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When his breathing returned to normal, he lifted off her and felt her arms tighten around him as if she didn’t want to lose his weight. Brushing the hair back from her face, he kissed her.
“Sorry, I know that was all for me.”
“You needed it. I want to be what you need.”
“You are, baby. You are.”
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
The next morning, Skylar was sitting at the bar with Shades and Ghost, eating scrambled eggs and bacon off a paper plate. A couple of the old ladies had come in and made breakfast. There were several other club members up and eating breakfast as well, Blood and Sandman, Undertaker and Mooch.
She looked over at the man who was her father. She knew Shades was anxious to get back on the road, but in a strange way she was going to miss her father, and she was dragging her feet over breakfast.
Most of the men were through, even with their second helpings, and were now sipping on coffee. She appeared to be the only one still slowly eating.
Movement at the end of the bar to her right caught her eye, and she saw her father get up off his barstool and head toward her, his eyes on her. She turned her head as he stopped behind her.
“I want to talk to you, Skylar.”
She looked at Shades and then nodded, slipping off her stool to follow her father. He led her upstairs and to his office. She stood in the middle of the room as he moved behind his desk, opened a drawer and retrieved an item. Then he came around the desk to stand before her.
“I’ve got something for you. Something your mother would want you to have.” He looked down at his hand, and her eyes followed his. A silver chain was looped over the fingers of one hand, and a pendant rested in the palm of his other.
He handed it to her. It was a marcasite diamond shaped pendant with four small pear shaped onyx stones in each corner. It was beautiful.
“I got that for her on a trip we took together to Sturgis. She always loved it.” He swallowed and then continued. “One day while I was inside…”
“You mean prison?”
He nodded. “A letter came. It was her handwriting on the envelope.” He nodded toward the necklace. “That was all that was inside. No note. No letter. Just that. I figured that was her way of telling me she was through.” He shrugged.
Skylar looked from his sad face down to the pendent. She’d always wanted something of her mother’s. Her eyes started to pool. She looked up at her father. “Thank you.”
His eyes moved over her face, taking in her teary eyes. Then he swallowed and moved behind her. “Here. Let me put it on you.”
She lifted her hair aside and stood still while he fastened the latch at the back of her neck. Then he stepped back, and she turned to him, fingering the pendant. “How does it look?”
He smiled. “Beautiful. Like you. Like your momma.”
“Thank you.”
He hugged her tight, and then just as suddenly released her as if uncomfortable with the emotions he was feeling. “Okay. Good talk.”
They walked downstairs, and as they approached the bar, Shades slid off his stool, his eyes searching hers.
“Butcher called. Wants us to swing by the Gulf Coast Chapter on our way back.”
“For what?”
“I just need to check on some things. We’ll probably stay overnight there.”
Skylar groaned internally at the thought of staying at another clubhouse, but she didn’t say anything.
“You ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
She noticed Blood and Sandman slinging packs over their shoulders.
