Chapter 8

A few weeks later….

Grit

The moment church lets out, I check my phone. The thing has been blowing up for the last twenty minutes. At first, I was worried there was an emergency and something was wrong, but when I started reading Hailey’s texts coming through, I realized everything was fine. Apparently, my girl’s been reading some motorcycle club romance book tonight and is now on a fucking tear. She was hittin’ me with all kinds of questions. Asking if the Savage Knights were one-percenters and if we kill people. Wondering whether we run a gun trading business and own strip clubs. I had to stop reading her texts because I started chuckling out loud at some of her crazy-ass questions, and the prez wasn’t appreciating my lack of attention on club business.

I don’t bother opening the other eighteen unread texts she sent. I just dial her number instead. Damn, it’s only been a couple of hours, and I already miss her sweet voice.

“Does your club have sweet butts?” What the fuck? This is how she greets me?

I can tell by her tone that she’s in one of her moods. Fuck. Damn, those fucking books. My girl probably thinks I’m messing around with the club girls when she’s not with me. Which sure as hell isn’t the case. When she’s not with me, all I’m doing is thinking about her while attempting to take care of business. Besides, us Knights are loyal to the ones we love. We respect women and the sanctity of marriage. It’s one of our most sacred laws. You don’t claim a woman until you’re positive she’s the one. And when you do make that claim, your dick is owned for eternity. If shit goes south with your girl, you fucking stay in the ring and fight until your problems are fixed. You don’t stray and stick your dick where it don’t belong.

“Babe, can we talk about this later? It’s late, and I just finished dealing with a bunch of club shit. Don’t really want to talk about the Savage Knights right now. I want to talk about you and how my little girl is doing.” I’m hoping she’ll drop this shit for now. I know I need to fill her in on club life, but I’m not doing that tonight. Not when she’s got a bee flying around in her bonnet already.

“Don’t avoid the question, Grit. Now answer me.” She only ever uses my club name when she’s pissed with me about something. I haven’t even said anything yet, and she’s mad. Fuck.

“Yes, we do have sweet butts, but—” The girl doesn’t even let me finish explaining how shit works for us before she’s shrieking into her end of the phone.

“Have you slept with them?”

Fuck. Seriously, she’s going to drill me with this shit.

“Yes, but—” Again, she fucking cuts me off, and now I’m about to lose my goddamn mind.

“Is JoeJoe a sweet butt?” Thank goodness for the easy one.

“Yes, she is, but she’s not like the rest.”

Joe’s become a good friend, so it’s hard to see her as just one of the club girls who hangs around for entertainment. Sure, she screws around with the guys—lately, only one in particular—but she’s also someone we can turn to when we need female advice. Hell, I turn to her every other fucking day when it comes to needing advice on how to handle shit with my girl. I’m so afraid to mess things up with Hailey and want to have a female opinion before I act. So Joe’s been the one teaching me how to read women. And damn, she’s right. Because I’m reading that my girl is jealous and nervous and insecure about where she stands with me right now.

“Have you slept with her?” Shit. I spoke too soon. Talking about Joe is not going to be easy. I know my answer is going to piss my girl off, but I’m not going to lie to her.

“You have!” she practically shouts, letting my silence be my answer.

“Tell me when.”

“Babe, I’m not fucking talking about this shit over the phone. We are going to do this in person. Now—”

Again, she doesn’t fucking let me speak and I seriously want to throw my phone across the room.

“We’re talking about this now, or I’m hanging up on you.”

“We aren’t, and don’t you dare fucking hang up on me, woman!” The line goes dead the moment the words leave my mouth, and I pull it from my ear and stare at the thing, shocked as shit and pissed as hell. “Fuck! She fucking hung up on me.” I turn toward Ice who’s lounging on the couch looking at fucking ease, bastard, and give him a message to pass along to the prez. “Tell Axe I’m going to be tied up the next few days. I have to go deal with my girl once and for fucking all.”

I’m not going to be available for club business until I’ve handled this situation with Hailey. This bullshit wouldn’t be an issue if she had my ring on her finger and my cut on her back. She wouldn’t be so damn insecure or worried about what I’m doing when we’re not together because not only would we be together all the fucking time, but she’d understand exactly what it means to be my old lady. The only reason we’re not hitched yet is that brother of hers, who I need to fucking deal with sooner rather than later.

I bang on the door, and Bentley answers, still dressed in his police uniform. The guy probably sleeps in the thing and cuddles with his gun at night. Being an officer seems to be his sole identity now. I bet he tries to arrest people and writes out tickets even in his dreams. He never used to be so rigid and uptight, but I guess this job can do that to a person. It’s one of the reasons I love being a Savage Knight. We may be all business and take care of shit when we need to, but when it’s time to clock out, we leave that shit behind and live our lives. Bentley is never off the clock, and by the way he’s standing here glaring at me, he’s about to arrest my ass.

“Get the fuck lost, Burken.” He goes to close the door in my face, but I grip the wood with my hand and stop it.

“I’m not here for you, Officer. Two adults live here, so would you mind letting the other adult in the house know I’m here to see her?”

He calls out over his shoulder, “Hailey! The jackass is here to see you, want me to let him in?”

“No!” Her sassy little response comes from her room and pisses me the fuck off. Damn, she’s stubborn.

“I suggest you leave now. You’re trespassing on private property, and I’d hate to have to arrest you for that. I’m off the clock, and the last thing I want to deal with right now is more fucking paperwork.”

I shake my head at the man, who in spite of the fact he despises me, l still consider a brother. “You love fucking threatening me, don’t you? Every single fucking chance you get. I always had your fucking back, Bent. Still do. Yet you want to pin my ass to the wall just for the fuck of it.”

“Really? You had my fucking back when you touched my underage sister?”

My fists clench by my sides, and my teeth lock together so tight they might break. I grit out the words that I despise even having to say because Bentley should know I’m not some perverted scumbag who would do that.

“I told you I never touched her. What you saw was me comforting her because she was depressed about leaving for college, and we fell asleep. That was it. She was eighteen and legal at the time, and I still didn’t and wouldn’t have laid a hand on her then. Now quit accusing me of that shit because the next time you do, I swear you’ll fucking regret it. You both were family to me. I wouldn’t have betrayed either of you like that, and I’m not a sick fucker.”

“How the fuck do you ever expect me to believe anything you say? You’re a no-good fucking criminal who should be locked up. You can say whatever the fuck you want, but I know what kind of man you really are. The killing kind. Now, like I told you before, you touch my sister or do anything to hurt her, I’ll blow your fucking brains out. I may not be able to keep you from seeing her anymore because she’s back in town now, but I sure as hell can keep you away from her. I’m dead fucking serious, Burken. You’ll be ten feet under before I let you in her bed again.”

A gasp comes from somewhere behind him. We both turn our attention toward the sound. My girl is standing at the edge of the room, looking like she’s just seen a ghost. “When did you become this person?” Her whispered question is directed at the man in front of me.

“Hailey—” He goes to talk, but she cuts him off. Damn, she’s good at that. I’m going to need to teach her a lesson on interrupting people when they’re trying to speak. Either that or every time I’m trying to have a conversation with the girl, I’ll have to fill her mouth with my dick so she can’t interrupt.

“Derek never touched me, Bentley. He never even looked at me in any other way than as a sister back then. How could you think such a thing? How could you think that man is anything but good?”

She’s just as horrified by the accusation as I am. And the fact that she’s defending me, only makes me love her that much more.

“I saw you two together. I didn’t know what had happened. I knew you were crazy in love with him, and I figured he took advantage of the situation.”

“You figured wrong!” she shrieks. “Why didn’t you ask me, Bentley? Now, I know who I get it from.” I’m not sure what she’s talking about, but if it’s about making wrongful assumptions about situations, then yeah, she definitely can do that. Like the one she made tonight about me and the sweet butts.

“Because I knew you’d lie for him, Hailey. You loved him. Of course, you’d say whatever was needed to protect him.”

“You are so wrong, Bentley.” She shakes her head, looking horrified. “You are not the brother I once knew. I don’t know who you are anymore. Accusing an innocent, loving man of horrid things, lying to me and trying to control my every move, threatening to kill the guy you once considered your best friend and was, is, our family. Wait…” She suddenly pauses, looking as if some kind of light bulb clicked on. “When you said you kept him from seeing me… Oh my God. Did you do something to stop him from visiting me, Bentley?” Her eyes are wide and searching. She turns to me, and I know she finds the truth the moment she sees my face.

“Oh my God! You did. What the hell has happened to you?” She shakes her head. “If Mom and Dad knew how you’ve been behaving, they’d be rolling over in their graves. How could you do that? You knew how much he meant to me. You knew I needed him and how much I was hurting. Every time he canceled on a trip, and I cried on the phone to you, you painted him as a jerk for not making the effort, yet you were the reason he didn’t come. Did you threaten him like you just did?” She looks from him to me. “Did he threaten you?”

I don’t want to lie to her, but I know the truth is going to break her. She loves Bentley, and this is going to hurt. Thankfully, I don’t have to be the one to break her heart.

“Yes, Hailey, but I only did it because—”

“No, Bentley! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear your sorry-ass excuses for why you lied to me and not only betrayed me but betrayed your best friend. The man who gave up his life and moved in with us when Mom and Dad died. The man who picked up the pieces and glued us back together. Who helped us get through the hardest times of our lives. I don’t care what you say. You may be a man of the law now, but you are not a good man. I’m done with you, Bentley. I’m moving the fuck out, and I’m done.” She storms right past him and right into my arms, and the man behind her looks like his world has just shattered.

“Baby.” I hug her tight, wanting to offer her comfort but needing to fix this. “You may hate what he did, but you shouldn’t fault him for it.” I lift her chin to look at me. “He loves you more than life itself. He was scared and was the one left in charge with protecting you from here on out. He was doing what he thought was right. He may have been wrong to make the assumptions about us, but he wasn’t wrong for wanting to protect you.”

It’s the reason I never beat his ass for his accusations because I knew they were coming from a good place: fear and love.

“He wasn’t wrong for wanting his sister to be with someone who’s not carrying so much baggage around. He just went about protecting you the wrong way.”

She’s shaking her head. The tears streaming down her cheeks are making my damn heart ache.

“He loves you, baby. We both do. And he’s scared for your future. He’s a first-time parent, babe,” I tease, trying to lighten the moment and ease some of the tension in the room. “And you didn’t come with an instruction manual. But what he and I both need to realize,” I say, wiping the tears from her cheeks and staring into her beautiful eyes, “is that you’re a woman now. A wise one at that. And it’s time for you to make your own decisions and to learn from your own mistakes. The only thing I can guarantee is that I’m not a mistake.”

I look up over her shoulder and meet another set of glistening eyes. “I will never hurt her. I love her with all my heart and only want what’s best for her. I know I’m no Prince Charming, Bent, and I do have some shit in my past, but I won’t bring that to our future. The only thing I want to bring to her future is happiness. I want you to trust me when I say my intentions are good, Bentley. Because when it comes to this incredible woman…” I look back down at the girl of my dreams, my heart giving me a good thump. “I know she’s one in a million. I know I’d be the luckiest man on the planet if she agreed to be mine till death do us part. And I’d be the sorriest man alive in a world not worth living in if I ever hurt her. So please, brother.” I swallow hard. “Trust when I say she’s safe with me and that I’ll protect this heart of hers.”

“Oh, Derek!” Hailey reaches up onto her toes and plants her lips to mine. I hold her to me, kissing her like my life depends on it. I kiss her like I’m sealing the vow I just made to her. I kiss her like a man kisses a woman to let her know that this is it. This is the moment, and there’s no going back. Not for me. And as far as I’m concerned, not for her.

I pull back, allowing us both to catch our breaths, and I take in my beautiful girl. Her eyes are twinkling with love and lust, and it’s the prettiest she’s ever looked.

“I love you,” she whispers. “I love you so much that the thought of not being with you is more terrifying than death to me. You’re my home, Derek. You’re the one who brought me out of that miserable fog and made the sun shine in my world again. You’re the one who always picked up the phone and listened when I felt lost and alone. You’ve shown me what true love is. And I can’t thank you enough.”

She turns and looks toward her brother. “I love you, too, Bentley, and that will never change. You’re all I have left as far as relatives go, but I don’t just love you because you’re my brother, I love you because you’re my best friend. The guy who sacrificed so much to take care of me and make it to where I didn’t have to go live in a group home after Mom and Dad died. You have always done everything you can to make sure I felt loved, safe, and protected, and I appreciate that more than you will ever know, but this…what you did with Derek was wrong. But…” She shakes her head. “I forgive you for it. Derek is right. You only meant well, and I know that.”

“Hailey.” He reaches for her and pulls her from me, tucking her into his chest and wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I’m so damn sorry. I’ve been such an asshole for so long and have been so blind and jaded by work, and so fucking screwed up in the head. I messed up. With both of you.” He looks up at me. “I messed up so damn bad that I don’t blame you if you can never forgive me, but I hope like hell one day you’ll be able to. I hope one day I’ll earn both of your trust again, and that you’ll call me a friend again, Derek.”

Now I have fucking tears in my eyes. Dammit. Why does shit have to be so damn heavy sometimes? I’m ready to put all of this behind us. I’m ready for the fucking rain clouds to go away and the sun to permanently come out. I need my girl smiling, and I need to see one on my brother’s face too.

“I never stopped, man,” I tell him. “I mean…I may have called you a few choice words from time to time, but I never gave up hope that one day this shit would be behind us. You have been and will always be my family. Both of you. I just hope that with your permission, I’ll actually get to call you a brother. Because I want to ask this sister of yours if she’ll be my wife.”

Hailey lets out another gasp, her smile so wide and bright it’s blinding. Damn, I love this girl.

“Hell fucking yeah, you have my blessing.” I look up, and Bentley’s smile is just as wide. They really are alike. Two stubborn hotheads who can make all the horrible shit in the world fade away with their love and acceptance.

I reach for my girl and pull her from his arms. “What do you say, baby? You gonna put me out of my misery and say you’ll be mine, or are you going to make me get down on my knees and grovel? I want you, baby. For life. You’re it for me, and I sure as hell hope that I’m it for you.”

Her sly little grin makes me think my girl is gonna give me a run for my money. And hell, I’ll be sprintin’ after her sexy ass.

“Considering the fact that I’ve always been the one chasing you around, I think you should get down on your knees and beg, but since we’ve got company right now, I don’t think it’s an appropriate time for that.”

“Gross, none of that shit, Hailey.” Bentley shakes his head, looking disgusted, and I can’t help but chuckle. “I may be cool with you two being together, but I do not want to know what goes on behind closed doors. And it fucking better always be behind closed doors when I’m around.”

She giggles at Bentley’s remark and turns back toward me. “Well, then, we better get going so we don’t upset Mr. Grumpy Pants over here.” Bentley rolls his eyes, and for the first time in a long damn time, he seems like himself. Like the guy he was when we were kids, back when we were brothers.

“Baby.” I turn my attention back to my girl and grip her cheeks. “You still haven’t given me an answer.”

I didn’t think her smile could get any bigger or that my world could get any brighter, but when she starts jumping up and down in my arms like a giddy little girl who just won a pony, shouting “Yes! Yes! Yes!” it’s as though all the rough waters from my past settle and her heart has now become my life’s anchor.

I grip the back of her neck and stare into her gorgeous eyes. “Thank you, babe. Thank you so damn much for loving me.”

She shakes her head, a tear slipping down her rosy cheek. “Loving you is easy, Derek. It’s always been easy.”

I look over my pretty girl’s shoulder, checking in on her brother, and see it written on his face. I think he’s feeling just as thankful as I am to have our family back.

“We should all go out to eat and celebrate,” I suggest.

“Not tonight!” Hailey practically shouts, gripping her nails into my shirt. Her fierce stare has me chuckling again. Seems as though my horny girl has other plans in mind, and I sure as hell won’t be arguing with that. Her little pussy needs some attention and I’ll never leave her hanging out to dry, which means that celebratory dinner will have to wait.

“Nah, you two go have fun,” Bentley states, kindly taking his sister’s hint. “I’m beat and going to hit the sack. But I’ll take a rain check on that dinner because it’s definitely worth celebrating.”

Hailey steps out of my arms and back over to Bentley. “I love you, Bent. Always.” They grab onto each other and hang on tight, and my heart pounds hard, relieved to know that she’ll never have to make a choice. She’ll never have to choose between us because we’re always going to be her family. Damn, do I feel like one lucky son-of-a-bitch.

When she pulls away, Bentley hits me with another look of guilt. “I don’t just owe you an apology, Grit. I owe your men one too. I also owe them a huge fucking thank you for dealing with that drug scum bastard.”

I know he’s talking about the fucker we just recently took out. We learned some nasty shit was getting around to kids in the schools, and a few died because of it. The Savage Knights not only don’t want drugs dirtying up our town but we also don’t like when kids are preyed upon, so we dealt with that drug dealing scum and gave him an overdose of our own kind of justice. Let’s just say that fucker isn’t going to be draining any hard-earned tax dollars sitting in a jail cell.

I’m actually surprised that Bentley’s okay with how we handled things, given the badge he swears his loyalty to. But hell if I’m going to question it. His moral compass is pointing in the right direction as far as I’m concerned.

“By the way, Derek, if I ever come across that piece of shit whose only good contribution in this world was you, I’ll kill him with my own bare hands and claim it was self-defense.”

And once again, my eyes are fucking stinging. He has no idea what that means to me. “Thanks, brother.” I force the words past the emotion trying to choke me up. “For all that you did back then, and for this. You both have shown me what family really means, and I can’t thank you enough.”

He nods, looking as though he’s feeling it too. “All right, you two get out of here before I start crying like a baby.”

Yeah, you and me both. My girl gives him one last hug and then steps up to me, wrapping me up in her sweet loving arms.

“I love you both. Now, you heard him. It’s time to take me to the place where all the magic happens, Derek.”

I start to laugh as Bentley grumbles something in the background about not wanting to hear that shit. I scoop my girl up and carry her out the door, placing her on my bike and handing her my helmet.

“So,” she says, pulling the thing down over her head. “Are you going to put a ring on it and make it official?” Her question makes me realize I should have come prepared. I have her ring back at the clubhouse, and as soon as we get back there, I’m going to get down on bended knee and do this the right way.

“It’s official, baby. Diamond or not. You are fucking mine.”

She bites down on her smile, her cheeks blushing something fierce. God, I love to see my girl happy. “I was talking about a cock ring.” She smiles. “But a diamond works too.”

Her sexy little smart ass has my cock ready to break free from its cell. I have one of those kinds of rings, too, and she’ll definitely be getting that one tonight upon her request.

“Come on, babe.” I kiss the end of her nose. “It’s time for us to get going. We’ve got a future to start planning.”

“But first,” she bites down on her lip, “you’re going to make love to your fiancé.”

I sure as hell am. My priorities may have been skewed these last four years on account of my hands being tied to a hell of a lot of fear, but that will never be the case again. My girl will always come first. Come hell or high water, she’ll always be my number one priority. Hailey is my everything, and I’ll be spending the rest of my life proving just how much she means to me. And… proving to her sexy little body, that I was the right choice.