Page 54 of Intertwined Souls

“Will you be making him a patched brother at the end of his year?” Ryker asks.

Sugar shrugs. “We all know it’s comin’ up, so we are thinkin’ privately ‘bout it. But we won’t discuss it as a whole until it’s time. We want everyone to form a solid answer for themselves first.”

“It is looking good, though,” Rage tacks on. “I know we’ve had our guard up after all the shit with Connor and Daniel, but Parker has shown us again and again that he can be trusted. He seems like a good kid.”

“All he wants is to be patched in and work at the club,” Axe says with a nod.

“You guys ready to be prospects next?” Noah asks with a smirk.

Ryker laughs, “And have you torment us? Of fucking course. Bring it on, pretty boy.”

Cade turned eighteen a few months ago, but he’s waiting for Ryker and me to turn eighteen as well. My birthday is coming up this month, and Ryker will be eighteen in April along with Harley. Then after we have our actual graduation, we will begin prospecting for the club.

“Are you guys going to be bringing anyone else in with our group?” I ask, raising a curious brow.

“No. We’re going to wait until the following year. I just want to play things by ear and keep us locked down until all this other stuff has been dealt with and we are in a good place to risk bringing in fresh blood,” Rage says and then gets a mischievous smirk on his face as he glances from Cade to Ryker to me. “Plus, that will leave us with ample time to make sure you guys are fit to be patched in after your year is up.”

“That look you're giving us is worrisome,” I chuckle, looking nervously from him to the others in the kitchen.

“He’s probably planning all the ways he can torture us since we’re dating his daughter,” Ryker snarks, shaking his head.

Sugar raises a brow. “Are you forgettin’ that she is the club princess? You all have some standards to live up to, and with any little fuck up we could make your lives hell.” He slowly smiles.

Everyone visits for a while until it’s time to start getting ready. I use the room Rage set up for Harley while Cade and Ry use the other rooms. As I’m buttoning up my shirt, there is a soft knock on the door, and then it’s slowly pushed open, but the person doesn’t walk in. “Can I come in for a second?”

Furrowing my brows, I walk over to the door and pull it open all the way. “Lincoln? When did you get here?”

I step back to let him in as he explains, “Brielle really wanted to be here to help Harls get ready and see her off to prom. I decided to come with her.” He shrugs. “We had planned to be here earlier today, but Bri had to stay late at work.”

I nod and button up the rest of my dress shirt. “I’m glad she was able to make it. Harley will be happy to have her here.”

He nods and takes a seat on the edge of the bed. “I wanted to come say hi and just check in.” Linc runs his hands up and down his thighs nervously.

Not knowing what to say, I turn away and grab my tie to start putting it on. “I’m glad you came by,” I say after some awkward silence passes between us.

“Yeah? I wasn’t fully sure if you really want me around or not. I mean, I know when we met a while ago it didn’t go super well, but I’d like to be a part of your life. I won’t push it, though. If you want me to stay away, I will.”

“It’s not that finding out you existed didn’t go well, it’s just…” I hesitate, biting the inside of my cheek. Turning around to face him, I fidget with the tie in my hands. “After Liam died… I really struggled, and I had no one to help me through it. Dad wasn’t ever around, and Mom drowned herself in alcohol. After they essentially kicked me out, Noah and the club took me in. It helped a lot that I wasn’t alone and I had people. But it still stung when I found out later on that they not only booted me out but then left.”

Locking eyes with Linc, I continue.

“I just closed myself off from talking about Liam. I didn’t even say his name for a few years. I didn’t bring up my parents or anything. I actually only started barely talking about it when I met Harley.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but I keep going so I can get it all out before it becomes too much and I need to shut it down.

“When you told me who you were, I was caught off guard. I wasn’t sure how to handle it, and the thought of potentially breaking down in front of not only everyone in the room at the time but also you was too much. I didn’t leave the room because it was anything bad. I just needed a moment to process. And I do… I do want you to be a part of my life, but I need you to be patient with me.”

Taking a deep breath, I channel Ryker and Cade and the ways they are able to put their foot down and not let people walk over them.

“I haven’t really dealt with everything that happened with my family, so some days it might be more raw then other days. And—and I have to learn to trust you. Liam, I know it wasn’t his fault, but he left me. Then my parents left me. It’s hard not to assume that anyone with the same blood as me won’t also just up and abandon me. Especially when I need them.” I mumble the last part, feeling way too vulnerable around people that aren’t my people.

“I can do that. I have no problem taking all of this at your pace. Whatever you want, Grayson. I’ll be here either way.” He smiles softly at me.

“Right.” I pause for a moment, then groan. “Um, any idea how to tie a tie?”

Lincoln chuckles, “I can show you.” He stands up and takes the tie from me, guiding me through how to tie it properly and fixing the collar of my shirt once it’s on. “I like this red color,” he comments, pointing at the tie as I put on my suit jacket and button the middle one. “Are you matching Harley?”

I nod. “Yeah, Raven told us a crimson red and then had us show her whatever we got so she could make sure it matched right.” I face the full-body mirror in the room and check myself over to make sure everything looks good. “I’m pretty sure Cade didn’t get anything red, though. Bet Raven will love that,” I laugh.

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