Page 3 of Ghost's Obsession

“Yeah, we look like trouble from the outside,” Tusk agrees, more serious now after seeing my reaction to him bringing up the latest woman to vanish on me. “People make assumptions that aren’t always true about us.”

Glancing up to catch his eye, I say, “You’re lucky. You found yourself a good woman.”

Tusk tosses his fork down onto his plate and his expression turns grim. “My Brittany ran from me too and I nearly lost everything. I didn’t give up on her though. You have to find the woman you can’t live without and then not give up. Track her to the ends of the earth if you have to. Figure out what she’s afraidof and put those fears to rest. If you want it bad enough and it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”

“That’s easy for you to say, Tusk. You’ve already got a bunch of kids at home.”

“And I don’t regret my marriage to Gina one bit because it gave me four of those kids, but marriage to her was anything but easy. Everything happens for a reason. If Gina hadn’t cheated on me, I’d have never ended up here and I’d have never met Brittany or had my daughter. You never know what’s around the corner, trust the process, brother,” he responds, before chowing down a handful of fries.

“Never had you down as a philosopher,” I mutter. Then add, “I’d give anything to just have an old lady and one kid waiting for me at home.”

“If you keep looking, that’ll happen for you. The key is you can’t give up. Your one will probably pop up when you least expect it. That’s what happened to me. You’re a smart, strong, resourceful brother. Some woman’s dream come true.”

I take a drink of my beer to cover my emotional reaction to his encouraging words, then stammer, “Thanks for the kind words, Tusk. You’re a good brother.”

His gaze turns pensive, and then he adds, “You’re not the problem. You know that, right?”

I take another drink of my beer, rolling the cold glass between my hands as I think over his words.

Then I say, without looking at him, “It’s not like I’m looking for a damn fairy princess. I don’t want perfection, like some men do. I just… someone who sees and appreciates the real me, instead of judging me by my rough, scarred exterior.”

“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I wanted the same thing and found it with Brittany. She’s a woman who can hold her own, stand up for herself and our kids, and knows better than to judge a man by the ink he wears.”

“I think you got the last good, strong woman with her head screwed on right. I wouldn’t even know where to look for someone like your old lady.”

Before Tusk can answer, a familiar voice cuts through the music and background noise.

Brittany asks, “Are you two talking about women again?”

Tusk’s old lady walks over. Her hair’s pulled up in a messy bun. She’s got that sharp, clear-eyed expression she always wears—the one that makes her look grounded and full of the kind of wisdom women earn from living a hard life. She used to be one of the club girls here and was a bit wild. But she and Tusk hooked up when he was a prospect and cheesy as it might sound, I think it was love at first sight for both of them.

She gazes down at me, all warm and approving. “Let me guess. You think women keep leaving because there’s something wrong with you.”

I glance away, embarrassed to be having this conversation with my club brother’s old lady. “I’m clearly the one common denominator. It stands to reason that I’m the problem.”

Brittany leans forward and says sternly, “You’re a righteous brother, Ghost. You’re handsome, smart, and loyal. You’d make some lucky lady a great husband. If they can’t see that, it’s not your problem. That’s on them.”

I stare into her eyes for a long, hard moment. There’s nothing but honesty on her face. She really means what she just said. And it means the world to me.

“Thanks, Britt. You’re a righteous old lady, and I’m glad you and Tusk found each other.”

She gives me a succinct nod. “Anytime.”

After she wanders off again, Tusk says quietly, “My old lady’s not wrong.” He nudges the extra plate of fries towards me.

I grab another fry and shove it into my mouth. As I chew, I think over Brittany’s words. Maybe she’s right—that it really is them. I like the idea that I just haven’t found that special someone who can see past the patch and the ink.

Tusk takes another sip of his beer, then changes the subject.

“So, how are all your side gigs going?”

My mood picks up immediately. “So far, I’m busy most evenings and most every weekend. My new house is weird. I have two garages—one attached to the house and the other detached. The former owner used one as a woodworking shop. Been thinkin’ about renovating it into an Airbnb.”

Tusk’s interest perks up. “That’s damn smart, Ghost. I’ve heard there is good money in short-term rentals, and you live out in the country. I’ll bet it’s quiet out there.”

“I’m not gonna lie, it is damned beautiful. The idea of renting it out for now and having it for my mom when she gets too old to live by herself makes good financial sense to me.”

Sitting here with Tusk, enjoying decent food and good company doesn’t fix all my problems, but it makes things a damn sight more bearable.

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