Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
Rain
It’s a gloomy day. The sky looks like it could open up at any moment. How fitting for the day I say goodbye to my father for the last time.
He didn’t want a traditional funeral where we laid him to rest in the ground. No, my father has always had a wandering soul. He allowed a memorial service at the church, but he wished to be cremated and scattered on one last ride with his brothers.
I want to be mad about it, but how can I?
He gave up a good portion of his riding days to stay home and care for me.
When his brothers were on the road doing runs and lord knows what else, he passed his duties along, citing family needing him.
As much as part of me wishes I had a physical place to visit him, I understand his need to be free.
The pastor is up there speaking about him now.
Talking about what a great man he was and how he was loved.
It’s not a hard assumption to make from a man who never knew him.
The room is filled to the brim with people.
Brothers from all over came to give their regards.
Even people not associated with the club showed up.
The barber from downtown. The waitress at the local café.
The manager of the bank. And so many more.
All people my father met and charmed. People who considered him a friend. They didn’t care about the patch he wore on his chest. That was the power of my father.
Ridge leans over to me. “Did you want to say something?”
“No,” I whisper back.
He nods, then stands before walking to the front of the room.
He has been a real surprise this past week. He hasn’t left my side once. He hasn’t snapped at me or spoken to me in a condescending way. He has been kind and attentive.
I hate it. It’s not the Ridge I’ve come to know. I don’t like that he is pitying me, but it’s been a blessing. He fields all questions from others. He handled the funeral since my father had apparently been prepared and arranged and paid for everything.
Really, it left me with nothing to do but mourn the man I loved so much. It has been a weight off my shoulders.
Now, I watch the man I once looked at with disdain as he does what I’m not brave enough to do. He stands up to tell the room about my father.
“Mustang was my mentor. He often told me I was like a son to him. He took me under his wing when I joined the MC and showed me the ways the brotherhood could enhance my life. The time he spent molding me into the man I am today was in abundance. I never truly understood why he did it, but he saw something in me that I hadn’t seen in myself.
I came to Mountain River MC as an angry kid just out of high school.
I thought joining an MC would make me a badass who could work out his anger within the MC.
Mustang showed me that I was wrong. Anger isn’t meant to be worked out in a violent way.
It’s meant to be examined and understood.
Now, that’s not to say I didn’t sometimes get into trouble.
Lord, did Mustang ream my ass for it like a father would, but he also taught me compassion.
Mercy. Love. Loyalty. He showed me what it means to be a man.
I know many of you have your own stories about Mustang.
That was the kind of man he was. He always wanted to help others.
He liked making friends and being social.
The man would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it, even if he didn’t know you from Adam.
He was a one-of-a-kind person. A soul the world will dearly miss.
Until we can ride again on the other side, brother.
” Ridge presses a kiss to his fingers, then holds them up to the sky.
My eyes are filled with tears at his words.
Sure, I knew Ridge was always around, but I never knew what my father truly meant to him.
The fact that he saw my father in that way...
That has me feeling some sort of feelings I don’t want to process.
I think I may be softening toward the guy, which can’t be right.
I hate him.
When he comes back and sits next to me, I don’t look at him. He doesn’t acknowledge me other than to hand me a tissue. I take it, wiping my eyes before focusing on the next person heading up to the platform.
I keep doing this until everyone has had a chance to speak. Once the pastor releases us, everyone heads outside, but I don’t. I head up to the urn next to where everyone spoke.
I can feel eyes on me, but I ignore them.
“You were the best dad. I know I wasn’t always easy to deal with, but I never once felt unloved.
I always knew you would be there for me.
No matter what I did, I knew that you would still love me at the end of the day, even if you were also disappointed in me.
I know you always struggled knowing that I did not have a mom, but I didn’t need one.
Not when you were there to love me enough for the both of you.
I hate that you are gone, but I am grateful you are no longer in pain.
I hope you have found your peace because you deserve it more than anyone. I love you, Daddy.”
I choke on a sob on the last words. A moment later, arms are around me, holding me to a broad chest.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. He only offers silent comfort as I let all my feelings out.
When I finally am able to catch my breath, I pull back. Ridge is there, wiping my tears away as he looks at me with concern.
“I’m okay,” I tell him.
He nods. “Ride back to the clubhouse with me?”
It’s unusual. Men don’t let women who aren’t family or theirs on the back of the bike. While my father considered Ridge a son, he was never family to me. Not really.
I rode here with Maggie in her car. I should go back with her too.
This might be your last chance on a bike.
The thought enters my head unexpectedly, making a whole new set of emotions surge forward.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod.
He wraps his arm around me before walking toward the exit. He stops briefly at the pastor.
“Panther will be picking up the ashes before he leaves. He wanted to give everyone ample time to say their goodbyes,” he murmurs to the man.
“Of course. I’ll be praying for all of you.”
I want to snort and ask him what a prayer is going to do now. He’s already dead. We can’t bring him back to life.
I don’t, though. Even in my state of mourning, I know that would be rude. The pastor is only trying to be kind.
“Miss Wilson,” a man calls as soon as I step out of the church.
I look over to see a man I don’t recognize.
“Yes? Can I help you?” My tone is snippy, but my social battery is at zero.
I am drained. Emotionally and physically.
“I’m your father’s lawyer, Mr. Cohen. We need to speak urgently about your father’s will. I’m sorry, but it cannot wait any longer,” the man says.
I go to speak, but Ridge beats me to it.
“Of course. Wolf is at the clubhouse with Aspen right now. You go ahead, and we will meet you there. I will let them know you are on your way.”
As the man walks away, I turn to Ridge. “I don’t need you to speak for me.”
He nods. “I know you don’t, but you were about to rip into that guy, and all he is trying to do is his job. Let’s take the long way back to the clubhouse. By the time we get there, the brothers should already be there celebrating Mustang’s life. It will give us a bit more privacy that way.”
I sigh, letting him lead me to his bike. I glance over to where Maggie is waiting and angle my head toward Ridge. She nods before getting into her car.
When I turn to Ridge, I’m surprised to find him with the helmet that my father bought me. On the side, it still says, “Daddy’s Little Girl.” New tears well up in my eyes. Then he hands me my leather jacket and riding gloves. Finally, he pulls out a pair of jeans.
“When did you grab all of this?” I ask.
“When you were getting ready this morning. I wanted to be prepared in case you said yes.”
That was actually really thoughtful of him.
He holds out his own jacket to shield me as I pull the jeans up under my dress. Then he helps me put my jacket and helmet on before doing the same to himself. When he climbs on the bike, I hesitate.
That thought filters back in. The one that reminds me that this is likely my last ride.
Ridge holds out his hand, so I take it and climb onto the bike.
Fuck it. If this is my last ride, I am going to enjoy it.
Ridge
I not only take the long way to the clubhouse, but I go in circles for a bit. I know the lawyer is waiting, but he is not my concern. Rain is, and right now she feels more relaxed than she has since she found out her father had passed.
Her arms are wrapped around me, and her head is resting on my back. At first, she was tense, but the longer I drove, the more her body slowly released that tension and melted into me. Right now, we are one. Her body moves with mine through every turn. It’s like she was meant to be there.
That doesn’t really matter anymore, though. I know what is about to happen. When we finally pull up to the clubhouse, her whole world is going to change yet again, and this time, I am partly to blame because I agreed.
When I’ve held off as long as I possibly can, I make my way to the clubhouse. It doesn’t take us too long to get there, but I regret coming here the moment I feel her tense once more.
Shutting off the engine, I hold my hand out to help her off. She accepts it, setting her helmet on my bike as I do the same.
“Let’s get this over with,” she mumbles.
I want to wrap my arm around her, but she has her hackles up now. She would likely bite my arm off if I tried. Instead, I lead the way.
When we step inside, the celebration of life is in full swing. Many of the brothers are already well on their way to being drunk as they tell stories of Mustang. I smile seeing it. He would have loved this.
Panther catches my eye, nodding me over to the side.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Wolf let the lawyer in. I told him to put him in my office for now. Let me know if you need anything.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
When I make my way back over to Rain, she is being embraced by Aspen.
“Thank you. I’m okay. Really,” Rain reassures her.
“I know, but I’m here for you. Whatever you need,” Aspen tells her.
“Right now, we need to go see the lawyer, so let’s do that so we can eat,” I tell Rain.
“I’m not hungry, but yes. Let’s get the hard stuff out of the way.”
I lead the way to Panther’s office before opening the door and gesturing Rain in.
She steps in, then stops.
I step in behind her and close the door.
The lawyer is wisely sitting in one of the chairs along the wall. Panther doesn’t host many people in his office, so I’m surprised to see the chairs. He must have brought them in for us.
I direct Rain to a chair, then pull a second one up next to it.
“Go ahead,” I tell the man.
“First off, would you like to be called Adam or by your road name, Ridge? I know Mustang preferred his road name.”
“My road name, please,” I tell him.
“I know this is a difficult day, but per your request, I waited as long as I could,” he tells me.
“You asked him to wait?” Rain looks up at me.
“I thought it best we get the funeral out of the way before we worried about any wills. You can continue. What does the will say?”
The man looks at me, annoyed, before looking at Rain with sympathy.
“Your father had many real estate holdings. He wished for them to be sold when he passed and the money be put in a trust. The home you live in is exempt from that for now, should you meet the conditions to become the executor of the trust. He also had a savings account with 1.3 million dollars in it and investment accounts with 1.5 million. His bikes will be yours to do with as you wish, except the 1939 Crocker V-Twin Motorcycle, which has been promised to Adam Harris should he complete his own tasks.”
Rain looks confused as she stares at the man. “Are you telling me that my father was a millionaire?”
“I’m telling you that he could have been, but he chose not to. He saved up this money ever since you were born. He wanted you to be taken care of,” the man tells her.
She looks relieved, which only makes the knot in my stomach grow.
“What does she have to do to get it?” I ask, getting to the point.
Mr. Cohen shifts in his seat, looking slightly uncomfortable. “Well, that is where it gets tricky. Your father put stipulations into the trust.”
Rain is looking uneasy again. “Can you just spit it out?”
“The whole estate will go to you, provided that you marry a man of his choosing. You have one month to do so, and you must remain married to the man for two years. During that time, you will be permitted to stay in the family home and pull a monthly stipend from the funds in the trust to take care of all preapproved expenses, such as utilities, gas, car insurance, medical insurance, and so forth. Any other requests for funds must be submitted in writing and will be reviewed by a panel that has his directives written down. Once you have completed this task and remained married for the duration, you will be added as the executor to the trust and will have full access to do as you please. At that time, should you wish, you will be able to get divorced as well.”
His words hit her like a bomb, and I can see the anger rising inside of Rain with every sentence.
“What the fuck? He knows I don’t agree with marriage. Why would he make this a stipulation?” she explodes.
“He expressed to me that he wanted you to be cared for. That he was concerned that you would leave this place and the people you have grown close to. He didn’t want that. He wants you to stay and see what Boulder can give you without him here,” the lawyer tells her.
She’s not hearing his words, though. She’s angry, and rightfully so.
“What mystery man does he want me to marry? Some asshole he met off the streets?”
I wince. “Well, actually…”
She turns to me, glaring daggers. “You? I am to marry you? Absolutely not. Keep the money. I don’t want it. I don’t want anything from that man.”
“Ma’am, if you don’t marry him, your father’s entire estate will go to charity. The family home will be sold, and you will only be permitted to take your own personal items from the home.”
She turns her glare back to the lawyer. “Then so be it. Fuck this, and fuck you, Ridge.”
She gets up and storms out of the room.
“Give her some time to cool down. We will come see you next week,” I tell him.
He nods. “There isn’t much time.”
“I know. We have to give her a chance to process, though. Thank you for coming.”
I leave the man behind, running after Rain.
After all, she will be my wife, whether she likes it or not.