Men always fuck up underestimating what women are capable of, they don’t need to be babied. They don’t need you to hold their hands as they try new things. They need support, someone who will give them enough space for them to figure out exactly who they are, but are still close enough that when they inevitably fall you can help them back up. Because we all fall from time to time. And you’re only defeated if you don’t get back up, but getting up is a hell of a lot easier with help from someone else. At least, I assume that it is…
“Anyway. They raced a couple of times and made the club more money. May have thrown in a little of their winnings. Just don’t tell them I told you that part.”
“Why?” I turn to him, asking.
“Cause, you know them. They didn’t want me to tell you that part.” He laughs out again. “They knew you wouldn’t like it. I believe Care’s exact words were ‘he’s too goddamn stubborn to let us help’.” I can’t help but laugh at his attempt at mimicking her voice, surprisingly nailing it pretty well. “So, mum’s the word on that.”
“I can’t let them do that.” I try to argue with him, but he stops me.
“Ro, you’re family. You may not be part of our club, but family is family, brother.” He laughs out loud for a second before he turns and looks at me again. “And you know as well as I do someday, we will most likely fucking need your help again. Fuck, someday we may try to charter the club that you guys are building right now.”
“Everything alright?” I ask him, suddenly concerned cause I know how fucking hard it all is. Especially when you’re worried about your parent charter fucking you.
“Yeah,” he sighs, looking over and shrugging. “Some days, I just wonder how much easier it would be if we were on our own. Outside of the laws that bind us within our own. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the club… but I don’t necessarily agree with everything that they do.”
“Just watch yourself or you’ll end up like me.” He laughs, nodding his head. “And Khan if you get arrested and leave that woman to raise that kid by herself… I’ll fucking kill you.” He laughs out, nodding his head.
“I have no intentions of doing any of that, but when I get locked up again.” He pauses as I glare at him, making him laugh again. “Look, you and I both know with this life, it’s bound to happen. If it ends up being for a while. She won’t be stuck raising Liv by herself. And you know that.” I nod my head again as I see Fury, his SAA, laughing amongst the group of men as he tells a story and if looks could kill the one that Ash is giving him right now would. “Look,” Khan starts again, causing me to look back over. “What we agreed to before…” He trails, meaning the agreement that they only sell to me. “The new Prez of the club came and tried to set something up. I could keep him at bay for a while, but a few months ago he came back and wouldn’t let me out of the conversation until I told him to go fuck himself in front of both clubs. He didn’t like that too much.”
“I imagine not.” I say as Iswig my beer. “And what did he say?”
“Nothing… yet.”
“Fuck, alright.”
“Yeah, but I think that you and I both know what’s going to happen.”
“J’s an asshole, and you embarrassed him.”
“Yeah, so I was thinking, since he’s already pissed off at us, and you’re going to be encroaching on his territory, let’s set up an official alliance.”
“Why are you talking to me about this?” I ask him, and he laughs, looking away, and sipping his drink.
“Ro, look around.” He pauses as I do just as he asked me to. “They don’t have patches, they don’t have a club name, they’ve put this all together waiting for their Prez to get back.”
“But—”
“I got it from here, Khan.” I hear the small voice from behind him as it cuts me off and I stop. Knowing the voice anywhere.Groaning out, not wanting to have this out with her right now.
“I thought you were exhausted.” I ask Care, who laughs and shrugs.
“I am. I took the boys and dropped them with Ella and came back.” So, Ella’s back. That’s new since I went in. Khan nods to Caroline, who turns around for a moment as she waddles to the side and grabs a chair dragging it back across the room and sitting it between us. “I couldn’t miss your welcome home party. And this wasn’t really appropriate for the boys but they were so excited to see you, I wanted to bring them up earlier.”
“I do appreciate that.” I tell her, and an actual smile spreads across my face.
“Now what was yourbutall about?” She asks me, giving me a face that I can only explain as sarcastic, throwing an eye roll in for good measure.
“But I didn’t help do any of this. It shouldn’t be me.”
“First, I don’t think that choice is really yours to make unless you just don’t want it. If they see you as the president of this club, then that’s what you are. But look at them.” She nods out to where the rest of the club is standing. “You took one for the club. You could have rolled on everyone, but you didn’t. You could have run and let him take down everyone else. But you didn’t. You protected your brothers. You may not have helped find the clubhouse or set it up but look at them.” She pauses as I look at the group of men as they stand around one another at ease. “You created that. You created a family. They did all of this for you because of what they did to you.” Ash finally breaks away from the conversation he’s in, after glancing back at us several times before he starts towards where we sit. As he reaches us, he leans over and kisses Caroline, who then beams up back at him. The love suffocating all the hopelessness that I’m putting out into the room right now. She giggles before she looks down again, standing up and Ash brings his arm around her and pulls her sideways into his body. Looking over at me again, she shakes her head, reaching over and patting my chest.. “Now, don’t let my money go to waste.”
“I thought you said not to tell him.” Khan nearly shouts from beside me.
“Like I didn’t fucking hear you already tell him. Come on, Khan. I may have pregnancy brain but I’m not fucking deaf.” I laugh out, shaking my head. It should surprise me that she’s unfazed about yelling at a Prez in front of 2 separate clubs, but it’s Caroline, and the only person that has ever scared her, currently has her in a protective embrace.
?
I’m still not sure exactly where I fit in within this club. I still don’t even feel like I fit in within society again, yet. Granted it’s only been a couple of hours, and a 12 pack.
