Chapter Fifteen

Devil

AS OUR FAMILY members make their way into the clubhouse, Raptor stands from the table and hands Matie back to me. He doesn't say a word to me as he walks away and meets up with Geek when their parents walk through the door and Jennifer is brushing something off her jeans as if she fell or something in the parking lot of the club. Killer is right behind them, his eyes searching the room for his daughter as my brother joins her at the table. I watch on as he makes a beeline straight for Hope and pulls her into his arms when she stands from the table. Genesis pulls the bottom of my tee-shirt as I watch everyone continue to enter while my grandpa talks to Carson next to Hope.

"Can you take Matie and me to the couch where Morgan's sitting, please? I feel like I'm in the way here with all your family members showing up," she asks me, her voice barely above a whisper as I lean down to hear her.

"You're not in the way, Sweetness. Our family wants to get to know you and Matie. You're just as much part of our family as anyone else in this room," I tell her as Caleb pulls her chair back and gives me a look over the top of her head.

"You know this shit is chaos. Let her have some time and you can take our parents and grandparents over to her when things have calmed down a little bit more," he tells me, a knowing look in his eyes as I turn back to face Genesis.

"Of course. Let's go, Sweetness," I tell her as my grandpa turns to look at me and watches as I help her from the table.

He gets an angry glint in his eye when he takes in the sling holding her arm in place and the way she stands so slow and careful because of her ribs. Without words, I let him know I'll explain everything when the time is right as Killer steps up next to him and stares Genesis down. She literally shrinks into herself under his gaze since she doesn't know him. I help her away from the table and walk her over to where Morgan is sitting on the couch with the TV on low in front of her.

"Devil, you have to talk to them today. If you don't, you're gonna lose Raptor for good. You're both amazing men and I don't want to see either one of you continue to hurt the way you are right now. It looks as if Raptor is leaving with his family. When he gets back, pull both of your family members aside and have the talk," she whispers just before we get to Morgan.

"I will, Sweetness. I've already made up my mind to do this. Caleb has been talkin' to me about it and he'll be right at our side. I'd prefer to tell my family first, but I know we need to do this once Raptor gets back with his family. I don't want to have to say this more than once. Especially when I'm still so unsure what they're gonna say in response," I promise her, my voice breaking as I lean forward to press a kiss against her forehead, lingering for longer than ever before as Matie squirms in my arms.

"Give me my buddy," Morgan says, standing up and taking him from my arms before sitting down and moving a pillow over for Genesis.

I help her get settled on the couch with the pillow under her arm to help her keep it elevated. Once she assures me she's okay and doesn't need anything else, I make my way back over to the table where my parents, grandparents, Carson, Hope, Caleb, and Hope's family are standing. There are small groups all over the common room as the families greet their sons and siblings get to see one another again. The only exceptions to this are Vault, Annabell, Valor, and Savannah. They'll always be everyone's family here, but their dad is no longer alive to make the trip and spend time with his boys and grandchildren. Vault is currently holding his daughter as I catch his eye and he gives me a sad smile. Yeah, this shit still gets to him and Valor because Hound should be here with us. Their uncle should be here too.

"Dylan, it's so good to see you," my mom says, pulling me into her arms, squeezing me as tight as she can while resting her shoulder on my arm. "All of my boys are finally back under the same damn roof."

"We are. It's been nice havin' Caleb here to hang out with. Though I know you've missed him more than Carson and I have. You're his mom after all," I tell her, keeping my arms around her until she finally pulls back and I get hugged by Shy.

"You look like you've got the weight of the world resting on your shoulders, Dylan. You know we're gonna make you talk about shit while we're here," she states, her voice letting me know this won't be up for debate.

"I know. And I'll talk. I'm just waitin' on somethin' and then we'll all sit down together. It's really important and I don't want anyone else but Killer and Tank there if Tank and Maddie are comin' down," I promise her as my dad steps up and takes me from Shy's arms.

"They'll be here. Maddie wanted to stop in Cedar Bay to see the grandbabies before they got here. You know how your aunt is. She'll probably take one or two of the babies and bring them here with her so the boys have to chase their kids down," my dad informs me, laughter filling his voice because it's the truth.

Tank won't stop her either. Whatever Aunt Maddie wants, Aunt Maddie gets. He spoils her rotten and it doesn't matter if it means his sons have to leave their house to take their kids back from her. He spoils the grandkids just as much as she does. If you want to see the softest side of Tank, put one of his grandbabies in front of him and you'll never meet a softer man than him. Maddie is a close second to that, but those kids are their entire world and he doesn't give a fuck who knows it.

"I'll make sure the extra rooms are set up for the triplets then," Annabell says walking over to our group so she can hug her mom and dad.

Annabell is also my aunt after my grandparents adopted her. When it comes to things like this, she still holds back and doesn't assert herself into the greeting. I'm gonna want her here when Raptor and his family get back from lunch. Vault too. If this chapter of the club is gonna have a problem with our relationship, it'll be good to know that shit now instead of waiting to tell everyone here later on.

"Annabell, will you make sure you're available to meet with the family in a little while? Vault too," I ask her, nerves already filling me as she looks up at me with a soft smile on her face.

"We'll always be there when you need us, Devil. You don't even have to ask. I might not be your aunt by blood, but I love our family and you will always come second to Vault and our kids. Spend time with them and let us know when you're ready to talk," she says, hugging me close before greeting her mom and dad.

"Son, are you okay?" my dad asks me, pulling me to the side away from the rest of our group as he turns to face me.

"No, I'm not. I'm hopin' once we have this talk in a little while that I'll feel a whole lot better," I answer him honestly.

"Okay. We're not goin' anywhere. I'll let Tank and Maddie know when they get here. I hope part of this talk later involves what happened to that girl you were just with. Genesis, yeah?" he states, his eyes making their way over to where she sits talking to Morgan while playing one handed with Matie.

"It will."

Raptor and his family have just gotten back from lunch. I look to Annabell who nods her head and stands from the table with Vault, Valor, and Savannah. Vault stands up with her and they head down the hall to the game room we have back there for the kids. That will give us the privacy we need for this conversation.

"Can you guys go with Annabell and Vault, please?" I ask my family as I stand from the table we've been sitting at for the last two hours.

"Yeah. Anyone else comin' with us?" my dad asks me, looking around the common room.

"Killer, I'd like you to be there too, please. The triplets can go in too since they're family. I'll be right in," I tell them as I make my way over to Raptor and his family. "Jennifer, Boy Scout, Wood, it's good to see you all again. Can I ask if you would come with us to the game room? We need to have a talk about somethin' really important. Probably the most important conversation I'll ever have with anyone in my life."

"Of course," Wood answers me as Raptor opens his mouth to say something, but quickly shuts it when he can't think of anything.

I hang back and let his parents and Geek walk in front of us. Looking over toward the couch, Genesis is looking at me and I give her a tentative smile because I'm nervous as fuck.

"What is this about, Dylan?" Wade asks me as we follow his family to the game room.

"You wanted me to share our relationship with our family members and this is me doin' that. We'll start with our family and then add in everyone else in the club. I can't do it all at once. I hope you understand that," I answer him honestly, clenching my hands into fists so I don't take his hand in mine as we get to the entrance of the game room to find our family members sitting around the room.

"You don't have to do this, Dylan. If you're not ready, you can wait," Wade says, hope filling his voice which tells me this is the right decision. No matter what the outcome is, today is the day I start fixing my relationship with the only man I'll ever love.

"Yes, I do. I'm never gonna be a hundred percent ready to do this, but it's now or never," I answer him, stepping forward enough to pull the doors closed behind me so no one else overhears our conversation. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and just stand there for a minute before opening my eyes, releasing my breath and looking around the room at everyone I hold close to me. "I'm sure you're all wonderin' why I asked you to be here today. I'm goin' to share somethin' I've been keepin' a secret for years with you all. Wade has been the only one to know up until very recently.

"I know we're not supposed to keep secrets in the club, and I'm truly sorry for doin' so. This isn't a club secret though. This is personal and somethin' Wade kept to himself because of me. He wanted to share it with others and I made him wait. We've been in a relationship since the end of my junior year of high school. It was just before I turned eighteen. Nothin' happened until after I was of age. Yes, we still want to share a woman, Genesis, but we're also together. The entire reason I didn't want to say anythin' to anyone in this room, the club, or anyone else we know is because I was scared of how you'd all react. I've looked up to my dad, grandpa, and Killer my entire life. You three are the kind of man I want to be and I only want to make you proud every single day I'm lucky enough to wake up. In keepin' this between us, I've not only lied to the club and my family, but I've hurt Wade.

"Wade is the one person I've never wanted to hurt for any reason, and it's the exact thing I did on a daily basis for fuckin' years. I hope you can all forgive me for the lies, sneakin' around, and the pain I've caused. I don't ever want you to look at me differently, but I'm not gonna keep lyin' about who I love and want to spend my life with," I say, grabbing Wade's hand and turning to look at him with tears in my eyes. "Wade, I do love you. I don't even remember when I first started lookin' at you differently now, but it's only ever been you. I will spend the rest of our days makin' all the bullshit up to you any way I can if you choose to forgive me and give me another chance. I'm so, so sorry for all the pain I've caused you."

No one in the room says a word for the longest time. It feels as if an eternity passes by and the only sound in the room is my rapidly beating chest as I cling to Wade. I don't look at anyone around us and stare at the floor. When I hear someone move in the room, I look up to find my dad making his way over to me. Without saying a word, he pulls me into his arms and holds me as I break down once again.

"I don't know why you'd ever think we wouldn't accept you and who you love, Dylan. If you want to be with Wade and Genesis, then be with them. I'm your dad and I will always love you no matter what. I'm not disappointed or upset for any reason. And, I have to admit somethin'," my dad says, stepping back among the rest of our family members as Killer steps up next to him.

"As Carson found out when he talked to me about datin' my baby girl, Playboy and I followed him one night to find out exactly what he was doin' when he was goin' out. There were so many girls and your parents were worried about becomin' grandparents too young. Of Carson gettin' some girl pregnant and bein' stuck with her for life. So we followed them and realized he wasn't datin' those girls to be with them sexually. It was a way to ensure both of them were out of the house on a weekend and not lonely. Every single girl was nothin' more than a friend or classmate," Killer says, looking around the room as Caleb starts laughing his ass off in the back by our grandpa.

"Anyway," my dad begins, waiting until Caleb stops laughing. "We all saw a massive change in the both of you around the time you started your relationship. So, once again, Killer and I followed the two of you and realized there was definitely more to you than bein' best friends. We've kept your secret all these years and didn't even share with Wood, Boy Scout, or Jennifer. Son, we've known all these years and neither one of us has ever treated you any different than how we did before we saw what you two were."

"Fuck," I say, burying my head in Wade's shoulder as I close my eyes against the embarrassment running through me right now.

"And neither did I," Killer says, his voice closer to me than before. "Dylan, you're one of the best guys I've had the privilege of mentorin' and spendin' time with. I've watched you grow up into the young man you are today and it's truly been an honor. I don't give a fuck who you're in a relationship with. It changes nothin' in my eyes. And honestly you and Wade are perfect for one another. Don't keep shit like this from your family again. Neither one of you."

"Dylan, I love you," my grandpa says, stepping up to us and pulling Wade and me into his arms. "Wade, you've always been there with my grandson and kept him out of his head when he really needed it. I've always suspected things were more between the two of you as well. You weren't very good at hidin' the way you look at one another when you felt no one else was watchin'. We don't judge others for any reason and that includes the two of you. I'm sorry you felt that we'd react horribly and couldn't come to us with this aspect of your relationship. I should have done more to make sure you know that I'm okay with every single part of you. Nothin' will ever change that, Dylan."

"You know Boy Scout and I don't give a fuck about that kind of shit. Honestly, we've had that talk about goin' there, but it's not for us. It doesn't mean it's wrong for either one of us though. Wade, if you're happy with Dylan and want to be with him, then be with him. Devil, the same goes for you. We're happy as long as you're both happy. And you give your moms some grandbabies. You both know that's gonna come up very soon. Jennifer is already lookin' at all sorts of baby shit," Wood says, stepping up and pulling us from my grandpa to hold us in his arms as Boy Scout joins us.

"I agree with everythin' everyone here in this room has said. You're both the best men we know and don't give a fuck who you love. If that's one another, Genesis, or anyone else. We only want your happiness," Boy Scout adds in, pulling me away from Wade and Boy Scout to hug. "Dylan, you've always worried about makin' us upset or disappointed in you one way or another. Stop that shit. I know where you're comin' from more than most in this club. I'm tellin' you it's gonna lead to nothin' more than heartache and a ton of stress you don't need. Work on that. Lean on Wade and Genesis."

"Devil and Raptor, if you don't come to the club with this shit, I will personally kick both your asses. No one here will ever judge you for bein' together. If they do, they'll quickly learn where the fuckin' door is. Valor and I grew up hearin' our dad tell us that you love who you love and it doesn't matter what gender the person is or what they look like. As long as the man or woman is good for you and makes you happy, then no one in this club will give a fuck about you two bein' together. And, I think at this point every single man and woman here have kind of figured out what's goin' on. Like Slim said, neither one of you have a very good mask in place when it comes to the other one. My only concern in this situation is Genesis. Does she know about the two of you?" Vault adds in his opinion honestly shocking the hell out of me by saying he'd kick people out of the club for not accepting us.

"She knows about us," Wade answers, speaking up for the first time as he steps closer and grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. "She caught us one time and I treated her horribly because of it. I think we've worked past that by now since we've been spendin' so much time together."

"Good. As long as she's cool with it, that's all that matters. What the three of you do and how your relationship is, no one here will give a fuck," Vault returns, taking Annabell in his arms as Tank and the triplets step up to me.

"You should've come to talk to me, Dylan. I would've helped you talk to everyone a lot sooner than today. You wouldn't have hurt Wade or anyone else," Tank says as the triplets nod next to their dad. "The boys would've been a good soundin' board too. They might be jackasses most of the time, but they'll listen and help you just as anyone else will. You're blood and that means more than almost anythin' else."

The triplets and Tank hug Wade and I, joking and talking to us as our moms stand back with Shy holding them both. All three women have tears in their eyes and I know they're upset because I didn't feel as if we could talk to them.

"Mom," I say, my voice breaking as she leaves Shy's side and races to me.

"I love you, Dylan. Don't ever do this shit to us again. Nothin' you do will ever change the love we have for you. Wade has always been a member of our family and that will never change. We'll always accept you for who you truly are no matter what that looks like," my mom says, her voice trembling with the tears slowly sliding down her face.

"Jennifer and I agree with Sam," Shy adds in, stepping up and pulling us into her arms so she's holding Wade, his mom, my mom, and me. "You boys are among the best I've had the privilege of knowin' and helpin' raise. Next time, come to us. Now, take us out so we can meet Genesis and our new grandbaby."

Everyone in the room laughs. After several more minutes of us talking and everyone reassuring us that no one will bat an eye at Wade and I being together, we leave the game room and make our way to the common room. Wade and I walk behind everyone else as we enter. The room is full of the remaining family members, club members, Morgan, Kat, and Genesis. King is the first one to notice Wade and I holding hands. He stands from his table and starts clapping his hands, drawing everyone's attention as they look in our direction.

"It's about fuckin' time," King calls out, his voice echoing in the common room as everyone joins him in cheering for the two of us.

Wade surprises the hell out of me by turning me to face him, looking deep into my eyes, and pressing his lips against mine. The cat calls fade to nothing as he deepens the kiss, but keeps it brief. When he pulls back, I rest my forehead against his. The rest of the club members and ol' ladies come over to congratulate us and tell us it's about damn time we got this shit out in the open. I guess Caleb was wrong about only one person knowing our secret. It seems as if everyone knew and was just waiting for me to get my head out of my ass to be ready to share the news with the rest of our family.