Page 101 of Chubs

“Sounds good. Whose recital is it?” I ask as I hand Lucy her helmet and strap mine on.

“Axel’s.”

Seated in the dark dance hall next to Lucy, I look to my right and see my fellow club members and their families. I’m proud to be sitting with this group of remarkable people, especially since my blood family is sitting on the other side of us. Lucy’s hand finds its way into mine, and I grip it tight. I almost have it all, and I’m not taking any of it for granted ever again.

When the stage is lit by a single spotlight, my attention is drawn to the tiny blond girl. Dressed in a pink sparkly ballerina costume paired with a black tutu, she walks to center stage and stops. Looking over her shoulder, she grins and waves.

Axel, dressed immaculately in a black suit, black tie, and a pink dress shirt, joins little Alex in the spotlight. Bending, he speaks to her for a moment and then gives her a kiss before standing upright. Both father and daughter are beaming, holding hands, and waiting for their moment to shine.

Soon, there are several other father and daughter pairs spread out on the stage. The last to walk out are Mia, Zoe, and Gunner. With a daughter’s hand in each of his, Gunner guides them to their designated spot. The twins, dressed in identical purple dresses, look adorable as they smile up at their father, towering over them. Gunner, unlike Axel, is simply wearing a dark gray button-down shirt paired with black dress slacks. He still looks intimidating as hell, but the love he has for his daughters is clearly visible on his face.

“Wait for it,” Lucy whispers and squeezes my hand.

The music starts, a slow instrumental-type song, and a moment later, the spotlight goes out, leaving the stage in complete darkness. When the stage is suddenly completely lit back up, I hear several laughs.

During the time the stage was dark, Axel added a bright pink blinged-out tutu to his outfit. I laugh out loud at Bailey’s gasp but lean a little forward to make sure I don’t miss what’s about to happen.

The music cuts out and then starts again, only it’s a way different sound. It’s clear from the confusion on the other daddy and daughter’s faces that it’s not the song they expected. Many attempt to start their slow waltzes, the obviously expected dance, but it’s hard to waltz to party music. Axel and Alex, however, go right into doing the Cha Cha Slide with practiced ease and enthusiasm.

While the crowd laughs loudly, Gunner tosses Axel a disgusted look, but it bounces off of Axel’s wide grin. Little Alex performs the moves pretty well for her age, even tossing in a little of her dad’s attitude. Axel is clearly in his element.

After sliding, taking it back, and stomps, the father/ daughter team stands side by side and do the cha cha moves. When the music changes again, they seamlessly begin The Chicken Dance. Little Alex’s giggles could be heard even over the music, and it draws the twins to her side. Obviously, Uncle Axel taught them the moves too because they join in the dance, laughing the entire time.

Gunner tosses his hands in the air, then joins his daughters, niece, and VP at center stage. Surprising me to hell and back, he knows the moves and performs them well, much to the delight of his daughters and club members. The other fathers follow suit, and their daughters laugh in delight.

When the music ends, everyone takes a bow and exits the stage, still laughing over their hijacked performance. I look to my right and see several club brothers tucking away their phones and laughing their asses off.

Afterward, we’re all standing around in the parking lot, waiting to congratulate the girls and rib their dads, when they walk out of the building together. Gunner stops in front of our group and speaks.

“If I see one second of video evidence of that dance, I’ll personally remove that person’s head from their body. Let’s go home. I need an entire fucking bottle of tequila.”

Dipping my head to hide my grin, I wait until he loads his family into Ava’s SUV and drives off before looking up. When I do, I see money exchanging hands and a shit ton of smiles.

“Thank fucking hell I had a son,” Cash mutters as he hands over a wad of green bills to a beaming Craig.

“I want daughters and lots of them. I want to watch you try to top Axel’s dance moves,” Lucy says suddenly from beside me, and my heart stops beating in my chest.

“You do?” I ask, fearing I’d heard her wrong.

“Yes, I do. You know, after I’ve forgiven you and don’t feel the urge to smother you instead,” she states, then walks to my bike as if she didn’t just give me a glimpse of our future together.

“Quit standing here like an idiot. Go make her forget the smothering part,” Aria orders with a laugh.

“I need grandbabies, Adriano. Go be a good son and earn that woman’s trust back,” my mom urges.

The End

Epilogue

It takes time and effort, but eventually, I start earning Lucy’s trust again. It’s worth every second of it, though. We start slow, going on dates and not rushing into anything. We spend a lot of time talking about our hopes and dreams. I spend time with her and her family, and she does the same with mine. Aria is thrilled to have a little sister, and Les claims he’s happy to have one that’s nice to him.

Lisa is amazing and quickly finds homes for my family and even sets up a meeting for Aria with her dentist. He’s looking to add a partner, and Aria is looking to be one. Les is meeting with Lucy’s dad tomorrow about an opening he has in the finance department. Life is good, and I’m hoping it only gets better with time.

I wave as I meet Bella, who’s riding Pooh’s old bike, on the street by the clubhouse. Her riding skills have improved, and I’ve noticed a new confidence about her. Stepping off my bike, I turn when I hear a vehicle coming up the road. When it comes into view, and it’s an orange Jeep, I bolt for the safety of the clubhouse.

I rush through the back door but don’t stop until I hit the main room. I’m thinking two cement walls should give me some semblance of safety, but I’m contemplating heading up to the second floor. Noticing Horse sitting at the bar, I warn my club brother.

“Tessie’s driving toward the clubhouse!”

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