to explain.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Because falling for the boss was not part of the plan.
6
Huntsman
Having Zoey see me with my dick buried deep in Amber’s throat should have been a good thing.
She was here so we could keep her and her kid safe.
Not so I could fall for her feisty fucking smart mouth.
Yet here I was, ready to walk out after her and drag her back in like a fucking caveman, just so I could see how fucking red I could make her ass for talking back.
“She’s nice, right?” Ripley commented, trying to act casual like he hadn’t just stirred the fucking pot. When he caught my glare, he rolled his eyes dramatically. “She’s your fucking type, old man.”
“I don’t have a type,” I argued, walking away, hoping he’d take the fucking hint, but I should have known better.
“Independent, smart, razor-sharp tongue, and she’s not afraid to use it to put you in your place.” I didn’t respond, but his footsteps followed me down the hall to my office. “Don’t you think it’s about time you took another old lady?”
I paused, bracing my hands on my desk and hanging my head. “Ripley, just leave it.”
“Maybe I don’t want to leave it. Maybe I want to see you get over all that fucking guilt you still carry inside you,” he continued, not about to give up, but I should have known that. I fucking raised him. “It’s not your fault Mom was unhappy. It’s not your fault she felt like she couldn’t escape.”
Talking about Josie always made me feel ill. We were both too young back then to feel like we had a say in our own futures. We both grew up in the club, we did what was expected of us, and we didn’t fucking argue.
Did I love her? Yes, but not for the reasons you’d expect. I grew protective of her. Almost like a big brother would. I wanted her to be happy, but when she looked at me, for the most part, all she could see was prison walls.
She was tied to me.
Her parents refused to let her take any other path that didn’t lead exactly my way. And that meant eventually, she didn’t see me as her husband or as the father of her children.
She saw me as her captor.
The concept of love in her mind was illusive. It was something that people only imagined because she couldn’t understand why no one would give theirs to her. Why they couldn’t love her enough to let her follow her own path. Why I didn’t love her enough to fight our parents to set her free.
“Zoey would be good for you.”
“That’s enough, Ripley,” I growled, finally falling back into my desk chair. The same one I’d been sitting in about twenty minutes ago when I couldn’t fucking come in some club girl’s mouth because all my dick wanted was Zoey’s.
Fuck me.
My son stormed out of my office finally, and I allowed my shoulders to relax into my chair. I had to remind myself, there was a reason she was here. And I needed to start keeping my eyes on our surroundings instead of her perfect fucking ass.
If you’d told me a couple years back that I’d be celebrating the fact that my daughter was having a baby—with a member of another MC—I would have laughed in your fucking face.
Firstly, for the fact that I didn’t even know I had a daughter.
Secondly, because the idea of one of my children being with someone from another club was something they knew wasn’t done. But goddammit, if I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I watched Meyah’s face light up, as her man picked her up off her feet and swung her around in a circle. That was how it should be.
The clubhouse was just getting started, shit was going to set off soon, and there were going to be far too many fucking sore heads tomorrow morning. Including mine.
I wasn’t ready to be Grandad.
Or Grampa.
Or Pops.
I shuddered and shook my head.
A buzzing in my pocket drew me away from the celebrations, and I pulled out my cell as I headed to somewhere a little quieter. I opened the door to church and closed it behind me, the soundproofing instantly making the room silent. The number on my phone was listed as unknown, and I frowned at it for a couple of seconds before deciding to answer.
I put it to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Huntsman, Judge here.” My brows shot up in surprise. It had