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I’m thinking about her sexy smile when I arrive at the Pigsty for my “masculine baby shower,” as Walla Walla worded the invite. Having my club welcome Brigitte as my daughter cements what I feel in my heart.
Of course, a little part of me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. As if Landry might wake up one day and turn on me. Then, I’ll lose the kids and end up a fool again.
Except Landry isn’t a bitch planning to reject me. The kids won’t disappear from my life. I’m their father. Beckett and Brooklyn already call me “dada.” I have my nighttime feeding routine with Brigitte. As she sucks at her bottle, I brag to her about her mama and siblings in the same way I did to Woodrow and Rosemary after a stalking stint.
Each morning after breakfast, I take a walk with Blair. Often, Beau comes along. The boy’s claimed me in his silent way while his sister looks to me to prove men aren’t all like her dead dad.
Though I’m still getting used to the kids, I’m always thinking of them, even as I party at the Pigsty with my club family.
“I got you a gift,” Hobo says, appearing next to me and sporting a wild nest of blond hair. “Something to make fatherhood easier.”
“Why do I sense you’re fucking with me?”
“You’re a negative person,” he replies, smirking as he strokes his thick beard. “I burned down the Copper houses. Grandma was just out of jail when her place went up. She wanted to move to your lady’s old house, but that burned down, too. I heard the cops assume the Coppers committed arson for the insurance money.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have video of her sobbing in grief, would you?”
“Naw, man,” he says and pulls out his phone. “These people don’t really seem to deal productively with their sorrow. It all turns to rage and accusations. The damn fires weren’t even put out before they accused the sheriff of starting them.”
“The sheriff?” I ask as I watch the video Hobo made from the woods.
“He’s their new main enemy. They think Landry seduced him, and he’s the one who killed Neal.”
“That’s fucking stupid.”
“Seems on brand,” Hobo says and points at a tatted, raging Sandra Copper jumping around. “I’ve never seen anyone literally hopping mad before. These people should have their own reality show. Of course, most of them will be in prison soon, making a filming schedule difficult.”
Chuckling at the video, I pat Hobo’s shoulder. “Thanks, man. If you ever have an enemy that you need to be burned out of their house or any other brand of vengeance, let me know.”
Hobo’s a big, wild man, but he still sports the smile of the kid I met decades ago. I’m a lucky fucker to have found my way into the Steel Berserkers.
In fact, many of my club brothers got me gifts.
Tomcat worked his magic at a restaurant where Stacy Copper worked, making her unemployed.
Walla Walla stole Chris Copper’s neglected dogs and gave them to a nice family in the next county.
Armor paid a few Jordans to steal the Coppers’ cars around town and have them chopped up.
Goose snatched Grandma Jackie’s purse an hour after she got bailed out of prison.
Eagle and Dice swiped Jakob’s body from the morgue before the funeral.
Several of the younger Berserkers have rigged up pranks that left Stacy covered in red paint, Tammy smelling of skunk, and Sandra with a bald head. Ruin worked his magic on the sheriff to ensure Landry and Blair weren’t hassled after the school incident.
In big and small ways, my club family has wrapped themselves protectively around my new family and struck out against our enemy. By the time I stand with Ruin on the Pigsty’s back porch, I’ve gotten overly sentimental.
“You look happy,” he tells me.
“So do you.”
“Life’s been golden for me for a long time, but Selene added another layer. I can barely remember how it felt before I knew she existed.”
“I fucked up with Kati,” I explain, feeling less pissed than usual when admitting how I played myself. “But without her, I’d be living in the Pigsty when I claimed Landry.”
“Life’s a ride, man. Some pit stops are dumps with only bad memories. But the people you ride with and the destination are what matter. A long time ago, you and I built something powerful in McMurdo Valley. I’d started taking that for granted. I feel sharper now.”
“But you still worry about shit.”
