Last Mile (Vicious Cycle #3) - Katie Ashley Page 0,101
motioned me with his hand. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
I had to smile at his overprotectiveness. Even though it had been close to a year since Eddy attacked me, Peterson still insisted on walking me out if he was in the building when I left at night. He would also be walking me down the aisle tomorrow at Bishop’s and my wedding. Although I could have asked my older brother, Steven, or my stepfather, Peterson had really been a father figure to me over the years.
We took the elevator down to the parking garage, and then Peterson walked me over to my car. “See you in two hours.”
“Drive safe.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Peterson gave me a wry grin. “You better watch that. I might just get a kick out of it in a dirty-old-man way.”
I laughed. “Get out of here.”
He waved and then headed down the row to his car. Just as I started the car, my phone rang. I smiled at the ID. “Hello, Future Husband.”
A chuckle came from the other end. “Hello, Future Wife. You leaving work?”
“Yep. On my way to the clubhouse now.”
“Good. I’ve had Alexandra and Annabel on my ass most of the afternoon.”
“Oh man, double trouble there.”
“Damn straight.”
Since I lacked the girly girl gene for interest in wedding planning, Alexandra and Annabel had taken over the details. Whenever they tried to make it too much, Bishop and I would veto them. In the end, we decided to get married in the same place that Annabel and Rev had. It made sense to do it at Tohi Ama. It was where we had spent our first night together. The place where we started our relationship. It made sense that we would become man and wife there as well.
“So I picked up your mom and stepdad at the airport. Your brother and sister and their families won’t get in until later tonight, which will be better for you to make the introductions.”
“Thanks for doing that. How are they?” What I meant to ask was how they were adjusting to being at an MC clubhouse surrounded by bikers. My mom, who still harbored a lot of prejudice against bikers, had had a hard time when I told her about Bishop. She hadn’t wanted to accept our relationship for a long time, and I think she hoped I was just sowing some wild oats or something rebellious like that. She couldn’t understand how someone with my history could ever trust, least of all love, a biker.
But as the months went on, Bishop and I remained serious. When we got engaged, she tried through numerous phone calls to talk me out of it. Over and over again, I tried explaining to her that the Raiders had gone legitimate, and while Bishop and his brothers had killed in the past, they were nothing like that anymore, least of all like the man who had killed my father.
It had taken a face-to-face meeting for her to actually start to warm to Bishop. We had gone down after Christmas and spent New Year’s with my mom and stepdad. Bishop was extremely patient with her and kept his temper when she was openly hostile. Finally, it all came to a head over dinner one night at my mother’s favorite restaurant.
After Bishop picked up the check, he turned to my mother. “Mrs. Bennett, there’s something I need to say to you.”
My mother pursed her lips at him as she reached for the last of her wine. “What is it?”
Bishop drew in a deep breath as my stepfather and I leaned forward anxiously in our chairs. “I’ve spent most of my life dealing with people thinking I’m the scum of the earth because I wear a cut and ride a Harley. I’ve learned to accept that. And while my brothers and I weren’t always model citizens, I can swear to you on my life that we are decent, law-abiding men now.”
My mother waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, Samantha has told me that a hundred times. But it still doesn’t change anything for me.”
“I hate to hear you say that. I want you to be able to be happy that your daughter is in love and that she is loved in return. I will work until my fingers bleed to provide for her a safe and stable life. I will always put her life before mine.”
I reached over and squeezed Bishop’s hand. “Just like he has done not once, but twice.”