Page 2

Darko—

Glancing at Rock, I see him on his phone. “What are you doing?”

“Texting one of the prospects to pick me up at your place.”

“Bailing on me already?”

“You got it from here, VP.” He lifts his chin to the road ahead of us. “You should drive down Main. Show them the town.”

“Good idea.”

“Ever been to Durango?” Rock asks, swiveling in his seat to look at the three.

“No, sir. Never been out of Nebraska,” Evan states.

“The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad founded it in the late 1800s. Mostly to service the mining that was going on at the time. We’ve still got an old-time train that runs between here and Silverton.”

“Where’s that?” Evan asks.

“About fifty miles north,” Rock replies, then looks over at me. “You should take Eli for a ride on it.” Then he turns to Eli. “You like trains, boy?”

I glance in the rearview and see my son shrug and stare out the window. I drive us down Main, past the turn of the century buildings, and Rock plays travel guide, pointing out some of the old hotels.

When I turn in the drive of my house, the prospect is already waiting at the curb and gives us a wave.

“Who is that?” Maggie asks, craning her neck to look.

“My ride,” Rock states, then twists in his seat. “It was real nice meeting you all, but I’m gonna give you some time alone here with Darko. If I don’t see you two, have a safe trip back.”

Climbing from the truck, Rock meets me at the tailgate.

“You got it from here, brother?”

Lowering the tailgate, I slide the heavy bag to the ground. “To tell the truth, Prez, right now my life feels like a test I didn’t study for.”

He chuckles and slaps a hand on my shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

I nod. “Sure you don’t want to stick around? I figure we’ll order pizza.”

“Tempting, but no. Go for the good stuff, Darko. Get it from Luigi’s.”

“They cost a mint.”

“Don’t cheap out. This is a big day.”

“I guess it is. I’m a fucking dad, Rock.”

He grins huge and pulls me in for a hug, pounding his hand on my back. “Welcome to the club, brother.”

Once he and the prospect pull away, I lead the others up the walk to the front door. The moment I swing it open, the smell of lemon furniture polish and floor cleaner hits me. I sweep my gaze around, relieved to see everything looking spotless and orderly.

I make a mental note to tip the girl well when I see her later.

“Come on in. Your room is down this hall, Eli.” I lead the way, hauling his heavy suitcase. I push open the door and flick the light on. I instructed the girl to change the sheets and make sure this room looked good. It’s the guest room I only use when my ma comes to visit. There’s a queen bed with a floral bedspread, a dresser with a white doily, and a TV on a stand in the corner.

It hits me how much it looks like a grandma’s room.

I clear my throat. “It’s the room your grandma stays in when she comes to visit. You can change it how you want. The bedding is clean. We can go get you different stuff tomorrow.”

Eli glances around. “So, I have a grandma.”

“Yeah.”

“She know about me?” He quirks a brow.

“I, uh, need to call her. I haven’t told her yet.”

He smirks, like he’s not surprised.

“Look, Eli, this is going to take some adjustment for all of us, but I’m really happy you’re here.”

“That makes one of us,” the kid mutters.

I rake a hand through my hair. “I get that. I know this is all strange to you, and I’m really sorry about your mother.” I take a seat on the bed. “Sit down. Let me tell you something.”

He’s reluctant but does as he’s told.

“If I had known about you, you can be damn sure I would have come to Nebraska to see you. Nothing would have stopped me. I would have wanted to be a part of your life. So don’t ever think I abandoned you, because that’s not the case. For whatever reason, your mother chose not to tell me.” I study him, but he won’t look at me. He’s kicking the toe of his sneakers on the rag rug. “I get how hard this is, but I’m going to try to make you feel welcome. You’re my son. I’m your father. We’re blood. I want this to work out. I want you to want to stay here with me.”

When he makes no comment, I rub my hands on my jeans. “And your grandmother is going to be ecstatic when she finds out she has a grandson. She’s wanted grandkids for years.”

“You don’t have any other kids?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe there are more you don’t know about. Maybe I have a dozen brothers and sisters.” He’s bitter, that much is clear.

I choose to ignore it and change the subject. “Tell me about Nebraska.”

He shrugs. “There’s not much to tell.”

“Tell me about your mother.”

“She was the best mom in the world. And now she’s gone.”

I set a hand on his knee. “I’m really sorry about that, Eli. I wish things were different. But you’ve got me now, and I swear to you, I’ll always have your back.”

“I don’t even know you.”

Just then, Maggie pops her head in the doorway. “So, this is your room, huh, Eli?”

The boy bobs his head.

I stand. “Sorry, I’m being a bad host. I should offer you all a drink. I just wanted a minute with Eli.”

“That’s fine,” she murmurs, studying her nephew. “It’s a nice room, huh?”

“Sure,” he replies in barely a whisper, looking like he’d like to be anywhere but here.

“How about we order some pizzas? You like pizza?”

“It’s okay,” he mutters, but his aunt secretly nods to me.

I lead them to the kitchen and dig through a drawer, coming up with several places that deliver. “These are all nearby. Luigi’s is the best, but we can get from wherever you want,” I say, sliding them on the table.

While Maggie and Eli scan the menus, I offer Evan a beer.

“Thanks. So, I hear you own an auto repair place,” he says.

I pop open a can and lean against the counter. “It’s really more of an auto restoration place.”

“Oh, really? What kinds of cars do you restore?”

“Muscle cars, mostly.”

“No kidding?” His face lights up. “I’ve got a 1970 Chevelle SS. It’s my baby.”

“That’s a great car.”

“I drove an old one during high school. Never could track it down, but the one I have now is pretty close.”

We talk cars for a few minutes, and Evan, at least, seems to warm up to me. Maggie and Eli finally make a decision, and I place the order and get them each a drink.

“So, your garage… It does well?” Evan asks.

“Business has really taken off in the last couple of years. I can hardly keep up. I had to hire a guy to help me. Used to run it out of the garage here, but I’ve outgrown it. I needed more space, so I rented a place a couple blocks from here. It’s a sweet location, and I got a deal on it.”

“Nice.”

I look over at Eli. “You into cars, Eli?”

He shrugs. “I guess.”

Evan chuckles. “Don’t let him fool you. That kid is always wanting to go for a ride in the SS.”

“I am not,” Eli protests, his face flaming.

“Well, we’ll have to put you to work after school. See if you’ve got any skills like your ol’ man,” I tease, but he doesn’t look amused.

Maggie takes in the place. “How long have you lived here?”

I set my beer on the counter and fold my arms. “Oh, I guess about ten-twelve years now.”

Sensing that maybe his wife wants to talk with me alone, Evan lifts his chin to Eli. “Let’s get your Xbox hooked up. You got a TV in your room?”

The two of them walk off.

I take a seat at the table, and Maggie joins me. “Can I ask you about Daisy?”

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Do you have any pictures?”

She pulls out her phone and scans, then turns the phone toward me. “This would have been right around the time she met you.”

I study the face. She’s a beautiful girl with long, golden-brown straight hair and green eyes, and all kinds of bells go off in my brain.

“I remember her,” I whisper, taking the phone from Maggie’s hand.

“She’d run away from home right after high school. She’d been gone for almost a year.”

My eyes lift to hers. “I’m sorry about the baby. I didn’t know.”

“Getting pregnant was what brought her home to us. So, it was a good thing.”

“Was she happy about it?”

“She was. She loved that boy. He was her everything. I wish you could have seen them together.” She perks up and grabs her phone. “You can. Here’s when he was two.”

Daisy is holding him, and they’re both laughing. “Maybe you could send me a couple of these.”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t she ever try to tell me about the boy? She knew what town I lived in. She could have found me.”

Maggie shrugs. “I don’t know. She always said she didn’t know who the father was and never wanted to talk about it. Until she got sick, anyway. Then the whole story spilled out.” She cocks her head and studies me. “She believed you were a good man. She said you had an easy smile, and now that I’ve met you, I see it.”

“But?”

“I’ve been terrified her wishes were foolish and dangerous for Eli. This whole motorcycle thing… We know nothing about you. Are you a violent man?”

I meet her eyes. “I’d never hurt that boy. Hell, I’d die to protect him.”

“That’s not an answer to my question.”

“Am I a violent man? If I have to be, yeah.” I glance toward Eli’s room; the sound of a video game carries to us. “How did Eli feel about coming out here?”

“He didn’t want to, but I think a part of him has wanted to know his father for a long time.”

“I’ll do my best by him, Maggie. I promise you.”

“I believe you’ll try; I just don’t know if a man like you is capable of being a good father.”

“A man like me?”

“Are you going to protect him from drinking and drugs and whatever else goes on around this gang of yours?”

“Club. And yes, you’re damn right I will.”

She studies me, as if she’s trying to decide if I’m lying. “I’ve read up on biker clubs. Your first allegiance is to your club, isn’t it? Where does that leave Eli? Are you going to go off and leave him here when the club calls?”

“I don’t have all the answers. This is all new to me, too. But I think I at least deserve a shot, don’t you?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I’m not sure you deserve anything. But Eli deserves to know you, if that’s what he wants. My biggest fear is you’re going to fight me over him if he chooses to return to Nebraska, where his friends and family are.”

“He can make new friends here, and he has family here now, too. He has a grandmother who is going to love him to death.”

She reaches into her bag and pulls out a file folder. “This is all the documentation you’ll need to enroll him in school. His latest physical, his vaccination records, all his school reports. It’s important he gets back to school. With the funeral and everything, he’s already missed so much.”

“Thanks.” I take it, and we sit quietly for a few seconds.

“He likes butter pecan ice cream.” She looks toward the refrigerator, and her eyes tear up.

“I’ll get him some.”

“And Orange Crush.”

“Okay.” I don’t know how to make this any easier for her, so I cover her hand with mine. “He can call you anytime he wants. I’ll put him on my phone plan.”

She wipes away the wetness from her cheeks. “Sorry. It’s just hard. It’s like I’m losing the last tie to my sister.”