“So, I have a sister,” I explained.
“I heard,” Merrick said, his tone even. “Did you know she threw a punch at Coast?”
I snickered. “Not surprised.”
“Why’d she come? How’d she find out about you?”
“Our mom’s dying. She’s messaged me on Facebook a few times, asking to see me, but I’ve been ignoring her. I didn’t know about Jessa. Not until today.”
“You going to see her before she croaks?”
“I don’t know, dude. Should I?”
Unlike me, Merrick had lost family before. Men he’d served beside in the Army. His dad. His first old lady, Rose.
“What doyouthink you should do?”
I sighed. Merrick was going into mentor mode when really I just wanted a goddamn honest answer. I stayed silent for a beat before responding. “I should. Not for me. Not for that woman who calls herself a mother. But because it’s important to Jessa.”
Merrick nodded. “Then there’s your answer. You suck it up. Let her tell you how sorry she is or whatever. You don’t tell her what you really think of her because that would hurt your sister. End of story.”
I nodded grimly. I guzzled the rest of my beer and left, heading for my room above the clubhouse instead of sitting at the bar with the rest of the guys. I sat on the floor beside Chaos, scrolling through my phone as she chewed on a toy. I couldn’t stop thinking of the shithole trailer I’d left my sister at and wondering where she’d end up after her mom died.
A knock sounded at my door, and Chaos let out a high-pitched bark. I rubbed my ears. “Come in.”
Merci walked in, and the smell of sweet-and-sour chicken filled the space. “Want some?” she asked as Chaos wobbled over to her, all wiggles and happy whining.
“Yeah, sure.” I stayed on the floor, letting Chaos settle back with me after she said hello to her second-favorite human.
Merci handed me a fork and hovered over me. “You know, there’s this really cool concept called furniture. Tables. Chairs. Couches.”
I smirked at her. “Chaos wanted me down here.”
Merci sat beside me, and I snatched the takeout container from her and took a bite.
“Course she did. Little Chaos Gremlin always gets her way, too.” Merci forked a piece of chicken and stuffed it in her mouth. “What’s wrong?” she asked, mouth full.
“Well, a kid showed up at the clubhouse today,” I started.
“Oh, fuck. You have a kid?” Merci gasped.
I rolled my eyes and nudged her shoulder. “I’m sure Merrick told you about this already.”
The shock on her face told me he hadn’t.
“Haven’t been home yet. I wanted to see Chaos first. So, you’re a dad?”
I shook my head and chuckled. “No, but apparently I have a sister. She showed up at the clubhouse today.”
Merci tilted her head. “You seem surprisingly OK with this.”
I shrugged. “She’s a good kid. But she’s only fifteen. When her mom—fuck, our mom—dies, I’m the only family she’s got.” I handed Merci my phone, showing her the real estate listings I’d been scrolling through. “I need to find a house for us.”
“You think she’s going to move in with you? A man she’s never met before today?”
Her skepticism grated on my nerves. “I think it’s that or foster care. At fifteen, she’s not going to get adopted. She’ll either end up on the streets as a runaway after they put her in a house with some creep, or she’ll end up in a group home until she ages out. I can’t let that happen.”
Merci hummed. “I don’t know. It’s one thing to take in a puppy. It’s another to take in a human.”
