Chapter 26
APRIL
“You looked great walking across that stage, sweetheart,” my dad says, his voice brimming with pride as he gives me a side hug.
“Thanks, Dad.” After everything with Samuel, I didn’t think I’d be able to, but I’ve grown stronger every day.
Sure, it was still a lot to make that walk, but I refused to give up.
I wanted that honor. I deserved it. So I did, and it felt good.
Kayla and Mercy expertly applied makeup to hide my fading bruises.
No one knew what had happened to me, and I’m glad for it. I didn’t want to see the pitying looks from my classmates. Not that any of them mattered to me. All I cared about was seeing my goal through, graduating, and walking across that stage.
I’m glad my dad came to town today. He’d actually gotten in after I came home from the hospital and hasn’t left yet. He’s been around and stayed close by. It’s been nice.
“You should know, I’m buying a house not far from yours and Fools,” he announces.
“You are?” I ask, completely shocked by his announcement.
“Yeah, I figure it’s time to settle down. Stop moving around so much. I can stay close to you, knowing you’re happy. That good with you?” he asks, uncertainty in his eyes.
I launch myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Of course, it’s good with me.”
My dad is moving here to live close by. I love it because it means I can finally have my dad nearby.
“What’s going on?” Fool asks, coming up behind me, arms wrapping around my waist as I step back from my dad.
“Dad’s moving here,” I tell him with a smile.
Fool grins down at me. “That’s good, sweets.”
He knows how much this means to me. I’m going to miss living close to Mercy and Kayla, the rest of the Devil’s Riot MC, but here I also have family. Family who took me in without even knowing me.
“You got a minute for me to steal you away?” Fool asks, his hand settling along my hip.
Since returning to the clubhouse after the graduation ceremony, people have been hugging and congratulating me nonstop.
We have guests from the Mississippi Charter of the Grave Prowlers, the Devil’s Riot MC Originals Charter, and the Franklin Charter.
Lola, Izzy, and Kenny went all out for this party for Mercy, Kayla, and me.
Kayla told her parents days ago, when she finally went home, that she had dropped out. But she had all of her credits and had been exempted from her finals, so she at least finished school. I’m not sure how that happened, but as she would say, it is what it is.
Now, we all have to figure out what to do next with our lives. Thankfully, we have time because of our families.
Fool guides me away from my dad and toward the side of the clubhouse.
“Is everything okay?” I ask when we’re alone.
“Was gonna ask you the same thing,” he says, cocking a brow.
To say Fool’s been overprotective is an understatement. He doesn’t like to see me struggle, and I definitely struggled to fully regain my strength after the paralytic I’d been given.
“I’m okay, Beck,” I say to him, sliding my hands across his chest.
“Good.” He nods, lowering his head to kiss me softly, his hands resting on my hips. I melt into him, savoring the moment of privacy amid the celebration.
“I have something for you,” he murmurs against my lips.
“More than that killer party?” I tease, gesturing toward the decorated clubhouse.
“The party isn’t from me, sweets. That’s all Lola, Izzy, and Kenny. You know it.”
True. I do know this.
Fool reaches into his cut and pulls out a small velvet box. My heart stutters in my chest.
“Beck . . .” I whisper, suddenly nervous.
“Relax, baby. You already have my ring on your finger.” He opens the box to reveal a delicate silver chain with two teardrop-shaped gems. One look, and I know they’re our birthstones. “For my smart girl.”
I let out a soft sigh, touching the stones. “It’s beautiful.”
“Let me put it on you.” He turns me around, and I lift my hair as he clasps the metal around my neck. The metal is cool against my skin.
“Thank you,” I say, touching the pendant again. “I love it.”
“Good,” he says, pressing a chaste kiss to my neck. “You deserve so much more, but I’m glad it’s me you choose to be with.”
“I don’t and wouldn’t want anyone else,” I tell him, spinning in his arms to face him again. “I love you, Beckham Underwood. You’re everything I ever dreamed of in the man I’d end up with.”
“Love you too, April, more than anything in this life,” he growls, grips my hair, and slants his mouth over mine.
The kiss deepens, and I melt against him. His hands glide down to my waist, drawing me closer until there’s no space between us. The sounds of the party fade, leaving just us in this moment.
When we finally part, I’m breathless, my lips tingling. Fool rests his forehead against mine, his eyes dark with desire.
“We should probably get back before they send out a search party,” he says, his voice husky.
I laugh softly. “Probably. But first,” I press one more quick kiss to his lips, “thank you for this.” I touch the necklace again. “It’s perfect.”
“Just like you,” he whispers, tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear.
We walk back hand in hand, and I feel like I’m floating. When we return, the party is in full swing, with music playing and people dancing. Mercy spots us first and waves us over to where she and Kayla are sitting.
Before we can reach them, I hear Izzy shout, “Oh, hell fucking no.”
I twist to see what she’s cursing about as she storms past us. My breath seizes in my chest when I spot my mother getting in my dad’s face.
“What is she doing here?” I whisper, dread churning in my stomach.
“Go sit with Kayla and Mercy. I’ll handle this,” Fool says.
“No.” I grip his hand tighter. “She’s my mother. I’ll deal with her.” I wasn’t about to let her ruin any more of my life. I won’t let her taint the life I’m building for myself here.
“All right,” Fool agrees, then switches direction, leading us toward the small crowd.
“She’s my fucking daughter. I raised her. I have every right to be here, even if she’s a selfish brat.” I hear my mother’s snappish words.
“You might have given birth to that girl, but you are nothing more than an egg donor who needs to be twat-punched a few times,” Izzy yells, getting in my mom’s face. “You aren’t welcome here, and she definitely wouldn’t want you here.”
“Of course, she would,” my mom says, looking at me, then at Fool. I hate the way she seems to give him a once-over, like she could have a go at him. “April,” she smiles, and I know it’s fake. Just as everything else about her is. “Come hug your momma.”
“No, you need to leave. I don’t want you here.” Why she would show up here in the first place is baffling.
“I have a right to be here with you,” she snaps, losing her fake smile.
“No, you don’t,” I say tersely. “If I wanted you here, I’d have called you. I didn’t, so I don’t want you here. Just go, and while you’re at it, lose my number.” Not that she ever called me, anyway.
“You ungrateful bitch. I raised you, put a roof over your head, and this is how you treat me. I was there for you when no one else was.”
“Bullshit,” my dad growls. “You threatened to kill her to get your way, and I was stupid enough to give in to you.” He steps in, blocking me from her view.
“Get the fuck out of here and stay the fuck away from my daughter. So help me God, if you come near her again, I’ll kill you myself, as I should have when she was four. ”
I suck in a breath, hearing venom in his voice I’ve never heard before.
“He doesn’t. I will,” Lola snarls, entering the fray, holding a serrated blade in hand. “You come near my niece again, and I’ll gut you. No one fucks with my family.”
My mother backs away, her face pale, as her eyes meet mine. “You aren’t even worth the air you breathe.”
Fool lets my hand go, moving faster than I thought possible, and grips her by the throat.
“You’re not worth the air you breathe, bitch.
Stay the fuck away from here. If I get a glimpse of you anywhere near April, you won’t have to worry about Lola gutting you or Mikey killing you.
I’ll do it myself in the most painful ways possible. ”
My heart lurches at the protectiveness in Fool’s actions and the lengths he’ll go to keep me safe. It only makes me love him all the more. This right here is the reason I find safety in his arms, and I couldn’t be luckier if I tried.
Fool shoves my mother, sending her stumbling backward. She clutches her throat, gasping for air, eyes wide with fear.
“I’ll call the police!” she shrieks, her voice rasping.
“Go ahead,” Lola challenges, twirling the knife in her hand. “We have all the witnesses here to refute your claim. So, I suggest you turn tail and get out of here. Go back to the hole you crawled out of.”
My mother’s face tightens with rage as she backs away. She points a trembling finger at me. “This isn’t over, April. You think you can just throw me away? I’m your mother!”
“No,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. “You’re just the woman who gave birth to me. There’s a difference. Besides, I had two great women who raised me.” I gesture to Izzy and Kenny. “They taught me what kind of woman I want to be, and that’s nothing like you.”
“I think I’m going to cry,” Izzy murmurs.
“Go for it, you big baby,” Kenny teases.
Fool steps back to my side, his arm sliding protectively around my waist. The air holds a tension so thick Lola’s knife could cut it.
My mother’s face contorts with fury. She opens her mouth to say more, but my father steps forward, his expression deadly.
“Leave. Now. Before I forget I’m trying to be a better man and do something I’ll regret.” His voice is low and controlled, yet carries an unmistakable threat.
Something in his tone must finally cut through her rage, and she backs away, muttering curses under her breath. She turns and stalks toward the parking lot, her heels clicking angrily on the pavement.
“Good riddance,” Izzy declares, tucking her knife away. “Now, let’s get back to celebrating. There’s cake to eat.”
The crowd begins to disperse, conversations resuming, but I can’t shake the tension that’s settled in my shoulders. Fool’s arm tightens around me.
“You okay?” he asks softly.
I nod, though I’m not entirely sure it’s true, but then again . . . I don’t really have to think about it. “Honestly? Yeah, I am.”
It’s the truth. Seeing her is something I always dread, but knowing I have all these people around me, I’m more than okay. I’m great.
Besides, I have Fool. The man who became everything to me with a single look that brought us together. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now, and I can’t wait to see what our future holds, knowing it will be beautiful.