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“And you wanna be a fuckin’ biker?” I check I heard that part right too.
“You like bikes, you always have. You’d fit right in.”
“This ain’t about me, Tobe… This is about you, takin’ your kid away from the only family he’s got and havin’ full responsibility for him,” I point out, keeping my voice low enough not to scare the kid, but stern enough for my brother to realize how crazy all this is. “You think a bikers’ yard is a good place to raise him?” I look at the clueless little thing who’s now sat on Mom and Dad’s porch. “His mom just left him, you ain’t exactly been a hands-on dad to him over the years. You’re gonna need all the support you can get.”
“So support me, come with us.” Tobias has a real serious look on his face.
“Tobe, I—”
“At least think about it,” he cuts me off. “I’m leavin’ in a few hours, just got some loose ends to tie up. Have Mom take care of him while I’m gone.” He nods his head at the kid before climbing behind the wheel of his truck.
“There’s a whole world out there, Tristan, don’t get tied to one fuckin’ outcome.” He pulls off the drive with a screech, leaving his kid looking at me like I got all the answers.
* * *
“Well, it’s not a terrible idea.” Mom grins awkwardly when I explain how the conversation went, omitting the part about Tobias joining a biker gang, of course. She’s got enough on her plate without having to worry about that.
“You have always been the sensible one, and little Tommy here could use his uncle.” She looks over to my dad for support and although he remains silent, I can tell all this has him worried too.
“Mom, it’s a bad idea.”
“It’s a terrible idea,” she agrees. “But you know your brother, once he has something in his head, not hell nor high water can stop him from seeing it through.” She places a glass of milk in front of her grandchild and strokes her hand through his jet-black hair. “If it was just your brother, I wouldn’t be asking.” She looks up at me hopefully.
“So, you’reaskin’me now, huh?” I raise my eyebrows at her and after looking over to Dad, she fixes her eyes back to me.
“Yes, I’m asking. Go with him. Keep him out of trouble and keep this little one safe.” She kisses the top of Tommy’s head, making it impossible for me to refuse.
It’s another four hours before Tobias returns and as he straps Tommy into the middle seat, then plants a kiss on Mom’s cheek to say goodbye, I step out the house with my holdall over my shoulder. Dad sits on the porch with a smoke, nodding his approval at me as I pass him, and when Tobias sees that I’m packed up, his lips raise into a smile.
“Good choice, little brother.” He slams his huge hand into my shoulder, squeezing it tight before taking my holdall and tossing it into the back. I wait until he’s jumped behind the wheel before I step over to Mom.
“Thank you,” she mouths the words silently before I kiss her goodbye. I nod my head to let her know it’s gonna be okay, despite having no idea what's in store for me. I just know that her heart would break if anything happened to him.
I get into the passenger seat and smile at the poor, little soul sitting between us, who’s being dragged along for the ride.
“Don’t forget to call,” Mom shouts out as we pull off the yard.
“You won’t regret this, Bro,” My brother assures me, sitting back in the driver's seat comfortably as he drives us towards whatever Colorado has in store for us.
“Iwasn’t expecting company,” I warn, opening the door to my cabin and letting Addison and her son inside.
She looks around my space warily as she carries her little boy through the door. I show her to the couch, quickly lifting off the old shirt that's hanging over the armrest and picking up the empty wrappers. Having Addison here in the space that I shared with Carly seems a little strange, and as she places Charlie down on the couch she looks equally as awkward as she smiles at me.
“You wanna tell me why you're here?” I get things started. The last person I was expecting to show up at the clubhouse was her. When I saw her at the cemetery last week, she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me. I wonder what's changed?
Addison closes her eyes and takes a breath. I can see she’s been crying and she’s still shaking, despite me telling her numerous times that she’s safe here. It proves that whatever's got her spooked is real serious.
“You want me to see if someone can watch the kid so we can talk? I’m sure Jaz—”
“No!” she cuts me off sharply. “I need him here with me. I need him close.” Her arm wraps tighter around his shoulder, and the flicker of a flame that I can’t recall ever being there before burns inside her eyes.
“Addison, you have to tell me what's wrong. I can’t fix it if you don’t.”
“I don’t think you can fix this.” She shakes her head as more tears flow freely over her cheeks. “Nobody can fix this.” Her voice breaks into a sob and when I see the way little Charlie is looking up at his mom, I quickly take her arm in my hand and drag her out of his earshot.
“You need to calm down. He’s scared, just like you are,” I whisper at her harshly. “Now, tell me what the fuck ya came here for, because believe me, Iwillfix it.”
Her eyes open wide and glisten from her tears as she takes in what I said, it’s a sharp reminder of how beautiful they are.
