Then the other guy pulled off his helmet. His hair was longer now, falling ragged in pieces around his face and down past his chin. A few days of stubble dotted his cheeks, giving him a rough look.
As if he needed to look any wilder; he looked plenty rugged in the dusty bike gear he wore, eyes bloodshot and dark circles underneath. Yeah, he definitely looked rough.
He looked up, making eye contact, and my heart stopped. I felt an immediate jolt of electricity pass through my body as his eyes met mine. He might be older now, but I’d know that face - those eyes - anywhere.
Cade.
Axe
I pulled off my helmet and walked up the gravel driveway toward the porch, steeling myself for the conversation I didn’t want to have with my father. It was funny how going through town might have calmed me, but as soon as we pulled into the drive of my childhood home, my heart was thump - thump - thumping in my chest like crazy.
The sprawling white ranch house looked the same as it always had when I was growing up, but the pastures by the house were overgrown. It wasn’t like my dad to let that go, and I wondered if he was okay. Guilt ripped through me at the thought that I'd left my dad here alone, minding the ranch by himself, while I'd been in California running with the Inferno Motorcycle Club.
I felt guilty, but I was also afraid of my dad's reaction, of the disappointment that would inevitably color our relationship.
Five deployments with the Marines, three years of being the club's enforcer, and the thought of seeing my dad again was what struck fear into me.
That was irony for you.
I didn't notice her until she stepped out from behind the beam on the front porch.
June.
Holy shit.
All grown up, but I’d know her anywhere. She was prettier now than she’d been in high school, and I suddenly felt like I was right back there, seventeen again, nervous and fumbling.
What the fuck is she doing here?
I had never expected to see her again, not after all this time. Sure, early on I kept tabs on her, thought I might run into her on a base somewhere, but I gave up on that fantasy a long time ago. The thought of her seeing who I was now, who I had become, left my cheeks burning with shame. It was humiliating.
It took all the strength I had to pry my eyes away from her and look at my father. “Dad,” I said.
His face was scarlet as he walked up to me, drew his hand back, and slapped me hard across the face.
Shit.
So he was still pissed off at me. I'd been expecting that. Hell, if June hadn't been standing right there, he'd have probably slugged me. And I'd have deserved it, after everything I'd put him through.
“I told you, you don’t come back here. You don’t bring this shit here.”
I could feel June’s eyes burning into me, without even looking at her. “Dad, I -”
My voice broke.
There was so much I needed to say, but my pride wouldn't allow it.
Then the door to the minivan opened and MacKenzie, April and Crunch’s little girl, came running out, wrapping herself around my leg. “Uncle Axe! Uncle Axe! Are you okay? Why did he hit you?” She started bawling, and I picked her up, patting her back.
“It’s okay, Mac,” I said. “He was just joking. You know Uncle Axe is too tough for anything to hurt him.”
“No?” she asked.
“Not at all,” I said, brushing my thumb against her cheek, wet with tears. “Do you know who this guy right here is? This is your Uncle Axe’s old man.”
My father glared at me, then turned to MacKenzie, his voice now soft. “I didn’t know you were watching, little lady. I certainly didn’t mean to scare you.”
MacKenzie’s mother, April, scooped her up in her arms, hushing her as she went to stand near Crunch. My father turned toward me, his voice low. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me there was a kid with you?”
“You didn’t give me a chance, Pop.”
“What the hell is going on? What kind of trouble are you in?”
“I need a chance to explain, but this isn’t the time. It’s not what you think.”
Well, it was probably almost exactly what he thought. I knew he thought I was in some kind of trouble connected to the MC, and he would be right.
“You better hope it’s not what I think. Because if it is -”
“It’s not.” I clenched my jaw. He’d help me. Even if my father disagreed with everything I had done, even if he hated the person I had become, he was still my father and he would help me.
“Well, come on in, then.” My father gestured to Crunch and his family, his voice falsely bright. I knew he would make nice with Crunch’s family here, especially with MacKenzie being with us. It had always killed him and my mom, the fact that they didn't have any grandkids. “I was just having a cup of coffee on the porch here with my new neighbor, June. Are you all hungry?”
“Yes!” the little girl shouted, running up the stairs. “And I have to pee!” April and Crunch closely trailed her, and my father followed behind.
“Hi, lady!” Mac waved as she passed June. “Is there a potty in here?”
"Hush, Mac," April whispered as she walked through the door.
June smiled at MacKenzie, and then looked up at me. “Cade.”