Chopper
The past few weeks have been pure heaven. I spend all of my free time with Roxy and I love every second of it.
We try to spend as much time as we can outside of the club. The last thing we want is one of the members figuring out what’s going on between us and getting Porter involved.
Today, I drove us out to that overlook we went to the first night she stayed with me. We’re sitting beneath the same tree, relaxing and looking down at the town.
“When are we going to talk to your dad?” I ask softly.
“I don’t know,” she groans. “Do we have to?”
“Yes. I told you I don’t want to hide from him, Rox. You know he’ll handle this better if we man up and tell him.” I sweep her hair over her shoulder and nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck. I can’t get enough of her scent.
“I have a question for you…” She trails off, unsure of how to ask whatever is on her mind.
“Ok…” I’m watching her carefully, she won’t even look at me, but she knows I'm staring at her. I'm always staring at her.
“When we went to get our tattoos, River made a comment to me…” She sucks in a deep breath and tries to figure out how to continue.
“Did he hit on you? I’ll kill him! I’ll make it hurt and last for days. I’ll-” My mind spins with all of the things River could’ve done to her. I swear I’ll watch him take his last breath before he’ll come near her again.
“No! He didn’t hit on me. Jeez! Down, boy!” She spins around so she’s facing me and plays with my long beard. She always does this when she doesn’t want to look me in the eyes.
“What’s going on, babe?” I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger. I lift until she’s forced to meet my gaze. Instantly, I want to kiss her because there are no walls between us. She’s letting me see the real her and no one else. I love every second of it.
“River said you were saving the left side of your chest for your future wife,” she rushes out the words in one long breath, then squeezes her eyes shut.
“That wasn’t a question,” I chuckle, hugging her close to me.
She buries her face in my leather jacket and slips her arms around my waist. She’s so scared of asking her question, which is dumb because I'm not afraid of answering it.
“What does that mean? Why did you get a lioness there?”
“It means I love you and I want to get married to you.”
“Really?” Her head pops up and her gaze locks on mine again. “You want to marry me?”
“Yeah, it’s all I’ve ever wanted, Rox. You know that. If you really think about it, you know you’re all I’ve ever wanted.” I brush her hair behind her ear and let my fingers trail down her jawline.
“Can we go get married today?” She scrunches up her face.
“Nope.” I boop her on the tip of her nose.
“Why not?” She huffs out, making me laugh.
“Well, I can’t marry you without asking your dad for permission and I can’t ask him if he doesn’t know we’re dating. I think he’d need at least a few weeks to get used to us dating before I could broach the topic of marriage.”
“Can we go talk to him today?”
“I’d love that. Does that mean you want to be my wife?”
“More than anything in my life.”
I suck in a deep breath and blow it out slowly. This is going to be the most difficult conversation of my life. I could make several guesses on how this will go, but at the end of the day, I'm really unsure.
“Are you ok? You look like you’re going to throw up,” Roxy says softly.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” I murmur, scrubbing a hand down my face.
“We don’t need to do this.” She scoots closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. She leans her head on my bicep and one thought runs across my mind louder than all the rest.
I’ll do anything to make this my reality for the rest of my life.
I hit send on the message I’ve been staring at for the last ten minutes and wait.
Chopper: I need to talk to you. Not an emergency, just let me know when you’re free.
He could answer right away or he might take a while. I'm not sure which would be better right now. I jump when my phone pings with a new text.
“Yeah, you seem real calm.” Roxy snorts with laughter and shakes her head.
Porter: I’m free now. Do you want to come to the assembly?
I swallow hard. I can’t take Roxy to the assembly. It’s where we talk about club business and women aren’t allowed there.
Chopper: Do you mind coming to my apartment?
Porter: Be there in five.
“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” I whisper.
“I can tell him if you-”
“No, I need to be the one to do it. He needs to hear it from me.”
“Oh my gosh, Chopper! You’re acting like you’re about to tell him I'm pregnant! We’re dating. We’re not doing anything wrong.” She rolls her eyes and falls backwards into the couch. She’s getting annoyed with me, that much is clear.
I'm not surprised. She’s used to me being strong and not afraid of anyone. It’s not that I'm scared of him, I'm terrified of how he’s going to react though.
What if he tells me I can’t date Roxy? Do I go against his wishes, knowing that could mean the end of me being a club member? Or worse…
What if he convinces Roxy she doesn’t want me? If she walks away, I’ll never survive. She’s all I’ve ever cared about and I can’t lose her.
I refuse to let her go no matter what Porter says… But I really hope he’s ok with this. That would make my life so much easier.
There’s a knock on the door and I swear all of the blood drains from my face. This is it. I'm about to give Porter a reason to kill me.
“Babe, get it together. He loves you like a son. He’s not going to be upset.” Roxy presses a quick kiss to my cheek before she jumps off the couch and opens the door.
Porter’s eyes widen when they land on his daughter and a tentative smile spreads across his face. The man loves his daughters more than anything in this world… which is why he might hate me.
“Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t know you’d be here.” He wraps Roxy in a hug and doesn’t let go for a few moments.
When he pulls back, he’s searching her face. Trying to figure out why she’s in my apartment. Why she’s here when I asked if I could talk to him.
“Is everything ok, Roxy? Was there an issue at the bar?”
“Nope! Everything is fine.”
She spins around, giving Porter her back, and returns to the couch. Porter follows slowly. This time his attention is on me.
“Ok… Chopper, you wanted to talk?” He slowly lowers himself into the chair across from me and settles back into the cushion. He never takes his gaze off of me.
“Yeah… I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something.” I fidget under his gaze, wishing this were easier.
“Should Roxy leave for this?” He arches a brow. He’s asking if this is club business or not.
“Nah, she’s fine… This has to do with her anyway.”
“Son, stop fidgeting and spit it out. I'm getting a little impatient now that I know this has something to do with my daughter.” Porter’s tone leaves no room for argument. He won't put up with me for much longer.
I lean forwards and rest my elbows on my knees. I make eye contact with him and no matter how much I want to sever the connection, I won't do that. I respect him too much for that.
“I’m in love with Roxy.”
“Ok? Is that all? You’ve been in love with her forever. What’s changed?”
“Dad!” Roxy scolds him.
“What? Am I wrong?” He throws his arms up in the air like he doesn’t understand why she’s annoyed. “Something had to have changed, or he wouldn’t have asked to talk to me.”
“She loves me too, Porter. We want to date,” I say calmly and firmly.
“I see.” He mirrors my position, placing his elbows on his knees.
He looks every bit the terrifying president of the Savage Wolves right now. I finally understand why so many men don’t want to cross Porter Reeves. I’ve never been on this side, but I get it now.
“What did I tell you when you wanted to patch, Chopper?” He asks slowly.
“You made sure I realized Roxy was off limits.” I swallow hard, staring right back at him.
“I said all of the triplets were off limits,” he corrects.
“We both know you were only talking about Roxy. Oakley and Dixie will always be like little sisters to me, Roxy’s always been more.”
“You said you’d keep your feelings and your hands to yourself. Are you telling me you didn’t keep your word?”
“Dad!” Roxy bolts off of the couch. I grab her wrist and when her eyes meet mine, I shake my head. Her going off on Porter isn’t going to help things. It will only make it worse. “But-”
“We’re not handling this by flipping out, babe. You need to stay calm, or you have to leave,” I say softly. Tugging on her hand, I gently encourage her to sit back down.
“Chopper,” she whimpers, tears filling her eyes. She thinks I'm giving up. She thinks I won't fight for her, but she couldn’t be more wrong.
“Everything will be ok.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close to me. I press a soft kiss to her temple.
When my gaze returns to Porter, I don’t find anger staring back at me. His brows are furrowed as he takes in how we are with each other. He’s watching how I comfort his daughter and how she’s reaching for my free hand and intertwining our fingers.
“I’ll be moved out by Friday. My cut will be on the table in the assembly before I leave.” I lift my chin and keep my voice free from emotion.
“Excuse me?” Porter rears back like I just slapped him.
“Porter, I'm not playing games. If I can’t date Roxy because I'm a patched member, then I won't be a member anymore. I'm out. I don’t want to leave the Savage Wolves, but I refuse to walk away from her. She’s all that’s ever mattered to me. She’s the only woman I’ve ever seen a future with and I'm not letting you ruin that.”
“Really?” He pinches his lips together, but his features are emotionless.
“Let’s be honest, your rule is stupid. It’s completely idiotic to say the girls can’t date a club member.
We’re the only ones who can keep them safe.
Do you really think some random guy from town will keep Roxy safe from other clubs?
Really? Do you think he’ll even be able to handle someone as stubborn and strong as my girl?
Because I’ve seen more men tuck tail and run in the opposite direction, than I’ve seen stick around to get to know her.
Most men look at her and see a woman who’s too difficult to deal with.
One who won't go with the flow and will cause issues more often than not. She won't put up with some mother-in-law telling her how to parent her children or how leather and lace isn’t appropriate after she’s a mom.
She’ll cause enough waves that a weak man won't stick around. Is that really what you want?”
“And what do you see when you look at my daughter?”
“Me?” I ask with a chuckle. I stare down at my girl before I even attempt to answer.
“When I look at this gorgeous woman beside me, I see someone driven. Someone who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and fight her own battles.
She doesn’t want someone to control her life or deal with things for her.
She wants a partner who will stand by her side and fight the demons with her.
She wants someone who will stand back and give her a chance to solve her own problems. I see a woman who’s terrified of letting anyone in because she doesn’t think she’s worthy of their attention.
I see a woman who’s been convinced she’s too much work and has started to believe that.
More than anything, I see the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. The mother to my future children.”
Roxy’s staring up at me when I finish. She wipes a tear from her eyes and wraps her arms around my neck. She’s hugging me as tightly as she can. Like if she doesn’t hold on tight enough, I’ll disappear from her life forever.
“You’d really be willing to walk away from the club for her?”
“I’d be willing to set the world on fire and watch it burn if it means keeping her in my life and being able to call her mine,” I growl, tightening my hold on Roxy.
“It seems you’ve already made up your mind. Why did you want to talk to me?”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to leave the club.
That you’d respect the fact I'm coming to you and not sneaking around behind your back. That you’d consider all of the times I’ve put my life on the line to protect Roxy and know that you can trust your daughter with me.
But I guess none of that matters. You’re only willing to bend the rules for Storm.
Like I said, I’ll be out of here by Friday. ”
“No! You can’t leave the club,” Roxy sobs into my shoulder. Her entire body is shaking.
I forget all about Porter. He doesn’t matter, nor does his opinion. Instead, I tug Roxy onto my lap and she instantly wraps her arms and legs around me. I run a gentle hand up and down her back, trying to calm her down.
“Don’t worry about me, Rox. I’ll find a new place to live and we can be together. It will take me a little bit of time, but I’ll make it work.”
“But you love the club! You belong here.”
“I do love it, but that doesn’t matter. I love you more.” I close my eyes as I rest my head against hers. I’ve never seen her so upset.
“I'm moving with you. I won't stay here if you’re not here,” she whispers, but it’s loud enough for Porter to hear her.
“You’re not moving, Roxy,” Porter growls.
And just like that, Roxy loses it.