24. King

Chapter 24

King

"I don't really see the point to this meeting. I'm a grown-ass man. You had a chance to be my father years ago, and you didn't want it. I sure as fuck don't need you now. To be honest, I respect T and I might even grow to like Dom, but I don't have a spot in your life, Dragon."

I watch as he digests my words. My gaze drops down to Nicole, and she is studying me. Her face shows sadness, and I don't like it. That look is too close to pity, and that's the last thing I need or want. I'm no one to be pitied.

"Sounds like your mind is made up," Dragon says, watching me.

"It is."

"Nothing I can do to change it," he keeps going.

"Not a damn thing," I confirm as Nicole stands up. She walks over to me, making me eye her warily. I'm not quite sure what to make of this woman.

"Dragon fucked up," she admits. My eyebrow goes up in shock. "I'd be pissed, too, if I were you."

"Are you trying to help me, Mama?" Dragon asks, a smile not quite there, but still playing on his lips.

"Just stating the truth, sweetheart. You know you screwed up. Actually, you screwed up several times, but I don't think King needs to hear about our personal issues. Right?"

"Right," he says, shaking his head.

His focus comes back to me, and he sighs. I watch as he rubs the tension at the back of his neck, and for the millionth time, I hate that we share this odd habit. "I did fuck up, King. I should have come to you the minute I realized you were my son. I should have had it out with you the minute I learned the truth. I didn't, and that's on me. I know you won't believe me, but I regret it. I'll always regret it."

"You're right. I don't believe you," I respond. "Most of all, I'm not sure why all this matters."

"Maybe it doesn't. Still, I'd like you to hear my side of the story," Dragon says, and it just pisses me off.

"I'm in my thirties, Dragon. The truth is, I just don't give a damn anymore. I admit when I first met you, I wanted to make you pay for the hell you put my mother through."

"Your mother? Not you?" Nicole asks.

I shrug. "I was a kid. Mom had to go on the road to find work after Dragon kicked her out. I grew up with Ramona. I didn't really want for much," I lie. I did. I wanted my mother with me. I wanted a normal family. I wanted to wake up one fucking morning without my aunt looking at me like I was a waste of air. That's something the bastard in front of me will never know. He doesn't get that from me. Let him think that I was just fine without him. I'd prefer it that way.

"You're right," Nicole whispers, and I can see the sadness written all over her face. "Casting out your mother because she was pregnant, leaving her to fend for not only herself, but her son as well. That's pretty damn cold."

"It was," I answer, wondering what game she's playing here.

"I'd be so mad that I'd want to kill him. Yet, you, you're not mean like me."

I laugh. "You're not mean, Nicole."

Dragon laughs. "Trust me, King. That woman right there might look like a pussycat. Hell, I can even make her purr like one?—"

"Dragon! Now is not the time."

"I'm just stating the facts, Mama."

"Well, keep spewing your facts and you'll find yourself sleeping alone when you come back from settling the score with the Feral idiots."

I grin. "Do you see what I live with?" Dragon jokes.

"I think that's my line," she snaps.

"Listen, this has been fun, but I need to do some shit before we all head out," I finally interrupt. I didn't want this conversation in the first place and now, I'm starting to feel like a third wheel.

"You can't leave, King," Nicole argues.

I smile, though there's no joy in it. "Sure, I can. The door is right there and I'm walking toward it," I argue. I stand up and head that way. I get almost to the door when Nicole speaks up.

"You can hate us if you want to, but you should at least have all the information," Nicole says.

"I have all the information that I need," I argue.

"You think so? I think you only have the information that your mother carefully fed you."

Her accusation pisses me off. "My mother told me everything. How your husband tossed her aside when he found out she was pregnant, how he banned her from his club. She was alone and forced to have her sister take care of me while she went on the road to find a job."

"Do you really believe that? Do you honestly think she couldn't find a job?"

"It was a small town, and everyone was below the poverty line."

"You have an answer for everything. Did your aunt work?"

"Well, yeah. She worked at the local Dairy Queen."

"Did they never have a help wanted sign, King? There had to be other things in town. Are you telling me you never saw one help wanted sign? There was nothing? Not even when you got to the age where you could work?"

"They were small jobs. The pay was minimum wage or worse. You can't judge my mother on that," I argue. "I'm done with this conversation."

"You're right. I can't judge her. I will tell you what I do know, King. I know that if I was alone with my kids, I'd work two minimum wage jobs if it meant I got to stay with them. Nothing would keep me away from my kids."

"Mom visited when she could," I argue, but fuck, even my arguments are sounding weak to my own ears.

"I can see your mind is made up. Let me tell you something I know about your father. He never turns his back on his family. If he knew you existed, he would have turned hell itself upside down to find you."

"That might be your experience, but it's not the same if you're not in the golden circle."

"Golden circle?"

"Yeah, his chosen family from the woman he loves. My mother never qualified for that position. She was just trash to him."

"You're right, she was. The reason for that is on her, but of all her crimes, her worst one was that she never told him about you."

"Nicole, I don't want to argue with you. You love him. You're going to take up for him. I'm even willing to admit that he's probably a better man today than he was when he was with my mother. It still won't rewrite history. Besides, it doesn't even matter anymore. Whatever Dragon could have been to me, he'll never get that chance. There's just too much time and bad memories between us," I explain.

Dragon stands up and walks toward me. "I failed you. I should have come to you the minute that I found out you were my son. You're right though, because by then you were too old to care about me—or any relationship we could have had. I didn't react great when I found out about you and that's on me. I never knew you existed, though, King—not until you saved T. I knew then, but I ran from it. I'm a bastard in a lot of ways, but if I had found out about you when you were a child, you would have never lived with an aunt. You would have been with me. Those years I can't get back and I wish to fuck that I could. I would have been proud to call you mine."

"Will you just stop? I?—"

Dragon holds up his hands as if to stop me from saying anything else. "You don't have to believe me."

"That's good because I don't."

"I have some proof, though. Not for everything, but enough that I think you might understand that someday you may believe that I would have wanted you with me."

"Where is this so-called proof?" I mutter, wondering why in the hell I still haven't walked out of here and put an end to all this bullshit.

He nods, like he knew what I was going to say. I do get the impression he was hoping the outcome would be different. "That's another reason I postponed going after the Feral Kings for another hour. I got your cell number from Ford. My man back home should be sending you some videos and papers through text. The originals are in Kentucky. You're more than welcome to come by and pick up copies anytime. I hope, after you review everything, that you will give us a chance to get to know one another. I'm not asking for anything else but that. I know I don't deserve it."

"Ready, Mama?"

"You go on. I'll be right there. I just want to say one more thing to King—in private."

"Mama, let it go. King has enough to deal with."

"It's not about his mother, Dragon. I happen to owe King, that's all. I wanted a moment alone with him. I'll meet you in our room."

"Better hurry. We leave soon and I'd like at least a small taste of you before we head out."

"Then I guess you should be waiting in our room naked."

Dragon walks over and kisses her gently, then pulls back and smiles at her, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

He looks at me, nods his head, and walks out. I stand there staring for a minute before Nicole gets my attention. "I know you love your mom. I'm not asking you to forget that. I am just asking that you give Dragon and us a chance. If you don't want us as family, then at least let us be friends. For my vote, however, I know that both Dragon and I would like our grandchildren to grow up having the love of their entire family and that can't happen unless it includes their Uncle King." Before I can respond to that, she goes up on her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. "Be careful out there today, King. Keep safe." She stands at the door, giving me a sad smile before walking out and slowly closing the door behind her.

I'm left standing alone, wondering how in the hell I got caught in a carnival ride that keeps going in circles, and praying I get off soon …