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“Aye, aye, Captain.” She salutes.
NINETEEN
Family Reunion
THUNDER
Penny opens the door and yelps in delight when she sees Rosie standing on her front porch. She pulls her daughter in for a big hug as she calls out to her husband that they have company. When Penny finally releases Rosie so that her father can get in on the action, she takes me by the arm, seeing that my hands are carrying our overnight bags, and pulls me through the door.
“Drop those so I can get a proper hello,” she says. I set down the bags and open my arms. Penny steps toward me, putting her arms around my waist and looking up at me. “We’ve missed you too, you know.” I can see the emotion. Her face is soft, her eyes glistening. She’s happy to see me.
“It’s good to be back,” I rumble, then drop my head to kiss her cheek.
“Michael,” Erik calls to me, extending a hand. I take it, with one arm still around Penny. “This is a great surprise.”
“We were hoping you’d think so,” I say, shaking his hand.
We move through to their family room, where Rosie and her mom get to talking about her new shop. Rose pulls out her phone and begins scrolling through her pictures as they sit side by side, heads together.
“Let’s get you a beer,” Erik says. Which really meansI want to talk to you privately.
Rosie’s ears perk up. “Daddy—” she begins, eyeing her father warily.
“It’s fine, babe. We’re going to do our own brand of catching up,” I tell her. I follow Erik out to the kitchen, where he pulls out a couple of beers, and then to the back deck, where we take a seat on handmade pine chairs. Erik likes to build, and this is part of his handiwork.
Erik takes a swig from the bottle. “You and Rose, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s had a crush on you from the beginning. Never said it, but I could tell. Her mother could see it too.”
“Rose was too young to get involved with someone like me. When I was with Clarissa, I was faithful, and I did all I could to make her happy.”
“That relationship was chaotic. You were trying to save someone who didn’t want to be saved.” He sighs. “I could see the storm brewing. I knew it was only a matter of time before she pushed you away, like she did everyone else who loved her.” He pauses and gazes into the sky. “Nothing I could have done to stop it.”
“You tried.” And he did. Erik did all he could to get help for Clarissa. Treatment centers, therapists, nothing stuck.
“We all did.” He turns to me. “Where does Rose fit in?”
“The night I left, I wanted to forget everything and everyone. But the memory of Rose and her sweet nature would come to me time and time again,” I tell him. “Never thought I’d see her again, so I carried on living my life. Found a place that I made home with my club and the brothers. Dated and had fun. Then one day, I walk into a florist shop right in my town, and Rose come out from the back, and I’m stunned. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t. Then she tells me she feels the same for me.” I give him a moment to let it all sink in. “We talked about the past, and we’ve come to peace with it.”
“She needs to be treated with care. Rose has lived most of her life overshadowed by her sister. That’s another mistake I have to live with. Rose was always even-keeled, smart, and independent. I never had to worry about her. Clarissa was a mess and took up much of our time. Rose never complained. She just kept going on,” Erik says, wistful and melancholy.
“Rosie’s stronger than she looks.”
“That she is, son. That she is,” He takes another sip of beer. “Now tell me why you’re really here.” I’m about to tell him the story about missing her parents that we concocted before we left, but Erik raises his hand to shut me up. “No lies, Michael. I could always tell when you were covering for Clarissa.”
I’m caught between wanting to keep him in the dark to keep him out of this disaster and giving it to him straight. He raises his brow, waiting.
“Clarissa’s past has infested Rosie’s present.” This is going to be harder than I thought. Erik’s face drops, the color draining from his face. “Me and my brothers have this under control. You’ve got to trust me.”
“She’s my baby girl,” he whispers harshly, his expression pained.
“I’ve got men watching this house to make sure Penny and you are covered. Back home, I haven’t left Rose’s side since this started. The men in the club are stepping up, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
“What do they want?” he exclaims. “Rose and Clarissa were never really close. Why go to her? Why not come to us?”
“You left and disappeared. My thought is that because she started her business, she was easier to find. The guy’s name is Aldo, and he’s looking for a key. Rose and I have checked her place from top to bottom. Nothing. Rose said her sister never gave her anything, but looked anyway. That’s partly why we’ve come. And Rose really did miss you guys.”
