Page 94 of Hawk
Hesitating briefly, I finally admitted, “What if Matthew and Anna don’t want me to be with their father? And . . .” I trailed off, afraid to admit the next part.
“And?” Hailey asked, and I turned to look at her, hoping she didn’t turn away when I explained.
“And how will you feel if he and I are together? Will you be mad at me that his kids get more of me growing up than you did? Will you hate me for the possibility of being a parent to them, when I sucked so badly at it with you?”
“Mom, I don’t blame you for anything that happened to me. I blame Melody and my asshole grandfather for everything. Matthew and Anna are good kids who got a rough deal in life. I’ve never met their mother, but I’ve heard stories about how horrible she was to them. So, if they have the chance to grow up with you as a mom, then I think they’ll be the luckiest kids in the whole world.”
“How did you become such a wonderful person?” I asked her, and it was her turn to shrug.
“There was this pretty awesome lady who took care of me when I was really young. She sang songs to me, made me soup when I was sick, and showed me so much love that it filled my heart to overflowing,” Hailey replied, and I burst into tears.
She pulled me into a hug, and when we separated, I looked to see the other ladies were crying for us. Every one of us had experienced betrayal, pain, humiliation, and suffering on different levels. But we survived, we thrived, and one day, the pain would be a distant memory.
“Are you planning on staying on the compound, or do you think you’ll move in with Hawk?” Rose asked.
“We haven’t discussed it, so I’m not sure. I learned long ago to not plan too far into the future, so for now, I’m just happy having him with me, and we’ll have to let the future figure itself out.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” Elise replied, smiling across the table at me.
She had been quiet since she told her story, and I worried she was getting upset. As she sat at the table, she rubbed her protruding stomach and absorbed all the information. She admitted how lucky she was to have such wonderful parents with Chuck and Blair, who had DJ for the afternoon. Chuck gave her the skills to save herself when faced with a horrible situation, and from there, she said she’d grown stronger.
“The other thing I worry about is if his ex comes back into the picture,” I admitted, and they all shook their heads.
“She gave up her rights to them in the divorce, and no one’s heard from her in almost a year. I figure, one day, he’ll get notified that she’s dead and someone needs to claim her body,” Sadie said with more than a little anger in her voice.
I learned Sadie raised Jacob and Skid, whose real name is Dalton. After being a parent to two boys at such an early age, she and Gunner, or Kade, decided having kids wasn’t in the cards for them. I couldn’t blame them, but after seeing how respectful Jacob was with Hailey, I knew she would have been an amazing mother.
“Besides, she’s been so strung out for so long, I suspect she doesn’t even remember she has kids,” Rose reasoned.
Iris was Rose’s daughter, and she was a beautiful little girl full of strong opinions. Rose had her at a very early age, and for years, they were kept apart by nasty people I’d learned were called the Community. They were a group of pedophiles who warped little girls into thinking that daddies were supposed to get their daughters sexually ready for their future husbands.
I learned that’s how Grace was brought into the family, how Violet and Rose came around, and they admitted the club killed the entire group and Devlin covered it up. I was proud of my brother for protecting everyone and keeping them safe from the law.
Often, it took good people like the Death Hounds to dole out real justice to those who deserved it. If they killed people to save kids from a horrible fate of pain, mistrust, and guilt, then I supported them completely, as long as their actions didn’t blow back on Hailey or the rest of the ladies. After the breakfast we had together, I felt like I had a room full of sisters, and that’s when it finally dawned on me.
That was what they meant by ‘when you’re family, you’re family for life’.
The club had secrets on everyone, and no one’s hands were clean of bloodshed. Protecting each other protected themselves.
A ding sounded into the room and Rose picked up her phone to see the notification. She placed it back onto the table and said, “We have to pick up the kids in an hour, so we may want to clean up and see what the men have gotten themselves into.”
The six of us stood and gave quick hugs before clearing the table and carrying everything into the kitchen. The leftover food was put away into the fridge and the dishes were rinsed and loaded into the dishwasher.
“The prospects can finish up later,” Sadie said. “Let’s find our men.”
Hailey linked arms with me, and as we walked out the side door of the kitchen to the outside, she whispered, “Thank you for trusting us enough to share your story.”
“I’m just sorry it took me so long,” I returned, and she leaned her head onto my shoulder as we walked along the side of the building.
Sitting at the picnic table, I saw Devlin, Colton, Jacob, Dalton, Kade, and Adam, whose club name was Jackal. I didn’t ask how they got their names, but Rose said Adam was a little crazy, causing Violet to laugh uncontrollably. Apparently, Adam’s aunt raised him and adopted Violet after Rose was adopted by the Community. They explained how he was instrumental in giving Violet a safe home, and when he met Rose, he fell head over heels in love.
“He’s a pushover for her and Iris,” Violet explained, and I could see how these tough men bent for those they loved.
As we approached, the conversation ended and I wondered what the big secret was. Devlin forced a smile onto his face as he stood and embraced Elise, using one hand to rub her belly.
“Did you have a good visit?” Colton asked as I sat on his lap at the picnic table.
“It was exactly what I needed,” I said, and he smiled at me.
