Page 26 of The Broken Beginning: Part One

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The rest of February came and went with me gone on a run that took us into the first week of March by the time I got back. Unfortunately, the minute I got off my bike, a hard fist landed in my face, knocking me on my ass.

“What the fuck?” I yelled before looking up to see who the fist had been attached to. There stood Robbie, looking like he wanted to murder me while my dad stood next to him, not seeming like he’d care if I was dead.

“What did I do now? I’ve been gone on a fucking run.”

“We’re going to take this inside to Church. Me, Rob, Timeless, and your sorry ass.” Boone directed. Fucking hell! I hadn’t even touched any of the other club’s whores while I was gone. Not that it would matter if I had, since that wouldn’t be breaking any agreement, but shit, what the fuck was I getting punched in the face for?

When I got to the large room where we held church, they were all there waiting on me to take my seat. The minute I did, they launched in.

“Remember when you had that whore of yours set up in my hunting shack?” Boone started.

“Yeah, what’s that got to do with anything? It was a long fucking time ago now.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Rob yelled from directly across the table from where I sat. The distance didn’t stop me from feeling the angry spittle that flew my way. I didn’t bother to tell him I was answering a direct question. Instead, my father charged on with whatever the fuck his point was.

“You remember kitting my shack out for that cunt?”

“Yeah,” I insisted, because Timeless had already told me they had someone watching her, so they already knew these answers.

“You spent money on that bitch. Bought furniture, all kinds of food, a heater, and then, you stupid son of a bitch, you even gave her money for a fucking car.” I nodded, because he was right, it had been stupid of me, and I had done all those things.

Everyone sat there for a full minute just breathing and letting those words settle between us. Then Rob knocked on the table in front of him to get my attention. I gave it to him easily, even knowing he was pissed about something again.

“You ever do any of that for my daughter?”

I was taken aback immediately. What the fuck? “What are you talking about?”

“Did you bother to find out the things that my pregnant daughter needs?” Rob asked.

“She’s never mentioned needing anything.”

“Did you ever ask her?” He questioned, his tone getting shakier and angrier.

“No,” I replied hesitantly.

“You and my girl have been married since early October, and you haven’t once seen to her needs?” I stared at him, stunned, because I was afraid of where he was going with this. Suddenly, I remembered feeling guilty for doing those things for Brinley when she was kicked out of her house. I remembered thinking that our dads were providing for Lily and that she was just fine since she hadn’t said anything to me. Then, the memory of that day when I picked Brin up at school came back to haunt me. The look Lily had given me as she climbed on that school bus while I rode off with my girlfriend should have fucking clicked a few things into place for me back then, but I’d missed it for all the bullshit Brinley was demanding in my ear.

Lily climbed on that school bus because she didn’t have a fucking car. I’d given my girlfriend money to buy a car while the woman who I was married to, and was carrying a baby, didn’t have access to one. Fuck.

“I think he’s beginning to understand,” Timeless offered as they all watched me come to terms with what was being shoved at me. The fucking reality I had been hiding from for months.

“No, the fuck he doesn’t understand!” Rob yelled. “We’ve all been stupid fucks!” His accusing look hit my dad then, and Boone bristled, obviously not knowing what was coming. “My girl,” he choked up and had to take a minute before he could finish. “My girl had a tiny little tree set up on the table beside her couch for Christmas.”

Aw, fuck. I did not want to hear what he was about to say, and judging by the way my father’s face lost all color, he was feeling the same.

“She had three fucking gifts wrapped up under that tree. One for each of us. I only just saw them last week when I stopped by her house because I hadn’t seen her since Misfit Dinner at the clubhouse two days before Christmas.”

“Fuck!” My dad groaned and then his head hit the table in front of him.

“You’re all a bunch of fuck-ups,” Timeless snapped.

“You got that right,” Rob told him before he turned a deadly fucking glare on me. “Some worse than others because the tree and gifts weren’t the worst of what I saw that day.”

I felt sick to my stomach as I sat there waiting to hear the rest, as if it wasn’t bad enough that no one had even set eyes on my pregnant wife for nearly two months. Christ, she could have been dead and none of us would have known.

“She was standing there, staring into the fridge when I came in. Didn’t even hear me there. I looked over her shoulder to see what her choices were and why it was taking her so damn long to pick.” He shook his head. “She didn’t have any fucking choices. I think she was hoping that the fridge had magically refilled itself or something. There was a half jar of mayonnaise, some other condiments, and a jar that had maybe two pickle spears in it.” Rob didn’t stop at that heartbreaking revelation. No, he had to crush us with the rest of it too.

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