Page 51

Calli

Twelve Years Later

“Calliope,” Dad gruffed, stepping up behind me and pressing a kiss to the back of my head. His heavy hand rested briefly on my shoulder, grounding me in a way only he could.

This man had always been my rock.

My constant.

When the world around me felt shaky and unsteady, he was the mountain that never moved, the one I could rely on to keep my feet on the ground.

Had I been the perfect daughter? Far from it!

But I’d always tried to be the daughter he could be proud of.

Tried.

“Hey, Daddy.” I covered a yawn with the back of my hand and went back to cracking eggs into a bowl. The quiet rhythm of food prep was relaxing, even though I knew it was a temporary calm before the storm because a house full of bikers had a way of turning even the most peaceful moments into organized chaos.

I was used to it by now. My mom started Sunday lunch the morning after she and Dad met, and while I was only little when she died, Dad and I had continued it ever since. Even when I went away to college, I’d made Dad video call me in so I could spend a couple of hours with everyone.

And it had slowly become an entire club effort—some days I’d be here cooking, some days the old ladies would take it on, and if worst came to worst and no one had the will to cook, we ordered in.

The day was about being together—at least, that’s how I imagined my mom intended it to be.

“You need any help?” Dad walked across the kitchen and pulled the coffee pot from the machine, pouring the thick black liquid into a mug. I fought the smile that pulled at the corner of my mouth as I watched him drink half the mug in one go, his face barely flinching at the hot, bitter-tasting liquid before filling it back up and placing the pot in its spot. “What?”

I shook my head, grinning as I turned back to my bowl of eggs. “That’s a lot of coffee.”

He scoffed. “And that’s an opinion I never asked you for.”

I chuckled softly under my breath, my hands continuing to move in all directions on their own. Milk. Salt. Grab the whisk. Stir.

“You banish Shay from the kitchen or something?” he questioned a moment later, realizing someone was missing.

I chuckled. “Not yet. She ran out to grab a few things. We decided about half an hour ago that we were craving breakfast for lunch and needed bacon to make it happen.”

He rolled his eyes, taking another sip of his coffee. “Figures. You two always manage to overcomplicate something as simple as a meal.”

I pointed my whisk at him, leveling him with a raised eyebrow. “Excuse me, but bacon is not overcomplicating anything. It’s a cornerstone of breakfast cuisine. You’ve got your cereal, oats, toast, eggs… and then there’s bacon.”

“Jesus Christ,” he mumbled under his breath. “Between you and Shay and your weird life theories, it’s a wonder I’m not locked in a padded room.”

Shrugging, I turned back to my eggs. “Maybe you are, you just don’t know it.”

Shay had been my best friend since we started college, but she’d also since become my dad’s old lady. That took some getting used to.

I lost Mom when I was seven, and since then, I’d never seen my dad with anyone else—at least, not in a serious capacity. When she died, Dad’s focus became me and the club. He ensured I had what I needed physically, emotionally, and mentally. And at the same time, he ran a clubhouse full of men, ensuring that, essentially, they had the same.

He put everyone else before himself and never asked for anything in return.

But he deserved more. And I wanted him to have someone at his side who could give him that same love and support he showed everyone else.

Did I intend for it to be my best friend? Definitely not.

Am I glad that it was?

Hell, yes.

Because I knew she had what he needed.

“Morning all!” I almost leaped out of my skin as Hawk appeared suddenly in the entranceway, grinning like he owned the place. “Smells great in here and I’m starved.”

“He says it like I don’t feed him,” Missy countered, rolling her eyes as she stepped around her old man.

Their teen daughter Kadey appeared next, jabbing him with her finger in his ribs. “He’s working on his dad bod,” she teased, darting out of reach just as Hawk attempted to hook her into a headlock.

She raced around behind me, grinning at him from a protective distance.

He smirked and pointed a finger at her. “For someone who has a birthday coming up, that’s an awfully smart mouth you’ve got there, kid.”

Kadey stuck her tongue out in response, and I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head at their antics. “All right, all right. Can we dial it back to, I don’t know, slightly less chaotic?”

Missy’s eyes lit up, a devilish smile spreading across her face as she ignored me entirely. “Ooooh,” she sing-songed, leaning her hip against the counter. “Shay mentioned your boyfriend was joining us today. Is that why you’re all flustered?”

I froze, every word after “boyfriend” blurring into a low buzz as my heart slammed against my ribs. I hadn’t mentioned this fact to my father or any of the boys yet, but I could imagine the heat in my cheeks was immediate and damning.

Dad snorted and shook his head. “That’s gonna be a no from me.”

“Dad…” I warned, trying to regain some semblance of control over the conversation, but it was too late. Hawk leaned back in his chair, smirking like he’d just won the lottery.

“Does this boyfriend have a name?” Hawk asked, chuckling as Missy swatted at him.

“Or maybe a death wish?” my father added under his breath.

“Ignore them,” Missy said loudly, hitting each with a narrowed warning glare. “Shay said he’s lovely, so I can’t wait to meet him.”

My heart beat a little faster, already feeling the uncomfortable tension in the air. Adrian was going to be the first man I’d ever brought home to meet my family, and this situation right here, was the exact reason why no one else had ever made the cut. The truth was, we’d been dating for a couple of months, and while we were taking things slow—at my request—I figured I had to pull the pin at some point and see what the hell happened.

With my family, it was all about earning their respect, but he had to be given the opportunity to do that if I was going to figure out if this relationship was going anywhere.

“Right. We’re sure he’s lovely,” Hawk scoffed, shaking his head like it was a curse word.

“Hawk, shut up,” Missy warned, swatting at him.

I sighed, wiping my hands on a dish towel and holding my hands out. “Okay, look… I get it’s been sprung on you guys, and we all know he doesn’t fit the mold we have here, but he has been very kind to me, so if we could just suck it up for one day, please?”

He’s been very kind to me.

Fucking hell, what a way to sell it.

This morning, I woke up confident in my decision to finally have Adrian meet the most important people in my life. Sure, I knew the risks—my family wasn’t exactly subtle when it came to their opinions—but I’d convinced myself he could handle it.

Adrian wasn’t from the same walk of life as us. He was a banker. A sharp dresser. A man who spent his days in boardrooms and his nights reading financial forecasts. He wore Louis Vuitton instead of leather, and the closest he’d ever come to grease was a little in his hair to keep it styled.

But he was thoughtful. Intelligent. Caring. And I liked him.

That had to count for something, right?

I wasn’t nervous about what my family might say or do to him.

Not at all.

“We’ll be nice to the guy, okay?” Dad growled, pulling me from my daydream. His stern scowl had softened, though just slightly, but it was enough to take my racing heart down a few notches.

“You promise?” I asked skeptically.

“Fucking cross my heart and hope to fly.”

“Die,” Kadey corrected him with a quiet chuckle, shaking her head as she gathered the table settings from the cupboard, ready to take them out onto the porch where we always ate buffet style. “The saying is, cross my heart, hope to die.”

Dad shrugged, his lips twitching as if he was fighting a smile. “Whatever. Same thing.”

Missy leaned against the counter, her arms crossed, watching the exchange with an amused smile. “Well, at least we’re aiming for niceties. That’s a start.”

“That’s all I’m asking for,” I muttered, though the butterflies in my stomach said otherwise. Niceties were all well and good, but this wasn’t just any guy. Adrian didn’t speak their language—didn’t know the code of grunts, glares, and subtle nods that translated to approval or disapproval around here. “And no threats! Thinly veiled or otherwise, okay?”

The kitchen was silent for a few seconds, and I took that as agreement.

“He’s got a strong handshake, right?” Hawk piped up again.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Hawk. He has a strong handshake.”

“Good,” he said with a satisfied nod. “Weak handshake, weak man. That’s just pure facts.”

“Pretty sure that’s not science,” Kadey quipped, earning a glare from her dad. She flashed him a pageant-like smile as she slipped by him, the innocent look I’d seen her use many times. “I’m gonna make myself useful and set this stuff up outside.”

“Good idea,” Hawk teased, swatting at her with a tea towel.

The sound of the front door opening snapped my back straight, my hand gripping the spatula as if I were ready to fight someone off. But a moment later, Shay’s voice rang through the house. “All right, I’ve got the bacon!” Thank goodness, it’s just— “And I found a visitor outside.”

I froze as Adrian’s deeper voice followed. “Smells great in here.”

Missy turned to me, her smile widening. “Game time.”