Page 6 of The Secrets We Keep (Sovereign Sons MC: North Carolina #1)

SOPHIE

My hands tighten around Grayson’s waist as he pulls his bike out of the parking lot.

I press my head into his back and take a deep breath of the familiar leather cut while I try to reign in my anger.

I cannot believe that Grayson had the nerve to show up at the hotel and barge into our room, demanding that we come to the clubhouse with him. Who the hell does he think that he is?

Not that I wanted to stay there a minute longer, but I didn’t need Grayson telling me what to do. Especially with the new title he holds. Seeing the president patch on Grayson’s cut felt like a blow to the gut, only fueling my frustration with him.

I turn my head to the right and find Asher on the back of Rowan’s bike, smiling wide as he holds on tight. Rowan isn’t going fast, but seeing my kid on a motorcycle terrifies me. Even if I grew up on them, he’s never even been around one. Hell, I haven’t been around one for seven years.

Grayson’s muscles flex beneath my fingers as he moves the powerful bike down the street.

It’s dark out, so the streets are pretty empty, most of the town having already called it a night.

Grayson and Rowan weave through the streets until we’re pulling onto a familiar street.

My stomach clenches as the Sovereign Sons’ compound comes into view.

The building looks just as daunting in the dark as I remember it.

The two-story building is spread along the horizon.

I can tell that they’ve done some remodeling since the last time I saw it, the once light gray siding has been replaced by something darker, and every inch of the compound is illuminated.

We pull up to a gate, stopping long enough for someone to open it from the other side, and then pull up to the front of the building. I don’t move as Grayson pulls the motorcycle to a stop or even as he climbs off. I stay rooted in my seat as I look around, so many memories flooding me.

Not all the times I had here were bad. Most of them were good, even. I had friends here. Not just Grayson and Rowan. Most of the club members had kids around my age. We all grew up together. Most of them stayed in town. I didn’t.

A small hand clasps my own. I look down and find Asher beside me with a huge smile on his face. I can’t help but return it.

“That was so much fun, mama!” He tells me, squeezing my hand. “I want to do it again.”

I snort. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, all right? ”

He nods his head eagerly and then looks up at the large building. “What is this place?”

“This is our compound,” Grayson says, stepping up next to us. “You and your mama will be much safer here.”

I roll my eyes as I climb off the bike, allowing myself a moment to let my legs adjust to being on solid ground again. “We would have been fine,” I grumble.

Grayson pins me with a look. I swallow the lump in my throat and pull Asher into my side.

“Come with me,” he orders as he strides toward the building.

I don’t immediately follow. I turn to look for an escape but only find Rowan smirking at me. “Don’t think about it, Soph,” he murmurs. “He wouldn’t let it slide.” He motions for me to follow Grayson.

I sigh but pull Asher along with me, my bare feet soaking in the last of the day’s warmth left in the concrete. Grayson holds the metal door open wide for us and waits for us to enter. I step into the building with my heart in my stomach.

The main room is bustling with activity.

There’s loud music and laughter, with people scattered around the room.

A quick scan tells me I don’t need to cover Asher’s eyes from anything nefarious.

Grayson and Rowan enter the room after me and when the metal door slams closed, the entire room turns to face us.

All noise dies out when their eyes fall on me and I’m suddenly aware that I’m standing here in just a threadbare t-shirt. I push my shoulders back and hold my head high, determined not to let them see my nerves.

“What the hell is she doing here?” A familiar voice calls out.

I look toward the sound and find Cane staring at me. He definitely doesn’t look happy to see me. I pull Asher closer to me.

“For those of you who don’t know,” Grayson calls out, his voice echoing in the silent room, “This is Sophie Parker, John’s daughter.

” The room erupts in whispers, mainly from the people I don’t recognize.

“Her and her son will be staying here for the foreseeable future. They are off limits. She is off limits. Do not cause problems or you’ll be answering to me. Am I clear?”

Answers erupt in the form of, “yes, pres,” and “sure, pres.”

“Good,” Grayson says. “The main area is off limits for all extracurricular activities while there are kids present.” Groans sound around the room.

“Mama, what are extracircular activities?” Asher whisper shouts from my side. I wince as I shake my head at him, but Rowan’s chuckle from behind me lets me know that everyone heard him .

Grayson turns to face me. “Follow me, Noah already has your bags in the room.”

He waits for Asher and me to be beside him before he puts his hand at the small of my back and leads us out of the main area. The sound filters back into the room as we exit and my shoulders slump in relief. Grayson leads us through the familiar hallways until we get to a new one.

“We added on a few years ago,” he says as if reading my mind. He always could do that, sense what I’m thinking.

I nod my head.

He leads us upstairs and down a long hallway, stopping in front of the last room to punch in a code. After the screen lights up green, he opens the door and motions for us to enter.

We step inside and I’m surprised by how nice the space is.

It’s nothing like how I remember the club rooms growing up.

This is nicer than my apartment back in Atlanta.

Before us is an open concept living area and kitchen.

There are rooms off to the side that let me believe there are at least three bedrooms and a main bathroom.

The room is part exposed brick and part drywall.

It’s masculine, but not too masculine. The kitchen has wood cabinets with black hardware and black appliances.

Instead of a dining room, the kitchen has an island that seats four people.

The living area has two worn leather couches that overlook a large television. It’s a beautiful space .

“Wow,” I murmur as I take it all in.

“You guys can stay in here,” Grayson says, basically ignoring my shock. “You can each take a room. No one will bother you in here. I was serious about the off limits, comment. If anyone gives you shit, you tell me,” he says as he pins me with a look.

“That’s a bad word,” Asher hisses, making me bite my lip to hide my smile.

“What?” Grayson asks with a furrowed brow.

“You have to put a dollar in the swear jar,” Asher tells him as he puffs out his chest.

Grayson turns his questioning gaze on me.

I shrug my shoulders. “Swear jar.”

Grayson pulls out his wallet and gives Asher a five-dollar bill.

“This should get me by for a day,” he grumbles.

“Kid is going to make a killing here.” He turns and walks toward the door.

“No one can get inside without a code and Rowan, Axel and I are the only ones who know it. Breakfast is at eight, don’t be late. ”

With that, he strides out of the room, and I take my first full breath in an hour.

****

I wake up enveloped in Grayson’s scent. I turn over and grab my phone, shutting off the alarm before flopping back onto the bed.

Grayson’s bed. It didn’t take me long to figure it out last night.

Grayson is letting us stay in his suite .

The president’s suite . For a moment, I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a space that was my father’s, but a quick inventory of the space made me realize that none of this stuff was his, it was all Grayson’s.

My dad would have never had anything this nice in his space. I slept like the dead in Grayson’s king-sized bed. His bed sheets are the softest I’ve ever felt. I am choosing to ignore how much comfort his scent gave me, though.

I set my alarm for a half hour early this morning so I could get ready before going down for breakfast. There was no way in hell that I was facing my past without looking my best this morning.

Especially after showing up in just my sleep shirt last night.

My makeup and hair give me a sense of protection like armor.

I roll out of bed and walk into the ensuite bathroom to get ready. This is another nice space. It’s definitely more masculine, with terracotta and black tiles, a wood vanity with black countertops, and black fixtures.

Noah, the prospect who collected our bags from the motel, chose rooms for us. He gave me Grayson’s room and Asher the bedroom next door. I appreciated that he knew I would want to keep Asher close.

I walk over to the vanity and pull out my cosmetics bag, quickly applying foundation, concealer, bronzer, blush, and a little mascara.

I finish it off with setting spray and then brush my teeth.

When I’m done, I put lip oil on and set to taming my wild hair.

I brush it until it falls in soft waves down my back, thankful that it was already curled the day before.

I use the restroom and then head back into Grayson’s bedroom to get dressed.

I pull my duffle bag onto his bed and search through its contents.

I didn’t bring all my clothes with me, but I did bring enough to get by.

Just in case I had to stick around to deal with my father’s estate.

It’ll take a long time for me to restock my clothes and Asher’s, but I couldn’t afford to go back to Atlanta to get our belongings, and my landlord would clear everything out if I wasn’t back in two days to pay the next month’s rent.

I’ve seen it happen to other tenants before.

I sigh as I pull out a pair of distressed black jeans, an off the shoulder Nirvana t-shirt, and a pair of matching underwear and bra. I have a weird thing where I can’t wear a set that doesn’t match. Not that anyone’s taking a peek at my bra or underwear lately . Not in the last seven years.

I quickly strip out of my pajamas and get dressed, pulling a pair of socks from my bag before sliding them on and grabbing my combat boots. When I’m tying up the laces, I hear Asher.

“Mama? Can we get breakfast? I’m starving.”

I smile at his sleepy voice. He walks into the room with some crazy bedhead, making my smile spread across my entire face. “Sure thing, buddy. Let’s just tackle that bedhead first,” I tell him as I reach out and ruffle his head.

He giggles before walking into the bathroom to let me do just that. I get Asher ready the rest of the way and then lead him downstairs to the kitchen.

The club is quiet this morning, only soft music is playing from the great room. When I enter, I find familiar faces at the large table.

Grayson and Rowan’s dad, Kurt, greets me with a smile.

“Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t believe Ro when he told me you were back, I had to come see it for myself,” he says as he rises from his seat and walks over to hug me.

I wrap my arms around him and try to hold back my tears.

“It’s so good to see you,” he murmurs into my hair.

I almost forgot how much Grayson and Rowan look like him. They share his height, his broad build, and his smile. Looking at Kurt Williams is like looking at his sons’ futures.

“It’s good to see you, too,” I say, my words muffled by his chest.

This man was always like a father to me, so not seeing him for the last seven years has been an unimaginable loss. I was prepared for him to hate me, just like Grayson does. So, it feels good to know he’s happy I’m here. At least until he knows the truth .

“Can I get one of those hugs?” A craggly voice says from behind us.

I turn to find Chef waiting with open arms. He looks just like I remember. He’s just a few inches shorter than Grayson with a pot belly, short grey hair, and bright smile with a few gold teeth peeking out. I smile and walk over to him, careful not to hug him too tight.

“I’m old, but I’m not going to break from a hug,” he chides as he squeezes me tight.

I laugh and squeeze him tighter.

Chef has been just that since I was little. He’s the chef of the club. He’s also one of the best men I’ve ever met. He’s probably in his eighties now but still looks like he gets around well. This is the man who gave me my love of cooking. We share a special bond.

“Are you still working, old man?” I ask him playfully.

“You’ve been calling me that for years and I just keep getting older,” he laughs. “What else am I gonna do? Retire?”

I pull back and see the unimpressed look he’s giving me. I quickly introduce Chef and Kurt to Asher, not missing the look that they share, or the way that Kurt’s gaze lingers on him.

I look around the room to ease my discomfort and take in the rest of the club members.

They’ve thinned out since last night, so I guess this is the just the Silver Springs chapter.

Most of them are eating quietly at the long table.

My eyes land on Grayson at the head of the table, with Rowan on his right, and who I’m assuming is Axel on his left.

It’s not them that catch my eyes though, it’s my old friend Alice, who is hanging off Grayson’s arm like she’s his.