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“You are an amazing man, Bishop,” she whispered, a tear dripping from the corner of her eye as she got to her feet and rounded the table. I pushed my chair back, and she sat across my lap, taking my face in her hands. “You are kind and generous, and you care for the people around you in a way I have never experienced before. It’s so fucking beautiful, and I love you for it.”
I leaned in, wrapping my arms around her and stealing the most fucking incredible kiss.
There wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t do for this woman, just to feel her energy or see her light up.
It was intoxicating—her happiness was an addiction.
For years, I’d been doing the same thing on repeat—club work, bar work, president duties. I spent my time between the clubhouse, Backroad, and home, never really deviating from routine, which had never bothered me before. I was happy with my brothers, my family, and the odd club girl.
Shay made me see the world differently.
She was inquisitive and loved experiences, and I was so eager to give her those experiences and share them with her.
Shay made me step out of a comfort zone I’d been stuck in for years but had never realized, and I was so fucking excited about a future with her. There was no way in hell I would ever let anyone stand in the way of that.
“I love you, too,” I rasped, holding her tightly, my heart pounding. “I don’t want to sound like a bastard, but I’m never fucking letting you go.”
Her laughter and the way she pulled me in again, our lips crashing together, told me everything I needed to hear.
We ignored it for long enough, trying to fight this undeniable pull.
From now on, I was going to seize every damn moment.
Chapter Forty-Four
SHAY
Despite the craziness that arose every Sunday, it quickly became my favorite day of the week.
And today, I was especially thankful to have a house full of people around me, which I was sure was why Bishop had waited to tell Ali and me about our dad, knowing I’d need the distraction.
Part of me expected to feel something different when I found out he was dead. I thought I would feel at least some kind of loss, but I didn’t.
All I felt was relief.
There was no more wondering if the next person I passed on the street might be him or if the face that appeared in my dreams from time to time might actually become real. For a long time, I’d had felt that one day he’d come back, looking to finish what he started.
And now that I knew he couldn’t, I felt like I could start to move on and really focus on the future and leaving the past right where it should be.
Behind me.
“I’m really proud of you, Ali,” I told my brother as I hugged him tightly at the door. “You gave me a chance to get my shit together when we were younger, and now it’s your turn.”
He stepped back, inhaling deeply. “I can’t wait to just start creating a new life, one where I can be me. Not the drunk me, or the high me, or the me someone else was forcing me to be.” There was something different about the way he smiled and how he spoke. He didn’t stutter as much as he used to, and the words came out a lot slower, too, almost as though his brain wasn’t running ahead anymore. He wasn’t trying to speak the words faster than he could find them in his mind.
It had been a long time since I’d seen this version of my brother, and I couldn’t wait to hopefully have him around more so we could reconnect.
Beep. Beep.
A car horn sounded loudly from the road. “Oh shit, that’s my Uber,” he said, giving me another tight hug before hurrying down the front stairs. “See you later, sis!”
I stood there and waved, a smile painfully stretching my face—those were the best smiles—and it stayed there even as I marched down the hallway. I barely stepped to the side in time to avoid a collision with Whip and Rafe, who were wrestling—Whip surprisingly with the upper hand—and quickly ducked the other way when Match and Scoop raced after them, waving dollar bills in the air and cheering.
“I swear, if I have to patch anyone up today, you’re all gonna be in so much trouble,” I called after them as they flew into the living room and out of sight.
This was life.
It was disorderly and unpredictable, and there were days when I wondered if I was in some kind of fever dream. But damn, did it fill my heart to the brim.
