Chapter Twenty
River
Bella smiles at my mom and greets her warmly, giving her the flowers she brought. She doesn’t react to her missing eye, and doesn’t even seem to stare at the patch like I’ve seen other people do. I know I should have warned her, but I’m so used to it that it slipped my mind.
“It’s so lovely to finally meet you,” my mother says, beaming as she takes Bella in. “You are absolutely beautiful.”
“Thank you, so are you. It’s nice to meet you, too. Thank you for having me here,” Bella says.
Mom ushers us inside and gets us seated, bringing out some snacks for us and offering to make us tea and coffee. “It’s so nice to see River settle down with someone,” she says, sighing happily as she looks between us. “So tell me about yourself, Bella.”
“Um, well, I’m a property manager, and an only child. I’m a Callisto, which I guess would have been a problem before, but isn’t one anymore,” she replies, smiling over at me. “I came as a package with my dog, Hades. How about yourself?”
“I grew up around the Devils MC, and raised my kids around them. But now I prefer my life of peace and solitude,” Mom says. “I love it here—I foster animals and help run the local animal refuge. And there’s no drama or violence. River comes around and helps me with anything I need; he’s a good boy.”
Bella looks over at me with warmth in her gaze. “Yes, he is.”
We finish our coffee, and then Mom takes Bella for a tour while I chop up some more wood for her. From the back of the property, I can see them walking around and laughing, and see Mom introduce her to all the animals, which I know Bella will love.
Why didn’t I bring her here sooner?
I know I was worried about her finding out about Robert, and she told me she wouldn’t tolerate me lying to her again. If she asks what happened to Mom’s eye, I’m going to have to tell her that my mother is a survivor of domestic violence. What I don’t know if I’ll tell her is what happened to Robert afterward. And I still haven’t told anyone else about him not even being my biological father. But if she asks...
Bella walks over with a kitten in her hands. “Your mom is so nice, River. And she does so much for all the animals. I can see why she loves it out here.” She doesn’t mention the eye, which I think is really nice of her.
“It is pretty great out here,” I agree, patting the kitten on the head, and then giving Bella a kiss. We spend more time around the property, then head out for lunch before we drive home.
Mom gives Bella a big hug before we leave, and it’s so nice to see them getting along like this. “Come back anytime,” Mom says to her. “I’d love to see you both more. Thank you for coming.”
Bella is happy the whole drive home, and I know it meant a lot to her to meet Mom. I feel like a fucking asshole for not doing it sooner.
We stop by her house to get a few things, then drive back to the clubhouse. My eyes narrow when I see Corey standing out the front, talking to Jag.
“They’re friends,” Bella says, smirking. “She was saying how he fits in here just like family. And he’s a nice guy. Don’t be an asshole to him. You can’t hate every man who looks her way. She’s a beautiful girl.”
“I hope I don’t have any daughters,” I grumble. Because I’m clearly not cut out for letting them go.
“Do you want children? Corey asked me and then I realized that I didn’t know how you felt about it,” she asks.
I put the car in Park and turn to her, softening. “I thought I never wanted children, but to be honest with you, I could definitely see myself having a couple with you. I think you’d be a wonderful mother.”
She smiles and leans over to kiss me. “I think you’d be a badass father. Changing diapers and all.”
I smile and take her hand. Jag opens the door, interrupting our moment, and if looks could kill he would be dead on the floor.
“Thanks,” she says to him, getting out.
“How was it?” Corey asks, a look of sadness flashing in her eyes. It must be so hard for her, and it’s a shame both mother and daughter are too stubborn to reach out to each other first.
“It was lovely,” Bella replies, linking arms with her. “Your mom has made a little paradise there for herself and animals that need her. Now what should we do for dinner?” Bella goes into the kitchen and begins searching through the fridge and freezer to see what we have.
“You going to cook again?” Corey asks, perking up.
“Yeah, maybe I’ll go and get some steaks,” Bella says, closing the fridge door. She grabs her bag and looks over at me. “Want to come to the store with me?”
“Yep,” Corey says, looking over at me. “And we’ll be fine, we don’t need any extra babysitters.”
Bella kisses me and heads out, so I go and join Jeremiah and Jag, who are watching Mark’s home surveillance cameras.
“Anything?” I ask, pulling out a seat.
“He’s made a few calls trying to find out where his Sarah is. We tried to listen to the voice on the line, but we could only tell it was female. This guy is kind of a mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned into an alcoholic or something,” Jeremiah says, pointing to Mark sitting there downing a glass of vodka.
“I mean, his woman is being held hostage right now,” Jag reminds him. “I also did some digging and found out why he got fired.”
“Why?” I ask, curious.
“Well, apparently Sarah was another undercover job for him, and he wasn’t supposed to be with her either, same as Bella. He went against the rules and told her the truth,” he explains, wincing. “And now he’s lost her and being blackmailed. It’s pretty rough.”
“I don’t have the time to feel sorry for him,” I say, pursing my lips. “We just need to figure out how to find the caller. I’m guessing the call was untraceable?”
Jag nods. “Burner phone.”
“Maybe we just need to be there when she calls next, and speak to her ourselves? Where’s Romeo?”
“Him and Julianna had some meeting to go to,” Jeremiah says, looking back to the screen. “Where did the girls go?”
“They went to the store—Bella is going to cook us all dinner. If they aren’t back in twenty minutes, I’ll go look for them myself,” I grumble.
Jag changes the screen, which shows the tracker he put in Bella’s car. “There you go, you can watch them and see where they are going.”
I laugh. Hard to admit it, but having Jag around has been pretty good. Our setup wasn’t as fancy as this prior to his arrival.
When I notice the car returning home, I head back outside so I can help them with the bags, checking out my bike while I’m waiting. Sometimes you just need some time to admire it. Once they are inside and cooking, I decide to go for a quick ride with Jeremiah.
With everything going on, sometimes it’s nice to just take some time to yourself, clear your head and be thankful for what you have.
A ride is where I process things.
And it’s about time that I face up to the things I’ve been ignoring.
My name is River Montanna, second son of Andrew and next in line to lead the Angels and Devils MC.
And I need to accept that.