Page 49 of Ky
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Chris
“I feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately, man,” Mouse said as he took a seat at the bar.
I held up a beer and he nodded as an answer to my unsaid question.
“Yeah, I feel like I’m here or at home.” I gave a laugh and a shrug as I popped the top of the bottle and set it down in front of him.
“How’s that going?”
“Are you asking about something specific or in general?” I asked as I pinned him with a raised brow.
“Eh,” he said with a shrug. “General.”
“Could be a lot worse, I suppose.” I let out a laugh. The situation as a whole was pretty bad, from the circumstances that surrounded Ingram to the hot and cold that Ky was constantly throwing at me. But given all of that, I really didn’t have anything to complain about. “Ingram doesn’t talk too much about what’s next. I get the feeling she is happy about the baby, but she doesn’t really talk about how it’s going to be after the birth. She’s getting pretty close, I guess, but she hasn’t started nesting at all.”
“Why do you think that is?” he asked.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. It could be that she doesn’t really know all the preparation that comes with having a kid and has no clue how to even ask…or it could be that she doesn’t want to think about it. Maybe she isn’t sure how to bring it up and ask for help. I really don’t have the first clue. And I know I should bring it up, but I keep hoping that Ky will get in there and handle shit.”
“I can tell the whole thing is still a shock for him. I know there’s more there than the obvious,” he stated but I could tell he wasn’t fishing for answers.
He knew it was their business and figured that if Ky needed help, then he’d come to his brothers. Not that I would have told him anything. Ky may have given me his story but that didn’t mean that it was my place to tell anyone. I would never betray him like that. If he wanted me to be the gatekeeper for his secrets and carrier of his burdens, then I would do it with a silent honor.
I kept hoping that he would open up to the club because both of them needed that huge circle of support. I could tell that some of the boys had done their best to sneak in ways to help out and be there without looking like they were pushing their way in.
“He’s trying. There are moments he’s a little too overprotective big brother, but at least it shows he cares,” I said.
“I can only imagine.” Mouse let out a short laugh, no doubt remembering how Ky acted on movie night. “I guess it’s a good thing they have you there to be a buffer, huh?”
Was there an underlying statement in his words? I wasn’t an overly sensitive person but I could have sworn Mouse was trying to say something.
“Sometimes, yeah. He tries and for the most part, I think he does pretty good on his own. And Ingram, well she doesn’t back down right away. That’s when you can really tell that they are related.”
“Still kind of weird that he has a sister. He never talks about his family. But I’m kinda glad she’s here. I think he needs her just as much as she needs him, you know? Something has definitely changed inside of him and I think once he realizes it, things will be so much easier for him.”
Mouse’s words struck a chord in me. Something about them had me nodding as I got lost in thought. He wasn’t wrong. If Ky could just not only accept the love around him but embrace it as well, then I believed that he would be a little lighter. But then again, it was Ky, and he was one skeptical dumbass when it came to good things in his life.
“Well,” Mouse said after he finished his beer and got to his feet, “we’re here for you guys—all of you. You ever need anything, you know where to find us.”
“You’re such a sap, Mouse,” I said in a joking tone. “And thank you,” I added with sincerity in my tone.
We did a super awesome fist bump, and then he was off.
The bar was surprisingly quiet for the rest of the afternoon. It must have been one of those days when there was a lot of club stuff going on. Since I hadn’t felt anything tense in the atmosphere, I assumed it was probably a bunch of little things. I’d been around long enough to know how things changed when the club was on edge. With the exception of the shooting that happened at Branded In Ink—and to Brand—things had seemed pretty quiet with this chapter since I’d been around. I, for one, was fucking glad for that. I definitely had my fill of being on the outskirts of the heaviness and danger that they’d dealt with. Thinking about the shit that Bocca went through before I left Moon Hill still sent shivers down my spine. Since it was an isolated incident, they decided not to alert the other chapters. Loch had asked me to keep quiet about it and I knew he didn’t want me to share it with Brand. So, like always, I pretended that I didn’t know anything that went on with the club.
I was counting down the minutes until I could run from the vacant bar. They seemed to be ticking by slowly and at this point, I was just waiting until the next person came in. Then I was going to haul ass away like my pants were on fire.
The door opened and my head snapped up to see Ky walking in. Grease still clung to his hands and arms and I knew he’d walked over from the shop.
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“Hey,” he parroted, giving me a sly smile of his own.
So, yeah, we hadn’t really talked about anything as far as whatever the hell it was that was going on with us. I hadn’t been one to push because I knew Ky and if it was something he wasn’t ready to deal with, then he would just shut down. The only thing I could do was just sit back and wait.
I had to be honest, I was sick of waiting.
