Page 68 of Smitty

“I hope we can do it again sometime soon.”

“We’re free tomorrow, if you’d like to stop by.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay. Same time good with you?”

“It’s perfect.”

The next few days went by in a blur. One night, I grabbed a sack of burgers and fries on my way after work. Another afternoon, we met at the park, so Anslee could play on her favorite swing set. She thought they were the greatest invention ever and didn’t want to get off. I was good with it. Hell, I could’ve spent hours pushing her on that swing, listening to her giggle.

Brooke sat on the swing next to us, watching with a smile on her face. After a while, she leaned back and started to swing along with Anslee. That’s when she decided to say, "So, tell me more about Satan’s Fury."

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything. What are they like? What made you decide to join a club like that?”

“It wasn’t really one thing.” I continued to push Anslee as I told her, “Seven, one of the brothers, came into the garage. Something about him caught my attention. He left, and I asked Cyrus about him. Next thing I knew, I was at one of their cookouts at the clubhouse.”

“I bet that was something.”

“It was, but not in the way you might think. It wasn’t some big rager with kegs and half-naked girls. Don’t get me wrong. It was a party, but more like a family gathering with booze and a bonfire that was about five feet too tall.”

I went on to tell her that Preacher had come up to me and asked if I was interested in prospecting. And how excited and nervous I was when I told him yes. She seemed surprised when I answered so quickly. “It wasn’t like I had anybody waiting for me when I got off work… Nowhere I really belonged, so I decided to give it a chance.”

She didn’t respond.

She just kept swinging, slow and easy, as she listed to me babble on. “I spent years thinking you had to earn everything from food on the table to a friendship that truly meant something. These men… these crazy, fierce men became my brothers. They’ll never replace Aiden. It isn’t about that, but…”

“I get it.”

“They’ve made me feel like I belong, and the motorcycles are just a bonus.”

“I’m glad you found them.” Her brows furrowed. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Is it safe?”

“Depends on what you mean.”

“Would I need to worry every time you leave?”

It was a loaded question. One that ol’ ladies asked at one time or another, but she wasn’t my ol’ lady. Made me wonder if she would be someday.

Like I said before. I had hope.

I had enough of it for both of us.

That being said, I’d never lied to Brooke, and I wasn’t going to start now. “There are always risks. But we don’t go looking for trouble. Most days it's just work, riding, helping each other out, and giving one another hell.”

“But the news…”

“They only tell one side of it.” Her expression softened as I told her, “They don’t talk about the brothers who’d drive three states in the middle of the night if one of us needed them. They don’t talk about the guys who’ll rebuild your home after a storm, sit by your side while a parent dies, or make sure your kids have Christmas when you’re down on your luck.”

“No, they don’t.”

“I left home thinking I’d never have a family again, but Fury proved me wrong.”