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“Hawking Gentry,” she growled, but I ignore her.
Taking two strides to her, I brush my lips against her cheek and turn to take care of business. And that business is watching my best friend trade his bike in for a fucking minivan.
Hawk
The sun shines against the wisps of clouds in the pale blue sky. The tires of my truck howl against the pavement as we make our way to Sin.
To say that Bianca shocked the shit out of me would be putting it mildly. It wasn’t just about my mom, it was also about Tessa. That girl has always been my kryptonite, my weakness. Even when no one knew, she always had my heart, my love. Her smile gave me strength when I wanted nothing more than to give up. Club life is hard as a grown ass man, but it was torture as a kid. Her friendship meant so much to me–so much, so I always tried to keep my distance–well except for that one night. I knew she deserved more of a life than what I could provide her. She wasn’t meant to be attached to a man like me. Not that she couldn’t handle the lifestyle, no, that girl had bigger balls than most of the guys we hung out with. She was steel covered in the softest fucking flesh I ever had the pleasure of feeling. She was never intimidated by Sin or Cut. Bubba was never able to ruffle her feathers and, more than anything, she never cowered down to Lick and his moodiness.
I reach for the dial on the radio to turn the music down so that it’s barely a hum and Lick groans. “What the fuck, dickhead? That song is sweet as shit.”
“Do you ever have regrets?” I ask knowing full well that it’s likely he won’t answer.
“Everyone has regrets. We live life, look back and think of all the things we could have done differently, and then we die. End of.”
I grip the wheel, making the knuckles turn white. “So you’re saying you do have regrets.”
“Fuck yeah I have regrets. The most recent is getting in this fucking cab with you. I didn’t know I was signing up for this shit. In case you didn’t know, I have a fucking dick between my legs and not a pussy. My meaning is that I don’t fucking share my feelings. You’re chatting up the wrong tree, kid.”
I should have known better. In all the years I’ve never been able to hold a conversation with this guy. Why the hell would I think anything has changed?
I pull into the open car lot and see Bianca’s car parked in an empty row, so I pull up next to it. “Where the fuck are they?” Lick asks as he pulls the handle to my door, letting himself out.
Dropping to the asphalt, I see Sin and Savannah standing next to a smaller SUV. I point my finger to where they are and make my way over there.
“What did you get yourself?” Lick asks as we approach them. “Got yourself a pussy wagon, didn’t you?”
“Fuck you,” Sin tells him as he bumps his shoulder to Lick’s. “It’s a midsize SUV, not a fucking pussy wagon.”
“I have to admit, man,” I cut in, “I was totally picturing a minivan.”
“Jesus you two,” Savannah scolds us, “I’m carrying one child, not an entire soccer team.”
“We’re not saying you are, sweetheart, but Lord knows that man is going to have you knocked up before the first ones off the tit,” Lick jokes.
* * *
“What do you have planned after all this?” I ask Sin. Savannah is waiting in the service area as they give the car one more go through, and Lick has taken Bianca’s car back.
“What do you mean?”
The guy has been like a fucking flip-a-roo when it comes to Savannah and this baby. On the one hand he wants to do right by her, and on the other hand, he thinks if she sticks around he’s only going to bring her and that baby a life of misery. Sin has had a lifetime of demons nipping at his heels, and falling in love has only made them stronger.
I guess it’s time to state the obvious.
“Well,” I say, “you’ve got the girl and the soon to be baby, but you can’t think you guys are going to continue to live in your room. That’s not gonna work, and there’s no way in hell Tyson is going to allow his child to live in a biker club.”
Sin physically stiffens when I mention that fucker’s name, but shit has got to be said and being his best friend, I think I’m the one to say it.
“Well, first off, Redding ain’t got shit to do with the baby—not now and not ever. I don’t give a shit if my DNA isn’t running through her little veins. She’s mine, through and through, and that fucker better not step foot into their line of sight for the remainder of his miserable life.”
“All right, I got you on that.”
“As for the living arrangements? I’m going to talk to my brother about that. The club isn’t as big as it used to be. Those houses are sitting empty, and I think it’s time to bring life back into them, into the club, starting with him and his wife.”
There ain’t no way Cut is going to make that happen while a certain someone is still breathing. “You think he’ll bring Lily into the fold?”
“I think he will once he gets out of his own head about the dangers of what the past might bring to the present. Once Louie Sr. isn’t walking God’s green earth, my brother is going to feel better about a whole lot.”
