Chapter 19 #2
“He’s not a puppy.” Kruger sighs.
I reach up and gently squeeze Theo’s cheeks. “No, he’s much cuter.”
“Is she being serious?” Theo asks Kruger without looking away from me.
“It’s Delphi,” he says, as if that’s an answer in itself. And I guess it is. I see what I want, and I go after it.
Theo looks to Kruger, waiting for his response. “I’ve found, Bud, that there ain’t much I won’t do for her, so we need to come up with a new plan.”
I get to my feet and throw myself at Kruger.
I kiss him hard, all my feelings of resentment and anger drifting away.
Truth is, he’s not perfect. Nobody is. But after my last failure, I can’t help but look for perfection in all the wrong places.
What if the places aren’t wrong, it’s simply that perfection doesn’t exist?
He grips me tight, kissing me back with fervor before pulling away. “I’ve gotta make a call.” He lifts me off his lap before pulling out his cell phone.
I walk back over to Theo, who looks shocked. “I don’t know what this is going to look like. I don’t even know what you want, but family is what you make of it. Who says there have to be rules?”
“They won’t let me go easily. My mom might, but Josh will fight it on principle. If he thinks I’m getting an easy out, he’ll put a stop to it.”
“Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. But we’ll be ready for whatever he throws at us.
I don’t want you to have to keep hiding out, missing the parts of your teenage years that will shape your future.
You should be joining clubs, getting ready for prom, dating, and preparing to take driver’s ed.
You sure as fuck shouldn’t have to be barricading your door at night because you don’t feel safe. ”
He rubs his hand over his face in thought before Kruger walks back in. He looks from Theo to me.
“Havoc wants us at the clubhouse. All of us. He says if he wants us to put the club’s neck on the line, he wants to meet the kid. I can take him, Delphi. I can drop you off at home first. I don’t give a fuck what Havoc says, I’m not pushing you to do shit until you’re ready.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m coming with you.” Not a chance would I let Theo face that alone.
He bites his lip, considering before he nods. “You sure?”
“Yeah. It’s time.”
“What am I missing? You want me to trust the MC. So why does it look like Delphi wants to bolt?” Theo, far too perceptive for his own good, asks.
“It’s a long and complicated story. I’ll tell you about it, but not today. I will tell you that the MC is protective of their kids. And if they agree to take you under their wing, that’s what you’ll be, one of theirs.”
“But I’m yours first. If you don’t want—”
I cup his face, shutting him up.
“This will be good for both of us. Am I nervous about heading back there? Yes, but the longer I put it off, the harder it gets. If it gets to be too much, I’ll let one of you know, okay?”
“Alright,” he eventually agrees.
I blow out a steadying breath before turning to look at Kruger. “I know I’m being a pain in the ass by asking, but can we go home first so I can get changed?”
He looks at me, knowing I won’t feel as comfortable without my armor. His eyes drop to my wrists, which are covered, and he nods.
“Whatever you want, chestnut. What about you, kid? You good to go like you are? You can ride over to our place and keep me company while Delphi gets changed.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Let me just grab my sneakers.”
He gets up and heads to the bedroom. Kruger holds out his hand for me, tugging me to my feet and pulling me close.
“Anytime you want to leave…”
“I know. I can’t pretend it’s easy, but I want Theo to have the MC at his back. I can handle this for him.”
He leans down and kisses me. “Lola will be there too, and I have no doubt she’ll be a little uncomfortable herself.”
“And misery loves company. Yeah, no, it helps, actually. Not that the other girls aren’t great. I just feel like the new kid, which is weird because I was around before all of them.”
“Yeah, that’s gotta be a head fuck, but if anyone can deal with it, it’s you.”
God, I hope he’s right.
I fight the urge to fidget as we pull up outside the gates.
I feel more like my old self in dark wash boot-cut jeans with brown leather cowboy boots and a matching brown leather jacket.
It’s not really cold enough for a jacket, but I had a flash of the last time I was here and couldn’t help but bring it, just in case.
Underneath, I have a cream fitted off-the-shoulder sweater which I’ve tucked in.
A thin brown belt, my cuffs, and some gold hoops finish the look, keeping it simple and classy.
Not having to maneuver around a cast made doing my hair a thousand times easier. I used the curling iron to add some big, loose waves and added a couple of tiny braids, giving an almost boho vibe.
Gone is the girl who used to rock up in a denim mini skirt and a plaid shirt tied at the waist. But even now, a decade on, I’m still a little country in all the ways that matter.
When the truck stops, I take a few deep breaths and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. The guys don’t say anything as they wait for me to find my composure. When I give Kruger a nod, he hops out, slipping his cut back on before walking around and helping me down.
“Your ass in these jeans is a thing of beauty,” he murmurs in my ear as Theo jumps out.
“You trying to distract me?”
“Depends. Is it working?”
I grin. “Maybe a little.”
“Good.” He kisses me before pulling back and looking at Theo. “You ready for this? They’re good guys, but they can be rowdy assholes.”
“I can handle it.” He looks at me, and I know he’s thinking if I can handle it, so can he.
I link my arm through his as Kruger takes my free hand and leads us out of the warehouse up to the saloon.
I can hear the music and feel my pulse quicken.
I picture the frantic state I was in the last time, and the reception I was met with.
I trust Kruger when he says he’ll get me out of here if I need him to, but I’d be lying if I said my anxiety wasn’t through the roof right now.
“You’ve got this, Delphi,” Theo tells me.
“I’m supposed to be the one supporting you.”
“You are. The fact you’re here when you’d rather be anywhere else only proves how much you care.”
I lean my head on his shoulder as Kruger pulls the door open.
We walk into the busy room, and I immediately feel eyes coming our way.
The noise dies down almost immediately until only the music is playing.
I fight the urge to squirm. I straighten my spine, pull my shoulders back, and search the crowd of familiar faces until I see the one I’m looking for.
Lola is sitting on one of the sofas with a teenage girl beside her.
Hannibal is standing just off to the side, talking to someone else, but his eyes keep drifting back to Lola.
She feels the change in the room and looks over.
Her eyes land on mine. I smile and let go of Kruger’s hand so I can give her a small wave.
She gets to her feet. She says something to the girl beside her, who gets up too, and heads our way.
“Delphi. It’s so good to see you.” She steps forward as I let go of Theo’s arm and wraps her arms around me. I hug her back and feel myself relax a little.
“You freaked out to be here as much as me?” she murmurs into my hair.
I huff out a laugh. “There’s a good chance I’ll throw up before the night is over.”
“Aim for Havoc. He deserves it.”
“I heard that,” the man himself says as he walks over with Neveah under his arm.
Lola winks at me. “Us black sheep gotta stick together.”
I grin, feeling more stable now. I look at the girl next to her and feel my mouth open in surprise. “Wow, you are seriously gorgeous.”
The girl flushes, ducking her head.
“Delphi, meet Millie, our daughter. Millie, this is Delphi and Kruger. I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are,” she says, looking at Theo, who is staring at Millie like he’s seeing a real-life angel. Oh boy. Millie waves at me before her expression moves to Theo.
“This is Theo. He’s…” I glance at Theo, who must sense my eyes on him because he looks up. “He’s mine.”
I hear murmurs of surprise around the room but ignore them.
I lean down so I can whisper in Theo’s ear.
“She’s stunning, but you see that guy over there?
” I point out Hannibal, who has his eyes focused on Theo.
“That’s Millie’s father. If you touch her, he’ll rip out your liver and feed it to Kruger while making you watch. ”
“Got it,” he mumbles back.
“Nice to meet you, Theo,” Millie says with stars in her eyes.
Theo looks from me to Hannibal, then to Millie, before I see him chuckle and hold out his hand for her.
“Fuck it. Go big or go home, right? That’s what you said.
” He looks at me quickly with a cheeky grin as I groan.
Millie puts her hand in his, and we all watch as he lifts it and kisses the back of it.
I swear to god, Millie swoons. Honestly, I think Lola and I do a little too. I wince when I see Hannibal barreling down on us and move to take a protective stance in front of Theo.
Lola is already deflecting his attention. “Shit, shit, shit,” she curses, covering her chest.
He whips around and grabs hold of her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I think Evan is crying. I’m going to start leaking everywhere if you don’t get me out of here.”
He swoops her up and carries her toward the stairs. She looks over his shoulder and grins at me. I shake my head and laugh.
“Alright, let’s not give Hannibal a reason to lose his shit.” Havoc sighs, looking between Theo and Millie.
“We’re not doing anything wrong, Havoc.” Millie sighs. “You guys need to calm the hell down, or I’m going to die a virgin.”
“Not helping yourself there,” I warn her, slipping my arm through hers.
“How about you ladies come join us while Kruger, Theo, and Havoc talk?” Neveah suggests.
I look at Theo, wanting to make sure he’s comfortable with it.