Page 32 of The Secrets We Keep

“You don’t know anything about our relationship. You don’t know anything about me. Leave now before I have to make a scene.”

She laughs maniacally. “A scene? Listen here, cunt. When he’s done using you, he’ll look for someone who hasn’t abandoned this club. He’ll look for someone good to make his old lady. It’ll be me. It’s what your father wanted, bitch.”

Asher moves in front of me and clenches his fists at his sides. “Don’t talk about my mama that way!”

Candy sneers at him and before I can pull him behind me, she reaches out and slaps him. My vision blackens at the sight of this crazy woman putting her hands on my son. Asher cries out and I move. I push the kids behind me and tell them to get help, then I lay into her.

24

GRAYSON

My son’s scream splits the air and everything inside me stills. My eyes search him out as quiet fills the entire room. He runs to me and hurtles himself into my arms. I squeeze him tight and look around for a threat but find none.

“What happened?” I ask as I see Paisley throw herself into Cane’s arms.

“The lady was saying mean things about mama, and I told her to stop,” he chokes out through tears. “She slapped me and then mama pushed us out of the way and told us to get help.”

My blood roars in my ears as I rush in the direction that Asher points. As I get closer to the kitchen, I hear things being knocked over and women grunting. Rowan and Axel are at my side in a second. Rowan takes Asher from me, and I burst into the room, finding Sophie sitting on Candy’s stomach, raining down punches on her.

My eyes widen at the sight. Sophie has always beenable to handle her own, but she’s only done it when absolutely necessary, which only proves that Candy fucking deserves this.Especially for hitting our son.

I let Sophie get a few more hits in before I walk over and grasp her around her stomach, pulling her away from Candy. She tries to fight me but stops when I whisper in her ear. “It’s okay, he’s safe. He ran straight to me. Stop fighting and we’ll take it from here.”

The fight leaves her immediately. She goes limp in my arms and then she’s turning around and wrapping her arms around me as she cries into my chest. I pull her tightly to me and stroke up and down her back. I know that the adrenaline is wearing off and she’s thinking about what happened. She’s thinking about Candy hitting our son.

When she calms down a little bit, she looks around the room for Asher, so I call out for Rowan. He brings him to the doorway and lets Asher climb into his mom’s arms. Sophie tucks Asher’s head into the crook of her neck, sheltering him from the view behind me.

I take a deep breath and then turn around to face Candy, who is still splayed out on the floor. Rowan, Axel and Cane come further into the room and stand beside me. I can feel the anger radiating from Cane. Not only did this woman hit my son, she did it in front of his daughter. It’s something that both of them are going to be thinking of for a long time.

I walk closer and crouch in front of her, surveying the cuts and bruises on her face. Sophie really letinto her and I’m glad. Honestly, she deserves worse. Hurting women and children is everything this club is against.

“Candy, Candy, Candy. What the hell are you doing here?” I mutter.

“I belong in this club,” she slurs. I’m not sure if it’s from the beating she took or if it’s from the alcohol she drank. She smells like a damn bar.

“No, you don’t. My son, though? He belongs in this club. My old lady? She belongs in this club. Cane’s daughter. She belongs in this club. You were banished from this club, yet you show up again? You had the nerve to lay hands on my son?!” I growl as I reach out and grab her nasty hair, lifting her by it. “I don’t know what kind of pull you think you have here, but you have none. Now you’re not just banished from my club, but from every Sovereign Sons charter. It just so happens that all our presidents are here tonight, so I won’t even have to reach out to let them know the news.”

Candy’s eyes try to widen in panic, but the swelling keeps them from doing that. “You can’t do that!” She screeches.

“Yes, he can,” Rowan growls. “You’re lucky he didn’t let Sophie finish you off. I would have.”

“Get her the fuck out of my club,” I order as I release her hair and toss her back on the floor. “And make sure she leaves town this time.”

Cane steps forward and hauls her out of the room as she attempts to fight him off. Axel follows behind him.

When I turn back toward the club, everyone is silent. “If you didn’t hear, Candy has been banned from all Sovereign Sons charters. If you have a problem with that, too fucking bad.”

I move towards Sophie and Asher and pull them into my embrace, more desperate than ever to be close to them.

“Pres, is it true that she hit your kid?” One of the men from the New Orleans charter asks.

“Yes,” I growl.

“Then she got what she deserved. Good looking out for your family, Sophie,” he tells her.

Everyone starts to clap, and it takes me by surprise. She had already started to win them over by throwing this party for everyone, but protecting her child, their president’s child, won them over. If I wasn’t already in love with this woman, I would be now.

“Why don’t we all go home and watch a movie? I don’t need to be here tonight,” I offer.

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