“You sh-sh-should have told me, King.”
“I needed people to believe it’s real, T. It’s not just my life on the line,” I tell him as he glances over at Shelby.
“She’s yours?” T asks.
“Yeah, that’s my Shelby. If things…if things get fucked up, I need to know her and Billie—her grandmother—are taken care of. I’m not just talking about the club here, T. I know Ford will handle that part. I…”
T slaps me on the back. “I-I will always have your b-b-back.” I clear my throat as a painful knot forms.
“B-but if you ever cut me out of shit again, I will k-kick your ass and I won’t pull my p-punches next time.”
“Yeah, and you pack a hell of a punch.”
“Runs in the f-family,” T says with a smile.
I don’t know how to respond to that. I try to read the look on his face, but I can’t. I rub the back of my neck not sure how I feel about T’s comment. The two of us need to talk…soon.I clear my throat as Jonesy and Grunt break up the moment.
“What do you need done?” Jonesy asks.
“I want this damn place cleaned and boarded up until we can get repairs done. You know insurance will drag their feet.”
“Why wait for insurance?” Ford asks. “Handle it like it’s the club. Just get this shit done. Take pictures and if her grandmother wants to turn it in, she can keep the money. If she doesn’t, it’ll save her premium from going up.”
“That’s going to be a fuck ton of money,” I interject.
“It’s just me, but King, man, you know the club has that prime property close by the club. There’s even a small house in the back that would be great for one person. The porches even have ramps. You should see if you can talk your future grammy into moving her business. That way the club can watch over it better,” Ford suggests.
“I’m not sure she’d agree, but even if she did, that sounds like a club vote, and I’m not exactly popular right now,” I answer.
“B-b-bullshit. You’re family. We’re all here.”
“Is that sexy red-head over there your woman?” Ford asks.
My gaze moves to Shelby who is watching me talk to everyone. She’s stopped crying and I’m damn grateful. I hate to see her upset.
“Yeah, she sure as fuck is.”
“That makes her family, too. Even her damn grandmother,” Ford adds. “Talk her into it.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Billie can be cantankerous,” I warn.
“Great, just what I need, as if dealing with you moody motherfuckers wasn’t enough.”
“Cheer up, Prez man. If she were just a bit younger, you’d be in love,” I joke, giving him shit.
“I fall in love every fucking night. Thank God I wake up in the morning clear headed and kick them out of my bed.”
I shake my head walking the guys over to meet Shelby. I hate everything that’s going on, but it feels good to be able to introduce them. They are my family and it’s important they accept her.
Chapter22
Shelby
I’m worn out when we get back home. I still feel better than I have all day. Grandmother will be happy. King and his club worked so hard and accomplished a hell of a lot in a short time. They boarded up the windows, removed the broken furniture and mopped the floors. They wouldn’t let me do anything. Instead, I just sat and watched some of the hottest men I’d ever seen I my life mop.
By the time they were done, the hospital called and said I could come see my grandmother one last time before morning. Grandma Billie appreciated the news when we went to visit her afterwards.
While we were there, King asked to talk to her alone. He wouldn’t tell me what they talked about. He just said it was something the two of them needed to clear up. That sounded ominous, and I wasn’t happy about being left in the dark. Plus, my grandmother had been through a lot today, and I wasn’t sure if the conversation would upset her. Thankfully, she seemed ok afterwards. I know she will tell me about it soon enough. The two of us don’t have secrets.