Page 21 of Parrish

“All these years, he’s been training me to take over the club, but he never taught me how to be the patriarch of a family,” he continues, causing me to divert my attention back to him. “When he made me his V.P., I vowed to have his back in everything. That was a long fucking time ago. Before his family became my family too and his daughter took my name. Now, our family is hurtin’ and I don’t know what the fuck to do,” he confesses. “I don’t know how to make it right for you, Lacey and Danny.”

“You don’t have to make anything right for me, Blackie,” I assure him. “Unless you can make this all go away and keep him here with me, it’ll be a wasted effort.”

Releasing a sigh, I pause for a moment.

“Stop worrying about me,” I say, holding his gaze. “You’re not the only who made a promise to Jack,” I tell him. “You may have vowed to have his back, but I took vows too. In sickness and in health, until death do we part. You’re not alone, Blackie. Keeping this family together is just as much my responsibility as it is yours. You know, I’m going to tell you something and it stays between us…”

He turns his head and his beady eyes peer back at me expectantly.

“Jack put too much on his plate,” I rasp. “He tried to be a leader, a brother, a husband and a father. It was admirable of him and I love him for it, but sometimes we need to set limits for ourselves and that’s something Jack never learned. He pushed the envelope time and time again. Know your limits, Blackie,” I whisper. “Concentrate on Lacey and the baby.”

“I don’t know how to be a father,” he rasps hoarsely, pushing the fallen strands of hair away from his face. “I was banking on Jack teaching me,” he admits.

“Blackie, you don’t need Jack to teach how to be a father,” I tell him, placing a reassuring hand on his forearm. “The moment your baby is born, and you hold her or him in your arms, all the answers will come to you. You’ll make mistakes because we all do, but you’ll learn from them.” I pause to study him for a moment and a smile spreads across my face. “It’s going to be so much fun watching you navigate through fatherhood.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he grumbles, reclining against the back of the sofa. “Jack keeps wishing a girl on me.”

“That’s because you took his little girl from him,” I say softly. “But I can picture you with a daughter. Oh God…” I gasp. “…she’s going to have you wrapped around her finger,” I add, picturing a miniature Lacey hanging all over him. She’ll ask him to play Barbie’s with her and he’ll shed his leathers, get down on the floor and without question, he’ll give into her requests.

He looks at me and cocks his head to the side, almost as if he’s picturing life with a little girl too.

“A daughter,” he mutters. “Fucking crazy shit,” he says, shaking his head slightly. Blowing out a deep breath, he stares at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Reina.”

“What’re you sorry for?”

“If I hadn’t dropped that gun—”

“You don’t know that, Blackie.”

The truth of the matter is if it wasn’t the gun, it would’ve been something else. Jack has been giving up for a while now. All Blackie did was give him the out he so desperately craved and the ability to hold on to his dignity.

“I’m here, Reina,” he says softly. “I might not have my shit together, but I’m here and I ain’t going anywhere. If you need someone to take Danny to baseball or a man to talk to him when shit gets real, I’m here. To shovel your snow and rotate your tires, I’m here.”

As much as I want to cry, I smile instead.

My husband taught him well.

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