Page 39

Dragon

“Two things. First, I didn’t expect either of you to be happy about this shit. I’m not even sure how I feel about it. King is a part of this family, though, and I at least expected you to deal with this like fucking adults!” I growl.

Fuck, this shit went worse than I imagined it would. I knew Dom and T would get pissed, but I thought somehow it would work out. I’m a damn fool and I’m getting too old for this shit. Now, I have to figure out a way to keep this crap contained and somehow bring my family back together.

“Because you’ve been so good at that our whole life,” Dom answers, and I look at him.

“Did you do it?” I ask, getting ready to knock his smart-ass down a peg or two. He snaps his trap shut and just stares at me. “You did it,” I hiss.

“I … I need to go check on Taz,” Thea whispers.

“Baby—” Dom says, but Thea shakes her head.

“What you did. That’s not the man I know. It doesn’t condone what Gabby did, but I could see how that would fuck with a woman. Now, I have to look at you and wonder if the man I married still has that in him, or if he is the man I trusted with my heart.”

“Thea, baby?—”

She shakes her head no and walks away.

“Motherfucker.”

“T? Anything to say?”

“N-No,” T responds. His gaze moves to Lyla. “Get our girl. Let’s get home.”

“Okay,” she murmurs.

“Thomas …”

He walks over and hugs his mom, making me breathe a little easier. At least T has his shit together. “It’s o-o-okay, M-Mom,” he answers. “I-I’ll c-c-call King tomorrow.”

“Love you, Thomas.”

“Love you,” he says. He gives me a look and I reach for him.

He gives me a hug, making me smile. Been a long fucking time since T was little and always came running to me with a hug.

Time went too fucking fast. We don’t speak, but we don’t need to.

Finally, T turns to Dom. He looks at his brother and shakes his head.

“T—”

“You’re n-n-not responsible for G-Gabby’s choices, b-b-brother,” he says, surprising the shit out of me.

“I know,” Dom says, but he doesn’t sound convinced, and I’m not sure I am either.

“You are r-r-responsible for your actions and how that m-may have m-m-made her react. W-W-What King s-said. If y-you d-did that,” he shakes his head. “Y-You d-d-did damage. And y-you were always with M-M-Mony and her c-c-crew. If you hadn’t b-been, I would have w-walked away from G-G-Gabby.”

“T—”

“It’s d-done. Concentrate on Thea. B-But if you’re smart. You will c-clean house.”

“Mony’s gone. Her and her bitches,” Dom growls.

“And our b-b-brother?” T asks.

“I don’t know,” Dom answers.

T shakes his head but doesn’t reply before walking away.

Nicole kisses me. “I’m going to go say bye to our babies.”

“Okay, Mama.”

“Okay,” she murmurs softly. She hugs Dom quickly, then leaves. Her disappointment in her son and in the night as a whole can be felt, but she doesn’t give it voice. She just says goodbye.

“I don’t need more shit, Dad. I’ll deal.”

I shake my head. Time to throw down. “I love you, Dom. Seriously, I fucking love you. That bullshit I just heard is not the actions of a man.”

“That’s because I was a horny kid, playing at being in love. You know as well as I do there are men in the club who had old ladies and Twinkies.”

“I also know I taught you a man doesn’t do that to a good woman.”

“I think Gabby proved she wasn’t a fucking good woman,” Dom huffs, scrubbing his face.

“Did she? Maybe she was just a desperate kid in love with a man who made promises he had no intention of keeping.”

“That doesn’t make it okay that she did what she did!” he yells.

“It absolutely doesn’t.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Do you ever think of fucking around on Thea?” I ask him, and the stricken look on his face is answer enough.

“What the hell? There’s no fucking way I’d do that. I love Thea with everything in me.”

“You loved Gabby once,” I say with a careless shrug.

“It was different. I’m not a kid any longer. I’ve changed. Plus, hell, Thea is a part of me. I can’t breathe without her.”

“Maybe Gabby has changed. Maybe King is her Thea.”

“You really believe that?” he asks, looking at me like I’m insane.

“I believe the Gabby I saw when I was in Tennessee is nothing like the spoiled Gabby I wanted you to get shed of long before you did. I think everyone can change. If they couldn’t, I wouldn’t have been blessed to have the life I have with your mother.

I’d still be fucking empty pussy and be miserable. ”

“Dad—”

“All the love in the world for you, Dom, but you need to own up to your mistakes. Just like Gabby is trying to do with hers.”

After saying that, I walk away. I hope like hell Dom wakes up and listens.

I think he might, but I also think he’s never fully going to accept blame for his own actions.

That’s hard for me—as his father—to admit.

I need to start making some decisions about the club and the future of the Savage Brothers in general.

Today is not that day. Right now, I’m going to find my woman and let her love my worries away for the night. There’s only one woman in the world who can do that, and I’m the lucky son of a bitch that is married to her.

Thank God.