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“Do you know what you’ve done to my relationship with Meyah?” he snapped as he started to pace.
Optimus moved around the table and took a chair opposite us, his eyes watching the interaction carefully in case he needed to step in and rescue me.
“I’m gonna fix it,” I swore to him honestly. “You know I was just trying to keep her from getting involved in this bullshit mess. I was scared they’d try to use her against me, or that she’d have to see this bullshit.” I pulled at my clothes, lifting my shirt up over my head. They were baggy and gross and then to top it off, my stomach and ribs looked like a fucking rainbow. Yellows, purples, blues, I was all the colors of a fucking unicorn.
“Why did you feel like you had to be a fucking hero and go at this shit alone?” Optimus asked seriously. “There are things we could have done on our end, people we could have called.”
“This was a mistakemybrother made. A mistake that came from events which happened fucking years ago when I wasn’t the man I am now,” I told him, finally laying it all fucking out there. “This wasn’t the club’s problem. Romeo was put in that place with the asshole because I didn’t protect him like I should have. I fucking failed. And I wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. So I took fucking precautions, okay? I chose to keep as many people away as possible, including Meyah… especially fucking Meyah.”
Leo tugged out a chair and dropped his large body into it, looking like he suddenly had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. “I really want to punch you again right now.”
“I will fi—”
He slammed his fist down on the table, making it vibrate, the sound exploding in the room. “Goddammit, will you listen to how stupid you sound?” I forced my shoulders back, ready to stand my ground. “Do you know what having an Old lady means? It’s more than just keeping her safe or sending her away when there are problems. It’s about letting her fucking be there for you when you need her. It’s about having someone who’s willing to put up with your dumb ass bullshit. Who’s willing to look past the fact that we sometimes have to be the bad guy, and who’s willing to fucking love you and have your back no matter what.”
Each word was like a fucking punch in the face all over again.
Keep her safe.
Hide her away.
Don’t let anyone hurt her.
That was all I could think about. I didn’t want my mistakes or Romeo’s mistakes to hurt her. I didn’t want her to see me beaten to a pulp, treated like a piece of fucking dirt. I didn’t want her to see me broken. Because I was meant to be her Old Man.
I was meant to be strong. A rock she could rely on.
“We made mistakes, too, you know,” Optimus interrupted. “I forced Chelsea out of my life trying to do exactly what you did with Meyah. Protect her by cutting her off. Trust me. It’s fucking stupid.”
“Understatement,” Leo scoffed, shaking his head. “I gave her to you. Trusted you to do what’s right. Your Old Lady, your call. You forced me to fucking lie to her. To act like I believed that you fucked around on her and that I was okay with it.”
The one thing about being a part of the club—these guys had my back, no matter fucking what. But they would not sugarcoat shit in private. They would lay it all out for me, tell me what a fuck up I was, and then they would help me fix it.
Seeing the pain in Meyah’s eyes, hearing her say she felt as though I was worse than that asshole, Nick. Damn girl basically ripped my heart out and slapped me across the fucking face with it. And the more my brothers talked, the more I realized I fucking deserved it.
She was meant to be my Old Lady. The woman who I held precious above everything in this whole damn life. And I’d fucked that all up. I’d screwed up royally by forcing my brothers and my family to keep secrets from her. It only pushed her further away.
Being an Old Lady ain’t fucking easy.
Putting up with us moody bastards on a daily basis was almost fucking impossible.
“You want her back?” Leo asked.
Instantly, it made me laugh and made him look like he was going to hit me again.
“Back? She’s still mine.”
Optimus snorted out a laugh. “Best you let her know that then because I’m pretty sure she considers herself a free agent. She fucking loves your dumbass, though, that’s for sure. Punched old Kent in the mouth when he tried to hit on her and talk shit about you as she walked out the prison on Monday.”
My eyes lit up, and boy did I fucking grin like a Cheshire cat.
That was my fucking girl.
My woman.
My Old Lady or whatever you want to call her.
Even though she basically told me I was the worst scum on earth, she was still fighting for me.
And I was going to fight for her.
I was going to make shit right.
