Page 65 of The Fates We Tame

“You said we should go see the world. That you wanted to go on safari,” Theo replies, brushing his thumb over my lower lip. “I said you keep looking at me like that, and I’d take you anywhere.”

“You said you’d move heaven and earth to make it happen.”

Clare puts her hand back on her heart. “Oh, Theo. Is there a ring?”

“There is.” I hold my finger towards the camera on the phone. “No wedding band yet because the whole marriage part was spontaneous.”

“Then maybe you’ll let me and your dad pay for those, seeing we would have paid for the wedding. And when I’m better and not immunocompromised, you’ll let us throw you a big party.”

Theo coughs and finds his voice again. “We’d love that, Mom.”

“And I can’t wait to meet your parents, Sophia. I’m sorry we can’t talk longer, but I can’t miss my chemo appointment. We’re happy for you. Really, truly happy for you. And if you’re half as happy and half as lucky as we’ve been, then life is going to be something really special for the two of you.”

When we hang up the phone, Theo sighs as he slips it into his pocket. “Do your physio while I go get the bike.”

“I’m sorry that was tough. I could tell it was?—”

“I’ll be back within the hour.”

And with that, he leaves me staring at the empty spot the phone sat.

17

SWITCH

Niro pulls his truck up at my house, and I get out. I was handed a bag of belongings after the wreck. My keys included.

It’s a great-looking house with cream siding and navy-blue trim. Set back in a lot of land surrounded by trees, it’s isolated, yet close to the clubhouse. There are details everywhere that I’m not sure I chose.

There’s a cobbled pathway to the front door that I’m not sure is going to work for Sophia’s limitations when it comes to walking. The surface would be a little unsteady underfoot.

There are two large planters outside the front door that I’m a hundred percent sure my mom placed there for reasons I can’t explain.

It was good to talk with her and see her so happy as she headed to her chemo session. But man, it was fucking hard lying to her.

I’m glad Sophia jumped in with the story of how I proposed, because I was drawing a blank. I thought making Mom happy would be easy. But I wasn’t prepared for how deceitful it would feel, actually lying to her.

In hindsight, abandoning Sophia like that wasn’t smart nor fair. But I needed some time to get my head straight again and stepping inside my house isn’t going to help that.

I just want my bike out of the garage Niro assures me I keep them in.

I look at the key chain and try to decipher which key unlocks the garage. After a few failed attempts, I’m finally in.

There are four bikes in the garage.

“There’s a key safe on the wall over there,” Niro says. “I looked after your bikes one summer you went to Florida for a month to visit your folks. The code is your mom’s birthday. I suggest changing that to Sophia’s birthday.”

I roll my eyes. “Fuck you.”

He laughs loudly. “Do you even know when her birthday is?”

I don’t. “Again. Fuck you. She’s twenty-five.” It doesn’t answer his question, but it shows I know at least one thing about her.

“One last question. You need lessons on how to be a husband, or you remember enough of how to treat a woman?” Niro asks.

This time I laugh. I remember this is what club life is about. Hanging with your brothers. Laughing about shit. Feeling a part of something.

“I remember.”