“Don’t,” he barked. “You don’t know shit about me, and…”
“That’s not exactly true. I know you have a son. A son you loved enough to give him up, so he could have a life you didn’t think you could give him on your own.” His eyebrows furrowed as he glared at me, but he didn’t try to stop me from continuing. “And I know that had to be hard – really hard, but you didn’t let it stop you. You kept living, working to make your club better… safer. I also know that you helped your brother get in that other club in Tennessee, even though you probably wanted him to be here with you. You did it, because it was the best thing for him.”
“Cassidy talks too damn much,” he grumbled.
“You’re missing the point,” I snapped.
“What’s the point then, Henley? Tell me. What exactly do you think I should be smiling about?” he said as he glared at me angrily, warning me to shut the hell up, but I was determined to make my point.
“As far as I can tell you have plenty to smile about, but you’re focusing on the wrong things. You have to learn from your mistakes and let the past go. Just live your life the best way that you can and forget about the things that you can’t change. Don’t be so hard on yourself about everything. Lighten up,” I explained, wishing that he would actually listen to what I was saying.
“The past makes us who we are. I live it and breathe it. It’s not something I can just let go of,” he said as he turned his attention back to his sandwich.
“That may be true, Maverick, but you can either dwell on your own misery or try to find your way back to some kind of happiness. You just have to take that first step.”
“Maybe, just maybe, I don’t want to take that step. Maybe I like things just the way they are.” His green eyes darkened with the anguish that churned inside of him. I wanted to reach out and hold him in my arms. Take all his pain away. I had to find a way to make him see things differently, to distract him from his despair, even if it’s just for a little while. I have to try to get him to take that first step.
“We’ll just have to see about that,” I told him smiling.
“Just leave it alone, Henley,” he said, his voice full of irritation, all of which was directed at me.
“Don’t be such a grump. I might just end up surprising you,” I told him as I stood up. “I’m going with Cassidy to see Dallas.”
“You’re not going alone,” he snapped, dropping his sandwich down on his plate.
“I won’t be alone. I’m going with Cassidy.”
“You don’t go anywhere without a member of this club. Period. I’ve got to meet with Cotton, so I’ll get Clutch to go with you. Go straight there and back. No stops,” he said firmly.
“Whatever you say, boss.” I gave a quick salute as I turned to leave.
When I finally made it outside, Cassidy was already waiting for me in her car. The engine was running while she sat there talking on her phone. When I got in the car, she brought her finger up to her lips, letting me know not to say anything.
“Yes, sir. I’ll tell her,” she said with her voice oozing with sweetness. I knew right away that she was talking with Dad. “Yeah, she got her scores last night. I think she aced them all,” she said as she rolled her eyes at me. She wanted to act like she didn’t care about my grades, but I knew she was proud of me. “I love you too, Daddy. I’ll have her call you as soon as she gets home. Talk to you later,” she said as she hung up the phone.
“Did you tell him about what happened?” I asked, praying that she had enough sense not to worry him.
“Of course not. You know how he overreacts about stuff.”
“Good. You ready to go?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Yeah, we better get going. I don’t want to be late,” she said as she slipped the car into reverse.
I’d made plans with her to go over and help babysit Dallas’ kids, so she could take care of some things with her lawyer. Apparently, her insurance company was giving her a hard time about her husband’s life insurance policy, and they didn’t want to give her the full pay out. Her family really needed that money, and she had to do whatever she could to make sure they got it.
When we got to her house, Clutch parked his bike in the street out front. I thought he would follow us inside, but he stayed put. He was just sitting there, watching us. I gave him a quick wave as we got out of the car, but I got nothing in return. When I noticed the serious look on his face, I wondered if he was pissed that he had to come. I wondered if he thought it was as ridiculous as I did that he even had to be here.
“Don’t worry about it, Henley. He’s just doing his job,” Cassidy assured me as she shut her car door.
“I feel bad. He doesn’t look like he wants to be here and,” I started.