Page 47 of Ask Your Mom If I'm Real

I smiled as he helped me into that.

Cleo, Torren, and Sterling and…fuck. Tunnel.

No, I had to remind myself.

He went by Ghost now.

“Ghost,” I croaked.

The scarred man smiled. “Didn’t think I would make it. Lucky your family knows how to talk and eat.”

I chuckled. “That they do, my boy. You look good.”

Ghost patted his bearded cheek. “It’s the beard. Hides all the scars.”

I walked up to him and pulled him into my arms. “It’s not the beard, son. It’s happiness. It looks good on you.”

Every time I saw the man, he looked fucking happier and happier.

I was so fuckin’ happy for him.

He threw his arms around me and said, “You’re not supposed to make grown men cry.”

I chuckled and said, “Let’s ride.”

Sebastian, Kettle, Trance, Loki, Cleo, Torren, Sterling, and Ghost all mounted their bikes.

I walked over to the sidecar and smiled.

It hadn’t been used for a very long time, though I’d never taken it off my bike.

There was only one person besides me that would ever use it, and that was my Mary.

“One last ride, old man?” Silas asked as he offered me his hand.

I took it, then lumbered into the seat. “One last ride.”

I smiled when he opened it up, leaned my head back, and closed my eyes.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Bahumbug.

—T-shirt

DIXIE

Past, Present, Future

“Hello?” I answered the house phone, expecting to hear a friendly voice.

What I hadn’t expected to hear was a hysterical one.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, as if by doing so could calm the person down on the other end.

It was only when I heard “Daddy” that I realized who it was.

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