Chapter Sixty-Five
The last few days have been amazing. It's like we've been living in a bubble and the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Both her and Mason are so much more relaxed here.
They have been relaxed at the clubhouse, but there's always been this look in their eyes, this darkness that follows them around.
But here, all that seems to have faded away.
They fit right in too. My dad loves them, and they love him.
I take a sip of my coffee as the back door opens and my dad appears, holding his own cup. "You okay, son?" he asks as he takes the seat next to me.
I glance behind him, through the window on the now closed door, to see Mason is sat at the table, drawing as usual.
Nova is at the sink, washing the dishes from breakfast while my sister chats to her.
I didn't want her to think she had to do anything here, she's been forced to take care of everything in her uncle’s house, cooking, cleaning and taking care of her brother.
All on top of working in the diner just so her aunt and uncle can take her wages from her.
But after I tried to stop her from doing the dishes yesterday, she explained that she wanted to do it.
"I'm good, Dad. I'm really good. You're okay with us still being here, aren't you?
" I ask him. Besides Nova and Mason and Georgia, I have Tongue, Prospect, and two of Arthur’s guys here.
Not that his guys come in the house much, but they are still around.
He's been alone for so long, having this many people around must be hard.
He smiles around his cup as he takes a sip of his drink.
"Yeah. It's been good having you all here.
There's so much life back in this house with you all being here.
I didn't know how much I missed it, how much I needed it.
" He takes another sip of his drink and then holds it in his lap, his eyes scanning over the huge garden him and my mum spent so much time working on, her sunflowers still blooming.
"When do you all have to go back? Will it be safe for Nova and Mason to go with you?
" he asks, knowing what they have been through.
He already knew some of it before I got here.
I'd called him a few times in the weeks that they were in the clubhouse.
And when we got here, I told him the rest. He would never have asked Nova anything, but she wanted him to know, she said he had a right to know why there were so many people, and the risks that surround her.
I blow out a breath. I'm not ready to leave our bubble, but I know we have to.
"I spoke to Prez this morning. You know the club have been working with Arthur and Andrea to sort out the shit with the wills. They got the call just before they called me, and it’s done.
Andrea is now Mason's guardian, and Nova, well, because she's twenty, she doesn't need one.”
I take a drink of my coffee and turn to face him.
"Arthur arranged for a restraining order against their aunt and uncle.
He's not allowed within one thousand feet of them, her work, or anything associated with the club or Arthur and Andrea.
" I watch my dad, waiting for him to respond, but he simply nods without even looking at me, his eyes still focussed on the garden.
"What's on your mind?" I ask him.
He turns to face me, before taking a quick glance at the house, then turning back to me. "So that’s it? Custody sorted and a restraining order in place and we're leaving it at that?" I know what he's asking, and I would love to give him the answer he's looking for, but the truth is, I don't know.
I look at my girl, now at the table with Mason and Georgia, chatting, looking over his drawings. I shake my head. "I don't know, Dad. It's not our call to make—"
"Like hell it isn't," he cuts me off, his voice low but laced with rage. "You're claiming her, right?"
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.
He gives me a small smile. "Good. Now as your ol' lady, you have the right to decide what happens to those that hurt her."
I hold my hand up, cutting him off. "I'm claiming her, Dad, but the club hasn't approved it yet. She ain’t my ol' lady just yet."
"They know you want to claim her?" he asks, confused.
I nod. "Yeah, I tried in a meeting a little over a week ago.
Blades wouldn't give his vote, said it was too early and that I needed to talk to her first. He was right about talking to her first, not about it being too early.
" I look at my dad. "I knew the minute I spoke to her in the hospital, when she fell asleep on me, I knew in that moment I couldn't let her go. "
"And have you spoken to her?" he asks quietly.
"Yeah. She wants this too. She said yes." I smile at the memory.
"Then I stand by what I said. As her ol' man, you have the right to decide what happens to those that hurt her. Fixing the will, correcting custody of Mason and putting a restraining order in place is not enough. They need to pay for hurting them. You need to make them pay," he tells me.
I shake my head. "It's not that simple, Dad.
I wish it was. But she's not from this world, she doesn't know how it works.
And I'm not sure that she would understand.
Her heart and soul are way too pure to be corrupted by it.
" I look inside my empty cup, not because I want a drink, but because I need something to focus on.
"Look, son. You're claiming her. If she lives this life, at some point the choices the club make, the life that we all lead, may well corrupt her.
But that doesn't mean it would change her heart or soul.
The shit that girl has been through, the things they have done to her hasn't changed who she is, so what makes you think your actions will?
" He turns his body to face me as he asks.
"What if it does, Dad? What if I do?"
"Look at your girl in there, and her brother.
Take a minute to think about how long they've been suffering, how much they've had to go through.
I know they've told you some of the things, but you and I both know that there will be more stories she hasn't shared.
None of that has broken her, none of it has changed her.
Or Mason. They are both good kids with genuine hearts.
You really think that you have the power to corrupt her?
" His eyes flick back and forth between mine.
I blink back at him. "If I give her the choice of what happens, that will change her. Asking her if she wants revenge will corrupt her,” I tell him, but he just shakes his head.
"She's your ol' lady, son. I'm not telling you to give her a choice, I'm telling you that it's your choice. You can leave things as they are and let them live in fear for the rest of their lives, or you can remove that fear once and for all."