Page 30 of Unveiled Wishes

“Did he really patch in? He had to be in his thirties.”

“The way I heard it was that my dad was in the right place at the right time. The police thought that a few of the brothers had robbed a local liquor store. They hadn’t, but it was easy to pin things on the club then. The police arrested the brothers, and my dad talked their way out of it. How could they have done it when they had been at the clubhouse? He went on and on, and eventually the police let them go. He earned his patch that way, and we moved into the clubhouse. The club would find out later what a cheat he was.”

“Hey, Jon,” she whispered. “I am glad the club took you in. It can be lonely when you’re missing parents.”

“Yeah, Sabre is only a year older than I am, so we hung out all the time and eventually became friends. A lot of the brothers were tradespeople because they had to do everything themselves. When they needed extra hands, we volunteered, and they taught us the ins and outs. When I was seventeen, I graduated high school and completed a common core carpentry certification at the same time.”

“What happened to your dad?” she asked, the sandpaper stopping again.

“Disappeared on my eighteenth birthday.” I had been old enough to live in the club without my dad. It was more likely that the club had taken out the trash. “Mer? The next time we do this, I want to know about you.”

***

Zook

I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling, my hand rubbing my bottom lip. I could still taste her on my tongue, and I was savoring the flavor. Rolling over, I willed myself to fall asleep, and when that didn’t happen, I rolled to the other side. Counting sheep, I was getting bored, not tired. Eventually, I didn’t bother trying anymore and headed to the main room to see who else was up.

As I came down the stairs, I saw that the only light in the main room was coming from the fireplace someone had lit after dinner. Emily sat in the couch’s corner, staring into the light. She remained lost in her own thoughts. Her head didn’t even turn when the bottom stair creaked underneath my boot. I had a feeling she couldn’t sleep either after this afternoon.

I snuck into the kitchen and made two mugs of hot chocolate. Carrying them into the main room, I handed one to Emily and sat down beside her on the couch.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” she asked me, still staring into the flames as she wrapped her hands around the mug. “Thank you.”

“I tried to count sheep, but since that didn’t work, I gave up trying.” I took a sip from my mug, letting the marshmallow fluff hit my mustache. It tickled, and I quickly swiped my hand across it.

She took a sip from her mug. “Why do you have a dove tattoo underneath your arm? I wasn’t sure, but it looked like the feathers were E’s.”

I hadn't been expecting her to ask the heavy questions so early. I had honestly thought she’d try to deny the kiss in the sand. “Whatever little girl fantasies you’ve developed, let them go,” I quoted from my last letter to her. “I didn’t take my advice. I’ve thought about you more times than I care to admit.”

“You’re avoiding the question. Why do you have a dove tattoo?” She took another sip from her mug, but her head turnedtowards me, her eyes searing into the side of my head, trying to extract the answers she wanted.

“Whenever a dove returns with an olive branch, it symbolizes peace and tranquility.” I wanted her to understand the meaning, but it wasn’t enough. “I secretly wanted to return to you, which is why the feathers are E’s.”

“It’s underneath your armpit.” She turned back towards the fireplace’s light. “I could make so many jokes about that.”

“It’s in a spot that I don’t have to look at constantly, but I can carry it with me.” I thought about how that would sound to her. “How much has How told you about me? From then and even now.” I crossed my boots at the ankle and placed them on the coffee table.

“I didn’t ask my brother about you.” She took another sip of her mug and mirrored my position.

“Why not?” I asked her, confused.

“I was living out my little girl fantasies. It was more romantic if I learned tidbits about you from you.”

I wasn’t paying attention when I took a sip of my mug. The hot chocolate burned my tongue and slid down my throat. I coughed, balling my fist and pounding on my chest. “Flo said something to me right after you arrived. I’ve been turning it over in my head since. She said that I am the type of man who has to live in the moment. I think she’s right because when I received your letter about setting up a life for us, I panicked.”

“You could have just told me you weren’t interested,” Emily huffed.

“Iwasinterested, but I freaked out. When I first read those lines, I looked up into the sky and asked how I had been so lucky to win you. You’re a prize, Em. I wanted to call you mine and show you off to the world as your proud man.”

“Biker poetry.” She shook her head and finished the rest of her hot chocolate.

“Maybe, but for the first five minutes, I was the happiest man alive, until reality sunk in. I didn’t tell How, but I walked over to the comms tent to check my bank account. That’s when I realized I didn’t have any money to send you. I grew up poor, so I’d saved my pay, but it wasn’t enough.”

“I had money…” Her tone told me how exasperated she was.

I didn’t let her finish that statement. “You had a trust fund, and I wasn’t taking money from your parents to support you.” I’d have rather died than take money I hadn’t earned.

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could have figured it out.” She blew out a breath, and it bounced the hairs surrounding her face.

---