Chapter 24 #3
Nash and I spend three and a half hours building a bookshelf, a television cabinet, and a dining room table, along with installing the cameras and alarm.
I inspect every window and door to make sure they’re secure.
I also take a look up and down her street cataloguing every building and car I can see.
It’s not necessary to do this because Griff’s already got all this information stored digitally, but it’s something I’ll do often.
There’s no fucking way anyone’s doing anything in this street without me knowing about it.
As I’m finishing up, Aurora joins me again holding up her phone.
“I was just texting with Mum and Lisa. She’s going to be in town next weekend and we’re thinking of having a spa day on Saturday, but Mum said that you’re planning to take her away for the weekend.
Can you change that to another weekend so we can do the spa day? ”
Finding a weekend that works for both Harlow and me to go away has been difficult.
Between Keaton’s sporting commitments, Harlow’s art classes she attends most Saturdays, and other social commitments we’ve got, we either go away next weekend or we wait another few months.
Fuck if I want to wait that long to get my wife to myself, but Lisa doesn’t come home to Brisbane often, and I know Harlow has been missing her like crazy since she moved to Sydney for work a year ago.
“Yeah,” I agree. “In exchange, I want you at dinner every Sunday night.”
Aurora frowns. “Every Sunday?”
“Yeah.”
She continues frowning. “I can’t commit to every Sunday, Dad. The girls and I go out some Sunday nights.”
“Mondays then.”
More frowning. “I have uni on Mondays until five.”
“Mondays it is.”
Her frown deepens. “No, wait. I just said I have uni until late.”
“You said you finish at five. That’ll give you plenty of time to get to our place for dinner.”
She shakes her head. “No, it doesn’t. I can’t do Mondays.”
I hold her gaze. “Pick a night, come for dinner, and do it every week. I don’t care what night it is; just be there. Your mother misses you.”
She opens her mouth to say something but Nash interrupts when he comes into the room and says, “I’m heading out, brother. I’ve gotta do some shit for Velvet this arvo, but do you need me to drop into the clubhouse first and check on the repairs?”
I’ve got some of the boys repairing the roof after a storm we had this week.
“No, I’ll drop by on my way home. Blade’s gonna be there in about an hour and I wanna catch up with him over some shit.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you for helping, Nash,” Aurora says.
He smiles at her. “Anytime, darlin’.”
I reach for my toolkit as he leaves. To Aurora, I say, “Let me know tomorrow which night you’re coming for dinner.”
A text comes through on her phone, distracting her for a moment. As she taps out a reply, she says, “It’s going to be hard to find a night that I can make regularly, Dad.”
“It’ll be harder to avoid the guy I send to collect you when you don’t show up.”
Her head snaps up at that. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me, sweetheart.”
She presses her lips together and shakes her head at me. “God, you are so extra.” She then strides out of the room, calling over her shoulder, “I’m talking about this with Mum.”
Harlow’s POV
1:05 p.m.
Aurora
Dad just threatened to send a club member to bring me to your place if I don’t turn up for dinner weekly. You need to talk to him. This is too much. He’s so unreasonable about some things.
I stare at my daughter’s text message but only for half a minute because my son is demanding all my attention.
He arrived at the dress shop five minutes ago after I called and asked him to bring me my purse when I realised I’d forgotten it. He’s spent the last few minutes talking with Savannah, and from what I can work out, Keaton’s not happy with her.
My phone rings, causing me to jump. I was so engrossed in trying to figure out what’s happening between them that I fumble with my phone and drop it.
“Shit,” I mutter as I bend to retrieve it. Noting it’s Aurora calling, I answer, “Hi honey. What’s up?”
Her energy immediately spills from the phone.
“Did you get my text? Did you see what Dad’s done now?
Seriously, Mum, you need to tell him to stop.
I know it’s not your preference to get in between him and me, but you’re going to have to on this.
He can’t be sending club members to my place to drag me to dinner. It would effectively be kidnapping me!”
I frown as I watch Keaton lean down and into Savannah’s personal space while saying something to her. Whereas a moment ago he appeared unhappy, now his features have softened, and he looks to be saying something thoughtful to her.
“Mum! Are you listening to me?” Aurora demands.
“Yes. Sorry.” I sigh. “Dad’s finding this hard, Aurora.”
“Finding what hard?”
“You leaving home. I need you to help him through the transition period and come to dinner like he wants you to.”
“Wait. He said you’re missing me. Is this all about him?”
“Well, I am missing you. That’s very true. But he is too. And I know you think of your father as a strong, fierce man who never stumbles or struggles with anything, but he does at times. Seeing you once a week for dinner is important to him and I want you to make it a priority.”
Aurora turns silent and my thoughts drift back to Keaton and Savannah. She’s been quiet throughout this shopping trip. If I had to pick her mood, I’d say she seems sad. Madison still doesn’t know how she got that black eye.
“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Aurora says.
I frown as Savannah begins crying, dropping her gaze to the floor, and inspiring Keaton to tip her chin up to bring her eyes back to his. I frown some more when he wipes her tears away.
“What’s going on with Keaton and Savannah?” I ask Aurora.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Is something going on with them?” God knows I’ll need to be prepared for it if there is.
Keaton’s two years older than Savannah, and I’m almost certain her parents would not be happy for their daughter to be involved with an older guy.
Especially since Savannah hasn’t shown any real interest in boys until recently.
“Not that I know of.” She pauses before adding, “I’m pretty sure Keaton’s still hung up on Thea.”
I’m not convinced of that. Thea broke up with him four months ago and he hasn’t mentioned her for a couple of months now. He also wasn’t happy about being cheated on. I don’t think he’ll ever date her again. Loyalty is everything to my son.
“Well, I’m watching them right now, and they seem very close. Maybe you could ask him about her.”
Aurora groans. “You do know Keaton’s seventeen, right? Like, he’s not my baby brother who follows me around everywhere anymore. He stopped telling me stuff about two years ago.”
“Could you try? For me?”
She groans again. “If you talk to Dad about this dinner thing, I’ll talk to Keaton about Savannah.”
“Okay.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“I’ve gotta go. I’ll call Keaton this afternoon and let you know tonight. And you’ll let me know how you go with Dad.”
I agree and we end the call as I think about the conversation I need to have with Scott.
He can’t threaten Aurora with sending a club member every time she doesn’t do what he wants her to do.
However, I already know how this conversation will go down.
Nineteen years of being with this man tells me I have a very low chance at success here.
Scott’s POV
3:30 p.m.
I arrive home to find my son punching the fuck out of his punching bag in the home gym we’ve set up in the shed. It’s not unusual to find Keaton out here, but it’s unusual to find him hitting it so hard.
I watch him for a few moments before asking, “Who pissed you off?”
He doesn’t respond. Instead, his fists keep pounding the bag.
“I asked you a question, Keaton.”
He scowls and continues hitting the bag.
Knowing I’ve got little chance of him opening up while he’s in this mood, I reach for the mitts and put them on. Jerking my chin at him, I say, “Come here.”
The scowl doesn’t leave his face, but he does what I say. A moment later, he’s punching the mitts I’m holding up.
We train in silence for ten minutes. Keaton punches the mitts harder than he ever has. I push back just as hard, giving him the resistance he needs to get this out of his system.
After ten minutes, I say, “You ready to tell me what’s going on yet?”
He grunts his way through another punch before stopping and wiping sweat from his face. “No.”
I eye his water bottle on the ground. “Have a drink and then we’ll do another ten minutes.”
We repeat this twice. On the third round, I sense the force of his punches easing. I give him his full ten minutes before asking again, “Who pissed you off?”
He continues hitting the mitts for another minute before finally stopping and looking at me. Sweat slicks his skin and fury bleeds from his pores. “A motherfucker who needs to learn some fuckin’ lessons.”
“The guy who gave Savannah that black eye?”
He works his jaw. “Yeah.”
“You wanna talk about it?”
“No.”
“That wasn’t a question, Keaton.”
“It sounded like one.”
I cross my arms and wait for him to give me what I’m after. I’ve been patient with him but I’m ready for him to talk.
He continues working his jaw as he lifts his forearm to his forehead to wipe the sweat away. “He made a move on her at the party. She didn’t like the move. He got rough with her. I took care of it.”
Now, it’s my turn to clench my jaw. “How far did he get with her?”
“I stopped him before he got what he wanted, but I wasn’t there in time to stop him hitting her.”
“Who?” I demand. I agree with Keaton: this kid needs to learn a lesson. And his parents need to know what he did.
“You’re not getting involved in this,” he says with more determination than I’ve ever seen in him.
“Scarlett and Wilder need to know about this.”
“No.” He turns to the punching bag.
“Keaton—"