Page 18 of Flirt

“Nah, I’m good. I can’t stay long. Claire’s already left for the bakery, and I wanted to drop off the food before we took off for a ride. The weather is clear today, and the temperature isn’t bad. The storm we were supposed to get blew over, which was good. So we’re going to take advantage and enjoy riding while we can.” I knew he was talking about the other dads when he said we.

“Damn, if the others and I weren’t meeting up to discuss club business, I would tag along. It’s been a while since I went out riding with no set place in mind,” I said offhandedly as I uncapped the bottle of water and took a drink.

“Yeah, noticed you boys haven’t been doing as much riding as you used to.”

“Hard for Speed, Crusher, Devil, Ghost, and Jag to carve out time to ride between work, kids, and women,” I said and finished off the water and threw the bottle in the trash.

“You and Coast could have taken off. Nothing tying the two of you down. Well, at least before Coast caught the doc, that is,” Dad said and chuckled.

I shook my head. Since the dads had stepped down from the club's leadership, they had way too much time on their hands. I wasn’t the least bit curious how he knew Mac was at Coast’s house.

“You and the other dads have turned into gossiping old women. Maybe we need to find you all something to do inside the club.” It was my turn to chuckle at the look on my dad’s face.

“Not a fucking chance in hell with that. We’ve done our time. If we want to sit on our asses or ride off when we have the notion, we’ve earned it. Besides, it’s why we have you boys.” He stood and pushed the stool back under the bar.

“Ah, finally the reason comes out on why we were kept,” I said jokingly.

“Fuck no. We kept you pain in the asses because your mothers were batshit crazy. No sensible adult would have left one of you boys in their care,” he said, shook his head, then stared me in the eyes. “I often wonder if your need to regulate everything in your life stems from the lack of control of your circumstances growing up. Each of you has handled your mothers’ absences in different ways. But you’ve always been the more serious one. More often than not, the one who had to be in control of what you and the others did or didn’t do. What worries me is your relentless drive to circumvent letting others get too close to you.”

“What are you talking about? I let others get close to me. Case in point, my brothers,” I waved my hand out and continued. “And that includes all my brothers, not just Speed, Crusher, Devil, Coast, and Jag. Ghost and I became good friends long before he joined the club,” I said and frowned, not sure where my dad was going with his impromptu speech.

“Yet you have never let one woman get close to you. I’m not talking about the closeness while you’re fucking one or the friendship and brotherly feelings you have toward Sami, Carly, River, Bailey, Luna, and Mac.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Don’t tell me you think because I enjoy order in my life, a little kink with my sex or haven’t had a serious relationship with a woman is from not having a mother present when I was growing up.” I rubbed a hand down my face, then I started laughing. “How damn long have you been holding that one inside?”

“Don’t be a dick. I’m your dad, and I have a right to worry when I see you pulling away from the others and spending a helluva lot of time by yourself. Especially after Coast left and went to Kiyaya’s place. He’s back now, but he’s finally hooking up with Mac. Then I come in here, and you seem relaxed and happier than you have been in months, so I might have hoped...”

“That it was because of a woman I met last night?” I finished for him and cocked a brow. “Christ, like I said before. You have all turned into little old women. So, if I tell you why I’m in a good mood, will you stop worrying?”

“As long as the answer isn’t that you had sex. You’ve been having sex since you were fourteen and never looked more relaxed or happy than today. So...” My dad pointed his hand, palm up, at me as if to say go ahead.

“First off, I don’t want to know how you know that I had sex at fourteen. Secondly, I seriously think you and the other dads need to find something to do to fill up your free time because you really need more interests than what is happening in our lives,” I said and held up my hand when my dad’s eyes squinted, and his mouth opened. “Thirdly, if you and the other dads think the six of us suffered, acted out, or have underlying issues due to not having mothers around, you’d be wrong. My mother was a stripper with a drug problem, which if you hadn’t stayed on top of while she was pregnant with me, I might not be here. So, I never wasted any energy thinking of what it would have been like to have her around while growing up.

“Was growing up in an MC traditional? No. Raised by just a dad or dads? Hell, a lot of kids are raised by single parents. Besides, we had Shakes. The woman couldn’t have done a better job as a mother if she had birthed us herself. Each of you raised independent sons who got to grow up surrounded by many men that most young boys could only dream of having as role models. Not one of us suffered or wished that our lives could have been different. Why the fuck would we? We had great childhoods.

“Now, granted, catching your dad doing a hang-around up against the wall of the clubhouse probably wouldn’t be considered the best example. However, it sure gave a twelve-year-old boy something to think about during the night,” I said and laughed at the memory.

“Whatever, but you didn’t get being an asshole from me. You must have picked that up from all the time you spent with Shakes,” he said, and his lips twitched.

“Oh sure, we’ll go with that if it makes you feel better. But to answer the main question, yes, I am in a good mood because of a woman. It’s all I am giving you.”

“Fine, I can live with that. Though, I will add that if she turns out to be what you want—don’t be a stubborn ass and fight it. You boys have heard us a thousand times say we never wanted to be strapped down with ol’ ladies. But the more time I spend with Claire, I think we were young, wild, and a little stupid when we said it,” he said and turned toward the door. He reached for the doorknob and looked over his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have to mention this, but I’m here if you need to talk.”

“No, you don’t. You have always been around to talk with,” I answered, and when he opened the door and started to walk out, I added. “Thanks for the food. Next time you want to come over—don’t feel as if you need an excuse to do so.”

“I should have beaten your ass more,” he mumbled.

I smiled and yelled, “Love ya, too, old man. Enjoy your ride and be safe,” as the door shut behind him.

I was still grinning an hour later as I headed out the front door to go to the clubhouse and meet the others for Church.

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