Chapter Fifty-One
Melissa
The smell of bacon permeated the air. My muscles pulled as I stretched under the thick comforter on the bed. Reaching over, I searched for Travis, knowing he wasn’t there.
Who would be cooking bacon if not him?
Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, I snuck into the bathroom to take care of the morning necessities before joining Travis in the kitchen.
The sound of his angry voice halted my steps.
“I told you no, goddammit.”
I wondered if it was King on the other end of the line.
“I’m not asking her that.”
This was about the club. I leaned in the doorway, careful not to make a sound.
“Because it’s not what she fucking needs. Why don’t you worry about your own fucking old lady?” Another pause. “And whose fucking fault is that?”
Travis ran his fingers through his hair. His frustration at the caller rising with every word I couldn’t hear.
“It’s too early for this shit. I’m not discussing it anymore. You have my answer.”
Travis disconnected the call, setting his phone on the counter. It immediately rang. “GODDAMMIT!” he yelled and flung the phone across the room.
“Are you ok?” I asked quietly.
Travis spun around and sighed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I caught the tail end of the call. Can we talk about it?”
“No.”
He turned back to the stove, working on breakfast. “You want some coffee?” he asked without looking at me.
“Sure.”
Sitting at the table, sipping the coffee he made me, I watched him. His shoulders were tight. His movements didn’t have the same ease I was used to.
He was angry, and it was my fault.
“Was that King?”
“Princess, I don’t wanna talk about the call. Let’s just eat and get to the clubhouse so you can see Dani and I can pack up my room.”
Eating in silence was not enjoyable. I didn’t think anything could surpass the joy of crispy bacon on my tongue. Well, except maybe Travis on my tongue. I hated seeing him upset. I hated even more that I caused it.
Pulling into the clubhouse lot, there were a lot of bikes lined up. The weather was warming up, but I didn’t imagine winter was over in Nebraska at the end of February. Still, bikers were stubborn. Any slight elevation in temperature and they preferred the bike to a cage.
“Jesus Christ.”
“What’s wrong?” I followed his gaze to the line of bikes.
“Nothing. Come on.”
I hadn’t seen the clubhouse this full since the night I arrived. It looked like everyone was here.
“Mama!”
Dani ran over and I scooped her up, hugging her close. God, I missed her. “Good morning, baby.”
“Books.”
“Of course, we can read books.”
“Morning, sweetheart.” Travis kissed the top of Dani’s head and I swooned. Everything this man did made me love him more. It made me want to do everything in my power to make him as happy as he made me.
You know what you need to do.
Blah, blah, blah, I told myself.
I sat on the couch with Dani and grabbed a book from the basket by my feet. Before I knew it, the other three girls had climbed up too: Dani on one knee, and Tabby on the other. With Chrissy and Charlie looking over my shoulder.
When I finished the fourth book, Danny asked to speak with me. This was it. This was the moment I was dreading. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what had happened in New York.
Dante took over reading the books, and the girls all swarmed him, allowing me to follow Danny into church. Sitting at the large table, just the two of us, felt ominous.
It was a large room, and the equally large wooden table took up most of it.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” Danny said. “Zach told me who you were, and that you wanted nothing to do with the club. But when I looked into you and saw what you had done, the children you had worked with. I needed you to work with my daughter. I didn’t tell Dante because, well, let’s face it, he’s a better man than me. He would have told you the truth. I convinced him to stay quiet under the guise of Dani’s safety. Which wasn’t completely untrue.”
I didn’t know how to feel at that moment. Believing you knew something and then being told the truth of what you suspected was supposed to make you feel better. It was supposed to make you feel secure in your assessment.
All it did was leave a pit in the bottom of my stomach.
“Dante and I talked. We want you to be a part of Dani’s life. But you understand that with us come the clubs. His and mine.”
I knew that. Of course I did. And the freaking pit grew. Because Travis had left the club for me. Without me asking him to. I had told him days ago we couldn’t be together, that I couldn’t be with a biker. Yet, I was willing to concede with Danny and Dante to have Dani in my life.
Wasn’t Travis just as important? Maybe more so.
“I wouldn’t ask you to leave the clubs. It’s not my place.”
“What about Ghost?”
My shoulders fell. “I didn’t ask him to leave the club.”
“No. But you could tell him he doesn’t have to.”
I nodded.
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?” he asked.
I shook my head. Tears formed in my eyes and I tried hard not to let them fall. I couldn’t speak. My throat felt as if it was closing in, preventing me from putting the words I was afraid of out there.
“What are you afraid of, Melissa?”
“Of losing him. Losing Dani, you, and Dante.” I swiped at the tears that refused to stay where they belonged. “I already lost my brother.”
“You haven’t lost him. He’s right outside.”
“I lost him ten years ago when he left me alone.”
“I thought I lost my brother when he joined the service. I was so pissed at him. Ace was everything I wanted to be growing up. He was strong, smart, and so sure of everything. Then one day he was gone. He didn’t even say goodbye. For a long time, I was angry at him for leaving me alone. I didn’t understand that he needed something that the club couldn’t give him. He found what he was looking for in the military. Can’t say were best buds again, but I understand why he left. He’s still my brother, and I love him. Just don’t tell him I said that last part, okay?”
“Where is he now?”
“I left him in New York. He’s still a pain in the ass, but he’s my brother. You forgive family even when you’re pissed at them.”
“I don’t know if I can.” I said honestly.
“You forgave me.”
I smiled at Danny. “Who said I forgave you?”
He laughed and pulled me into a hug. “Let me tell you about New York and the shit my brother pulled. What you feel about Gunner will come into perspective and make him easier to forgive.”
I sat there and listened to Danny. He told me about Jane Craven, the woman who had taken and abused Dante and Danika’s mother. He shared with me about Dante’s family and where they were. About why Dante couldn’t be told about them yet because the risk was too great. The danger wasn’t just from Jane. He told me he tried to go up face-to-face against Jane and what she had done to him. What he suffered through after the explosion and how he had hurt Dante.
My tears never stopped. Hearing what Danny had gone through broke my heart, and the guilt at the way I treated him when they showed up here ate away at me.
“Danny, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I feel awful for the things I said to you.”
“Hey, I didn’t tell you all this so you would feel guilty. I wanted you to know what you are getting into being in our lives. And I wanted to remind you that having the club at your back is the safest place to be. The Golden Skulls and the Soulless Sinners will do everything they can to protect you as Danika’s mom. But you have another club that will stand in front of you and shield you from whatever shit they can. You just have to let them.”
Danny was right. Even if I hadn’t already decided to talk to Travis last night, talking to Danny today would have ensured I made the right decision.
“I know. I had already decided last night I wasn’t going to let Travis walk away from the club.”
“You mean I dredged all this shit up for nothing?” His voice rose, but there wasn’t any heat in his words. Nor were there any in mine when I said, “Fuck off, Danny.”
He smiled at my snarky comment and then sobered. “You gotta talk to Gunner.”
“Ugh. I know.” Closing my eyes, I let out a loud exaggerated sigh, and Danny chuckled. Opening one eye, I peered at him. Maybe we could be friends.
You know, for Dani and Dante.
“You want me to get him?” he asked.
“Now?”
“No time like the present,” he said, rising from his chair. He didn’t wait for my answer, just strolled to the door and opened it.
“Gunner!”
Oh God, I wasn’t ready for this. But when my brother stepped into the room, I knew the hurt and pain I saw on his face mirrored mine. Getting out of my chair, I launched myself at him.
“Are you ok? No one called me yesterday and Haizley wouldn’t let me go find you last night.”
“I’m ok. Danny protected me. And Winchester.”
“I’m sorry, Mellie. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Stepping back, I smacked his chest. “I’m so mad at you.”
“I know. You have every reason to be. I really was trying to protect you. I didn’t want you involved in club shit and...” Gunner looked away as if he was ashamed.
“And what?”
“I got locked up after I dropped you off. I knew I was getting picked up and I didn’t want you involved.”
My brother went to jail. And I didn’t know.
“What for? How long were you in?”
“Three months. I beat the shit out of some guy at a bar. He was harassing a woman, wouldn’t take no for an answer. Matlock is good at what he does. But the prick’s mother was on the town council or some shit. So, I had to do some time.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was so fucking ironic it was painful.
“You think it’s funny I got locked up?”
“Yes. I’ve been furious with you for ten years for leaving me in the name of protecting me and I find out you did time for protecting someone else.”
Gunner just shrugged. His protective nature was the reason he was the Sergeant at Arms.
“Why didn’t you tell me when you moved? If this chapter isn’t an outlaw club, why stay away?”
He tugged me over to sit at the table. “I knew you hated me for what I did. So, I left you alone. I didn’t feel like I deserved to have you back.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Yea, Haizley pretty much told me the same thing.”
Haizley. My brother’s old lady.
Fucking fate couldn’t be denied.
“Mellie.” I looked at my brother. He’d gotten serious all of a sudden, and I knew what he was going to ask about.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were never supposed to know. I didn’t mean to say it, especially in front of everyone.”
“I would have killed him sooner.”
“I know.”
“Did he...” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, and to be honest, neither could I. I nodded. Tears gathering in the corner of my eyes again.
“Baby girl.” My brother pulled me into his arms and I cried into his chest. He held me against him like he did that night twenty-three years ago when he killed a man because he thought he was trying to hurt me. He just didn’t know he already had.
“I’m ok. Really. Part of my education was going through therapy myself, and I dealt with that. It was all the club shit I’ve been holding on to.” I gave him a weak smile.
“Speaking of club shit. Can we talk about Ghost?”
“Nope. That is off-limits to you!” I said, rising from my seat.
“He left the club, Mellie.”
“And I am going to talk to him about that. But as far as Travis and me. I won’t say anything about you stalking my best friend. You don’t say anything about me fucking your brother.”
Gunner winced at my choice of words, but they needed to make an impact.
“Do you know how he got his road name?”
“Really, Michael? You’re gonna lecture me about Travis ghosting me?”
Gunner put his hands up in surrender. “You’re right. But if he hurts you. He won’t have to worry about me breaking his cheek next time.”
“Come on, you big ogre.” I put my arm around my brother’s waist. “I need to go find my old man.”