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Done.
“Let's get the fuck outta here.”
36
HARPER
“I hope it's not too weird that I call you Nate instead of Dad.”
He sits across from me in the Screaming Eagle’s common room, with Mom at his side. They’re on one of the couches, while I’ve settled into an easy chair. The big TV's off, and it's the middle of the day, so most of the bikers and sluts are out. I'm not sure I want Nate and Mom here when evening comes and things get a little wilder.
“That’s fine. I think we’re going to have to figure this out step by step. I'm still processing all this myself. I’ve been on my own for a long time. Thinking of myself as a father is still pretty strange.”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
He shakes his head. “No, but my identity has been wrapped up in one thing for a very long time. I'm not an old man, but I don't exactly reinvent myself as often as I did when I was younger.”
All four of my guys are over at the bar, giving us space to talk, but watching very closely. It's comforting to have them there, paying attention. Mom notices too, wearing a faint smile. She's still weak, but recovering, and while she denies it, I think she and Nate are cautiously seeing if there’s a spark left to kindle.
“So… are you going to stay in Vegas?” I ask Mom.
She looks at Nate, and over to my guys. “For now, I think. I’ve found a good doctor out here, and it seems like if I want to be near my daughter, I might need to adjust to west coast life. Unless you want to move back? There isn’t much for either of us back home, but I still have the apartment to clean up. You could take over the lease.”
I open my mouth to answer, but Mom beats me to it. “I wouldn’t, if I were you. You've spent way too much time taking care of me instead of living your life. You're young. You should be finding your own way.” She looks over at the bar, where Lightning lifts his beer and smiles at us. “It’s definitely not turning out how I imagined it, but if they're able to keep you safe and they're good to you… well, I'm obviously not in any position to give good relationship advice. Just come visit me sometimes.”
“But who will take care of you?”
Mom laughs. It’s a beautiful sound I haven’t heard nearly enough of the past few years. “I’m a grown woman, Harper.”
“I'll be keeping an eye on her,” says Nate. “No matter what happens, we will always be linked by our pasts, and now by something even better.”
She squeezes his hand. “Exactly. We can be together in supporting our amazing daughter. And then we'll just see where that takes us.”
He nods, even smiling a little. “And if you want to come out to Vegas, You're always welcome. My house is really too big for just me anyway, so there's plenty of room for guests. Just give me warning so I can dust off a room I'm not using. Or don't. My door's always open for you.”
Pressure builds behind my eyes, but I'm not going to cry. Definitely not going to cry. After so many years alone with Mom, and then the years trying to make sure she gets well again, I thought I found my father only to end up in a giant mess. That we came out the other side with not just Mom getting better, but my actual father, who is turning out to be an decent guy, feels unreal. Not to mention, that with Outlaw, Thunder, Lightning and Shadow, I've found a whole new kind of family of my own. And if you count the Screaming Eagles and the Harem Brunch Club… well, suddenly, I've got so much family I don't know how to deal with them all.
It's amazing how quickly your life can turn around when you least expect it. All it takes is having a fake crime lord father, getting kidnapped by four dangerous bikers, getting shot at a whole bunch of times, nearly lose everyone, and tadah! Easy peasy.
Maybe I should become a life coach.
Or maybe not.
“You're looking beat, Eileen,” says Nathan. “Maybe we should get going, and you can take a nap in the car.” He stands and gives her his hand to help her up.
She nods. “You're right, but Harper? Will you come up and see me this weekend?”
“I'm sure at least one of the guys will be happy to give me a ride. Probably it'll be all of us.” I grin. It's been a couple weeks now, and the guys have been remarkably easy on me. No pressure, no demands, just an awful lot of being spoiled rotten with good sex. It's a heck of a lot easier to get over what's pretty much definitely the most traumatic time I've ever had in my life when you have backup like them.
