Page 35 of Hammer

The question didn’t surprise me.If anything, I’d have thought less of her if she hadn’t asked.She crossed her arms over her chest, a physical barrier between us as she waited for my answer.Every line of her body screamed protection -- a mother bear ready to fight for her cubs.

“That’s fair,” I said, giving her question the respect it deserved.“What exactly are you worried about?”

“Piston…” She hesitated, her jaw tightening.“He was cruel to them.Used them against me.Terrorized them when he was angry or drunk or just bored.”Her voice dropped.“Chase tried to protect me from the time he was twelve, but when he was fourteen Piston put him in the hospital.Three broken ribs and a concussion.”

Rage flared hot in my chest.No wonder the kid was so vigilant, so protective.He’d been in the trenches, fighting a war he was too young to understand against an enemy he had no hope of defeating.

“I need to know you won’t hurt them,” Amelia continued, watching my face with the careful assessment of someone who’d learned to read moods to survive.“That you won’t treat them like they’re in your way or use them to control me.”

I straightened up from the railing, meeting her gaze directly.This wasn’t a moment for casual postures or half-truths.“I have never laid a hand on a child in anger,” I said, my voice steady and firm.“Not my own, not anyone else’s.And I never will.”

She didn’t flinch from my stare, measuring the truth in my words.“Even when Chase challenges you?Because he will.It’s how he protects himself -- how he protects all of us.”

“The boy’s earned the right to be cautious,” I acknowledged.“I don’t expect blind obedience or instant trust.That would be foolish of me.”

I thought of my own journey with Aura and Sam.Fatherhood hadn’t come naturally to me, but I’d learned.Made mistakes.Grown.The memories of Aura’s early days with me -- her nightmares, her distrust, her slow journey toward healing -- flooded back.

“I raised a daughter who came to me traumatized,” I continued.“And a son who tested every boundary I set, even though he was already a grown-ass adult.I’m not perfect.I get angry.I say things I regret sometimes.But I don’t solve problems with my fists, especially not with kids, or with women.”

Amelia’s posture relaxed slightly, but her eyes remained watchful.“And how would you discipline them?”

“They’re not little kids, Amelia.Chase is nearly a man, and Levi’s not far behind.At their age, it’s about guidance more than discipline.”I shook my head.“But if you’re asking if I’d hit them, the answer is no.Never.Not an option.”

“And if they break rules?If they mess up?”

“Then there are consequences.Loss of privileges.Extra chores.Straight talk about making better choices.”I shrugged.“Same as with any kid.Once I realized Aura was interested in motorcycles, her punishment was learning how to take a bike apart and put it back together.No phone calls, no TV.Taught her a skill and made her think twice about lying to me.”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips before fading.“You’d be firm with them?”

“When needed.”I nodded.“I won’t pretend to be a pushover.Rules matter, especially in our world.But there’s a world of difference between being strict and being unreasonable or abusive.They need room to grow, and that means making mistakes.It’s how people learn, even adults.”

She absorbed this, her gaze dropping to the weathered boards of the porch.I watched emotions flicker across her face -- hope, doubt, calculation.She was weighing risks, measuring the cost of trusting me against the benefit of protection.

“I’ve seen how you are with Aura,” she said finally.“And with Sam.They respect you, but they’re not afraid of you.”

“Fear doesn’t build respect,” I said.“Just resentment.”

Amelia’s shoulders relaxed, dropping from their defensive hunch.“Chase needs someone to look up to.Someone who isn’t…” She trailed off.

“Someone who isn’t Piston,” I finished for her.

She nodded, her eyes suddenly bright with unshed tears.“And Levi needs someone who sees his value.His father always treated him like he was weak because he prefers computers to fighting.”

“The kid’s smart as hell,” I said.“That’s not weakness.That’s just a different kind of strength.Wire and his family are practically gods not only in this club, but among others as well.Just don’t tell him I said that because I’ll fucking deny it.”

“So you’ll…” She hesitated.“You’ll help guide them?Be a positive influence?”

I ran a hand through my silver hair, feeling the weight of what she was asking.Being an old lady was one thing.Becoming a father figure to two damaged teenagers was something else entirely.But looking at her -- this woman who’d survived hell to protect her sons -- I couldn’t find it in me to say no.

“I’ll do my best,” I promised, wondering if I could actually deliver on that.I hadn’t exactly had a hand in raising Sam.Hopefully I sounded more confident than I felt.“Can’t guarantee I won’t screw up sometimes.But I’ll treat them with respect.Give them boundaries and safety.Show them there are men in this world who keep their word.”

The tension drained from Amelia’s body like water through a sieve.She nodded, her decision visibly solidifying behind her eyes.“Then I still want to do this,” she said firmly.“I want to be your old lady.”

Despite everything, despite knowing this was an arrangement born of necessity rather than love, something in me responded to her certainty.A warmth I hadn’t expected spread through my chest.Maybe she wasn’t the only one who needed a companion.

“All right then,” I said.“I’ll talk to Savior tomorrow.Make it official with the club.”

I hoped she didn’t come to regret this.I stared out at the darkened compound, listening to the crickets chirp and the sound of a motorcycle somewhere farther down the road.Normally, those sounds would make me feel calm.Tonight, they didn’t do shit for the turmoil inside me.

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