Page 7 of Sparrow's Grace

Shaking my head, I walked over to Felicia where she sat at the bar and asked, “Hey girl, can I ask you something?”

She took a puff off her smoke and said, “Sure. What’s up, girl?”

“Can we go sit down over there? I’d rather talk to you where others can’t hear?” I asked her as I nodded to the table in the corner that wasn’t occupied.

She looked down at my hand, which I hadn’t realized was laying over my belly, and nodded with a soft smile on her face.

Sitting down, I leaned close so that she could hear and no one else, and asked, “Who is Luanne?”

Felicia scrunched up her brow and asked, “Luanne?”

I nodded then, looking for Deck, making sure he wasn’t near so he couldn’t carry out his threat when I asked, “Yeah, who is she to Deck?”

A concerned look touched her face, “You mean, you don’t know?”

I shook my head, “No.”

She smiled sadly at me, “That’s his wife. She passed away… oh, about seven years ago.”

How the hell was I expected to compete with a ghost? A living, breathing woman… sure… but not a ghost.

“How did she die?” I asked.

“She had leukemia. Deck was crazy about the woman. Never seen a man love a woman harder in all my days other than Gaston. He would pull everyone into finding another treatment. Finding someone that could take the pain away. He lived it and breathed it. She was his end game.”

“So that’s it then. My father’s dying wish is never going to happen, is it?” I asked as I studied the scarred-up wood top on the table we were sitting at.

A sad look came over her features then when she said, “No, darlin’. He’s never going to have another ol’ lady.”

My shoulders visibly dropped then as I muttered, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Honestly? We all thought you knew. Granted, he never brought her here. Her immune system wasn’t strong enough, but we all thought your father told you.”

Why? Why would my father have him make that promise, knowing he would never keep it? It just didn’t make any sense.

I didn’t answer her as I looked over to Deck. My heart almost went out to him, for him having to have gone through something like that, yes it was traumatic, but to treat another woman like he did me. To punish me because… I wasn’t her?

That steeled my heart against him.

I didn’t see Felicia look in the direction I had. She hadn’t missed the angry look on my face when he grabbed the club bunny around the waist, hefted her onto the bar, and then proceeded to make out with her. Followed by him hiking her skirt up.

Disgust rolled through me.

Glancing over at Gaston, it was to see him lock eyes with me and tilt his head to his office.

Nodding, I turned to Felicia, and with a sad smile, I said, “Thanks for everything.”

And with that, I stood up, kept my eyes on Gaston’s back, ignored everyone else, and followed him to his office.

The moment the door was closed, I walked over to a chair and sat down heavily.

“So, what’s going on?” He grabbed a cigarette, apparently, thought better of it, then put it on his desk without lighting it.

Ever since I could remember, I’ve never had trouble talking to Gaston. I probably should have though. He is the President of one of the largest MCs on the west coast after all, “Why’d you stop?”

He looked at me pointedly, then said rather bluntly, “Cause it’s not good for you and the baby.”

Wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, I asked, “You know?”

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