Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,46

Tell me how Eugene Grant came to be such an incredible man and father figure.” She waves her hand around, indicating the rest of the common room. “Not just to those kids, either. These men look to you like a father too.”

I rarely share the details of my past. In fact, I’ve spoken my truth a grand total of two times in my life. This will be the third.

“It’s not pretty,” I warn her.

“Yeah, and mine was all sunshine and rainbows,” she quips. Her words are sarcastic, but she moves to place her hand in mine, somehow able to tell this is going to be hard on me.

“I married my high school sweetheart.” Her eyes widen. “It was no great love or anything. To be honest, I don’t even know why we got married in the first place. We cared about each other, spent a lot of time together. When we graduated high school, I was prospecting with the club, and she wanted to tie me to her forever.”

I note her disapproving frown, but I don’t stop. I need to get this out.

“It was stupid. We fought all the time. We had no money, and she was always off drinking with friends and getting her hair done.” Now the hard part. “And then she had Shane.”

Her body jolts, her mouth opening to speak, but I raise my hand to stop her.

“Just let me get this out,” I tell her. “Shane was the sweetest baby. When he came along, I vowed to work harder to save my marriage. I was going to be the best father in the entire world.”

“What happened?”

“He died.” Looking down, I examine my fingernails, not really seeing them. “I was just a prospect back then and was out on a run. When I came home…” I pause, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. The pain is as great today as it was nearly thirty years ago. “She’d already buried him, said she didn’t know how to get a hold of me.”

Gaping at me, she covers her mouth and whispers, “How did he pass away?”

I shrug. “SIDS. She never gave me an explanation other than that. I tried to find out where he was buried, but every time I asked, she would scream and rant at me about leaving them alone in the first place. She left a month later, and the last I heard, she’d died of an overdose, which wasn’t too long ago.”

Her mouth opens and closes, and she finally says, “Wow,” seeming at a loss for words.

“Yeah. Wow.”

We’re both silent for a few moments, which is strange in itself since everyone else in the room is drinking and laughing, and having a great time. But it’s like we’re alone here. In a bubble. A bubble of confessions, sadness, and acceptance.

Acceptance is a new one for me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced acceptance.

Rubbing my hand, she says with sincerity, “I’m sorry about your son, Eugene.”

I blow out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry about your parents.”

Her lips graze mine for a fraction of a second. “Thank you for telling me about Shane.”

Hearing his name said out loud is like a tiny stitch in the gaping wound left from his passing. That wound has never healed, and I’ve never spoken about it. Maybe that’s why it still hurts, like it just happened yesterday.

Leaning over, I press my lips against her forehead, thankful for her and the way things have worked out.

When I’d first met Grace, I thought she would be my biggest nightmare, but it’s starting to look like she may just be my salvation instead.

Grace

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

That’s all my phone has been doing since I called off work again. If it’s not Eric, it’s Aaron, one right after another. It’s like the two of them are in constant communication about my whereabouts now. Eric, I can understand, as I never call off work. Ever. I’ve worked with my head in a trash can after getting food poisoning before, so calling off multiple days in a row is out of the ordinary for me. I know I’ll have to come up with some plausible reason for being out so many days soon, or he’ll send out for a wellness check on me.

Aaron calls again, and I send him straight to voicemail. The fourteenth voicemail notification this morning pops up on the screen. I swipe it away to ignore it. Take the hint, buddy. I’m busy.

Setting my phone down on the table, I watch as Eugene