Page 63 of Shine: Sins of the Father
“You really want that patch, don’t you?” I pour some candy into my hand and offer him some.
He grins and takes it, tossing one into his mouth. “Being in the club is all I’ve ever imagined for my future.”
“What about the time you did in the military right out of high school? Did you ever give any thought to making a career of it?”
He shrugs. “I thought about it, but they’d have me moving around all the time. What kind of life is that? I like California too much.”
“I get that.” I cock my head. “Did you have any good friends while you were serving?”
“Yeah, I got close with a couple of guys.”
“Kind of like your dad and Shane. They met in the service, didn’t they?”
There’s another knock on the door, and Cody gets up to answer it.
Reckless walks in with a bag of food, Harley Jean with him.
“What are you doing here, prospect?” he asks Cody.
“Just came to check on Fiona. See if she needed anything.”
“He brought me fruit and candy,” I say with a wink.
“Well, isn’t that sweet?” Harley says. “Why don’t you stay and join us? Reckless got a ton of food.”
Cody glances to Reckless.
“Yeah, come on, kid. Pull up a chair.”
I start to rise, but Harley shoos me back. “Stay right there. Just tell me where you keep the plates.”
“In the cabinet next to the fridge,” I say, resting in my spot.
Soon, we’re all dished up, and Cody is telling a funny story about Skeeter.
“So, he says to the clerk, what if I don’t want to buy two, and the guy says, then you don’t get one free. Sounds like a scam, Skeeter replies. ‘Can’t I just have one at half price?’ ‘No,’ says the guy, and this goes on for like ten minutes. Finally, I grab the damn energy drinks out of Skeeter’s hands and slam them on the counter, tired of the bullshit. When Skeeter opens one outside, it sprays all over him and his bike like a geyser. You should have seen his face when it got him. God, I wish I’d recorded it. He rode home on a sticky seat, too.”
I grin, glancing around at all their happy faces, thankful I have so many people who care about me.
“I hear the baby is a boy, Fiona,” Harley Jean says. “Congratulations. Do you have a name picked out?”
“I think I’ve decided on Dylan. What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Dylan,” Reckless repeats. “Yeah, that’s a great name.”
“I love it,” Harley replies.
Cody gives me a thumbs up around a mouthful of egg roll, and I burst out laughing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Fiona—
Time is flying by, and before I know it, the holidays are upon us. Halloween was a fun time at the shop, with local businesses passing out treats. I gave out cake pops that looked like mummies and pumpkins until I ran out, then it was fun-size candy bars the rest of the night.
Three weeks later, and Ella is behind the wheel of her used Jeep, driving me to the clubhouse for Thanksgiving dinner.
It’s been a tradition since before I was born that everyone gathers together on this holiday.
