Page 74 of The Heir

“She’s your mom. You only get one, mother fucker,” he reminded him before sniffing and stepping out onto the porch with us.

Blaze made room for him, and when he did, my father reached out and put a hand on his shoulder like they were the oldest of friends. All I could do was stare, uncertain of what it even meant.

“I’m gonna go grab my phone and see what I can do about damage control,” Easy announced before hopping down the steps and trotting toward his bike.

My dad watched him go then slowly swiveled his head back toward me and Blaze.

“You're right. It’s been crazy, Blaze, man. Fuck all that. You're married to my daughter now. You two got a house. It’s clear you’re something I’m gonna have to get used to around here, so– Why don’t we right your not inviting anyone to the fuckin’ party?”

“Huh?” Blaze sounded like he was irritated to have his thoughts interrupted.

My father clapped his shoulder the way he always did Mackie and Donnie, giving it a rub and squeeze, “Club party. Tonight. A celebration and a welcome.”

My instinct to deny the invitation collided with a gasp when I realized he meant to give Blaze a patch. It wasn’t mine to deny. I froze, my heart hammering as I studied him.

“I’ve been here for days, a little late for a welcome, Mak– But I’ll come to your party if its during the hours I’m free.”

“Ain’t my party.” He shook his head, “It’s yours, bud. You come party with us, we’ll get you a couple rockers, get you all patched in. You’re Anthony Aviston’s son. The nephew of our president, we don’t need to prospect… What do you say?”

Blaze squinted and didn’t say anything for a long while, then he seemed to compute what my father was saying, “Are you asking me to be a Disciple?”

My dad’s smirk twisted into a smile, “Fuck yeah.”

“What's up?” Easy asked, returning even as he slid the phone into his back pocket.

“My fuckin son-in-law is patching in tonight, that’s what’s up. We’re gonna have the best welcome home party this club has ever seen. A wedding celebration and a welcoming all at once.”

Easy’s attention slowly gravitated toward Blaze.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Fuck yeah.” Blaze saluted him with his chin, mimicking my father.

He placed a hand on my ass and jerked me toward him. We collided and I balanced my hand on his chest, hiding my face in his side as we hugged.

“I gotta meet up with May,” Easy drawled, not sounding all that sure about the idea. “We’ll talk about this later.”

When I peeked up, his eyes were on me. He flashed a smile and sauntered toward his bike with that lazy, long-legged gait of his.

“Don’t worry about him. I got something that will keep him busy.” My father promised after Easy was out of hearing range. “And I’ll figure out the ankle monitor thing, let me handle that.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Blaze

I stood in the shower, letting the water splash over me while I collected my thoughts. No one except old man Winehopper and Makaveli seemed to be happy for us. I wondered if it was the first thing in life they’d ever agreed on, but I didn’t bother asking Marchella. She was looking rather numb after her introduction to my mother.

“Fuck,” I whispered, into the cascade of water.

Warm droplets sprayed into my mouth, and I swiped it away and abruptly shut the water off. It was already considerably cooler than it was when I’d started. I slid the door open and stepped out, running a hand over the fogged mirror.

My long, brown hair was darker when it was wet, but there were still slivers of golden highlights in it. I needed to cut the shit and get a damn job. I was standing there with a towel around my waist, stroking my beard, when I heard a cell phone go off down the hallway.

It didn’t sound like mine, but I still wandered that way once I threw some boxers and pants on. Marchella was sitting at the kitchen table with her knees drawn to her chest and the soles of her feet resting in front of her ass on the edge of the seat. Her arms were wrapped around them and her cheek was resting on top of her knees.

I stepped toward her, swept the hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. She flashed me a weak smile, that all but broke my heart.

I grabbed one of the other chairs and loudly dragged it over the hardwood until it was next to hers. Once I got it there with that one-handed effort, I spun it and sat down, gathering her hands in mine before I’d even found the seat.

---