11. Jackson
JACKSON
It’s been two days since I found out that I have a sister and a mom that wasn’t actually a piece of shit. It feels like so much has happened between showing up to that stupid coffee shop and now. The ride back to the clubhouse from Willow’s gave me time to reflect on everything.
When she texted me back after I was a dick to her, it gave me a little hope.
I mostly wanted to apologize to her and talk about Mom, maybe meet at a coffee shop again or a bar, somewhere neutral.
When she invited me to her house, I hesitated for a second, but decided to go.
I knew she was leaving soon, and I wanted to get this out of the way so I can move on and stop feeling guilty for what I said.
The drive to her house on the opposite side of town from the clubhouse was strange. It was on the rural side of town that was mostly farmland. I pulled up to her front gate, and it opened before I could ring a bell or anything.
I was in awe as I made my way down the driveway.
It was an old Victorian house that you could tell was recently fixed up.
The house was painted a light blue with a white trim; it even had one of those tower looking things, and most of the front of the house was windows.
It was fuckin’ huge, and I wondered if she lived there by herself or if I would be meeting the rest of my mom’s family.
I didn’t think that I was ready for that yet.
My goal was just to smooth things over with Willow first, and go from there.
Getting off my bike and walking up the porch steps, I looked around, noting the perfectly manicured lawn and the fruit trees that line it, separating it from the rest of the property. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but after seeing the video in Church, I wasn’t expecting a place so peaceful.
I walk up to the door to knock, wondering if she is aware that I can see her standing on the other side of the door through the glass. She glares at the door like it mocks her, but my knock snaps her out of it, and she opens the door.
It’s awkward as fuck as I step in. I think we’re both bad at this kind of thing. The most she has said to me was when she was telling me off before leaving the coffee shop after I pissed her off.
The inside of the house is open, but comfortable.
The first thing I notice is all of the books lining the walls.
She obviously put effort in making her house as comforting as possible.
She leads me into a large kitchen that is way too new to be original to the house, and starts to busy herself, which I appreciate because the less eye contact, the better.
She’s acknowledging the awkwardness that we both have, and that makes it easier.
After a while, we manage an actual conversation. It blows my mind how much she has accomplished, being so young. She is the complete opposite of Andrea and Maggie, which I appreciate, because I couldn’t deal with being related to another self-entitled bitch.
A few hours passed without noticing, and that’s when her brothers made their grand entrance.
When I first heard the way they spoke about her, I was ready to lay them the fuck out.
Not sure when I started feeling protective of this little sister that I knew nothing about.
I’ve known Maggie her entire life and would never defend her if someone was talking shit, since I already knew that she was a shit human, just like her mother. Willow is different.
I soon realized that it’s just the way they communicate. Willow even gives a death threat to them in a loving tone, but theirs never turns aggressive when speaking to her.
When they start glaring at me from the entrance to the kitchen, I can see how protective they really are over her.
They are pretty intimidating, especially when they are all standing shoulder to shoulder, crossing their arms and looking like they are waiting for a chance to take me out.
But surprisingly, the tiny woman puts them in their place like she is scolding puppies.
They all look exactly the same, except for a random few scars that I can see. They are huge, taller than me, and I’m not a small guy by any means. They have the same brown hair, cut short, the same build, and the same faces that are giving me the look of death.
Willow introduced us, and the one on the end started walking towards me, his glare turning into a smile as he gave me…
a hug. A fuckin’ hug. I am not a hug kind of guy.
He called me his big brother. I froze for a second, and when he didn’t break the hug, I slowly patted him on the back, hoping that he would take the hint and get the fuck off of me.
Willow defused the other two that were still standing at the entrance of the kitchen and invited me to stay for dinner.
I thought it over, still not sure if I wanted to get to know these guys.
But I knew I wanted to get to know Willow, and not just because Mom wanted me to, but because I actually think she’s an okay person.
I realized when we were talking earlier that she is completely wrapped up in her family, so if Willow and I become close, I’m going to be around them anyways. I let her know that I could stay, and a look of shock crossed over her face before she had the chance to cover it up again.
Her dad, Michael, showed up soon after and greeted me. “It’s nice to finally be able to meet you,” he said while shaking my hand. He didn’t make the situation weird or try to force anything on me. He just acknowledged that he knew about me.
Sitting down for dinner was like being in another country, and I didn’t speak the language.
The food was the best that I ever had, and I realize that maybe there is another perk to having a sister that I actually don’t mind being around.
But watching them interact with each other is something that I thought only existed on TV shows.
I sat in silence, quietly observing. They pulled me into the conversation occasionally, but didn’t make me feel like I had to speak. They were so comfortable with each other, and even an outsider could tell that they genuinely liked being together.
When the conversation went to Michael’s business and their job, I wondered if he wanted Willow to be a part of it—or maybe he just wanted to leave it to his biological kids.
When they talked about her “freelancing” job, they seemed like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I noticed her dad reminded her of some rules, but she just reassured him, and they quickly moved on.
I’m still hesitant about this “happy family” shit. There’s no way they’re okay with her going to a different country and possibly taking down a cartel by herself. I just met her and saw a preview of what she could do, and even I’m concerned about her. It’s weird as fuck.
Her brothers have turned out to be alright guys.
I don’t know if I was expecting them to be rigid because of the military thing, but they joke with each other all throughout dinner.
I’m still not sure what to make of Ben; he is completely different from the other two.
Ben is happy and friendly, but then when he was talking about the job they went on today, he told us in detail about removing someone’s fingers for incentive to give him information.
Tell is the most laid back; you can see that out of the three of them, he is more comfortable taking the lead.
When dinner first started, I thought Gig was the cold, calculated one.
He was almost as quiet as I was while observing them, but you could see the looks that he gave his family and the fact that he participated in the conversation, just with fewer, well-thought-out responses.
He and I have the most in common out of the three.
It’s hard to miss how Willow’s dad and brothers all worship her. They give her a hard time, but you can hear how their voices soften a small amount when they speak to her. She is clearly the baby of the family.
“When is the garage going to be ready for the grand opening?” Michael asks Willow as he dishes out seconds for dinner. At this point, everyone except for Willow is on their second plate.
“Next month. The club and the garage should be done around the same time. I’m debating if I should spread the openings out or just have one big party to celebrate both.
I should be back in time. I don’t see this job taking more than one, two weeks, max.
Especially if I can just get her out and not have to take out everyone.
I feel like taking down an entire drug lord’s commune is going to be a pain in the ass.
I would rather just get in and out,” she replies like it’s a normal day for her, and for all I know, it is.
“You should open the garage as soon as possible. John is going stir crazy, and he needs something to do. He finished giving everything at the house a tune up, and I caught him taking apart Ben’s dirt bike on the way over because he said it needed some work,” Tell says while digging into his food.
“You saw him taking apart my bike and you didn’t stop him?” Ben asks.
“No, I didn’t want him to start on my shit next. When I saw what he was doing to yours, I had time to go lock my stuff in the other garage. I appreciate your sacrifice, though,” Tell says as he looks up at Ben.
“Last time he ‘tuned up’ something for me, he was working on it for a month and a half and ordered a shit ton of parts that I didn’t need…
and then billed me! Do you know how weird it was to get that invoice on base when I didn’t even know he started the project?
” Ben asks as he starts rubbing his hand over his short hair out of frustration.