Page 55 of Playing for Keeps

The next day, Duke doesn’t say much before we ride around Basin Rock. Lola claims her dad spent the night somewhere with his stripper girlfriend.

“I’m afraid of a shitty stepmom,” Lola confessed before I left to meet Duke. “But I’m more afraid of being unsupportive when I know my dad is struggling.”

Duke does seem stressed when we first start riding around Basin Rock. He barely looks in my direction as we stop at several ranches to introduce me to the men in charge. I don’t goof around during the meetups. These older men show respect to Duke. Not because he’s a fellow businessman. They fear him and his wild club.

I want the locals to fear me, too. One of the men has already heard about the way I “stood up for Lola.” Duke reveals nothing while the men make tense chitchat.

Around noon, after riding under the hot sun for an hour, Duke and I stop at Cat’s Cones, located at the border of our two clubs’ territories. This place was always a family favorite. I’ve seen Duke out here with Clover before. That was back before I met Lola and realized her family would be mine one day.

Choosing a table with an umbrella, Duke orders a hearty burger full of onions and tomatoes. I like how he doesn’t feel the need to eat something with double meat and plenty of cheese. That’s the move of an insecure man wanting to prove himself.

I order a mushroom burger, sensing it’s messy enough to annoy Duke. He desperately needs to learn to increase his patience levels if he wants me at his side for the next few decades.

“Heard you hooked up with a stripper,” I announce while dipping my thick-cut fry in a pile of ketchup.

Duke sighs deeply and tries to ignore me before giving up and asking, “Yeah, so?”

“Lola thinks you’re having a midlife crisis.”

“I’m not discussing this with you.”

“Okay, fine. You remain silent while I talk,” I reply, and Duke’s upper lip lifts into a snarl. “Personally, I think Lola’s looking at this situation wrong.”

Duke’s snarl softens a bit. “How do you figure?”

“There’s no harm in a man having fun. I know I’m having a ball with Lola. People should look for ways to be happy. With me and Lola, that fun is the start of something big. But not every fun thing has to be meaningful.”

Duke studies me with a narrowed gaze before muttering, “Lola knows I’ve dated plenty since her mom left.”

“Lola told me about your panic attack,” I share, and Duke curses under his breath. “She said you thought you were dying. That experience jacked up her brain. Now, Lola views you as fragile, even though you’re still a guy capable of throwing punches and banging chicks.”

“I don’t need you to tell me this shit.”

“I think you do. Men on the top feel a lot of pressure. I think you don’t have anyone you can bullshit with.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

“Your mom worries about you, so you have to edit yourself. Your daughters want to believe you’re Superman. Your brother drives you crazy and not in a fun way like mine does with me. Your men expect you to have all the answers. Who can you just bullshit with?”

“And you think you can be that guy?” Duke asks, looking ready to laugh.

“Before Court became president, he was a badass hiding in the shadows. My uncle dealt with a lot of pressure when he took over. But he had Donovan, Emmett, and Jared to blow off steam with. That’s why he can stand in front of the club and act bulletproof. I don’t see you having that.”

“Lola’s a good listener.”

“Yeah, and she is proud to be your daughter. I liked that about her immediately. The way she talked about her family was how I viewed mine. But when Lola sees you vulnerable, she gets the urge to baby you. That makes you feel like you have to be strong all the time.”

Duke exhales. “I’ve been on top for a good twenty years. That time flew by fast. One minute, I was a nineteen-year-old with a new wife and a baby. My club was a handful of guys. We were bankrolled by a rich fuck. I had a million ideas and the future seemed wide open. Then, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, mywife’s gone, my girls are grown up, and I realize my future has grown narrow.”

Duke opening up to me is a big deal. He thinks I’m a fool who inherited my good fortune. Right now, he’s testing me, and I can’t risk failing.

“I like to have fun and fuck about, but I’m not a lightweight,” I say and hold his gaze. “I will hurt people to keep my family safe. I will bleed for a club brother. Now your family and club are included in my circle. That means your problems are mine.”

“We’ll see.”

“No, don’t wait to figure things out. Just look me in the eyes and see who I am. Trust me now so you don’t waste time worrying. Like you said, your future got narrow. Why not widen it again by trusting in a man who worships your daughter?”

Duke reveals a little smile. “That first day, when you mouthed off, I was sure you’d treat Lola like shit. I was ready to call the entire thing off, but I didn’t read you right.”

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