Chapter Fourteen

Raptor

TODAY'S THE DAY our parents will be here. Everyone is coming down to Pine View for a visit. Caleb stopped home before showing up here, but he didn't spend much time there. He wanted to see his brothers and the rest of us here so he made the trip and now our parents are coming down to celebrate his return home. Caleb left the military for good and is now trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. All he knows is that he loves to ride and wants to be in a club somewhere. Caleb's just not sure if he'll remain with the Phantom Bastards or if he'll start a new club on his own. None of us know what to tell him because we all knew from a young age we'd be in the Phantom Bastards. Caleb isn't just thinking about himself though. He's got some teammates who will want to join him in a club and that's part of why this decision is so hard on him.

None of us are working today. The Prospects are at each business doing what work needs to be done and helping out customers. Deegan is going to work Enchantment tonight for Devil and Bronx is running the auto parts store for me today. I'm going to be here so I can hang out with my parents today. It's been a while since I saw them and I've honestly missed them. I've also missed the girls who didn't come down here with us. We grew up around them and spent every single day with the girls. Now, we've got a few of them here with us but it's not the same as when we're all together in the same place.

"You look lost in thought," Hope says, her voice startling me out of my head as I sit alone in the common room.

"Just thinkin' about how good it will be to see everyone. It's been a while," I tell her as she takes a seat at the table with me.

"Yeah. I miss everyone. I'm glad I moved here and that Carson and I got our shit worked out. It wouldn't have happened if I stayed home and didn't risk living my life the way I want. Now they'll be here and it will feel like old times even if we're at a different clubhouse," Hope says, a smile on her face as she looks over at me. "You've been off for a while now. Are you okay, Raptor?"

"Yeah. I mean, no. I'll be okay though. Just a lot goin' on and decisions have been made for me and I feel as if I have no say in the matter. Plus I've been helpin' Genesis with Matie and things are strained at the house right now. Not because of her. There are other reasons. Ya know, I never thought I'd be happy with a kid in my life who wasn't mine. When I'm with Matie, it doesn't even matter. I don't think about him not bein' my kid or anythin'. Everything I do in that house is for him and Genesis. Devil's the same way from what I've heard. I'm not sure what they're doin' right now. I left as soon as Devil woke up," I tell Hope, the smile leaving my face as I think about the three of them at the house while I'm sitting at the clubhouse all alone.

"Why would you leave just because Devil woke up? I don't understand what the hell is going on between the two of you, Raptor. You know you can talk to anyone here in the clubhouse about what's going on. We're all here for you. I know you still feel guilt over what happened to me at the store, but it wasn't on you. Wade, you're one of the best men I know. We can all see that you feel somethin' for Genesis. Instead of letting Dylan be the man to have her, get the hell up there and let yourself be happy. Get the relationship you want. No matter what that looks like," Hope says, my head snapping up to look at her with the way she says that about the relationship.

"What are you sayin', Hope?" I ask as Caleb joins us at the table with a smile on his face.

"I told Dylan that at least one person in this club knew what was goin' on with you. It doesn't surprise me that Hope's the one who knows your secret," he says, bumping his shoulder into Hope as she leans into him for a hug while keeping her eyes locked on me.

"You know?" I question her, my voice broken as we stare at one another.

"I do. When we were still in Benton Falls, I was sitting out in my spot in the woods. Carson is the only one who knew where I went when I needed to disappear. One day, the two of you walked through and still never saw me. You were holding hands and stopped in the middle of the clearing. Devil kissed you and I've never seen anything so fucking passionate and sexy in my life. It's a little weird to think of it because it's the two of you and we all grew up together. I could tell that no one knows what's going on with the two of you, so I kept it to myself. This isn't my secret to tell anyone. If the two of you aren't ready to share, then you're not," Hope says, her voice low as people move through the common room.

"That's the thing. I do want to tell people about us. We still want to have Genesis with the two of us, but Devil doesn't want to tell anyone about the two of us. I feel like I'm some kind of dirty little secret to him. It's not fair to me. Genesis knows what's goin' on between the two of us. She walked in and caught us together. At the end of the day, I can't be with someone who refuses to talk to anyone about us. I want my family to know that I'm with Devil and Genesis. Devil is more than my best friend. He's the guy I love and want more than anyone else. Other than Genesis of course. Until he's ready to share the news, I'm not gonna let myself be with him," I tell Caleb and Hope as I lower my head and try to keep my emotions under control.

"He's ready, Wade. I have a feelin' that when our parents show up, your secret will be out. Dylan's scared of everyone's reaction and I can't say that I blame him. While the rest of us know he has nothin' to worry about, Dylan is stuck on those who would have a problem with the two of you bein' in a relationship. People neither one of you even know. I had a long talk with him and he came out and shared everythin' with me. Dylan wants a future with the two of you. He wants the three of you to have children and everythin' else. No one is gonna stop my brother once he puts his mind to somethin'. You know that as well as I do. Just prepare yourself for the conversation that's about to be held. If it doesn't happen today, don't let it get to you. Dylan is gonna make sure your parents and ours spend time with everyone. I have a feelin' he'll want Killer there too. He looks up to him and doesn't want him to feel different about him as a person because of who he chooses to love," Caleb says, leaning forward as the front door opens and I watch Dylan and Genesis make their way in the common room of the clubhouse.

"My dad isn't gonna feel any different about Dylan when he learns the truth. I know my dad and understand how Dylan would feel that way. It's not the truth though. If anyone in this club isn't going to judge him, it will be him. I mean he's a firm believer in loving who you want because life is too damn short to do anything less than that," Hope says as Dylan and Genesis make their way over to us.

"Mind if we join you?" Dylan asks, his deep voice washing over me and sending a chill through me like it has since we started seeing one another years ago.

"Free country," I mumble as Dylan shifts Matie in his arms before pulling out a chair for Genesis to sit next to me. "You need a drink of anythin', Angel?"

"No, thank you. I'm good I just had lunch at the house and I'm honestly ready for a nap," Genesis answers me, her voice soft and melodic as she looks at me with a smile on her face.

"If you want to rest, you can go up in my room, Angel. I just changed the sheets and stuff this mornin'. I can take you up there now and come get you when everyone gets here," I tell her, my voice almost a whisper as I lean closer to Genesis and let the vanilla and apple scent of her body wash fill me. I've come to love the smell of Genesis and know exactly when she enters a room before I even see her.

"I'm okay, Raptor. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Both of you have done so much to help me and I'll never be able to repay you. For now, I'm going to sit here and try not to hit my shoulder again," she says, a grimace on her face as I immediately look at her arm.

"Sweetness, you didn't tell me you hit your arm before we left the house. What happened?" Devil questions, fear in his voice as he starts to pull his phone from his pocket.

"That's why I didn't tell you. You'll want to call Doc to come see me. It aches a little more than normal, but I'm okay. I was leaving the bedroom and stumbled a little bit. My shoulder bumped into the door frame and jostled me just enough to make the area ache more. I promise if it starts to hurt more, I'll let one of you know," Genesis says, resting her hand on my thigh under the table as I reach over to take Matie from Devil.

"I'm gonna hold you to that shit, Angel. And if I see you gettin' tired, you're gonna go up and rest. Our families are loud, boisterous, and will drain your energy without meanin' to. I think my mom wants to go to a late lunch when they get here so I might not be here all the time, but Devil has a room here and can take you to his if I'm not here," I tell her, my voice lost as the door opens and I look over my shoulder to see our family members streaming in the door with the largest smiles on their faces. "I hope you're ready for this, Angel. You're about to get a crash course in Phantom Bastard family right now."

Caleb and I stand from the table and watch as person after person file through the clubhouse door. Slim is first and he heads straight for Dylan as I spot Carson making his way in the room from upstairs. I turn my head as Slim embraces his grandson while looking for my parents. My brother, Geek, steps up next to me and I look at him with a smile on my face. He's been doing his own thing and I haven't really seen him around the clubhouse too much lately. That will have to change because we used to talk all the time and I feel as if I haven't seen him in months since we moved here. Finally, I spot our parents making their way through the door. Mom is brushing her pants off and I know something has happened out in the parking lot. Geek and I rush to their sides as the common room becomes a chaotic mess.

Mom, Geek, and our dads are sitting at the diner in town. While we love hanging out with everyone at the clubhouse and I know Shy and the ol' ladies planned a huge lunch for everyone, we chose to have some time to ourselves before we embrace the chaos. I think Mom just wants to know what's going on with Geek and me without worrying about everyone else butting into our conversation and shit. Sometimes it's nice to have just some family time without everyone else around. Not often, but every now and then I just want to be alone with my parents and brother. Plus, it means I get to be away from Devil. I'm not ready to watch him sit with his family and not tell them about us yet again. It will kill me to know it's one more day that I can't be at his side.

"So, I want to hear all about what you two have been up to since we were last here?" Mom asks us, her voice filled with concern and happiness. There's also a touch of sadness in there as well.

"Mom, don't be sad. Raptor and I are livin' our lives the way we're supposed to. You know this is what we were plannin' on doin' the second we patched into the club," Geek says, his voice holding that touch of happiness only he can infuse into his words when our mom is around.

"I know. It doesn't mean that the house isn't empty as hell and we don't miss the two of you boys every single day. Your dads won't show how much they miss you, but I know my men better than anyone else. So, tell me how things are going. Especially about Genesis and her son," Mom says again, her voice wobbling slightly as our dads put their arms around her shoulders and waist while holding her close between them.

"I'm helpin' King and Valor with the security company. I never thought that's what I'd be doin' when I moved here, but I honestly love the work. Yesterday, I sent a team out with a band who just started their first tour. They didn't even realize they'd need a security team until their manager insisted on it. If I didn't put one together as fast as I did, they would've had to cancel their first show and refund all those fans who bought their tickets. No, I don't know the name of the band off the top of my head. From what I was told, it's a group of friends who made it big on social media and are embarking on tour as an openin' band for a huge act," Geek says, surprising all of us including myself.

"That's awesome! I'm sorry I haven't been around much, Geek. Things have been crazy with Genesis and the baby. I'll have to spend more time with you movin' forward," I promise my brother as he turns to look at me.

"You've had a lot goin' on, Raptor. I don't blame you at all. Honestly, I've barely been at the clubhouse. Ghost and I have been hangin' out away from the clubhouse. It's nothin' against anyone there, we just don't want to be surrounded by everyone on a constant basis. It can be overwhelmin' with everythin' goin' on. You've been busy with Genesis and Matie and have your own shit goin' on. We all go through some shit every now and then and that's fine. Get your life situated and then we can hang out and you can tell me all about it," Geek tells me with a soft smile on his face.

Out of the two of us, my brother has always been the more sensitive and considerate. Yeah, he's right there with the rest of us causing trouble and being a menace. He would just rather hang out in a quiet location with a few people versus everyone in the club. The times it gets to be too much for him, he disappears until he's ready to return. It's how he's always been and I can't fault him for it. There's a lot of us when we're all together and it can be very chaotic and loud. It's one of the reasons I'm glad Genesis didn't put up a fight about staying in the house instead of the clubhouse when she first got hurt.

"Who is this Genesis we keep hearin' about?" my dad Boy Scout asks me, before turning to face the waitress who just showed up.

She's your typical woman who wants a walk on the wild side for a night or two as I watch her pull her top down, practically exposing her chest in a diner full of customers. She bats her eyelashes at my dads, brother, and me while completely ignoring my mom. That shit doesn't fly with any of us.

"If you can't take our order without flirtin', send someone else over," I bark out, startling the waitress. "In case you couldn't see, my dads are very happy with my mom and you don't stand a chance in hell with them. Better women have tried over the years and they see no one but her. I'm also not interested in anythin' you have to offer. I can't speak for my brother but I'm sure you're not his type when the first thing you do is almost expose yourself around kids."

"You can't talk to me like that," she says, her voice high and whiny, grating on my nerves.

"I can talk to you anyway I choose. You're the one disrespectin' us when we're just tryin' to have a family meal. I do know the owner of this business and she wouldn't appreciate the fact that her waitress is doin' the shit you are right now. She's fired people for far less," I state, my voice hard and cold as the waitress's eyes almost bulge out of her head and her face goes pale. "Get the hell out of here and send someone else over."

The waitress rushes away, fake crying as my parents look at me. I never used to be so damn hard when it comes to women. I'm sure it's everything getting to me after so long. My head is all over the place and I want to get the hell away from everyone and just shut the world away for a while. Unfortunately, I'm not able to do that shit because our family is in town and I won't ever make them feel as if I don't want them around me.

"Genesis is a woman who waitresses at Enchantment. Several weeks ago she was attacked outside the club. Beaten to hell really. Devil and I have been takin' care of her and her son as she recovers. She's still got a lot of healin' left to do. Her ribs were cracked and they dislocated her shoulder," I tell my parents as my dad Wood winces. He's had a dislocated shoulder and knows how horrible the recovery is.

"She has a son?" my mom asks me, watching as a new waitress walks up to our table and smiles at my mom and only her.

"Yeah. Matie's not quite a year old. Cutest baby ever. He's so good too. Never gives us any trouble and loves to play. Learnin' to give him a bath was quite the learnin' experience," I answer my mom as she starts laughing with me.

We all order our food and the waitress disappears without a fuss. She does apologize for the previous woman's behavior toward us though. While waiting for our food, Geek and I answer our parents' questions and no one brings up the fact that I'm so different from the last time they saw me. I guess that happens when you're confused and heartbroken. This visit will soon tell me if it's worth waiting for Devil to get his head out of his ass or not. If he doesn't say anything to his family about us, then I'll know it's time to move on and get over him. No, I'll never be with another man. Devil is the only one I've ever wanted and I don't see that changing at all. At the end of the day, I want to be happy. Yeah, I'd be happiest with Devil and Genesis but we don't always get what we want in life.