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“Beast, you have no idea how much that would help,” I tell him earnestly. “Let’s go back to the bar and discuss the logistics. And here,” I say, handing him one of my favorite models. “This one’s on me.”
We all head back to the house, where Beast dismisses everyone but Sin and the three of us sit at the bar discussing business. For the last few months, Knix and Evanesce have been living in Houston, getting to know the group there a little better and strengthening our communication channels.
If he didn’t have a criminal background, I’d recommend Knix run for mayor. He certainly knows how to play the political game and get people to hear what they want to hear. Because of the foundation he and Evanesce have lain, our two groups have created a bond that didn’t exist before. The Houston Kings were always our brothers in arms, but not necessarily just our brothers. Our relationship was much more transactional than it is now.
Over drinks, Beast and I work out a plan for Sin and another member of their team to stay in New Orleans and help get our stock safely to Houston without putting up any red flags. Sin is said to be a world-class smuggler, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to learn from him while he’s with us.
With all the details worked out, I feel a huge burden lifted off of my shoulders. There’s something comforting about knowing that I have a bigger network than I once thought. The Houston Kings have become like an extension of us in the last few months, and I’m excited about the future of our two organizations. Then, of course, there’s the fact that Beast is going to take care of my biggest problem right now.
We shake hands and draw up a contract, giving them three months to fully get the stock out of New Orleans. I also give him my contact who brings us guns from South America. Adding another port in Houston will help maintain our working relationship while we wait out the shit storm that is Mayor Prudent.
When we finish our drinks and I show the men to their facilities for the night, I feel accomplished. This was one thing that Pocus was never able to do, and it makes me feel proud of myself. This relationship is going to be my stamp on the club, my contribution as the Prez. However long I get to stay in power, this will be the thing that defines me, washing away the fuck-ups from the past. I text Pocus to come over, meet Beast, and have a drink. Selfishly, I want him to see me succeed.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Awave of excitement washes over me as we pull up to the youth center. It isn’t my excitement, but rather Daisy’s. She’s bouncing around in her booster seat, buzzing with the anticipation. My gift makes it hard for me to fully appreciate hers. I feel her emotions whether she projects them or not. I know it’s been hard for her to learn how to navigate her own gift over the last few months.
When Daisy is happy, which is most of the time, everyone around her is happy. When she was first born, Abigail and I just assumed that we were so in love with her that we couldn’t help but be happy around her. Similarly, we assumed that when we got overwhelmed by her screaming and crying, it was just the growing pains of parenthood. It didn’t occur us until we met Meredith that Daisy had a gift that made her like this.
The problem now is that she’s experiencing a lot more emotions all of the time. She’s too young to fully comprehend or control them, and she’s definitely too young to have any control over her gift. When we’re together, I can’t fully appreciate how powerful Daisy’s gift is because, to me, she’s just experiencing the normal emotions of a little girl. Abigail, on the other hand, is constantly overwhelmed by them. She does the best she can, but when Daisy is having a tantrum, her own feelings become escalated.
Before I had Daisy, before I met Abigail, I didn’t really consider what it would be like to be a father. I wasn’t sure that I wanted a wife or kids or any of it. I was doing just fine on my own, running the club and staying in trouble. Abigail hit me out of nowhere, but once we were together, it was a no-brainer that we would have kids. We loved each other so much, and we wanted to bring some good into the world.
I thought the scariest moments in my life, the hardest ones, were all behind me then. I’d fought so many battles and took down so many adversaries, it never occurred to me that having a child could be so much more terrifying. First it was how difficult Abigail’s pregnancy was. There were a few times I thought I would lose her for good, and that nearly destroyed me.
Even that couldn’t compare to the way my stress would skyrocket through the roof whenever Daisy would cough or get a sniffle as a baby. Some nights, I snuck into her room just to make sure she was breathing. I’d wait until I was sure Abigail was sound asleep and I would creep in, sit on the floor next to her crib and listen to her breathe for hours. It became such a habit, I started to have a hard time sleeping whenever she wasn’t around. The times I had to send her and Abigail away were hell.
Then Benji came along, and I had two pieces of my heart living outside of my body. Thankfully, most of my first-time parent jitters were gone with him and I didn’t worry so much about every single germ in the universe. But then it became clear that Daisy’s ability to affect people’s moods was more than just her charming personality. Soon, we all realized that she has the ability to literally bring us to our knees with her emotional projection.
The first time Meredith sat her down to assess her, she was in a horrible mood. Meredith had to reschedule because she couldn’t stop crying. Meredith, not Daisy. Daisy was just horribly grumpy and making everyone in the vicinity feel terrible about their lives. In the last year and a half, Meredith has advised that the best thing we can do for Daisy is get her enrolled in a lot of classes to help her work out her emotions.
Thankfully, being friends with the executive director meant we could get the pick of any class we wanted, even if it was full. Daisy spends every afternoon here, taking art, dance, team sports, and swim lessons. We were worried getting her involved with so much would lead to more meltdowns at home, but we trusted Meredith’s wisdom. Sure enough, Daisy is always in a good mood when she arrives and when she goes home. This is her safe space, and she gets to interact with other kids who have the same issues.
Not that being gifted is an issue. If I could redo my life though, I think I would choose to live without mine. They made everything more complicated when I was young. I was nothing but a freak and a blight to my family. There was no love or compassion coming my way back then. If nothing else, I’m glad I can make my daughter’s life fuller by showing her all the love I never experienced myself.
It doesn’t hurt that Abigail is such a fantastic mom. Even when she’s in the pits with Daisy’s emotions, she’s able to succeed in ways I could never even imagine. That woman is my salvation, what keeps our family functioning. If I didn’t have her, I truly don’t think I could survive.
I get Daisy out of the car and walk her inside, feeling her energy bouncing around everywhere. I smile and listen as she tells me all about her friends in her painting class and how they’re helping to paint something for the dance recital. I make a mental note to ask Abigail when this supposed recital will be and how much it’s going to cost us. When we signed Daisy up for dance, Abigail warned me that we’d have to buy her costumes and special shoes. Shoes that she constantly grows out of.
I sigh heavily as I walk her all the way to her class. There’s a kind-faced woman standing at the door waiting for her, and a group of parents mingling around in the lobby across the hall. This is my least favorite part of Daisy’s busy schedule. The parents of kids in her age group are encouraged to stay on premises just in case there are any serious behavioral issues. I don’t mind staying, but I don’t like the mingling part.
Abigail keeps getting on my case about making new friends, but I’m not like her. Apart from a gifted child, I have nothing in common with these people. Some are foster parents, some middle-class families, and some nannies of the parents who are too rich to bring the kids themselves. They’re all clean-cut and square. Even if I wanted new friends, these are not people I would choose to spend my time with.
So, rather than joining them, I pace the hallways, not sure what to do with myself. I’m sure Meredith would scold me if she saw me out here, but her office door was closed when I passed by. She’s either not here or in a meeting, so she has no say in how I choose to spend my time. I wander down the halls, scanning the student paintings on the wall. Some of the kids are so talented, I feel like I’m at a real museum.
I meander past the gym where a mixed group of kids is playing volleyball. Daisy isn’t old enough for that one yet, but it’s one of her favorite sports to play. There’s a door open down the hall where I can hear a group of students practicing their projection and enunciation. The dramatic voice of the acting teacher fills my ears and I turn in the other direction. She’s kind enough, but she’s a lot. And she’s always trying to rope me into playing a character in one of her productions. That will happen when hell freezes over.
I’m walking past the glass walls of the dance class when I see something that truly shocks me. In fact, I don’t believe my eyes at first. I rub them a few times and squint just to make sure that I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing. Sure enough, there’s Bones standing there, smiling at the dance teacher.
That can’t be right, can it? I’ve never actually seen Bones smile at anyone. He’s a sarcastic smirker, at best. I’ve seen him flirtatiously grin at women across a crowded bar, but I have never, in all the years I’ve known him, seen him smile at someone. It makes him look like an entirely different person, a guy who would never be caught dead in a motorcycle gang.
He looks younger somehow and definitely less intimidating. This is not a man who could singlehandedly take down an entire group of thugs. This looks like a man who would help grill the meat at a neighborhood barbecue. I fucking eat up the sight. Because, whether he’s willing to admit it or not, Bones is smiling like that at a woman.
After all the shit he’s given us about being an eternal bachelor, he sure looks pretty cozy with the teacher. I immediately take a picture and text it to Seer, knowing he would never believe me. Then I text Abigail to remind me the teacher’s name so I can really lay it on thick with him. He still hasn’t seen me, so I move out of the view of the windows and wait for either of them to respond. This is so fucking rich, I can’t help but laugh at the situation. Bones, smiling like he’s head-over-heels. I never thought I’d see the day.
Seer:Oh, you’re fucking joking me. This explains so much. We’re going to give him so much shit about this.
Abigail:Her name is Melissa. Why?
