Page 18 of Wyatt (The Black Roses MC #5)

Chapter seven

Wyatt

W hy did I agree to come hang out here while Maizie is on a date?

Hell, why do I do half the things I do when it comes to this woman?

When I slipped past her to walk into the house, I had to tamp down the urge to brush her curled hair behind her ear, to pull her into me and tell her that she should cancel.

But I didn’t. I sent her on her way instead and stayed to hang out with her son and our friends.

Thankfully, Mia was here tonight, because after making the cupcakes, Colby was a mess from head to toe.

I thought it was hilarious when I gave him the bowl of chocolate batter to lick, and he stuck his entire head in.

Mia and Knox got a kick out of it too, but when he pulled away, there was batter stuck in his hair and smeared all over his face, even in his ears.

I knew the kid was going to need a bath.

I’ve never bathed a kid. Do you have to sit in there the whole time with them so they don’t accidentally drown?

What if you get soap in their eyes? I’m sure it would hurt like a bitch, but would it do permanent damage?

What if you made the water too hot and gave them third-degree burns?

It all seemed very complicated, but Mia knew what she was doing, and by the end of the night, Colby was tucked in bed, clean and tuckered out.

There’s a knock on the door, and when I pull it open, Charlie and Lucy are standing on the other side with a bottle of wine.

“What are you doing here?” Lucy asks.

“Figured I’d come over with Pepper and hang out with Colby. What are you guys doing here?” I ask.

“Linc roped Jude into helping him with the new bike, which means they’re sitting in our garage, drinking beer and fantasizing about Linc’s new project,” Charlie answers. “Decided we’d come over to get the scoop about Maizie’s date.”

“She’s not back yet,” I tell the girls as they walk past me to the kitchen.

“I know. She texted a few minutes ago that she was on her way home,” Lucy states.

I follow the girls into the kitchen and look at the clock hanging on the wall. It’s not even eight o’clock yet. Can’t have been that great of a date if it lasted less than two hours. Doesn’t matter, Wyatt. It wasn’t your date .

“Hey, guys,” Mia greets, coming in from the patio where we were hanging out, enjoying the warm evening. “Oh good,” she says, pointing to the wine on the counter. “You brought a bottle.”

Charlie grabs wineglasses as Lucy rummages through one of Maizie’s drawers, then triumphantly holds up the wine opener.

“Is Colby asleep?” Lucy asks.

“He just passed out. He said he wanted to stay up until his mom got home, but once he was done with his bath, he couldn’t keep his little eyes open,” Mia answers with a soft grin.

“It doesn’t hurt that he ate his weight in cupcakes,” I say.

“That never hurts anyone. Where are these cupcakes you speak of, by the way?” Charlie asks.

Mia’s smile widens as she lifts the lid of the container sitting on the counter. “Double chocolate, as per Colby’s request.”

“Kid after my own heart,” Lucy says, reaching in and taking a bite of the frosting-covered dessert. “Oh my God, I need you to take these away or I’m going to eat all of them.”

Mia laughs and grabs a couple, putting them on a plate. “Can you take these to Knox?” she asks, handing me the plate.

My brow tips up in suspicion. “Why do I get the distinct impression you’re trying to get rid of me?”

“Because she is. Here, take these too,” Lucy says, grabbing a couple beers from the fridge and handing them to me.

“Mmm. Beer and chocolate cupcakes. Sounds perfect,” I say. It actually sounds disgusting.

“Shoo,” Charlie says, waving her hands to the patio door.

I shake my head and take my beers and plate of cupcakes to the back patio.

“The girls kicked me out, but they sent me with this, so I guess we can consider it a win,” I say to Knox.

I sit at the table, and Knox nods his thanks when I hand him a beer.

Knox is eyeing me like he has something he wants to ask. It’s not like my VP to remain quiet about anything, not that he’s necessarily a man who throws around words like confetti. But if he has a point to make or a question to ask, he’s not one to shy away from speaking his mind.

He tilts his head to the side and another beat passes before he finally asks, “What are you doing here?”

My brows dip in confusion. “Uh, right now I’m having a beer with my brother.”

He shakes his head. “No, what are you really doing here? And don’t give me some bullshit answer. You’ve been hanging out here quite a bit lately.”

A light chuckle escapes me. “You keeping track of my whereabouts? I don’t know if I should be flattered or a little nervous.”

“You’re a fucking smart-ass,” he replies.

It’s my turn to shrug because it’s not as though I’m going to argue. I’m also really good at deflecting conversations I don’t want to have. Learned that one a long time ago.

“Is there something going on with you and Maizie?”

Okay, either I’m losing my touch or Knox is like a dog with a fucking bone tonight.

“She’s a friend. And she’s out with another man, so I can safely say no,” I reply.

“That all?”

“Yup.”

“But you want it to be more.” Most people would frame that as a question, but most people aren’t Knox.

I haven’t talked about this with anyone.

I know Lucy suspects my feelings toward Maizie are a bit more than strictly friendship or employer-employee, so I assume the other girls have some inkling as well.

I let out a breath and take a sip from my beer. Knox is eyeing me, patiently waiting for me to give him an explanation.

“Yeah, I do,” I finally admit to someone other than myself. “But there’s a lot of shit in our way.”

“Such as?”

“Such as Ozzy, for one,” I say. “He was pretty adamant when Maizie started working at Thorn and Thistle that she was off-limits.”

“It was a vulnerable time for the girl. He didn’t want anyone to think she was up for grabs or to make her uncomfortable.

He knew who she was when he hired her. Knows her parents and what fucking assholes they are.

The whole town knew the story of her coming back from Boston pregnant and unmarried.

In her parents’ world, that was some sort of betrayal to them. ”

“Better than her settling for some asshole who knocked her up then treated her like shit.” I would know a little something about that.

“You sound like you have experience there.”

I tilt my head back and forth. “It’s no secret that I didn’t come from a loving home.

That my dad shouldn’t have married my mom when she got knocked up.

He was a cheater and thinks he missed out on being young and free.

She thinks she wasted her life with him.

Both of them are right, too. Though they probably should have figured it out a hell of a lot sooner and saved us all the trouble. ”

Knox narrows his eyes, studying me. “What about you? Do you think tying yourself to a woman means you aren’t free?”

I take another sip of my beer. I’m not sure if I like this chatty side of Knox.

“When I joined the Black Roses, I did it because I believe in what the club stands for. The brotherhood. Living life on our terms, and fuck everyone else. Yeah, the idea that tying myself to someone and all of a sudden there’re rules and questions and—”

“Accountability?” Knox interjects.

“Maybe.” I scrub my hand over my face. “Fuck, man, I don’t know. I know I like her. I know I want to make her life easier. I know I fucking hate that she’s on a date right now with some other guy.”

He takes a long pull from his beer bottle. “That sounds like interest to me.”

“But it needs to be more than that.” I pause and look toward the sky then back to my VP. “She’s got a kid who is fucking awesome and doesn’t deserve to have his life upended because I might decide it’s too much or she decides she can’t handle someone in this world.”

Knox hums, considering his next question. “Do you think it would end up being too much? Being accountable to another person and having the responsibility of having a woman with a kid?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure.” I blow out a sharp breath. “All I ever heard when my parents were fighting was how much my dad hated feeling strapped down. He viewed having a family as a burden. And I’m not saying I would feel the same way, but what if I do? Can’t exactly change genetics.”

“Wyatt, your dad being an asshole has nothing to do with genetics. Look at Linc. His dad was a piece of shit, but he’d sooner cut off his own hand than raise a finger to Charlie.”

I shake my head. “That’s different.”

“How?”

“He had you and Tanya to protect him. To show him that’s not how you treat your wife and kids.

Tanya left and took you guys out of that shit.

My mom stayed, and I dealt with the fallout every time they had a fight.

Every time my dad cheated. Every time my mom got back at him by blowing money at the casino or charging a bunch of shit we couldn’t afford to his credit card.

I didn’t exactly have a role model for being a good parent or partner. ”

“When you talk about the brotherhood and living life on our terms, maybe that means doing the opposite of what you grew up with. I would trust you with my life, with the life of any of our brothers and our women. That counts for something. Maybe living life on your terms means you decide what genetics dictate, and the rest is up to you.” He shrugs.

“Sure, you might look like your dad, but that doesn’t mean you need to make your dad’s mistakes.

You had shit role models? Do the opposite of what you grew up with and see where that takes you. ”

“I can’t exactly see where that takes me when there’s a kid involved.”

Knox lets out a light chuckle. “You’re so fucking dumb sometimes.”

“Thanks, asshole.”