DIESEL

“Well, look who’s wearing his Ciphers jacket while sipping his java?” a booming voice calls out as the back screen door clatters.

I turn in my chair and see a large, dangerous looking man I don’t recognize, walking up to us. Celia and Sofia shout, “Tyler!” rising from their chairs to hug the guy.

Luke stays put in the chair on my left, but he raises his hand in a masculine wave. “Hey Ty.”

“Luke, you fuck, how’d you manage to hang onto Sofia Sol? I figured by now she’d have dropped your ass, and you’d have moved up to Montana to cry in my arms.”

The girls stay standing with him as I rise to shake his hand while Sofia explains, “Ty was in Sedona with us. He knew about our meeting with you. That’s why he knows who you are.”

“Ah,” I smile.

Celia goes on to say, “He’s in our Montana chapter.”

“Where Scratch and Mona live?”

“That’s right!” Tyler booms. “We live with the damn buffalo in our backyard. Mountains as far as the eye can see. You like mountains?”

“I lived in Sedona, remember?”

“But did you like it?”

I smirk, “Have to admit, I like it much better here.”

He eyes me like that’s the wrong answer, then breaks into a grin, slapping my back. “I’m fucking with ya! I can tell this place has rubbed off. Word up there is you and Celia are an item.”

Locking onto my girl I announce, “She’s got me wrapped around her pinky…and all the rest of her fingers.”

Tyler cracks up, his back bending with the laugh. Grabbing her with his arm around her neck since he’s so much taller than her, he rubs knuckles into her head. “That’s my Celia working her magic! You bewitched the new recruit, eh Ceels?”

“Stop it!” she laughs, trying to push him off.

Sofia pretends to kick him in the balls and he lets go, covering his crotch. “Whoa now! Careful with the jewels! I might have more kiddos left in me!”

“You have enough children,” Sofia smirks. “Where’s your lovely wife?”

“Do I detect sarcasm?”

“Oh, so you’re smart and handsome?”

“I’ll give you smart!” he chuckles. The guy isn’t necessarily easy on the eyes but he’s got charisma to spare. “Inez is inside. We came down for Thanksgiving, the kids, too. We drove…wait for it…a fucking SUV here!”

All of us react like we’ve been punched by a suburban image that doesn’t fit this club’s M.O.

Luke laughs, “How the fuck did that happen?”

“It’s weird,” Tyler says, eyes big like he’s never heard of such a thing but, “They rent these things out!” He grins and winks at us, turning on his heel to head inside. “I need to say hello to a few folks. I’ll see you all in there.” Walking backwards he points at me. “I said I wanted to be here for the vote and they didn’t wait for me. Heads will roll!”

We sit back down as the door clatters behind Tyler. Celia explains, “He’s Melodi and Fuse’s son. The first of the kids in the house. So when I was growing up he was like my older brother. All of ours.” Her hand sweeps the air.

Sofia nods from behind her coffee. “He used to be cute. Then he started looking more like Fuse.”

Luke chuckles, leaning back in his rocking chair. “And yet he got as much ass as I did on the road.”

“Not as much as me, though,” Soph shoots back.

Luke’s eyes flicker to her. “Don’t bring that up.”

“You started it,” she murmurs coming in for a kiss that he happily delivers. They separate and look toward the door as it clatters again.

I turn at their expressions, to see who’s made them go still. My eyes widen and I leap from my chair. “Mom!”

Her angel sleeves float behind her as she hurries into my embrace, eyes crinkled in the biggest emotional smile I’ve ever seen on her. “Sean! Oh Sean, It’s so good to see you!”

“Mom! Oh my God!” I rock her in place, kissing her short hair. “This is amazing!” Grabbing her shoulders so I can see her face I shake my head in shock. “Jett called you?”

She nods, tears hovering. “You look so strong! Oh my gosh, you neck is so thick! Look at your hair! You have a man bun?! I love it!”

Laughing with happiness I pull her in for another hug. “This is the best surprise of my life, Mom, I’m so happy you’re here!”

“All the way on the plane I was telling everyone how my son had changed his life around. Don’t worry, I didn’t give them details! I said you graduated from M.I.T!”

Laughing we pull apart so I can introduce the two most important women in my life. “This is Celia Lewis, Mom. Ceels, this is Santosh, my incredible mother. She’s the reason I’m here. Without her love, well…” My grin finishes the sentence.

Celia has already stood up and her eyes are so soft, almost shy, as she extends her hand. But my mother says, “Oh I’m not so formal as all that,” and wraps her arms around my girl, bending her she rocks her so much. Separating she scans Celia’s face, holds her hands and spreads her arms up. “You are absolutely lovely! Oh Sean, she’s so beautiful. And look at these muscles!”

Celia laughs, warm eyes glowing with happiness that my mom’s approval has been won over. “Now you know why I wore the dress,” Ceels grins to me.

My eyes widen and I glance to Sofia and Luke, “Oh shit, you guys all knew this whole time and you didn’t let on?!”

They stand up, walk around the table and hug my mom. “Hi Santosh,” Luke smiles. “Great to see you again!”

As she pulls out of the hug, Sofia grins, “I told you we might see you again!”

Mom corrects her, “I believe you said something along the lines of, I hope we never meet you again soon.” At my confusion she explains, “When they told me their biker club was confidential I said I’ve never met you.”

“Ah gotcha! Here, let me grab you another chair.” I run to pick one up and bring it over to our circle.

Luke asks, “You want some coffee, Santosh?”

“Do you have tea?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“Coffee with cinnamon?”

He nods, “That I can do. Be right back.”

We settle in, Mom between me and Celia. She flies up and motions for them to change chairs. “You sit by my son!”

“Oh no, Ms. Khalsa, you sit by him!”

“Nonsense. I’ve never seen him so happy in my life, and I want to look at his face without craning my neck. Arthritis!”

As they change chairs Celia exchanges a look with me. “Does she really have arthritis?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“Alright you caught me!” Mom waves, angel sleeves billowing up from her dress. They’re the punctuation marks on everything she feels. She smoothes the colorful polyester fabric over her knees, informing us, “There’s a little known fact that whenever a man and woman fall in love, there’s always some other woman in the way. It’s like a test from the universe, whether it be a sister, an ex, a friend, a mother, it’s always someone! Well, I’m not going to be that type of Mom!” Her grin softens as her body stills, hands on her lap as she locks her eyes on mine. “Oh Sean, this worked out so much better than I thought it would.”

“Yeah? I remember you said that my destiny was mine to make.”

“And you did it.”

Proud and humble I glance down, “I did.”

Sofia tells Celia, “Diesel’s mom is a psychic. A real one.”

“I know! He was telling me that.” Turning to Mom she asks, “You didn’t know the Ciphers would work out for him?”

As my mom explains, the back door opens and Luke walks up with her fresh coffee, steam drifting over the cup, “Not everything is written. Oh, thank you, Luke. Our choices define who we become. Sean was given this opportunity but what I saw the day he left was that it would be up to him to take that brass ring on his own. He would have to work for it. Was I right?” Everyone nods. “But who’s this Diesel?” Her eyes are sparkling like she knows, but will enjoy hearing the explanation.

Luke jogs his chin. “Hate to tell you, Santosh but you gave your kid a soft name. We picked him up, punched the fluff off of him and set him back down as the kickass fighter you see sitting here to my right.”

Raking my hair back I laugh, “Jeezus, shut up.”

“Make me.”

I punch his arm and he throws one back, both of us laughing. But my mom’s eyes are on Sofia, who’s staring at her.

“Your friend is still hurting, isn’t he?”

Soph frowns, “I went to visit him.” Glancing to Luke she says, “Ben,” and he nods. Back to my mother she explains, “He’s in it too deep. I don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

Mom nods, “Be there for him when he does.”

Nodding, Sofia sips her coffee with a disturbed look. “My family—my blood family, the Cockers in Atlanta—they’re watching over Ben, too. He’s shutting them out. Actually his wife is shutting them out.”

Celia frowns to me. “Like that Black Widow.”

Soph argues, “It’s not as bad as that!”

“I’m not saying she’s evil, but if she’s distancing him from his family…it’s like what that Corinne woman did.”

“Well, now you’ve made me feel like shit, thank you.”

My mom has closed her eyes. Everyone notices and gets very still. She opens them and frowns, “The woman isn’t evil. She’s just very insecure. It’s still dangerous when that type of person has the control, though. Just not deadly.” Lightening up, she smiles as Celia. “But you’re lucky, nobody came in between you two!”

Ceels and I exchange a look. “Actually, my mom wasn’t easy to convince.”

“See! There’s always a woman in the way!”

Sofia mutters, “Why can’t it be a man?”

Mom sips her coffee and explains, “Since the middle ages we women have had to fight for what we have. We haven’t let that go yet. We protect our own sometimes to the point of suffocating them. When looser hands keep the water, not a clenched fist.”

Luke raises his eyebrows. “You need to meet Tonk Jr.”

Everyone laughs, except my mom, whose eyes are flitting around our faces. “What did I miss? Is there a hunk here my age? Is he single?”

“Hang on!” Luke flies out of his chair, long hair flowing behind him. A few seconds later he’s produced Celia’s younger brother from the kitchen. “Are you a cougar, Santosh? Because if you are, this kid’s mind is going to rock your brain almost as much as his body could!”

She purses her lips, “You think you’re really funny, don’t you?”

“I do!”

Junior is confused, but knows something funny is going on so his smile is genuine as he drags his fingers through his neatly trimmed hair, his taut body showcased well in grey slacks and a light blue button-up. “If you need a little lovin’ I’m down.”

“Touch my mother and I’ll hurt you,” I grin.

He eyeballs me, then flicks a glance to her. “This is your mom?”

“Yeah.”

Bowing he takes her hand and kisses it. “You’re much better looking than your son.”

She blushes. My mom actually blushes. “Oh well, aren’t you a charming young man!”

Sofia, Celia and Luke exchange shocked and silently-laughing glances as I point at them, “Don’t even think it!”