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“You have a damn good woman at your side,” Lucifer’s voice pulls me away out of my memories.
“The fucking best.”
Lucifer chuckles and shakes his head, his eyes glinting with a challenge, “I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. She’ll be a great old lady for you, but Cherise is the fucking best.”
I smirk and jest, “What about Wrenley?”
Laugher booms from my Prez before he chuckles, “She’s a close second.”
I shake my head as nervousness fills me because I don’t believe that this conversation is the only reason Lucifer has pulled me into his office. He must read the hesitance on my face because his smile fades from his face, but not his eyes as he leans back in his chair.
“Are you going back out on the rig?” There’s no judgement in his words, only curiosity.
My head is shaking before he can even get the entire question out because I’ve already put far too much time into that job. I can’t do it anymore. Not only because it was killing me slowly, but because I can’t leave my woman for that long. Hell, I don’t think I could go even 24 hours without her.
If I’m being honest, I’m already twitching to go and see her, and it’s only been a few hours.
“Hell no,” I grunt. “Can’t leave my woman for that long and it was hell on my body.” I sit up a little straighter with the realization that this is my chance to have a real conversation about my future and the role the club can play in it. “It’s time for me to do what I’ve always want to do. It’s time for me to open a tattoo shop. I hope the club can be involved, but if that’s not possible then I’ll figure it out on my own.”
Lucifer smirks but before he can say anything there’s a knock on the door. “Come in,” Lucifer calls out.
I’m surprised when Apostle and Hammer walk into the office and settle into seats. I glance between the three men, unsure about why they’re here. They run Devil’s Construction and I talked to them not long ago about getting on the schedule to get a house built in the compound.
But I can’t imagine they’re here about that.
Lucifer steeples his fingers with an intense look in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re not going back out, Driller. You deserve to have both feet firmly on dry land and you’ve sacrificed far too much to your mother and her selfish pride.”
There was a time in my life when I would have bristled at his words and tried to defend her. That time has long since passed.
“What you did was admirable,” Lucifer continues without really giving me a chance to say anything, not that I have anything to add. “I tried to step in and get her to listen, but she never would.” Regret clouds the man’s features, but he has nothing to regret. Mom does and maybe one day she’ll realize it. I won’t be holding my breath for it though. He picks up a folder on the desk in front of him and hands it to me. “I’ve been sitting on this property for a long time.”
As I look at the papers in the folder my heart starts to hammer inside my chest. The space will be perfect for a tattoo shop. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and fucking more.
“I want this,” I say without even realizing it.
“It’s been yours from the time the club bought it.” My head snaps up with Lucifer’s words. “It was always going to be yours. You put your sisters first, which I understood, but I wasn’t going to allow your sacrifice to be for nothing. I made sure that when you were ready, when you could walk away from the mind games of your mom, we’d be able to support you and your future.”
I swear there must be dust in this damn office or something because my eyes well up. I blink rapidly and push the sensation away. I’ll be damned if I cry in front of my Prez and brothers because of this.
“Thank you,” my voice is thick with emotion.
Lucifer smirks but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. And he sure as fuck didn’t do it for my thanks.
Not only is he giving me a space to live my dreams, but the club will benefit as well.
“I’ll be bringing Emery on. I want her to have some sort of stake in the business. She’s talented as fuck and I’m going to need her help to make this work.”
Lucifer nods toward the file where contracts that I barely skimmed over are sitting alongside pictures of the building in question. “Already in the contract. You will have equal claim on the business and equal say. The club is more than happy to give up some of our cut to ensure Emery gets what she is due.”
“Fuck yeah,” Apostle chimes in for the first time since he came into the room. “What she said to your mom yesterday was fucking amazing. Hell, she might have earned a few more percentages just for that.”
“You found a good one,” Hammer agrees. “I thought your mom’s head was going to explode.”
It hasn’t escaped my attention that no one refers to her as my dad’s old lady or even by her name. Not anymore. That would be too much respect being given. The only respect she has in the eyes of the club is in terms of being the woman who gave me life and even that doesn’t hold much weight considering how she’s used me.
“I know you’ve already talked to Apostle and Hammer about getting your house started, but they’re also going to help get this building ready so you and Emery can open the shop of your dreams,” Lucifer informs me.
I look at Apostle and then Hammer, a little stunned and a whole lot excited. “Fuck,” I whisper before running a hand over my face. “This is,” I swallow hard, “I don’t even know what to say.”
