Page 79 of Peaks and Promises

“Thanks again. For everything. I feel like I could say that a million times and it wouldn’t be enough.”

The corners of his mouth lifted again. “No problem.”

He turned onto the bumpy driveway that led to his parents’ house. When we reached the top of the hill, he parked and we went inside. The house was quiet, and I went straight to my room to change. Hoping I could stay in for the night, I put on a tank top and loose pajama pants, and fixed my ponytail.

My phone rang, so I dug it out of my purse. As soon as I saw the name and number on the screen, my heart dropped. It was my mother.

She didn’t call often, and when she did, I never knew which version of her I was going to get. The one who remembered she had a daughter and a grandson and seemed to care about us in her own way. Or the one who handed out guilt like a dealer at a casino.

With a deep breath, I answered. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, baby girl.” Her syrupy-sweet tone made me suspicious. “What’s new?”

I hesitated. Was there anything I could safely tell her? Not really. Anything I said to her would get back to Stryker, and probably Axel. “Not much.”

“How’s Nate?”

“He’s fine.”

“So what gives, Sum Sum? Why are you keeping him from his daddy?”

And there it was. Of course that was why she called. “His daddy? Axel is not his daddy. He’s basically a sperm donor.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Not mine, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Well it isn’t his fault, either. He did what he had to do.”

“Mom, do you know how many times Axel reached out to Nate over the years? Zero. None. He’s ten. If Axel wanted to be in his life, he could have at least sent him a birthday card. But he didn’t. And then he gets out of prison and suddenly he wants to be a father? I don’t buy it.”

“He got out of prison and realized his son ain’t being raised right.”

I rolled my eyes. “You mean raised in the club. That’s not going to happen.”

“Why? You think you’re better than us?”

“It’s not about that. It’s just not the life I want for him.”

“We live free, baby girl. You’re the one stuck in the system.”

I’d heard that before. What a lie. My mom wasn’t free. She was under the thumb of her boyfriend. And his first loyalty wasn’t even to her. It was to Mayhem. I’d never understood how she could live like that.

“Listen,” she continued. “Let Axel see the boy. It’ll be better if you cooperate.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t think he’s letting this go, Sum Sum. He wants his son.”

A sick feeling spread through me at how she’d phrased that. “He can’t have him.”

“Why do you have to be such a stubborn brat?” she snapped, the sweetness gone from her tone. “That kid needs a man in his life. You’re turning him into a weak little pansy.”

That was it. I was done. “I’m hanging up now.”

“Don’t you dare—”

I ended the call.