Page 96 of Fallen Flame

“And?”

“It reminds me.”

“Reminds you of what?”

“That he’s not really my dad.” The words came out so quietly they almost disappeared into the room.

My heart squeezed. “Ollie...”

He shook his head. “I know it’s stupid.”

“It isn’t.”

“It is.” His laugh held no humor. “Pipe has never treated me differently. Not once. He never called me anything but son. He taught me to ride. Taught me how to work on bikes. He showed up for school stuff. He scared away idiots.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “I can picture that.”

His smile faded. “The problem was never him. It was me.” He looked down at me. “Every now and then... I still remember I’m the adopted kid. Me and Arlo.”

I reached up and cupped his cheek. “You know what I see?”

“What?”

“I see a man whose parents chose him.”

His brow furrowed. “That’s different.”

“It is. They didn’t end up with you because of biology. They looked at a scared nine-year-old boy with his younger brother, and decided...” I smiled. “...that’s our son.”

His eyes searched mine.

“There’s power in that, Ollie. A lot of power. They didn’t have to love you. They chose to. They chose you every single day after that.”

I watched his expression soften.

“You know what else I noticed?”

“What?”

“The people in this clubhouse.”

He waited.

“None of the original guys are blood.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Wrecker.”

I started counting on my fingers.

“Pipe. Nickel. Maniac. Boink. Clash. Freak.” I waved my hand. “I think that is all of them.”

Oliver chuckled. “You did good, babe.”

“They aren’t brothers because they share parents,” I continued on. “They’re brothers because they chose each other. They’ve spent years proving that.” I rested my hand over his heart. “The Fallen Lords aren’t a family because of blood. They’re a family because every single one of them wakes up every morning and chooses the people sitting beside them.” I smiled. “You fit right into that.”

His eyes stayed locked on mine.