Jackson
The “family-friendly” portion of the parties were during the day, and usually ended after we ate. After the ‘Ol Ladies and kids left, the club girls and hang-arounds started to come out. They were kept separate because even if the ‘Ol Ladies knew what they were there for, no one wanted to see it.
Not all of the Brothers fucked around, but that was a small group. Brothers were expected to keep their women in line, and if she was going to have a problem, she needed to leave. It was a rule, but I can’t even count how many catfights I’ve broken up throughout the years.
That’s exactly why I stopped fuckin’ around with the club girls. I did use them for the first year after being patched in. But I was only twenty, and I worked hard for my patch. Why not take advantage of all the benefits?
After a year of seeing the hurt in the ‘Ol Ladies’ eyes when the club girls would rub it in their faces that they fucked their husbands—or if they were unlucky, walked in on it—I knew I never wanted my future ‘Ol Lady to have to deal with that. I never wanted to deal with the club girl’s possessive side.
All of the club girls wanted to stay and feel like they have a claim to us.
Most want to become ‘Ol Ladies, and I guess it could happen, but none of the Brothers that I know would want an ‘Ol Lady that’s been with the entire club.
They started as hang-arounds at parties and just stayed when they found out that if they were willing to help cook and make drinks, clean up, and be available to any Brother at any time, they could stay here for free.
We had to turn some away who wanted to stay.
They’d come from other clubs and saw that in our chapter, even if they’re club girls, they get a choice: no means no in this clubhouse.
We also have no tolerance for violence or being aggressive with them.
If they stay at the clubhouse, they’re under our protection.
Blitz and his family finally showed up, missing the dinner and entertainment that the women planned.
They said they were tired, so Jaz took their daughter to the guest rooms that were set up for them, and Blitz went with them to make sure they were “settled.” But really, it was to make sure that no one messed with them.
Even if we are the same club, every clubhouse has different rules.
When he came back to the party, he looked pissed. He has always been a man of few words, but he would have a few drinks with the guys when he would come on random visits. But this time, he was staring down some of the older members like he was disgusted with the fact that they existed.
I didn’t think we’d done anything to get on National’s bad side, but it even had me second-guessing.
He went to his room after two hours of sitting at the bar, giving curt responses to Red when he tried to have a conversation with him and shaking off the club girl’s advances.
It was well known that Blitz was one of the Brothers that never fucked around on his ‘Ol Lady.
After Blitz left the party, I had enough of an excuse to go back to my room. I was still pissed at most of the guys after all of the bullshit that I learned today. I don’t know for sure who knew about my mom, but I’m assuming all of the older members did.
As I make my way to my room, I notice Flame walking towards his with Brandi trailing behind him again. He’s opening himself up for a ton of bullshit with that one. He probably thinks that it’ll be her problem with the other girls, but the catty shit gets out of hand.
He always acts like he doesn’t want an ‘Ol Lady. Flame respects women, but he refuses to be tied down. He thinks it’s stupid to want to have a family when you are in a 1% MC, that they would suffer from the danger and chaos that follows us.
I think it’s because of what happened to his mom. It was a hit-and-run that killed her. Flame was in the car with her, and he was never the same after watching her die. So, he just fucks the girls that signed up for the club life, not letting anyone in that could be taken away from him.
Shaking my head, I walk into my room. I was able to get through most of the journals in the time that I had before the party. I feel like I know my mom and her family after reading them. Mom was so detailed in her letters that I felt like I was there.
None of the letters were the same. Some of them talked about her memories of me as a baby, some of them were like her personal journal entries, and most of them were about her day, her family’s day.
She told me about each of the siblings and her husband in detail.
How they looked, their personalities, and even the mundane stuff that they’d do.
She talked about when Will was diagnosed at four with leukemia, and the struggles for her and the family while she fought.
She told me about how she changed after, and then how she changed again when it came back, and she had to start the fight all over.
She told me about her and Michael’s plans to move close to me.
She told me that they bought the property and the steps that they were taking.
Knowing that my mom and her husband had been working for ten years and moving their entire lives states away to try and build a relationship with me was like a punch to the chest. I’ve never been someone’s priority before, and the fact that not only my mom and Will, but her entire family, wanted to be closer to me—that they were all in support of it—cemented the fact that if I knew my Mom, my life would’ve looked entirely different.
I love my club, and before this, I loved my found family. But just thinking about being a part of a family that you don’t have to give all that you have in order to be wanted blows my fuckin’ mind.
I decide I need to talk to Willow. My half-sister, Maggie, and I have never been close.
She is too much like Andrea for me to want to speak to her.
She tried over the years to have me set her up with Flame.
She just wants to be with the future Pres, and does not mind throwing herself at him whenever she gets the chance.
It’s disgusting. Flame can see it, and he knows if he goes near that sack of fuckin’ crazy, she will get even more possessive than she tries to be with him now.
Or she’d “accidentally” wind up pregnant. I mean, it worked for her mom, I guess.
Through Mom’s writing, it looks like I have a lot of shit in common with Will…
and the rest of the family, if I’m being honest. She doesn’t tell me what they do, she just mentions the family business and that they are training to take it over.
Will wants to “do her own thing,” I guess.
I think she left details out so that I would want to get to know them.
I’m sure that I want to reach out to Willow, I’m just not sure that I am going to with the rest of them.
But Mom made it sound like they’re all close, so I may not have an option.
I spend the rest of the night trying to sleep, but my brain won’t turn off.
I haven’t gotten to Mom’s last journal yet.
I feel like I’m getting to know her as a person and all about her life.
If I read the last journal, it’d be like her saying goodbye.
I know she is already gone, but that will confirm that I’ll never get the chance to meet her in person.
She seems too good to be true. She was the mom that doted on her kids, that had a career that helped people, that her kids could talk to about feelings and shit.
When I skimmed the last journal, it looked like it was just reflecting on her life, and I decided that I’d save that one for after I get to know Will, and she can fill in some of the gaps about Mom and their lives.
I want to know her as much as I can before saying goodbye.
Finally, sleep finds me after I toss and turn all night.
Usually, I wake up at 5 so I have time to work out in the gym that’s in the clubhouse and get to the shop by 8.
This morning, I slept in, and woke up to a text saying that there’s “Church” at 9.
It looks like they want to have a meeting and invite Blitz.
I look at the clock and see that it’s 7:45—too late for a good work out. It would’ve helped clear my head, but I guess that option is out for the day. There is no reason to drive to the shop that’s in town and then turn around to come back.
I let myself lay in bed and stare at the ceiling for a bit before I rolled out to shower and get ready for the day.
As I step out of the shower, my phone starts to blow up with text notifications, and I run over to grab it from the charger on my nightstand.
I have about ten text messages from Red, Griz, and Flame.
They’re calling everyone to Church now. I look at the clock and it’s only 8:20.
I know that I’m not late, so they’re having an emergency meeting, and doing it now.
I throw on my clothes as fast as I can and rush downstairs. By the time I make it into the soundproof conference room that we hold church in, it looks like almost everyone’s here. “Church” is a meeting for all the patched members. Prospects can come in when specifically invited.
I walk over to my empty chair next to Flame and take a seat.
As the future VP, I sit at the opposite end of the table from Red, Griz, and the enforcer of the club, Buck.
Red’s in his normal seat at the head of the table.
Griz flanks his right, and it looks like Blitz took Buck’s seat on his left.
It’s a sign of respect for visiting Presidents to take the seat next to the chapter’s President.
Everyone else files in after a few minutes, and Blitz looks like he is about to jump out of his skin, but besides the wild look in his eyes, he’s silent. Pres finally hits the gavel once, effectively shutting everyone up.