Mace Chapter 8
I spent a restless night in the chair from hell. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be comfortable, I hadn’t imagined it to be that bad. I woke up with a stiff back and neck. Jessamy was still sound asleep, and it was early. The sun was barely out. Taking a chance, I snuck out and went to my house. I needed a hot shower, clean clothes, and coffee.
When I was clean, I took a thermos filled with the coffee I’d made back to the clubhouse. I was in luck. One of the old ladies, I didn’t know which one, had baked, and there was a variety of muffins and fresh fruit in the central kitchen. I grabbed a tray, filled it with things for the two of us, and then returned to her room. Before coming back here, I’d talked to Dare and let him know I wanted to take the day off. He understood and told me to go for it.
Juggling the tray in one arm, I slowly opened her bedroom door. The bed was empty. My heart skipped a beat, but then it registered that the bathroom door was closed, and I could hear water running. I closed and locked the door and sat the tray on the small table in the corner. Walking to the bathroom door, I knocked and spoke loud enough that she could hear me over the water.
“Babe, I’m back. I’ve got you something to eat and coffee. I’ll be waiting out here for you to join me.”
There was silence, and then I caught her hesitant reply. “Uh, okay, be out soon.”
I spent my time waiting by going through emails on my phone. Most were spam from my personal and work emails, but there were two legit work ones. Some customers had a preference when it came to who worked on their stuff, especially their bikes. It was nothing against the other mechanics. Just once they liked your work, they didn’t want anyone else to touch their babies. The two I got were from a couple of those customers asking if I’d have time in the next few weeks to work on their bikes. I messaged them back to call the office and have Bobbi Jo put them on my schedule. I sent her an email to expect them.
I smiled when I saw a personal email from my nephew. He and his sister were learning to use it along with their usual texting, which they did all the time. He’d sent me pictures of his latest school project. He was mechanically inclined like I was and built a simple motor for the science fair. While I was home, we’d talked over his idea. I smiled at his result as the bathroom door opened, and Jessamy came out. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Thank God the shorts were longer than the ones she wore to bed last night. I wasn’t sure I’d have the restraint not to strip her bare if she had another pair and a tank like those.
She gave me an uncertain greeting. “Morning. What has you smiling this morning? A dirty meme from someone?”
“Morning, babe. Take a look, you’ll see,” I told her, holding out my phone. She warily came over and took it. When she saw what was on it, she frowned.
“A motor had you smiling like that?”
“Well, I am a gearhead, so yes, but in this case, it was who built that one that had me smiling more.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Who built that one?” she asked as she sat beside me.
The table had two chairs, one of which I slept in last night. I had moved it back to the table while she showered. She was checking out the selection I brought. Besides an assortment of muffins, there were apples, bananas, grapes, creamer for the coffee, and vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt.
“Take whatever you want, and there’s hot coffee in the thermos. This beauty is my nephew’s science project. He wanted me to see it and to advise him on how to make it run better. I told him that the last part is hard to do when I’m not there to do it.”
She gave me what I took to be a surprised look. “You have a nephew?”
“You sound like you’re shocked that I have a family. I wasn’t built or hatched, you know,” I teased.
She giggled. “I’m sorry, but it’s hard to imagine you or any of the guys as children, so I wasn’t thinking of you having family outside the club.”
“Some of us don’t have them or won’t claim them. I’m one of the lucky ones. I have my parents, a younger sister, a nephew, and a niece. They’re twins and ten years old. I came from visiting them the day you arrived here.”
“Do they live here in Cherokee or nearby?”
“They all live in Hickory, North Carolina, about two-and-a-half hours from here. I’m trying to get them to move here, but my sister is stubborn. I haven’t given up.”
“You must miss them.” I heard wistfulness in her tone.
“I know you said you don’t have a family. Would you mind if I asked if you ever did?” I knew Wire would have investigated her. He did that with everyone who got close to us and our families. However, unless he found something problematic, he wouldn’t tell everything he found other than to Agony.
“Well, I wasn’t hatched or built,” she smarted off with a grin. I tried to snatch the grapes off her plate in repayment, but she slapped my hand. I pretended to pout. I wanted her to be at ease to talk about more important things.
“I had parents, but they didn’t want to be parents. When I was four, they gave me up to an aunt, my mom’s older sister. She took me in and raised me. My mom was always a party girl and only wanted to do what she and my dad wanted, not work and provide stability for themselves, let alone me. I was good until I turned thirteen. My aunt June died then. There was no one to take me in after she was gone. That’s how I ended up in a group home until I graduated and turned eighteen.”
“Baby, I’m sorry. I know those places are rough.”
“They can be, but the one I was in wasn’t terrible. I had some money from my aunt, which helped me get my teaching degree. There were a lot of kids who had it far worse than I did.”
“Are your parents still alive? Do you have any half-siblings?” I’d have to ask Wire if he knew or would find out. Even if she didn’t want contact, I wanted to know.
“I have no idea about either. My parents took off after they gave me up. Occasionally, they’d flit back into town, mostly looking for a handout. June would run them off. I haven’t seen them since right before she died. If they came looking for her, they never came to find me when they discovered she was gone. As for siblings, God, I hope not. Being stuck with my parents would be awful.”
While we ate, I told her funny stories about my family. I could tell she enjoyed them. She told me about her aunt. Deep down, Jessamy craved a family and the connection I had with my blood family and my club one. When we were done eating, I knew I’d procrastinated enough.
“It’s getting late. You’ll be late for work. Leave this here. I’ll take care of getting it back to the kitchen,” she said, pointing to the tray.
“I’m taking the day off.”
“You are? Why?”
“Because we still need to talk. We’ve got things to iron out, Madonna.”
She tensed when I said I was taking the day off. Her fingers twisted together when I mentioned we had stuff to talk about. Calling her Madonna made her squint at me.
“Madonna? My name is Jessamy. You must be confused,” she snarked.
“I know your name, Ms. Smartass. Madonna is the nickname I decided to give you. Wanna know when I decided that?”
“When?”
“After you passed out last night, I was begging you to wake up. You looked so serene and pure that I thought of an angel, and then my mind jumped to a Madonna. I remember them from church as a kid.”
My answer seemed to take her aback. She thought for a few moments, and then she replied, “Well, I guess I need to devise a name for you. I can promise it won’t be anything evoking thoughts of an angel,” she warned.
“You’re more than welcome to do it, but I have a name for you to use, at least sometimes.”
“Alright, hit me with it.”
“I want you to call me Tiergan, or at least when it’s just you and me.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s my real name. Tiergan Curran. As for what it means, strong-willed for my first name and spear for my last. It’s Irish, in case you couldn’t tell.”
“Does anyone else call you that?”
“My folks do, and sometimes my sister. Besides them, only the government or a telemarketer.”
“I can’t do that! If you don’t allow your brothers to use it, why should I?”
“My brothers used it when I first came to prospect. Once you earn a road name, which is what Mace is, that’s what you go by. It’s all about respect.”
“Then why in the world would you allow me to use it?” she asked.
I leaned forward and untwined her hands. I held one in mine as I stared deep into her eyes. “The only other person regularly asked to use your real name is your significant other, your old lady. I guarantee that Eliana and the other old ladies use Agony and the guys’ true names when alone. It’s always road names when they’re around the club or others.”
I watched her gulp. She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m not—” I cut her off.
“Don’t say you’re not my old lady. You will be. Before we got sidetracked last night, you were about to give yourself to me. I was trying to make it clear that when you do, you’re mine. It won’t be for a night or a short period, Madonna. It’s forever. You’ll stay and make a life with me. We’ll grow old together and have a family. Nothing has changed. It’s still what I want. I know it might feel like it’s moving fast, but we’re right on track for this and maybe even a bit behind. All we need to do is ease your mind on the other stuff you said last night before you passed out.” I’d had a lot of time to think while she slept. I knew how to approach it.
“I don’t see that happening. You might think you want me, but give it a few days or weeks, and you’ll find I’m nothing special. You’ll be bored and looking for someone new and exciting. If we were together, that means you’d have to dump me, or I’d have to share. I won’t share you. And if you think sharing me is the answer, that’s a no, too.”
“First, I’d never share you with anyone. Second, I won’t grow bored and replace you. Lastly, this will be a monogamous relationship on both sides. I know Christie upset you last night. What she said was a lie. She wanted to get back at me for telling her to go. I’ve never slept with her.”
She yanked her hand free. “Don’t lie! I saw you. I know there’s been something between you,” she hissed. She came to her feet and moved across the room to the window.
“When did you see me?”
“One night, not long after I arrived. It was late. I was hungry. I came to find a snack and found you guys partying in the common area. Things were heating up between some of you and a bunch of skimpily dressed women. I saw Christie. You were at the pool table, and she was plastered to you. You weren’t fighting her off, Mace. I knew where the night was ending. Why lie?”
I scolded myself internally for letting Christie hang on me after I told her no the first time. I groaned. “Jessamy, baby, it didn’t end with us in bed. I was an idiot that night. I should’ve chased her off after the first time, but I didn’t. I thought she’d get a clue.”
“I’m sorry, but what first time and get a clue about what?”
“Christie did offer herself to me. She and another one are new bunnies. And before you ask, I haven’t touched Jenny either. That night, Christie came over to me, not me to her. I told her that I wasn’t interested. I could tell she didn’t believe me. She hung onto me at the pool table, that is true. I thought if I let her and continued to ignore her, she’d catch the clue that I meant it. Only she didn’t. I never saw you, but you must’ve left before I finally had enough, and I told her harshly to get off me and stay away.”
“Why would you turn her down? I mean, unless you weren’t in the mood for a redhead. She was new. Shouldn’t you want her?”
“Typically, that might make them more desirable, but she wasn’t who I wanted in this case. And them and the other bunnies and the hang arounds won’t ever be. I was already under the spell of a certain blond who had knocked me for a loop. I’d been an idiot and said shit that I didn’t mean the first night she was here. I was biding my time until I got her to forgive me.” I paused to let that sink in. Her mouth dropped open.
I continued, “I’ve been doing everything I could think of to get her to forgive and be comfortable with me. We’ve been talking, but I realized yesterday, when one of my brothers offered her his house and himself, and I wanted to tear his head off, that I needed to be blunt and tell her how I feel about her. Only on my way to do it, I was waylaid by the same bunny who won’t listen. She was coming out of a room she had no business being in and shouldn’t be in the clubhouse at all that early. My beautiful Madonna mistook it for something else. The only reason Christie said what she did was she was upset with me and wanted to cause trouble between you and me. You and I kissed before we got to hash it out. I was a goner.”
I got up and went to her. I took her hands and led her to the bed, where I helped her sit down and joined her. “Jessamy, please, tell me what I need to do to show you that I only want you, will always want only you, and can make you happy,” I pleaded.
She studied me. As impatient as I was, I knew I had to let her. After a tense five minutes or more, she sighed. “Mace, how do you know we’ll stay this way? Yes, I’m deeply drawn to you. You make me lose my common sense. What’s to say we won’t change our minds? Or, more specifically, you won’t? I know no guy has ever affected me the way you do, nor has one made me ready to sleep with him this fast. But people don’t fall for each other this quickly and have it last.”
“Yes, they do. Bikers do. I can give you dozens of examples. In addition to the four couples we have here, I can introduce you to four other clubs we’re friends with. Those who are settled among them all did just as fast or faster. The men and women haven’t changed their minds. They’re further in love with each other than they were the day they declared themselves. I knew what to look for. I’ll wait if you want to take more time before making it official. I know I won’t change my mind. However, you have to spend time with me and let us get to know each other to share my life with you.”
“What about what I said about those bunnies? I know it angered you that I made the comparison I did.”
“It did, but I can see how it would be similar. I can’t promise that the bunnies will ever go away. That’s a club decision, not mine. The old ladies are on board for it to happen. I can see there’ll be more talks about it. I can and will promise I don’t need them or those other women who come here when I have you.”
“But if we aren’t sleeping together, your sexual needs will need to be satisfied. You’re too sexual—” Her tone had me cutting her off.
“I can live without sex, Jessamy. I won’t die. I have a hand when I get too crazy with wanting you.”
She gave me a look that screamed she wanted to believe me, but she was wary. Leaning forward, I kissed her. I had to. Instantly, desire burst into an inferno between us. We kissed hungrily, both active participants and aggressors until I finally had to pull away. We were both panting hard. My cock was as hard as steel. My zipper was biting into it. I waited for her to say something.
“Alright, I’ll give this a chance. We’ll spend time together and do things, but I’m warning you. You stray even as much as kissing another woman, and we’re through. You might find that you don’t like or want me after you get to know me better. Maybe I’ll feel the same. If it happens, we speak up right away and end it.”
“Deal. And if you find out without a doubt that I’m the one for you, speak up right away. No playing games or waiting for it to change.”
“Deal.”
One hurdle was overcome. Hopefully, the remainder was as easy or easier to overcome.
???
I couldn’t believe I’d talked Jessamy into it. When I suggested it, I thought she’d shoot me down. To my astonishment, she agreed. However, the closer we got to our destination, the more nervous she got. Her leg was bouncing, and she kept clenching her hands. I reached over and took her hand in mine. She gave me a barely there smile.
“You have nothing to be so jittery about, baby.
“I need my head examined for agreeing to this. Why did you ask me? It’s too soon, if necessary at all.”
We were five minutes out. I wished we’d ridden my bike, but this was too far for her first ride. She’d never been on a motorcycle. I knew that from one of our prior talks.
“It’ll be necessary, so why not now? You can keep the others entertained and get to know them while I work.”
She sighed but didn’t say more.
When we pulled into the driveway, she moaned. I brought my SUV to a stop. I shut it off, got out, and came around to open her door. I took her hands. “Breathe. It’s going to be great. I’ve got something to make you feel better.”
“What?”
“This,” I said before I kissed her. I didn’t make it hot or heavy, but it made us both light up. When I drew away, her eyes were bright.
“You’re dangerous. Lips to yourself,” she told me, but she said it with a slight smile.
After assisting her out, I draped her arm over mine and led her to the door. I briskly knocked before opening it and walking inside. I called out, “We’re here!”
Feet were already pounding in our direction. The sound of voices was coming our way. I drew Jessamy to stand in front of me. I curled one arm around her middle. It was to support her, offer comfort, and prevent her from running. I whispered those words in her ear. She elbowed me in the stomach. Around the corner came Andrea and Aaron. They slid to a halt when they saw I wasn’t alone.
I’d informed my parents I was bringing a guest. They either only told Bridgit or none of them. The kids were staring at her. Behind them appeared my sister and then, a few seconds later, my parents. I felt the tension running through Jessamy.
“Who’s she?” Aaron asked.
“Why don’t you say hello and wait to be introduced?” my sister hissed and smacked him on the shoulder.
“Sorry. Hi, Uncle Mace and pretty lady,” Aaron said with a grin. My sister rolled her eyes to heaven.
I chuckled. Even Jessamy giggled softly. “Hello, wise guy. Now that everyone is here, I’ll make introductions. This is my dad, Liam, and my mom, Robin. The one abusing her child is my sister, Bridgit. The child earning the abuse is my nephew, Aaron. And the perfect one standing here being good is my niece, Andrea. Everyone, this is Jessamy. She’s a good friend of mine. She’s not from North Carolina, so I thought showing her more of it would be a good idea.” We’d agreed ahead of time not to tell them what we were working to be to each other. It was Jessamy’s request.
As my parents and sister were coming forward to offer Jessamy their hands to shake, leave it to Aaron to say something else. “Uncle Mace, do you kiss all your good friends on the mouth or just the pretty ones?”
The adults went dead silent. Jessamy’s face flushed red. I grabbed Aaron in a headlock and rubbed the top of his head as I answered him.
“No, I don’t, but when you’re trying to get someone to be your special one and not blow it, you introduce her as a friend first. You weren’t supposed to be looking out the windows. I was kissing her because she was nervous. She’s been meeting a lot of new people lately.”
“I swear, he’s just like you were as a child,” Mom said as she shook her head. “Forgive him. We try to keep him locked away, but he whines too much not to be let out,” she told Jessamy.
We all laughed when my woman replied quickly, “Who? Aaron or Mace? I can see Mace being locked up for his own good.”
“Hey! No ganging up on me,” I teased her.
Letting go of my nephew, I hugged Andrea before doing the same to the rest of my family. When we were done, I took Jessamy’s hand and led her to the kitchen. I knew that was where Mom would have things set up for us. We’d left early, so it was only after ten in the morning. I had no doubt we’d be treated to a home-baked treat.
I was right. There were homemade cookies on the kitchen island. I pulled out a chair for her. As she sat down, I went to the fridge to get drinks. “You’ve got a choice of water, tea, milk, lemonade, a variety of cokes, or coffee, Jessamy.”
She thought for a moment, then answered, “I’ll take a Coke.”
“As in a Coke Coke, or would you prefer a Dr. Pepper?” I winked.
“Mace, you know better than to bring me a Dr. P if you value your hide. A Coke Coke is great.”
She told them how much she detested Dr. Pepper while I got her a Coke. Dad came over and helped me serve the others something before we got ours. Aaron was sitting next to Jessamy. The way he was watching her, I knew he was falling into his first crush on an older woman. I picked him up and sat him on his feet away from me so I could take his seat.
“Hey, I was sitting there,” he protested.
“I know, but she’s mine.” Dad and I exchanged amused looks as Aaron muttered and went for another seat. We both knew what was happening.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to tag along with Mace, Mr. and Mrs. Curran. He showed me your engine, Aaron. It looks very cool. Are you sure you’re only ten? There’s no way I could build it, and I’m way older,” she told him. He perked up.
“Jessamy, please, call us Liam and Robin. We’re not formal around here,” Dad told her.
“Uncle Mace said you’re not from here. Where do you live?” Andrea asked. She was quieter than her twin.
“I’m from a town called Cottonwood in Arizona. I’m here visiting and getting to know a new state. Have you ever been to Arizona?” she asked Andrea.
“No, but I think Mamaw and Pappy have,” she answered.
“We have. So have your mom and uncle. We took them to the Grand Canyon when your mom was your age. It was a lot of fun. We should do it again,” Mom said.
“Do you live close to the Grand Canyon?” Aaron asked Jessamy excitedly.
“Not too far. It’s about a hundred and fifty or so miles. It’s so beautiful. I’ve been there a few times,” she told them.
While they asked her questions about it, my sister came over to whisper in my ear. “You must like her if you brought her here. Is my big brother possibly thinking of having a girlfriend?”
“I more than like her. If she were ready, I’d already be calling her my old lady,” I murmured.
Her surprise was evident. “How long have you two known each other?”
I knew my answer would make her doubtful, but she didn’t live the biker’s life like I did. “About two weeks. And before you say it, I know what you think, but it doesn’t work with us like it seems to for regular people. She’s the one.”
Glancing around, she took my arm and tugged. I wearily got up and let her lead me into the next room. Jessamy seemed to be getting along fine. She was talking to the other four and was at ease. She jumped right into it after introductions like I knew she would.
“Are you crazy, Tiergan? You haven’t even known her for two weeks and are ready to claim her! I don’t care who you are. That’s not enough time to know if someone is right for you. You need to take your time and make sure. You don’t want to make a mistake. It can still go wrong even if you know someone for years.”
I felt bad for how it ended between her and Jarred, but she let that scare her into not having another relationship. She refused to allow a man into her life. “Sis, I’m sorry as I can be that it ended so badly between you and Jarred. None of us saw it coming. Hell, he was my best friend for most of our lives, and I didn’t. But you can’t let it scare you into not trusting. I know plenty of people who know as quickly as I do.”
“Give it a few years, and we’ll see if they’re still together. Jarred and I dated for two years before we got married. It was another five before we divorced, but he was cheating before that. For all we know, he had been since day one. And I don’t need a man to make my life complete.”
“I didn’t say you needed a man to make it complete. However, I think you would be happier if you did find someone to grow old with. You’re too isolated. Other than your family, you barely socialize. When was the last time you had sex?”
“When was the last time you had it? And I don’t mean with her. How long before you slept with her did you sleep with someone else?”
“It was before I came home to visit all of you.”
“How much before? A day? And by my calculations, you met her right after you returned. I have no doubt you got her into your bed the first time you saw her, but that doesn’t make it the basis for a relationship.”
“Children, we have a guest. You can fight about whatever this is later. Right now, Jessamy is becoming uncomfortable,” Mom said from the doorway.
“I’m coming. And there’s no reason for us to continue this conversation, Bridgit. She’s the one for me. Drop it,” I said before walking off.
Back in the kitchen, Jessamy gave me a concerned look. I dropped a kiss on her upturned mouth and sat back down.
Dad and I got caught up in going over Aaron’s project with him as time passed. Dad knew engines, but he’d let Aaron do it on his own. Even though Dad had praised it and could’ve gone over it with him, Aaron wanted my opinion. We went out to the garage. I was leery of leaving Jessamy inside with my sister, but my girl shooed me off. I gave Bridgit a warning stare before I left.
As I suspected, Mom was making us food. She and Bridgit had already done the prep work, and all that remained was cooking some and reheating other items. When we came back inside, it was about ten minutes until it was time to eat. After washing up, I checked to see how Jessamy was doing.
“Are you doing alright?” I asked softly.
She nodded. “We’re doing good. I’ve missed cooking with someone. June and I did it a lot. We always had fun, even if what we made didn’t turn out. Sometimes, we’d end up ordering pizza when our efforts went wrong. She liked experimenting with different ethnic foods but wasn’t always the best at it. There were a few times it was so bad, we couldn’t eat it at all,” she told me with a giggle.
Since the kids set the table, the rest of us only had to help carry bowls and plates of food to it. After it was all arranged, we sat down and dug in. It was fried pork chops smothered in brown gravy, roasted potatoes, collard greens, and Southern-fried corn. It was a genuine Southern meal. Jessamy raved about all of it, but she loved the collards. She said she had never had them.
We finished the main course and moved on to dessert—Hummingbird cake and peach cobbler. We’d just taken our first bites when Dad asked my girl what she did for a living.
“I’m a preschool teacher for three to five-year-olds.”
“That has to be exhausting,” he said.
“It is, but I love it. I tried slightly older kids, but they weren’t as fun. Cara at the clubhouse is the perfect age. She soaks things up like a sponge. She’s very bright. She reminds me of why I enjoy it so much.”
“How old is Knight’s daughter now?” Mom asked.
“She’s four,” I answered.
“Lord, I remember when she was a baby. Thank God he ended up with her without you know who. She’ll be in kindergarten before they know it,” Bridgit added.
“He’s with the right one. He and Natalya are busy waiting for their baby to get here. They only have about two months to go. Cara is dying to meet her brother or sister,” I told them.
“They didn’t find out after all. I thought they’d break,” Dad admitted.
“Which does Cara want?” Mom asked.
“She doesn’t care as long as she can read to them. She’s been working extra hard with Jessamy on learning to read,” I informed them.
“Is that normal to teach in preschool? I can’t remember,” Mom asked.
“It depends on the school. A lot don’t. Most will teach them colors, their ABCs, how to write their first name, and such. More advanced ones will work on reading skills. I like to teach phonics, which isn’t standard these days,” Jessamy explained. She was always enthusiastic when discussing her students and what she did.
Conversations flowed smoothly as dessert was finished and the table cleared. The kids were told to play and let the adults talk for a while. Aaron appeared pained at leaving. Once they were gone, we settled outside on the back porch. The weather was great.
“I thought we were going to have to drag Aaron away. It seems he’s fallen under someone’s spell,” I teased Jessamy.
She playfully smiled and pushed me. I was about to say more when my sister spoke. I wished I’d stopped her when I heard what came out of her mouth.
“It seems my son isn’t the only one who has fallen under her spell. Dad, Mom, did you know that your son thinks Jessamy is the one for him, and he plans to claim her as his old lady?”
“Bridgit, enough,” I growled.
Jessamy didn’t say anything, but her face was bright red. She wasn’t making eye contact with anyone.
“Bridgit, that’s enough,” Dad warned.
“Why? Shouldn’t we talk about it? He’s jumping into something he has no idea will even work out. He met her after he returned to Cherokee after his last visit here. Can you believe it? Not quite two weeks, and he thinks she’s the one, and they’ll last.” She snorted.
“Honey, you’re being rude to our guest,” Mom said.
“According to Mace, she’s not a guest. She’s his. If she is, shouldn’t his family get to know her and her them? Tell us. You talked about being from Arizona and being a teacher. What else? Why not tell us what brought you to North Carolina and how you met my brother? Neither of you mentioned that. How long do you plan to stay? Has she been to the clubhouse and seen what happens at the parties?” Bridgit asked snidely.
I’d had enough. “Bridgit, how long will the rest of us have to keep paying for the fact your husband cheated on and left you? We’re all sorry as hell that Jarred turned out to be a lying, no-good piece of shit, but you can’t paint everyone with the same brush,” I snapped.
I knew my words hurt her, but I wasn’t letting her hurt Jessamy with her careless words. I was fighting to win the woman I wanted to spend forever with. I wouldn’t let anyone, not even my family, ruin it.
“Everyone needs to calm down. Bridgit, there’s no need for you to get bitchy, and Mace, no need to be a prick to your sister. Jessamy, I apologize for our children’s behavior,” Dad said.
“Liam, there’s no need for you to do that. They’re both adults. They’re responsible for themselves. I’m sorry you were hurt, Bridgit. However, my relationship with your brother is between us. You’re right. We’ve only known each other for a very short while. It’s because of that I’ve refused his offer to be his old lady. I think we need time to get to know each other better. Other factors have to be taken into consideration. You asked why I’m here and if I’ve been to a party.”
“Madonna, you don’t have to answer those,” I told her. I had a hold of her hand. I could feel the tension running through her.
“What’re you afraid she’ll say?” Bridgit asked.
“I’m not afraid. I don’t—”
Jessamy cut me off. “Yes, I’ve seen the women you’re hinting at. I know what they do there. As for what brought me to Cherokee and how we met, I was kidnapped. Two men took me from my neighborhood. They passed me off to a man named Leland, who held me in the back of his truck for days as he drove all over the country and picked up more women and girls. We were to be sold, presumably as sex slaves. I got a chance to escape in Cherokee. I tried to free the others, but Leland caught me. I ran and hid in a truck stop bathroom. It happened to be the one owned by the Pagans. Twisted and Zari found me and brought me back to the Pagans’ compound. That’s how I met all of them, including Mace.”
My family’s disbelief was apparent, and the silence was deafening. Jessamy came to her feet. “Thank you for a lovely meal and the visit. I think I’ll take a walk. Excuse me.” She went to walk away, but I caught the hand she’d pulled away from mine.
“I’m coming with you.”
She shook her head. “No, I think you should stay here and talk to your family. I won’t go far.”
Jessamy pulled away from me and walked off around the corner of the house. I wasn’t about to let her wander alone in a strange place. However, I needed to make something clear before I went after her.
“Jessamy is my choice, and she always will be. I don’t care how long I wait. She’s the one for me. I would’ve never thought my sister would hurt someone, but I guess I was wrong. I think it’s time we go. I can’t have her out there hurting and alone. She doesn’t have anyone but me and my club. I hoped I could share you guys with her. I guess not.”
“Son, don’t go,” Mom pleaded.
“Tiergan, we need to talk this out,” Dad added.
“I’m sorry,” Bridgit choked out. She had tears in her eyes.
“I’m not the one you should apologize to, sis. You have no clue what she lived through or was exposed to. Tell the kids we had an emergency and had to leave. I’ll call them later.”
They begged me to stay, but I walked off. If I didn’t, I might’ve said something I might regret. Running out to my SUV, I got in and took off. I wasn’t sure which direction she went. She couldn’t have gotten far.