Page 61 of Dozer

“You can’t be married to a biker,” my father said. “And especially not a man in a one-percenter club. We raised you better than this.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to say they hadn’t raised me at all, but Dozer touched my hand just before Brain told them, “I believe if you focus on the good we do, you’ll find the public won’t see the biker aspect in such a negative light. Regardless, she and Mr. Stevens are certainly married, and the union has been consummated so there won’t be an annulment.”

My face went hot at that, since Brain had basically just told my parents I’d been fucked a few hours ago — and I absolutely had.

Mom lowered her voice to say, “We can backdate a psych report to show she wasn’t of sound mind, we can—”

Dad put his hand on her shoulder, pulled back a little, and when she went silent, he said, “A payment, then. One hundred thousand dollars, either in cash or deposited into your account, Mr. Stevens. However you’d like it. We’ll call it a wedding present, but it means you’ll sign whatever is necessary for an annulment and agree not to see our daughter again.” He looked at me. “We’ll send you to the art college in London. Not doing so was apparently a mistake, and we’ll rectify it immediately.”

“I don’t want or need your money,” Dozer told him. “Whether Daisy accepts the offer of college is entirely up to her.”

“Stop biting your lip,” my mother said, exasperated.

I hadn’t realized I was, but rather than tell her I’m an adult and I’ll bite my lip if I want, I kept to the topic and told my dad, “Part of me wishes you’d let me go to the college I wanted to from the start, but mostly, I think I’m glad you didn’t, because I’d have never met Dozer if you had. I’m his wife now, and we don’t need your money.”

My dad looked back to Dozer. “Half a million, given creatively in shelters so it’s legal and aboveboard, but also tax free.”

“As Daisy told you, we don’t need your money, Mr. Hearst. The answer will be the same no matter the offer, so don’t bother climbing higher and higher.”

“I’ll climb higher,” my mom told Dozer. “Two million dollars. It’s a solid offer. Tax free. Daisy isn’t likely to meet the terms for any of her trust funds, so it’s your only hope of extorting us for money. Now or never.”

Brain looked to Dozer, met his gaze, and then looked back to my parents and told them, “He isn’t going to take it. He’s in love with Daisy, and I’d like to suggest you should be happy she’s found someone who adores her as much as he does.”

Mom looked at me a handful of seconds before she said, “You haven’t worked since you left. How have you been supporting yourself?”

“Dray was bad news, and that was a lesson I learned the hard way. You were right about him, but you haven’t taken the time to get to know Dozer, and I’ve learned my lesson about…” I sighed. “I’m not prepared to talk to you about where I’m headed, careerwise, and that isn’t because I’m ashamed of it, but because I’m excited about it, and I don’t think the two of you will be, and if you’re negative about it…” I shrugged. “I don’t want to go there, yet.”

“I think I can give you some assurances here,” Brain told my parents. “She won’t be involved in illegal activities, and in fact, will be taking part in some charities that do a lot of good for our community. We all want to see Daisy find fulfillment. She’s chosen a career she can make a living from, and the MC will help Dozer find a path to help her get there.”

“And your chosen career?” my dad asked Brain.

“I’m the head geek for our organization. It gives me time at a keyboard, but also plenty of time outdoors. I belong here in ways I can’t adequately explain, and that isn’t because my parents did something wrong, it’s just that their life wasn’t for me. I’m married to the love of my life, and that means I live on a farm, with horses. So many horses.” He smiled. “Never in a million years would I have thought this would be my life back when I first left for Europe, but I’m happier than I knew it was possible to be. Will you let us help Daisy find her happy life?”

My dad looked at Dozer and said, “Help me understand how your organization makes money.”

“The Chattanooga chapter owns a restaurant, several laundromats, a completely legal gun store with an attached shooting range, a martial arts facility, and a bike shop we’ve expanded to also handle classic cars. We also raise cattle, and we’ve purchased several businesses to go along with it, so we’re completely vertical, from the cattle to the processed beef. The restaurant we’re sitting in purchases their grass-fed steaks from us, in fact.”

“I saw no arrests for drug trafficking, but there are arrests for procuring,” my dad said.

I furrowed my brow because I wasn’t aware of what he’d been arrested for.Procuringwas news to me.

“Ah, our retro motor hotel. The police in that part of town have indeed harassed us a great deal, but I’m sure you saw that the charges have never stuck, yes?”

“Doesn’t mean the place isn’t full of prostitutes who’ve been well-coached.”

“If we’ve reached the end of a constructive conversation,” Brain said, “it’s probably time for us to take our leave. Please feel free to order dinner, it’s on the MC this evening. I suggest the steaks.”

He and Dozer stood together, and I let Dozer pull me up and wrap his arm around me from the side.

“I’m actually happy to see the two of you,” I told them. “I wish it could’ve been friendlier, but this wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“We worry about you, Daisy,” my dad said, standing, but he still had to look up to Dozer, probably more than he expected to. My dad’s tall and looks down on most men.

“I’m okay, Dad. I wasn’t, for a while, but I am now. I’m a newlywed, can you be happy for me?”

“You were cheated out of a big wedding,” said Mom, now also standing tall in her heels and power suit. “It feels like a loss.”

I looked to Dozer, and he gave a tiny nod, which I took to mean I could tell my mom our plans. “We moved our wedding up, in part because I want Dozer to be the one making medical decisions if I’m unconscious or there’s another problem, but we’d planned on a medium-sized fancy wedding with a huge reception, though it’s possible it’ll be a huge wedding, too. If you’re interested, I’ll make sure you get an invitation, when they go out.”

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