Page 65 of Keg's Revelation

When I looked over at Keg, he was talking to Raven’s grandfather with Raven tucked into this side. “Can’t blame him. Good looking woman, two kids, a dog, and a home. Hell, brother is living the American dream.”

“Hey, that’s not everyone’s dream.” It seemed Tram wasn’t going to give up on his aversion to family. He and I had similar backgrounds. I grew up in the system, and he might as well have because he’d had a mother who hadn’t given two shits about him.

“I wouldn’t mind it. Beats the hell out of growing old alone,” I said and took a drink of my beer.

“Don’t you like coming and going when you want, Crank? When you tie yourself to an ol’ lady and family, your freedom goes out the window. Instead of jumping on your bike and taking off with your brothers whenever, you’re at school functions, doctor’s appointments, and spending your Saturdays mowing the lawn.”

Pinch and I both turned our heads in Tram’s direction. “What the hell, brother? You’re in one helluva mood.”

Tram shrugged his shoulder. “Just don’t see why anyone would want to change their life to suit someone else. I watched my mom do it enough. She changed with every new guy she attached herself to until the last one finally broke her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Keg, Moose, and Hawk. Even the others who’ve found a woman they’re willing to give up their freedom for. Not for me, though. I enjoy being single.”

“I think Moose, Hawk, and Keg would disagree with you about giving up anything for their women. And if you asked Smoke and Fire, I’m sure they’d agree with them. I’m not looking for a woman to make my ol’ lady, but you bet your ass if I ever run into one that puts a smile on my face like those bastards, she’s in my bed before she knows what hit her.”

I followed where Pinch pointed using the beer bottle in his hand to see that Moose and Katie, along with Hawk and Charlie, were now standing with Keg and Raven. You only had to look at each brother’s face to see they were content and loving life. Not that they were unhappy before—they’d just not known the pure contentment of having a woman brought them.

Thinking about women who had the ability to change a man, I thought of Mad. “Wasn’t Madison coming with you today?”

Pinch’s eyes narrowed on me. “She was on the schedule to close the bank. Why are you always worrying about my sister?”

I held my hands up in surrender. “Christ, I wouldn’t have asked if I’d known you were going to snap my head off. I was at your house, asshole, when you told her Keg and Raven had extended the invite.”

Keg had wanted to have everyone over for a cookout to celebrate Raven and the kids moving in with him. Then he decided to put off not only the cookout but marrying Raven until Ry and Reagan both were able to have his last name, too. It’d taken eight weeks to get everything officially done.

“Gee, Pinch, you do realize your sister is a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions. Even about who she dates or just wants to heat up the sheets with,” Tram said, and Pinch raised from his seat.

I moved to put myself between him and Tram. “What is wrong with you, brother? I’m used to you on my case about your sister. Hell, all the brothers are used to you threating them about staying away from her. But you are wound up tight today.”

“Come on, Pinch. I was just giving you a hard time. If you’re going to act like this when I joke to get a rise out of you, what are you going to do to the unlucky bastard she brings home to meet you?” Tram said from his chair. He’d never stood, even with Pinch standing over him, ready to take him on.

I waited, interested in Pinch’s answer, but he didn’t say anything until after he plopped back into the chair. “I don’t know. I think she’s seeing someone now and is afraid to tell me. All I know is she’s hiding something, and when I ask, she says she isn’t. She flat ass lies and then turns it around on me. Saying shit like it’s my fault she doesn’t tell me anything and that I’m beyond protective and a control freak.”

“Brother, I hate to say it, but you kinda are,” I said and chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood.

“You think I don’t know that. I finished raising her after our parents died. I don’t know how to move from fill-in parent to brother. Every time I try to make the switch, telling myself she’s an adult and I need to let her make her own choices, I think of some guy taking advantage of her, and I go bonkers. But what if she is hiding a boyfriend, what does that say about him? A chicken shit, I say if he can’t deal with her brother.”

I didn’t answer him. I wasn’t sure how. Luckily, the subject changed as our prez approached.

“How’s it going, Prez?” I asked as he reached us.

“Couldn’t be better.” Prez looked over his shoulder at Keg, who now helped Ry push his dirt bike around the side of the house. Keg had bought it for an early thirteenth birthday present, and I thought the kid would sleep in the garage with it if Keg and Raven would let him.

“He getting the hang of the bike?” Tram asked, and Prez looked back at us with a grin.

“Oh yeah. Slow start, though. Boy had his momma about ready to disassemble the thing, and not in a good way. But once he got the hang of it, he took off. Damn, the kid is going to be hell on a motorcycle when he’s old enough for one. Helped too that Keg lucked out with those woods behind his place. But Ry could use some new terrain to try out his skills.”

“Well, the state has a ton of off-road bike tracks and trails. Different skill levels, too. You could take him to one of those,” I suggested.

“Been looking into them. Thing is, I heard Ry mention to his mom that he wished he could go on a ride with us on his bike.”

I groaned, knowing where this conversation was leading, and when I glanced over at Pinch and Tram, the resigned look on their faces said they knew, too. We’d all grown up around the area with the exception of Hawk. And at one time or another, we’d been to a trail or five.

“The one west of Vancouver rates high. Has eight miles of trail and I think a trail would be best for now. We can save taking to a track for later,” Prez said, eyes twinkling because he knew the groaning and shit was for show. Big bad bikers and all. Why would we want to ride a trail on a dirt bike when we could ride our bikes all over the state and beyond? Because they were bikes and because they were built to take a better beating than our strictly for road bikes were was why.

“You trying to talk them into going on a trail ride with Ry?” Keg asked as he, Moose, and Hawk walked up. I could hear the motorbike and see Ry zipping through the woods.

“Shit, who needs talked into it. I’m game. Be fun, and Ry will get a kick out of it,” Pinch said, and both Tram and I agreed.

“I don’t expect you boys to put money out buying a dirt bike, so I looked into renting some. There’s a couple of places close that offer rentals. You boys want to go, I’ll pick up the cost. Least I can do since it was my idea.” Prez chuckled.

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