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Biting my lip, I nod. When Susie asked what my plans were in Forest Creek, I’d told her I was going to meet my dad for the first time and that he didn’t know about me. I left out the other stuff. I didn’t want everyone to know exactly who I was going to see, and I didn’t want everyone on the bus to hear about my backstory or how rough it was growing up.
“Yeah. I have no idea if he’ll even talk to me, but I want to try at least. Find out his side of what happened if I can.”
“I’m sure he’ll talk to you. It might be a little bumpy at first, but I think it’ll work out. Besides, you’re a nice person. He’d be an idiot to cut you out of his life.”
My chest tightens, hoping she’s right. Jordan tugs on my hand, and I look down at him.
“Where do you want to sit, Mae?”
I smile, thankful to have met him and his mom. I would have been bored out of my mind and trapped in my thoughts all this time if I hadn’t.
“How about you pick our seats? Just make sure the seats across from yours are empty, too.”
He grins and bounds up the stairs. I follow after Susie and we both settle into our seats while Jordan bounces in his. When everyone on board has taken their seats, the driver stands up and everyone quiets down.
“Once again, we sincerely apologize for the delay. When we get to the Forest Creek station, one of the attendants will give you all a couple of vouchers for some restaurants around town, so please make sure you get them before you head to your final destinations.”
I perk up at that. If things go south with my dad, I might be able to at least get a semi-decent meal before finding a cheap place to stay for the night.
For the rest of the ride, Jordan, Susie, and I switch between playing hangman and tic-tac-toe as we continue to talk. She’s going to Forest Creek to see her parents and brother. They’re also attending their friend’s baby shower and wedding. I’m surprised when I find out her brother is in the same MC as my dad.
“What does your brother do?” I ask, hoping my face doesn’t give away the real reason behind asking about the club. The proud smile that lights up Susie’s face eases some of my nerves. From the little I know about her; she wouldn’t approve of her brother doing anything illegal.
“He runs their tattoo parlor, Steel’s Ink. His road name is Axe.”
“That’s awesome. So, it is true what I’ve heard about them? That they own a bunch of businesses around town?”
“Oh, yeah. Let’s see,” she says as she pauses and nibbles on her lip. “Besides Steel’s Ink, there’s a body shop, a bar they partially own, and a construction business. They own a couple of apartment buildings and a few houses that they rent out. Oh, and they have a security business. I know they’re looking into a few other businesses, but I don’t think they’ve finalized anything on them. They’re the best group of guys I know. They do a lot of things to help out the community there, too. Every time we go back home after visiting, I miss Forest Creek so much. The small town where we live in Illinois is pretty boring in comparison and it doesn’t have the sense of community that there is in Forest Creek.”
I look down as Jordan hands me back the notebook and after marking ‘x’, I look up as Susie gasps.
“Is your dad part of the club? Is that why you were curious about what they do?”
I nod sheepishly. “Guess I must have been pretty obvious, but yeah, he is. At least from what I could find online, that is. They didn’t list his real name, so I don’t know if it’s him or if someone else joined with that same road name or not.”
“Which one is he? Wait, let me guess.” Her forehead scrunches up, no doubt running everyone through everyone in the club.
“I think it’s Uncle Smoke. He always looks so sad, but he gives me awesome puzzle books whenever I see him,” Jordan says.
My heart breaks a little at his words. I don’t want him to be sad.
Hearing another gasp, I look up to find Susie holding both hands over her mouth.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
At my hesitant nod, she does a little happy dance in her seat. “I can’t wait for him to meet you and find out he’s got a daughter!”
I panic a little at her excitement. “Please don’t say anything to Axe or any of the others! If he finds out ahead of time, he could have them prevent me from entering and even talking to him altogether.”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “I won’t say anything, but even if they somehow did find out ahead of time, I doubt they’d prevent you from talking to him. They really are a good group of guys. Two of them even settled down recently and found an Old Lady. Their wedding is the one we’re going to next week and tonight is her baby shower.”
My nose scrunches. “Old Lady? Aren’t they mad at being called ‘old’?”
Susie laughs at my confusion. “In the biker world, Old Lady is what bikers call their woman or wife. Though bikers view Old Ladies as being even higher than being married.”
She goes on, telling me a few things about club life and the women they call ‘club bunnies’. I shake my head at the thought of the bunnies. How someone is okay having sex with multiple people each night is beyond me. I’ve always felt it should be between you and your partner, but I’m not gonna toss stones about it.
We keep chatting and playing games for the next half hour until the bus pulls into the station in Forest Creek. As we exit the bus, a lady hands each of us a couple vouchers for some restaurants in town. One is for a bar and grill, Wallace’s B&G, and another is Mama’s Kitchen, which looks like it’s a small diner. Maybe if I stick around, I can look them up and see if either one needs any extra help.
