Chapter Six

Martha hurried over, pinning Leia's arms to her side in a bear hug. Leia blinked at Kix, who gave her a helpless shrug. The scent of beer and old cigarette smoke wafted from her. When Martha eased back, she grabbed hold of Leia's hands.

"Thank you for bringing him back to me."

"Oh, okay," Leia said weakly, not sure how to respond. "You're welcome."

Martha patted her hand. "He went off the deep end. Been nomad for too damn long."

"How long has it been?"

"Nate passed a year ago." Marth shook her head. "Brim tried to conceal his pain. Go on like he didn't have any feelings, but I know my boy. Couldn't deal, so a couple of months ago he ran. No one should bottle that up for so long."

Personally, Leia knew what it was like to want to hide. She'd been doing the same thing for quite a while. Sometimes hiding was easier.

"But that's all over now," Martha said, beaming. "I can tell right away you've got a good heart. It's in the eyes, you know. You brought him back to the living and I am so glad you're my new daughter-in-law."

"Oh, well, we're not married yet," Leia said weakly.

"Pshaw. Only one reason a man brings his woman home to meet his mother." Martha winked. "Let me tell you, his ex, Cindy, was a headcase. I bet you anything she poked a hole in the condom to trap Brim."

Leia blinked. "Does that really work?"

"Brim is too good a guy," Martha replied. "Married the little viper when she got knocked up. I insisted on a paternity test, of course. Nate was Brim's all right, but Cindy had this mean glint in her eyes. Nasty little bitch, I tell you. Blamed Brim when Nate got killed."

"Ma," Brim said from the doorway.

Martha spun around, arms out. "There's my boy!"

Mother and son embraced. Over her head, Brim mouthed the word sorry. Leia gave a one-shoulder shrug. She wasn't bothered at all by Martha's assessment of Brim's ex-wife. She wasn't here to form any type of opinion. By the time they left, Martha would unknowingly be their perfect relationship alibi.

"You are such a bad son," Martha said as she pulled back to stare up at him. She waved a finger under his nose. "You've been gone a long time."

"Stop it, Ma."

"You're the president of the Death Riders. You need to get your ass back in that seat. Your men need a leader."

"Stop, Ma. I've been talking with my V.P. every week."

"Ma … what a horrible word," the pint-sized woman said. She looked over at Leia. "Do you call your mother ma?"

"Um—"

"Her mother is dead, Ma. Stop."

Martha's face softened. "I'm so sorry, my dear. Loss is so hard."

"Yes," Leia murmured. She didn't elaborate that her parents basically ditched her, and thankfully, Brim kept quiet.

Martha patted her hand. "You know, Nate looked just like his father. I'll bring over baby pics of both of them after dinner."

"Ma, no. God, no!"

Martha waved off his concern. "After dinner, I said. Which reminds me, I thought we could do a cookout tonight since you're back. Let me talk with Piper and see if she agrees."

She hurried from the kitchen. Brim's mother wasn't anything like Leia had envisioned. She expected an aging, grey hair old lady. Instead, Martha was a little dynamo who definitely did not look her age.

"Hope you had nothing planned for the rest of the night," Kix said dryly. "She's going to show you album after album of people you've never met."

Leia smiled. "It's okay. I understand the need to look at pictures. It helps us deal with grief."

"No, it doesn't." Brim folded his arms over his chest. "The past is in the past. I thought you, above all, would understand."

"I do," she murmured. Leia and she laid a hand on his. She meant it as a comforting gesture, but Brim entwined his fingers with hers.

"We're a pair, aren't we?" he asked.

He stared at her intently, and for a moment, she forgot to try to pull away. His blue eyes filled with understanding. A shared pain. They both had secrets and it somehow made them equal. Captured in his mesmerizing gaze, everything around her faded into a hazy grey blob. It was just her and him, two against the universe. Then a little tyke ran in from the other room and bumped into Brim's leg. He looked down at the little boy, breaking the spell that entwined them together. Leia blinked as the world came back into focus. Brim bent and picked the little boy up. Piper's son tugged on Brim's beard, and heartache brought painful shadows through his blue eyes. He may try to act tough and resolute, but Leia sensed he was hurting deep in his soul.

"Come back here, you little minx," Piper muttered as she waddled into the kitchen. She gave a rueful smile when she saw her son in Brim's arms. "Just like him to play all nice around strangers. Kix, take him outside and let him run around."

"On it," Kix said, reaching for his son. "Come on, Brim. I'll show you some of the improvements we made to the mechanic's garage."

The men left out of the back door. Piper sighed and rested a hand on her belly.

"I'm looking forward to being me again, and not a host body," she said. "I just can't keep up with them. I'll ask one of the other wives to help prepare one of the upstairs rooms for you and Brim."

Panic filled Leia. She wasn't ready for a sleep-over with Brim. She tried to think fast. "Um, he actually expressed he wanted to spend time with Martha. I'll sleep here in the grandstand, and he can sleep at his mom's."

Piper frowned. "Are you sure?"

Relief filled Leia. "Positive. It's just one night. Want me to help with cooking?"

"Know how to shuck corn?"

"Yep."

"Good. ‘Cause we eat a lot of it around here."

****

"What's really going on?" Kix asked as he headed toward one of the large garages on the property.

"Not sure what you mean," Brim replied.

"I remember your words at your mom's wedding." Kix shot him a sardonic look. "No more commitment for you. And you two aren't acting like you've fucked, so I'm not buying this touchy feely act."

Brim looked around and halted the other man. Kix sat his son on the ground and the little boy immediately picked up a stick.

"This stays between us," Brim said.

Kix nodded his agreement.

"Leia helped me avoid getting a bullet in my head."

Kix's gaze narrowed. "A hit?"

"The man who tried to assassinate me was my own fucking man."

"A coup?" Kix asked as he bent and took away the stick his son was trying to eat. The little boy blinked up at him before waddling over to another stick.

"I don't know," Brim said. "I'm going back to figure it out."

"You're with her out of gratitude?"

"Not exactly," Brim said. "Leia is coming along to help me not get killed. She said we had to establish her identity in my life and suggested we act as a couple."

"That explains the tension. How can The White Death help?"

"You're already doing it by inviting us here. I don't know how deep the betrayal goes."

"I can get Mac to scan for chatter," Kix offered.

Brim nodded. "I'd appreciate that."

"Let's go talk to Mac and afterwards, we can get your bike tuned up. It sounded a little clogged." Kix picked up his son, who munched on the end of a new stick. "Don't tell his mom I'm letting him eat this. If I take it away, he's going to start screaming and I do not want to hear that. His voice is so shrill it'll melt your eardrums."