why are you here? I thought I was having dinner with Sissy?” Cooper whines, and Acid and I turn to see a man in a suit, standing in the doorway of the diner.

His suit is a little big, his black hair slicked back, but his eyes are wide, looking at his son, clearly not expecting to see him here.

I tilt my head as Acid murmurs, “So this is your father-in-law?”

I hum. “It would seem so….”

“I, uh…” the man stammers before clearing his throat and asking, “Where is your sister, Cooper?”

Cooper smiles. “She’s in a meeting. Two of her students were in a big fight, so Piston picked me up. We’re going to make mac and cheese and surprise Sissy; he just had to do some work first.” Cooper's smile disappears. “Do I have to leave with you?”

The man gives him a smile. “No, son. I uh, just came to speak to, uh, Piston; some woman said he’d be here. I’ll pick you up from Sissy’s at the normal time.”

Ah, his wife opened her mouth, and a clubwhore gave him my whereabouts.

“Why did he sound unsure, saying your name?” Acid asks, and I snort, admitting, “My wife never told her family she was married. Only Cooper knows.”

Acid rolls his eyes, and I elbow him as Cooper nods, happy our plans haven’t changed.

Sighing, I stand, gaining the man’s attention.

I have never wanted to hit someone as much as I do this man, which is saying something, considering who my father is, and Acid, being my blood brother, reads me instantly.

“He’s your father-in-law; you can’t hit him.”

I grunt with displeasure and admit to the man, “With what my wife has told me, you’re not my favorite person.”

He eyes me up and says, “And you’re not mine,” before walking over to me.

He holds his hand out and says, “Henry.”

I eye it until Acid nudges me, and I begrudgingly take his hand, and shake it firmly.

“Piston.”

He eyes me back. “I’m guessing that’s not your legal name.”

I shake my head. "It isn’t, but only my wife gets to use my legal name.”

Not that I’ve allowed her to, but I think that needs to change. Her calling me Piston these past five years just sounds fucking wrong.

He nods, crossing his arms over his chest. “How long have you known my daughter? Because, I’ve got to tell you, I had no idea you existed, and I didn’t believe Christy when she said Natalie had married, and to a man in an MC, no less.”

I hum and ask, “Did your wife tell you that before or after admitting to threatening your daughter with bodily harm if she didn’t stay away from her brother?” His eyes widen. “I’m guessing she left that part out.”

His jaw ticks, and I sigh. “I have known your daughter since college.” His mouth parts, and I give him a small smile. “We were dating, I guess.” Acid snorts, but I ignore him. “We were together three years before I graduated. We got married in a small ceremony two years, well, nearly three years ago now.”

Fuck, it's three years next month….

I swallow hard, realizing we haven’t celebrated once.

“Three years married? Seriously?” he asks in shock.

I shrug, saying, “I’m sorry, but with what I’ve been told, you don’t have a right to be upset about this, and after what I witnessed last week, and how your wife threatened to seduce me to hurt your daughter, you didn’t have a right to be at our wedding.”

His eyes widen, his arms dropping at his sides. “What the…? What do you mean she threatened to seduce you?”

I wince. “Your wife seemed to think I’d cheat on Nat with her because Nat’s ex-boyfriend did.” Henry looks at me, speechless, and I decide to tell him the truth, for him to understand what his daughter has been going through, what he’s turned a blind eye to. “Man, your wife was screwing your daughter's high school boyfriend for months. Nat caught them on the day she left for college, and even recorded them. Nat used the recording to keep your wife from contacting her, then used it to ensure she didn’t hit Cooper again.”

“I-I, what…” he stutters in shock.

I frown. “How much do you know of what your wife did to mine, Henry?”

He swallows, anger and pain wavering off him as he admits, “I know she disciplined her.”

I nod. “By locking her in the small cupboard in the pantry.” He blinks, his face paling at my admission, and I continue, “By smacking her across the face, and starving her….”

“No, she wouldn’t…. I would have known she—” he tries to defend, but I cut him off.

“If that wasn’t the case, then explain why Natalie wanted nothing to do with her. You spent her childhood choosing your wife over her. School plays, graduations, moving to college, heck, even allowing her to spend time with Cooper before last year, and that was only because your wife wanted a break. You have put your wife first, so how would you know how Natalie was treated?” I state calmly despite my anger. I can feel Acid vibrating next to me, having not know the extent of Natalie’s upbringing, which is similar to ours.

Neglected and abused.

I shake my head and grab the paperwork before looking back at a frozen Henry.

“I’m sorry, man, but you’ll be lucky if Natalie even considers having a relationship with you, and I won’t sway her either way, because I know what it's like to have parents who don’t care.”

I give Acid a nod, then look over to Cooper, “Come on, kid, let's go make Sissy some dinner. Your dad will pick you up later.”

Cooper grins and quickly grabs his stuff before running over to me, shouting “bye” to his dad on his way past.

I help Cooper into my truck before rounding the hood and climbing in, feeling Henry’s eyes on me.

He came here to vet me, to try and intimidate me, and instead, he got some fucking home truths, and that’s only the smallest of them.

Natalie is an amazing, kind-hearted woman, something I took for granted, and he understands that as well.

I just don’t know whether we can become something more than what we are, whether we can trust each other, and whether we can move on from our childhoods and the false pregnancy.