Page 45 of Speed

Ipaced and worriedso much at the club that Tank and Perry teamed up on me. They volunteered to stay past their shifts and close Soft Tails if I would just go home. It seemed I had gotten on their nerves. Whatever.

When I dropped Ally off today for school and her party she asked again if she could just go to Mrs. Mayson’s house. I wanted to let her do it, but I couldn’t let her think that it was okay to be excluded because you were different. Still, I checked with Mrs. Elderman and Ally wouldn’t be the only one without a parent there. Ally gave in and went to her seat, and I went to work.

She spotted me when she was brought out with the other car riders. The smile plastered on her face told me she was happy to see me. The bouncing in the back seat told me the day hadn’t been so bad.

“He came, Momma. They all came. We made faces on plates and cut out dolls, and he said next time we’d do a bike like Aaron got to do and he’d come to my parties.”

When she stopped to breathe, I asked, “Who, sweetie?”

“Speed and his friends, they all came, and we didn’t haves to sit by ourselves and make our things. We called them the fill-in daddies.” I imagined the six big bikers had been a hit and didn’t even know it.

I looked in the rearview mirror, she was so happy as she ran her hand over the face she’d made on the plate.

“Whens Daddy going to live with us all the times?”

“What?”

“Speed, he’s my daddy, whens will we all lives together?” When I looked back in the mirror, she was looking at me.

“You know Speed’s your daddy?” Everyone had been careful not to say anything in front of her until we’d figure out how to go about it.

“Yes.” No pause, no hesitation from her.

“How?”

“He has my face.” Well, wasn’t that simple.

“Yes, he does.”

Speed

I’d closed the doorto the room the guys had helped me finish when I heard the car pull up. When I made it downstairs and opened the front door arms wrapped around my legs and neck.

“What’s wrong?” My daughter was attached to my legs, and her mother had me around the neck, and my chest tightened on what it could mean.

“You went to the school. You had your friends go too. You made a doll out of paper and promised a bike next time.” I looked down into Sami’s eyes when she stepped back.

“Okay, and you drove out here to tell me that. I was there.” Tears filled her eyes, and if she hadn’t smiled, I would have panicked.

“I know, I know, I’m rambling. She told me about her day with you, she made it simple, it had all been so simple.”

“Babe, you got to give me a clue here.”

Ally let go of my legs and looked up at me, “Daddy, it’s because yous got my face.” Then she walked into the house like she’d been there before. And her mother was right—it was that simple.

“Did she just call me—”

“Daddy. She’d known, Kane. I guess she waited for us to catch up.”

“You know you aren’t leaving here, right? You came here, and now you can’t leave.”

“I hadn’t planned to. We’re home, Kane, if you want us?”

“You got me a bike, Daddy!”

“You didn’t.” I took Sami’s hand and pulled her into the house and up the stairs where we found our daughter in the room we’d just finished. Her room.

“Oh my God. Did you do all this for her?” Sami walked in the room and turned in circles.

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