Page 41 of Speed

“I didn’t hear you even come in.” How was I not going to have my dad and brother asking questions if I couldn’t even stay focused?

“You were somewhere else, maybe with a certain biker?” She wagged her eyebrows up and down.

“Not one word. I mean it. I haven’t talked with Ally about Speed yet. I don’t need my brother and my dad going into a protective mode or worse, murder. I want to be able to tell them and not have them go off. You know they will.” It hadn’t helped that right before Speed left this morning he reminded me I was now down to two days left of my week. I wanted my daughter to have a father, but a part of me still didn’t want to risk myself. It had nothing to do with him. He spent time with Ally before she went to bed, in the morning he fixed breakfast and ate with her before he left. And that only made me feel more like shit for holding off telling her. When the two were together, there was no doubt they were already close and cared for each other. I was the one holding back, the one with doubts of forever with a man I was still getting to know, and the one who was afraid to let her feeling be known for fear of rejection.

“Earth to Sami.”

“I swear if you don’t stop, I’m going to slap the crap out of you. For someone, who a few days ago, suffered from issues with MCs, you sure have changed your tune.”

The smile left her face, and I felt like shit, it wasn’t her fault I was nervous about discussing any of this with my dad. “Sorry, uncalled for.” I moved around the kitchen to stay busy if I stopped there was a good chance of a breakdown.

“You’re happy, which makes me happy. And I know you are worried about what your dad is going to say but, Sami, he wants you happy too. With all the crap going on at Haven, you being here, I think you will be surprised how he reacts to everything. I promise not to spill before you get the chance to tell him. I’ll even try not to kill Reed when he starts in on his relentless teasing of us. The man is older than we are, yet he reverts back to eight when he is around us.” She was right about that, Reed had always been a pain in our ass growing up.

Ally was dressed when she walked in the kitchen, “When is Grandpa and Uncle Reed getting here?” She bounced where she stood, looking between Carly and me.

“Excited are you, short girl?” Yet another name that had Ally giggling.

“Yep, is Speed coming too?” Carly looked at me and smirked. Yeah, I couldn’t wait long to talk with my dad, Ally would spill all if she had an opening.

“No, sweetie, he’s busy today. Today is about your grandpa, okay?”

“Okay. But will he come for a sleepover tonight?” I glared at Carly when she laughed, which only made her laugh harder. But before more could be said, we heard the sound of bikes and Ally took off for the front door. Seemed my dad and brother had arrived.

“What’s going on, Sami?” My dad came in the back door. I’d come in the house to get everyone something to drink while we waited for dinner to be ready. The day had gone smoothly, and Ally hadn’t even mentioned Speed in front of him or my brother. I needed to come clean before she did, I just hadn’t found the right time to talk with him.

Wild Bill stood patiently waiting for me to answer him. “Nothing, everything is going great here. A little sad you can only stay tonight and have to go back in the morning, but I understand.” He’d planned to stay two days but something had happened before he left Haven, he wouldn’t say what because “it’s club business” the standard response was given, so they needed to get back.

And I was running out of time.

“You’ve been acting normal, and the key in that is acting. Something is going on, and I want to know right now.” He was digging in, I knew, when his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t going to give up, and I cracked. We were alone in the house; Carly, Reed, and Ally were outside. Reed had the grill going, and Carly and Ally were kicking a ball around in the yard. Might as well give it up, he wouldn’t kill his own daughter, maybe.

“Dad, I need to tell you who—” The doorbell cut me off and my dad headed for the door. I sighed, when he came back, I would just blurt it out, then deal when it was over.

“Who are you?” I rushed out of the kitchen at my dad’s tone and slid to a stop when Speed looked over my dad’s head at me. This was so not going to be good. Speed left this morning because he knew my dad was due. He said he’d give me time.

“Kane Weston, Enforcer at Black Hawk, call me Speed.”

“They know I’m visiting, I called and cleared it. Maybe you need to be better at retaining info.” My dad’s voice changed into a club’s president voice. The one that said, “Don’t fuck with me.” I tried to give Speed the “what are you doing” stare but he ignored me, and when he spoke I seriously thought my head was going to explode.

“Yeah, we know you are here.”

“Then why are you standing at my daughter’s door?

“My dad asked you a question, asshole. This is my sister’s house?” My head turned when Reed spoke, I hadn’t even heard him come through the house. Bells, everyone was going to start wearing fucking bells.

Speed

I’d chuckle at thelook on Sami’s face if her dad weren't standing there, looking like he was ready to go down. She favored him, the dark hair, green eyes, but the facial features and height, she must’ve inherited from her mother.

Wild Bill was a large barrel-chested man who stood at least six foot five. Before I could answer his last question, I watched another large man walk toward the door. Had to be the brother, Reed. He took after Wild Bill in everything except the hair and eyes. I imagined the sandy blond hair and blue eyes were shared with his mother.

They waited for me to speak. My intentions when I came were to meet her dad, giving Sami support if she needed it. She was supposed to talk with him, let him know about me being Ally’s dad. She hadn’t and when Wild Bill opened the door, he might have asked who I was, but his eyes had told a different story before they went blank again. One of acknowledgment. He saw the resemblance like everyone else.

So since he knew or suspected, I decided to verify it for him, and take care of the word ‘My’ once again—for him and the brother.

“Yeah, and this isMYwoman’s house andMYdaughter’s.” The brother’s eyes narrowed, Sami turned pale, and when I looked at Wild Bill his face was blank, then he nodded his head and stepped back.

“Come on in, Speed, let’s go out back and have a beer and talk. Seems my dau...your woman was holding back some information.” He walked by Sami, “I’ll get that from her later.” I followed, and as I passed Sami, I stopped and kissed her forehead, then continued behind Wild Bill, leaving her and Reed standing there.

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