I know Ma raised them better than this—acting like cavemen who pound on their chest, trying to be all Alpha-possessive and just do things without consulting me. I may not be the strongest feminist in the world and I don’t need to be in charge of everything, but if they think they don’t need to tell me about this, what else are they not going to tell me about? I don’t realize how lost in thought I am till we’re sitting in Jon’s truck and Rory speaks up from the front seat.
“Are you still upset, beautiful? You know we weren’t trying to be sneaky. We just want you as safe as possible.”
Why is it that I have no problem being mad at Juan and even Jon to some extent, but Rory makes me feel like I need to spill all my thoughts, and that’s absolutely terrifying?
“I know you want me safe and I’m very thankful for that. However, if you feel like you don’t need to share this with me, what else are you going to think I don’t need to know? I thought I knew my dad and all that he was, but because of things he hid from me, even as I got older, I was blindsided when he was convicted and sent away. I can’t live like that again. I know there will be things you truly can’t tell me because it’s club business, but I need to know things when they directly involve me if this is going to work. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, but if it is, you need to let me know now and I’ll get out of the truck.”
Rory
Realizing Jane is completely serious, I have to fight the urge to deck Juan for his big mouth. Needing to make sure she doesn’t leave, I turn around in my seat to look her in the eyes.
“Baby, we can agree to that. I know it might not help, but we had every intention of showing you the cameras and everything when we got back from supper. We had no plans of hiding their existence. I know that’s just semantics and not what you’re getting at, but you should still know. We aren’t like your dad’s club and I think you know that. I see where we misjudged and will work to not have it happen again.”
Jon adds in, “Babygirl, we worry, but will work on making sure to not leave you out of things. Although, seeing how you handled my brother in there leads me to believe that you’re not going to have a problem letting us know when we’ve made a mistake.”
Seeing a slight smile on her face, I know she’ll accept this… accept us.
“You can head to Ma and Pa’s, Ror. I’m not getting out of the truck.”
Juan looks like a pouting teenager as he sits in the back with Jane, but she hasn’t looked over at him and she put Tyger on the seat in between them. We may share a woman, but his getting into trouble by putting his foot in his mouth is all on him. I’m not doing anything more to upset her tonight, especially when she invited me over for dinner—just the two of us—tomorrow night.
I can tell he’s about to be a glutton for punishment. He can’t keep his mouth shut for long.
“Baby, I—”
Jane holds up her hand again, quickly shutting up my most talkative brother. “Nope, I’m not ready to talk to you yet. I’ll let you know when that is. Just give me a bit.”
Jon
Seeing our woman put our brother in his place and then shutting him up on the ride has me trying not to laugh, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be in the same position he’s in right now. Fucker needs to learn to shut his yap sometimes.
A few minutes later, Rory pulls up in front of Ma and Pa’s place and parks. Jane remembers not to get out and lets me open the door and help her out. She grabs Tyger and gets him out. He immediately starts smelling the grass and exploring the yard. Juan grumbles something and heads inside.
Feeling the need to touch Jane, and knowing there are neighbors around here who can be nosey, I walk up and bump my arm against hers.
I swear when she looks up at me the world stops turning.
“I know it may not seem like a big deal to most people, but it is to me. Thank you for being serious about including me in things that involve me. Part of the reason that it’s so important to me is that growing up, my mom would make every decision for me. I mean every last one—like what I wore, what I ate, how I did my hair, just everything. She never once asked my opinion about what I wanted. I left her house as soon as I could because I turned eighteen and was finally going to pick out my own clothes and food.”
No wonder she was so upset. With a mom like that, she needs to feel some control in her life.
“Oh, baby, we don’t want to control your life or take away your choices at all. We’re worried about who would be sending you this shit. Juan doesn’t mean to make you mad. He just wants to make sure you’re safe. You know some about his past and safety is a big thing with him.”
I can see she’s conflicted and slightly feeling bad for not talking to J yet.
“Let’s get in the house and introduce your boy here to Ma and Pa.”
Jane
Shit. I need to remember that I’m not the only one who acts based on their past. I should’ve thought about why Juan is so worried about my safety, especially since the one time his mom wasn’t, it cost her everything.
I follow Jon into the house and see the rest of his siblings are here already.
Ma walks out of the kitchen.
“Oh, Jane, my girl, who is this cutie you’ve brought with you?”
“This is my very spoiled Tyger. Thank you for letting him come over today, although I have a feeling you weren’t really asked.”
