Page 24 of Prospect Year

“What I did was because I love you,” Mac announced.

Lola couldn’t miss the elbow punches from the brothers. He squeezed his eyes only a moment to dig his feet in and push back.

“You love me? Then where were you when I needed you? And what makes you think I give a fuck now?”

“Because I’m your father.”

Silence fell over the grounds.

Well, there it was. The statement that should have come years earlier. Lola stood firm, his fists clenching and unclenching as his jaw tightened once again.

“Church. Now.” King’s voice boomed from behind Lola. Within seconds, King stood between Mac, and Lola. “Five minutes. Be in your seat,” he demanded of Mac, then he turned, walking back inside the clubhouse.

“So, all this was your doings, I’m guessing,” Lola accused, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to one foot.

“No. This is all you,” Mac told him.

“I doubt that,” Lola huffed. “Did you ever plan to tell me?”

Mac nodded. “When the time was right.”

“The best time would have been when I was born.”

“No argument there,” Mac agreed.

“Just go,” Lola snapped. He had heard all he wanted to. At least for now.

Mac moved slowly past Lola. “You gonna be here when we adjourn?”

“I guess we’ll see who I take after. If I leave, we’ll know it’s you.”

Lola cut a look toward Mac. He gave a single nod then disappeared inside.

***

Focusing on business had been tough for Mac. His mind was beyond the door, somewhere on the grounds. At least he hoped Lola was still on the grounds. Whether Lola forgave him or not, he thought Lola had come to love the club and would not threaten his patch by disregarding the rules.

The meeting room door swung open, and Mac stepped into the commons and glanced around. He released a breath. Lola was still there, sitting on the stairs. His back against the wall, he had one leg stretched across the step he sat on. He rolled his head to the side, looking at Mac, not even moving as Ghost ran up the stairs, easily bounding over the step where he sat.

“I’m still here,” Lola said as he dropped his leg to the floor and stood. Without another word, he walked past Mac and toward King, stopping face to face with him and crossing his arms.

“Sit,” King ordered then turned toward Mac. “You, too.” He jutted his chin toward the round table where Lola had already dropped into a chair. Without question, Mac strode to the table and pulled out a chair.

King moved to stand across from them.

“Listen up. I’m only doing this because I’ve been where each of you find yourselves now. Normally, you fix your private life yourself. That is, as long as it doesn’t roll over into the club,” he directed toward Lola, then focused on Mac. “You know, I’ve been where you are. I had a son I never knew about. You want to make up for time lost, but you can’t do that. You have to start here and now to build what time allows.”

His president was right. Time lost could not be gained. And Mac had missed a lot of time. He nodded. All he hoped for now was to be a part of his son’s life from now on. If he was honest with himself, Mac had feared the time when he would tell Lola the truth. He feared the consequences of losing him forever. A decision that had warred in his mind since he had learned the truth for himself.

King turned toward Lola. “I’ve also been where you are. I never knew who my father was until a few years ago. Your anger takes over, blaming him for things that he may not have had control over. Neither one of you knows how to react to the other. So, I suggest you remember the friendship you two had bonded before this revelation.”

Mac studied Lola. He only stared at King taking in his speech with no indication of his feelings.

“Sit here and listen,” King ordered them both. He leaned forward, placing both palms on the table, narrowing his gaze on one man then the other. “This is your one time to sit here as father and son and work your shit out. Because when you walk out that door, you’re brothers. Your ass is mine, and I won’t have a rift between a prospect and a brother.” He straightened and turned, taking in the room. “Everybody out.”

As the last of the men disappeared through the doors, King turned toward Lola. “Just so you know, Mac came to me while Cowboy was in surgery. I fully agree with his decision and the reasoning behind it. Take as long as you need.”

Left to the cold silence of the empty clubhouse, they sat for long moments, neither willing to be the one to give in first. Finally, Mac pulled out his wallet and removed a small photo. “I’ve been carrying this around since I discovered it in your Jeep.”

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