Fourth of July with Fury
Five years later…
It was that time of year again.
The brothers of Fury were preparing for our annual Fourth of July cookout at the clubhouse, and we were pulling out all the stops.
It had grown considerably over the years, and what had once been a handful of bikers and a cooler of beer had turned into a small army of wives, children, lawn chairs, and enough food to feed an entire county.
It was barely five, and the place was already a madhouse. It wasn’t surprising. Our crew always went all out on the holidays, but the Fourth was a favorite among the brothers. It was hot without being too hot to ride, and we loved any excuse to throw meat on the grill.
I was pulling our old homemade ice cream machine out of the pantry when I heard Wyatt’s voice coming from the kitchen. He sounded generally pleased when he said, “Hey, sis. How’s it going?”
I paused, not because I was eavesdropping.
I just happened to be there. There’s a difference. At least, that’s what I told myself as I listened to my daughter answer, “Good. Work’s been kicking my ass, though.”
“Still got you putting in all those extra hours?”
“Unfortunately.”
“That’s rough.” I heard a chair scrape across the floor. “I was hoping they’d ease up on you.”
“No such luck, but it’ll be worth it… eventually.
” She sighed. “For now, I have to find a way to make it work. That means more time in the office and away from home, which is why I talked Charles into going away for the weekend. And I’m so looking forward to it.
I can’t remember the last time we’ve had any alone time. ”
“That’s good. You guys deserve a break.” He chuckled as he added, “Kind of surprised Wrath hasn’t stolen you away sooner. The guy’s crazy about you.”
“Yes, but he hates leaving the kids. He’s a bit overprotective, but he seemed to ease up when I told him Mom and Dad would keep the kids for us.”
“Well, too bad that’s not gonna happen.”
I let out a breath. I knew what was coming.
These two loved each other, but they fought like cats and dogs.
Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when Mia snapped, “What do you mean it’s not gonna happen?”
“Elsie and I are going to a concert in the city next weekend.”
“So?”
“So, Mom and Dad are keeping our Ally and Jake.”
“Excuse me?”
“We bought the tickets three months ago.”
“And?” Mia huffed. “Doesn’t mean you get to claim our parents the weekend.”
“It does when we planned ours first.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I absolutely know that!” Wyatt snapped. “You just fucking said it!”
I spent years devoting my life to Satan’s Fury.
I was the enforcer, and it was my job to protect my brothers, no matter the cost. My brothers and club were the only things that mattered until I found Wyatt sitting outside that restaurant.
I felt an unexplainable urge to protect him, and that feeling led me to his mother.
Meeting her changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
She and her precocious son showed me the true meaning of love, and I thought I had everything a man could want until Wren told me she was pregnant with my daughter.
I loved her before she was born, and when they put her in my arms for the first time, I was done for.
I was crazy about her. Hell, I was crazy about them all, even when they fought.
“Mom and Dad kept your three last weekend.”
“That was only for a couple of hours.”
“Don’t care. It counts, and now, it’s my turn.”
Mia laughed.
It wasn’t her sweet, wholesome laugh. This one was a warning.
I didn’t usually condone fighting, especially with them. Neither of them hesitated to hit below the belt, and it looked like the gloves were coming off. I could’ve intervened, but this wasn’t some little squabble over who ate the last of the Cheerios.
They were fighting over me. Well, it was over their mother and me, and that was about as heartwarming as it got around here.
“The fact that you used the phrase ‘my turn’ tells me everything I need to know.”
“Don’t start.”
“You don’t want me to start, because you know I’m right,” Wyatt snapped. “It’s always all about you.”
“It is not!”
“Of course, it is. It always has been.” I heard a hand smack against the table. “Every time you need something, everybody’s supposed to rearrange their lives just so they can accommodate you. It’s bullshit!”
“You really don’t care about your balls at all, do you?” Mia huffed, then added, “And you have some nerve saying all that. We both know it’s not true.”
“How is it wrong?”
“Well, for starters, if there’s a new game release or some stupid computer gadget that comes out, the entire family has to hear all about it for the next six months!”
“If you’re referring to last month, that was a graphics card.”
“I don’t care what it was. I didn’t care then, and I don’t now.”
“You should. It’s important.”
“To you, maybe. Not to anyone else.”
“It matters.”
“Only because they’re so freaking expensive.”
“You only say that because you don’t get it.”
I laughed under my breath. These two never changed. When they were kids, they’d fight over who got the last pancake, and now they fight over babysitters.
“Let’s not pretend you’re over there sacrificing for humanity,” Wyatt shot back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mia gasped.
“You know exactly what it means.”
“Spell it out for me.”
“You spend more on your hair and nails than I could ever spend on computer equipment.”
“That’s not true.”
“You got your nails done two weeks ago.”
“And how do you know that?”
“They were orange, and now, they’re red. And you got your hair done last week.”
“My roots were showing.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“Of course you don’t. You spend too much time in front of computer screens to know how normal people function.”
Wyatt barked out a laugh. “Nothing normal about you.”
“At least I leave the house.”
“I leave the house.”
“No, you don’t. You’re always glued to your stupid screens.”
“I literally have a wife.”
“Who has to drag you out of the house.”
I was smiling so hard my face hurt. I knew it was bad, but I’d heard versions of this same argument more times than I could count. They had always fought hard and always would. But if somebody came after one of them, the other would be standing there ready to go to war for them.
That was just how they were.
But it wasn’t always like that. For a long time, Wyatt was quiet and reserved, but as his sister grew older, she found out how to push his buttons. She’s the reason he was so damn determined and protective.
Bottom line was, they loved each other, even when they didn’t want to admit it. Mia’s tone softened as she said, “Look, I know you and Elsie have tickets and all that, but Charles and I really need this weekend.”
“We need our weekend, too.”
“Mom already said she’d help.”
“That’s because Mom doesn’t know how to say no.”
“Because she loves our kids and wants to keep them whenever she can.”
“But she can’t take all five of them on her own.”
“I don’t know. Maybe she can. I mean, Dad would be there. I’m sure he would help.”
“Umm… I don’t know.”
Her hesitation caught me off guard.
She had no reason to think I couldn’t hold my own with the kids.
Hell, I could do it with my eyes closed.
“We’re talking about Dad here.” Wyatt sounded surprisingly confident when he added, “The man used to do some hardcore shit around here. He can handle a few kids for a night.”
“I don’t know… Remember what happened the last time they were all at the house together. He woke up from a nap with pink hair and black fingernails, and that makeup job with permanent marker was the thing nightmares are made of.”
“Yeah, that was pretty rough.”
That was my cue.
I stepped into the room and announced, “I can handle them and ten more.” Both heads whipped toward me, and their expressions were a mix of surprise and uncertainty. “Hell, I’ll have them washing my bike and folding clothes before dinner.”
Mia laughed while Wyatt shook his head and grumbled, “They’re a little too young for that, don’t ya think?”
“You’re gonna make them soft talking like that. You gotta be tough and show ‘em who's boss. Scare them a little.”
“You say that like you were ever scary with us.”
“You’re saying I wasn’t?”
“Not even a little,” Wyatt answered. “And that’s coming from a kid who was scared of everything.”
“He’s right. You were a big ol’ softy. We were way more scared of Mom than we ever were of you.”
“Well, damn.”
“Don’t get me wrong. You’ve still got the look.”
“The look?”
“You know, the one you give whenever you want to remind someone that you used to bury folks for the club.”
“Careful.”
“See?” Mia smiled. “There it is.”
Wyatt grimaced. “Yeah, don’t be doing that around the kids.”
“You say that like those kids don’t already love me,” I boasted. “I’m their hero.”
Mia stepped over to me and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re my hero, too.”
“Is that your way of asking if we’ll keep your hooligans this weekend?”
“Hooligans?”
“Just calling it like it is.”
“Well? Will you keep them or not?”
“We’ll be glad to.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Wyatt smiled as he told me, “I knew we could count on you.”
For a second, I didn’t see the grown man with a wife and kids. I saw the boy wearing little red tennis shoes who looked at me like I was some kind of superhero. He wasn’t mine by blood, but he was my son in every way that mattered.
Then, I looked at Mia, my little girl who wasn’t so little anymore. She was married with kids and a hell of a job. She was smart and determined with a whole life of her own, but she still managed to find the time to argue with her brother over complete nonsense.
Some things changed. Some things didn’t. And I was grateful for both.
“I’d better go check on Elsie and my hooligans.” Wyatt stood and started for the door. “Thanks for covering for us, Dad.”
“Anytime.”
“I’m coming, too.” Mia gave me a warm smile and said, “We’ll talk more later.”
“Counting on it.”