I rubbed my eyes, trying to smooth away the tension. At first, I was content to ignore the man. To leave him on mute, so to speak, even though Bear said he wanted to talk. But talking with Michael convinced me to give it a try. His relationship with his father hadn’t been ideal either, and with his father’s death, that’show their relationship would always be. Sinner was still around, so maybe we had time to build something. Or I might confirm that he was the indifferent asshole I’d always thought him to be. But I owed it to myself to at least find out.
A loud buzzer sounded, and the door to the room on the opposite side of the plexiglass opened. I reached for Bear’s hand and clutched it in a death grip.
“Breathe. I’m right here. And he may be my prez, but you’re my old lady. So if he says anything to hurt you, I’ll kick his ass.”
“Oh really?” I asked, a hint of a smile crossing my lips.
“Absolutely.” Bear grinned. “In eight to ten years.”
I laughed and the pressure in my chest lightened as Sinner sat down in front of us.
“It’s good to see you, Alexandra. Bear.”
Bear gave him one of those manly chin lifts.
“It’s Lexie,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Which you would know, if—“ Bear squeezed my hand and I took another breath. “It’s good to see you too, Father.” There. I didn’t say sperm donor. Progress.
“I, uh.” Sinner scratched his neck and looked around.
Was he nervous? The big scary MC president who’d been living in Central Prison over half my life? For some reason, that made me soften a little.
“I see congratulations are in order.” He nodded toward my vest. “I’m happy for you both. Bear is a good man.”
My mouth dropped. This was a big change from the shouting man from a month ago. “Thanks.”
“And you two are living together?”
I rolled my eyes. Here it comes.
“I’m glad. You deserve to have a happy home, and I’m sorry I didn’t provide that for you.”
That was unexpected. Bear squeezed my hand again and gave me a soft nudge with his leg as if to saygive him a chance, he’s trying.
I took another deep breath. I had a choice. I could choose to despise the man for his past, or I could choose to move forward. I didn’t have to forget, or even forgive at this point, but I could be civil. I could get to know the man and let him get to know me.
“Well, we do. Have a happy home, that is. But it’s not just us. We have a teenager, Michael, who lives with us, too.”
“Damn Bear, that was fast.” Sinner grinned.
I groaned, but inside another piece of my heart loosened.My first dad joke.
“We’re his guardians. He’s an orphan from another MC.”
Sinner smiled. “That’s good, real good. I’ve always wanted to be a grandpa.”
I chuckled. “Then I’ll be sure to bring him next time. The more adults in his life, the better. And maybe seeing this place will encourage him to do better in school.”
“How’s the catering business? I’ve heard your food is amazing. I can’t wait to try it someday.”
“It’s going. The Reapers are my main client at the moment, but word is spreading. I’ve got a baby shower next week. It’s part time now, but I’m getting there. And in the meantime, I’m also the club’s bar manager, so I’m getting a chance to test out new recipes.”
An awkward silence filled the air. I felt like I should ask him something, but what? How’s the yard? Do you work in the laundry room? Seen any good movies lately?
Sinner cleared his throat. “I fucked up.”
“What?” I looked up from my hands.
“Your mom wouldn’t let me see you unless I married her, which I wasn’t willing to do. I knew I’d never win a custody battle, so I didn’t fight it. I just tried to catch you guys in publicand see you that way. Then when I heard you were with your grandparents, I convinced myself you were better off. This life can be harsh, and if no one knew you existed, you couldn’t be hurt. After your grandmother died, CPS came here and asked if I had any family that you could go to. At the time, the MC wasn’t a place for a kid. The lady assured me they had dozens of families that wanted to adopt a sweet little girl, and I thought that was best. I was wrong, and I’m sorry for that.”
