Chapter Thirty
CREW
Me: Monroe is taking me to her family’s house for dinner
Sin: Sounds serious
Me: It is asshole. What do I do?
Wrath: Just be yourself
Me: Have you met me?
Sin: You got that ray of sunshine to fall for you. I’m sure her parents will look past your pointy edges
Wrath: She wouldn’t bring you there if she was worried what they’d think
Sin: How’d you get so wise?
Wrath: I pay attention, you should try it
Sin: Oh I pay attention, just ask Bristol
Sin: Actually don’t. Stay away from her
Me: On that topic, think you could keep that anaconda hidden while Monroe is around?
Wrath: Why? Scared?
Me: Yep. Everyone here except the patch bunnies are scared of that thing. You’d split me in two
Wrath: Good thing you’re not on my menu
Wrath: No promises but I’ll see what I can do. You all really should stop worrying so much about my dick size
Me: Whatever
Sin: Mal just be yourself. But maybe keep the thirst for violence locked up tight? And maybe wear a shirt?
Me: Got it. Be myself but not fully myself. Easy.
Talk about nerves. I fucking hate this new emotion that’s been plaguing me lately.
Monroe gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, the pressure and the warmth seeping into my skin.
I run my hand through my wild hair again, wondering what these good people are going to think about me. An outcast. A criminal. A Heathen.
Monroe reads it on my face, tugging on my hand and pulling me down to her level. I bend my knees to look her eye to eye, just as her palms come up to grasp my face.
I’m wearing a pair of jeans with my boots and a plain T-shirt. I feel naked without my cut, but we both knew that probably wasn’t the best thing to wear to her family’s dinner.
“They are going to love you, baby,” she promises, running her thumb over my bottom lip. She lifts up on her toes then, pressing her sweet lips to mine in a chaste kiss, leaving behind the taste of strawberries and sunshine. “Here we go!”
Monroe opens the front door of her family home to a lively circus on the inside. We step through the threshold and kick off our shoes, just as a small child runs past us, chasing an orange tabby cat with half a tail. Monroe must see my question because she answers it before I get the chance to ask.
“We have no idea. She was like that when we adopted her from the Amberwood Animal Shelter. They said it was some type of accident that healed on its own.”
“Ahh. Those tend to do that.”
“What do?”
“Wounds.”
Monroe’s pretty face falls for a fraction of a second before she packs it away. “If it’s the last thing I do, Crew Lawson, you’re going to learn to love yourself.”
A woman comes around the corner next, her eyes gleaming, smiling so bright.
She looks so much like Monroe that I almost have to do a double take.
She wastes no time, walking right up to me and wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.
I have a moment of confusion, then I see Monroe’s face smiling up at me with her hand on her heart, and I decide to hug her mom back.
It’s awkward at first as she rubs my back maternally with her hands before breaking away. She grabs my elbows, looking up at me.
“You are obviously Crew. I’m Monroe’s mom, Demi.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“I hope she warned you about our family, it’s large, loud, and chaotic.”
“She did, but I’m ready for it.”
“Well, Monroe, make your rounds!”
Two boys yell at each other as they fight over a football, tackling each other into the ground as they tumble into the room.
“That’s Miles and Wyatt, they’re twins, and this is what they do all day long,” Monroe says to me.
“Hey, dingbats! Come say hey,” she yells at her twin brothers.
The boys pull themselves together, walking over to us.
They have identical facial features, but completely different hairstyles, and the way they stand couldn’t be more opposite.
“Hey. Are you the guy who rides his motorcycle around town?” one of them asks, I’m not sure which.
“Maybe. There’s a bunch of us.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who doesn’t wear a shirt. I recognize your hair.”
“Then yeah, that’s me.”
“Cool. I want to dye my hair, but my mom says not till I get my room clean, and I don’t want to do that.”
“At least she says you can, dummy. I want a motorcycle, and she said not till I’m eighteen,” the other one says.
“Alright, let’s move on, or we’ll spend all day meeting people.
Three down, a bazillion more to go.” Monroe grabs my hand and leads me through her family home.
It’s cozy, with family photos hung on the walls, children’s artwork, and family calendars.
I’ve never been inside an actual home, and it’s hard not to walk around slowly like I’m in a museum. This is all completely new to me.
We meet her sisters next—Aurora, Lucy, and Hazel—then her brother Atticus, who could barely be bothered to look up from his book. Fine by me, buddy.
Demi was right, their house is loud and chaotic, but so was mine, and this is not the same.
This is full of love and laughter. This is what my childhood dream was when I’d get a break from the cage, when I’d sit by the window and watch the other kids outside throw balls around with their parents, when they’d ride their bikes and boards, when they’d get fresh air, and all I got was smoke, beer, and decay.
“Take a seat, I’ll go grab us something to drink. You good?” Monroe says as she ushers me onto the couch.
“Yeah, I’m good.” Monroe flits off just as another sibling runs into the room, launching himself onto the seat next to me. I can feel the burn of his stare on the side of my face as I sit there, unsure what the hell I’m supposed to do.
“Hi.”
I look around side to side, wondering if this little child is talking to me. He’s smaller than all the rest, so he must be the youngest.
“Hi?”
“Why do you have metal in your nose like a bull? Did you know bulls are actually colorblind? They can’t see the colors red and green.”
“I definitely didn’t know that. But I’m okay with having matching metal like a bull.
Bulls are strong and pretty cool. Did you know nose bleeds can also bleed out of your eyes?
” His eyes squint at me like I’ve challenged him to a duel, and I look around the room briefly, wondering if I should be concerned.
“Did you know the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World used real skeletons?” What the hell is a Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney? Where the hell is Disney?
“Did you know you can pull a brain out through a nose?”
“Why would someone pull your brain out through your nose?”
I open my mouth to answer, but Monroe beats me to it, quickly speaking up as she sits down on the armrest next to me. My hand immediately seeks out her thigh, needing her touch.
“For research, and only after they’ve passed away.” My head cocks to the side, her lie settling over me. Ahh. So, he probably shouldn’t be told about torture methods. Makes sense. I smack my palm against my forehead. That would have been awkward.
Monroe’s mom makes a huge feast of grilled burgers, hot dogs, and pasta salads.
Everyone congregates outside on the side of their house, where a massive outdoor picnic table stretches damn near the entire length of it.
You can’t see Monroe’s house from here. I’m glad that she has privacy and a little place on Earth that’s just for her.
“So, Crew, tell us about yourself.”
I should have prepared for this. “Just be yourself.” Fuck why does this suck so bad? Monroe squeezes my hand, a reassuring touch that gives me the courage to talk to all these people who mean so much to her.
“Well, I was an orphan and homeless for a little while, but then I met someone who changed my life and gave me a second chance at living. I’m a mechanic, and I mostly work on rebuilds of motorcycles, and I love your daughter. More than anything in the world.”
Everyone at the table stops their movements, including Monroe, who is beaming up at me like I’m the greatest thing in the entire world.
I grip her thigh under the table, and her hand grabs the back of my neck, possessively, lovingly, her short nails gently scratching the short hair there.
Then she leans in, dropping a small kiss to my cheek.
“Uhm, well, that’s . . . great! We are so happy to welcome you to our home,” her dad awkwardly says. I can’t blame the guy; I didn’t make it easy on anyone. But I’m here, and showing up is the hardest part. This is Monroe’s family, and it’s important I try to fit in with them.
“What’s it like to be in a motorcycle club? Do you get to have a gun? Are you a bad guy or a good guy?” one of the twins rapid-fires.
“I guess it’s just like this. We’re a family. We eat meals together, and we take care of each other when bad stuff happens.”
“That’s cool. But what about the gun?” I laugh nervously, and luckily for me, Monroe speaks up.
“No talking about guns at the dinner table. Eat your food.” Okay, bossy Monroe is hot as hell. I wonder if she’d be down to boss me around sometime.
“So you’re all close then, Crew?” her mom asks.
“We’re brothers. We may not share blood, but we’re still a family. I’d do anything for any one of them or their wives.”
“Well, we know all about that here. All our children were adopted except Monroe. Family is so much more than the blood that flows through your veins. It’s who you choose, who steps up to take care of you when you need it.
It’s the people who accept you without question and love you through all the ups and downs that life brings. ”
“I’m not great with words, you said that much better than I could. But I agree.”
“I heard you had never been bowling before; you made quite the impression on Grandma,” her mom adds. I glance at Monroe’s grandmother, who is laughing under her breath.
“You did well, we didn’t take it easy on you!”
“No, no, you didn’t. And I was terrible at bowling. My life has really been about survival, and there hasn’t been much time for playing games like that. It was a good time. Might have to convince my club brothers to make our own league. We can call ourselves the Pinheads.”
Monroe’s siblings all laugh, and it makes me feel good.
“I think we need to change that,” one of Monroe’s twin brothers says. “Let’s play a game. Everyone looks like they’re done eating anyway.”
“Shut up, idiot. You just want to flex and show Crew that you’re the best at games and always win.”
“Thanks for the compliment, I am the best at games and always win. Maybe you should try harder, and then you’d actually win something.”
Monroe shoulder bumps me. “Ignore them. They’ve fought like this since day one. It’s what they do. Competitive little buttheads. Are you up for a game? I’ll warn you, everyone is pretty ruthless here.”
“What kinda game are we talking? Like wrestling? Fighting?”
“No,” she laughs. “Like capture the flag.”
“What the hell is capture the flag?”
“Oh, baby. I hope you’re ready. It’s about to get real.” Monroe turns to the rest of the table, announcing that we’re playing the game, and everyone jumps up and heads to their massive backyard between the main house and Monroe’s.
We split into two teams; Monroe and I were split up.
“Alright, our backyard capture the flag is simpler because it would be a madhouse if we did it the right way. So, each team’s flag is staked behind them.
The goal is to work with your team to cross into their side, steal their flag, and then run it back over to our side before they do the same to us.
We need runners, blockers, and two guards to watch our flag.
Does that make sense, Crew?” her mom explains.
Shit, does it? I guess I could guard the flag because that seems easiest, but it also feels like too much pressure. So I guess I’d be better at being a blocker? Seems easy enough.
“Yeah, I think I got it.”
“Great. Let’s get ready then.”
We spend the next minute strategizing, and then we’re turning to face the other team. Monroe, her dad, and some siblings line up in front of their flag, and Monroe looks so fucking cute in her little floral summer dress with bare feet on the grass.
“Did you know bees live everywhere in the whole world except Antarctica?” Monroe’s little brother, Cooper, asks me. Is that true? I’ve never given thought to the whereabouts of bees.
“I didn’t. Did you know that the human brain can’t feel pain?”
“Whoa! How’d you know that?”
“I don’t know, my man. I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
Monroe’s dad yells, breaking up our little chitchat. “Ready? Set. Go!”
Everyone breaks out, and I’ve got my eyes on Monroe; she’s cheeky, smiling so big, I’m desperate to get my hands on her.
While she holds me hostage, one of her little monster brothers makes a run for it, and at the same time, her sister from my team bolts.
I dart forward, wanting to meet him in the middle, and easily tag him out.
Her mom cheers from behind me as she guards our flag.
“Crew, get Monroe!” her mom screams, and then my eyes catch on my little pixie, running across the yard, dodging both her sisters and eating up the space between her and our flag.
“I got it! I got it! I got it!” her sister yells, and my eyes catch the bright orange flag she’s clutching to her chest as she runs back toward our side. Monroe is able to capture the flag from her mom and starts running back. She’s quick, but I’m quicker.
I race toward her, gaining on her rapidly, and wrapping my arms around her waist. She squeals loudly as I pick her up off the ground and flip her in the air into my arms. We fall to the ground just as my team starts cheering from behind me.
“We won, pixie girl. What’s my prize?”
“Mmm. I’ll give that to you later in private.”
Monroe and I stand, brushing off the grass from our clothes as I high-five my team. Her mom pulls me into a huge hug that catches me off guard. I hug her back with one arm, my heart skipping a few beats in the process.
“You’re good for my girl, Crew. She’s good for you, too.”
I’ve never needed validation, permission, or approval, but this makes me feel like maybe I really am doing something right.