Chapter Thirteen

Ian

I woke up on Sunday morning feeling more excited to see Eliza than I was to go to the motorcycle club meeting. The previous one had been canceled, so I was worried that this was going to end up being a long and drawn-out affair. I hoped there’d at least be some food or beer to keep me entertained. But when I arrived, I could see that it was going to be all business and no play. I made my way around, saying hello to all the members that had come. I was surprised by how many of them had made the effort. I spotted Grant and groaned. Grant always seemed to pop up when there was something important going on, but didn’t seem to come to anything else. He was barely part of the club, but he came to the fundraiser, and he came to the meetings. And he always pretended like he cared. Because of that, I was sure that my father thought he was perfect. I might not smile or tell my dad things that he wants to hear, but at least I was honest and hard-working. I’d never let anyone in the club or in the shop down. At least you always knew where you stood with me. And yet, it was obvious, that Grant was my father’s favorite son.

“Hey, Patriot,” I said as I got near.

“Gunner, hey. Nice to see you.”

“Sure. Any of the other guys coming?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I spoke to Shotgun the other day, and he said he was going to come. He said he’d try to convince Knuckles to come with him. But you know what they’re like. Shotgun is so busy with that damn ranch, and Knuckles is probably training for his next MMA fight. I doubt they’ll come.”

Ryan, or Knuckles as we called him, was a professional MMA fighter, and he practically lived and breathed that scene. And Brady, or Shotgun, owned his own ranch, and spent more time with his real horses than with his iron ones these days.

“Yeah, I doubt they’ll come. The meeting is about to start, anyway. How about ol’ Moneymaker? He coming?”

“He prefers being called ‘Reed’ these days,” Patriot said.

I was about to ask why when my father walked in and called everyone to attention. As usual, I was impressed at how well everyone responded to my father. He commanded respect without having to raise his voice. I always wondered how he managed to do it.

“Thanks so much for coming, everyone. I know it’s hard to get away on a Sunday sometimes. As much as we all hate responsibility, it’s impossible not to have any. And some of us aren’t as young and carefree as we used to be. Obviously, I’m not talking about myself,” he said, and everyone laughed.

For a while, he took everyone through club matters and highlighted upcoming events and over issues. He opened up the conversation for discussion, and everyone came forth with their own ideas. Even when the ideas were ridiculous, my father listened and showed interest. How he didn’t laugh, I had no idea.

“Okay, and now, to end off, I’d like to announce the person who I am going to choose to take over from me. I was lying before; I’m definitely not young and carefree anymore. And it’s time for new blood to take over this club. Of course, as usual, this person doesn’t have to say yes, and a final decision will be made in a week or two.”

Everyone leaned in to listen. I saw Patriot’s eyes light up and I knew that my father was going to announce his name. I was almost sure that it was why Patriot had come in the first place. My father had probably told him that he was going to be announcing his name. The whole thing was probably all set up in advance. He’d always been the favorite amongst all the brothers. In my father’s eyes, Patriot could do no wrong.

“Of course, I’m sure this doesn’t come as a surprise to many of you. But the person that I’m choosing is one of the hardest working men I know,” my father was saying. I scowled at Patriot. He wasn’t hard-working. Where did my father get that from? “Ian, it would be an honor if you took over my job.”

Everyone burst into applause. I was still scowling at Patriot, waiting for him to go up and shake my father’s hand. But everyone was looking at me. And then I realized what my father had just said. He’d chosen me. Not Patriot.

For a while, I just stood staring at everyone while they all stared back at me. Then I blinked, walked up to my father and shook his hand. Thankfully, he didn’t ask me to say anything, and once I’d walked back to my place, the conversation moved onto the date for the next meeting. The moment the meeting came to a close, I hurried out before talking to either my father or Patriot. I didn’t know what to do with my thoughts, and I was scared that if I opened my mouth, I’d say something I regretted. So I got on my bike and quickly rode off.

Instead of going home, I decided to go straight to Eliza’s. It was an hour earlier than I had planned but I didn’t quite feel like being at home alone. It was only when I knocked on her door that I realized I probably should’ve given her a heads up. Thankfully, Eliza didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Gunner! Oh no! Is it time already?” she said.

I smiled at her. She was wearing little denim shorts, which frayed ever so slightly at the bottom. I felt like reaching over and pulling on the threads. Perhaps her entire pair of shorts would come apart. I wondered what she was wearing underneath. I blinked to stop my thoughts from heading that way. With the shorts, she had on a pretty yellow shirt, and, as usual, she was wearing sneakers. This time they were blue and white.

“Cute,” I said and eyed her up and down. “And you’re not late. I’m early. Hope you don’t mind.”

She grinned. “Not at all. Let me get my coat.”

She grabbed her coat and walked outside with me. I looked down at her feet and chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?” she asked.

“Do you always wear sneakers?”

“Pretty much. Why? Is that a problem?”

I shook my head. “No, not at all. I like it. It suits you.”

“Good. I know I’m a bit on the short side, but heels feel ridiculous to me. I like to be comfortable.”

She was the most interesting girl I’d ever met. I handed her a helmet. “Comfort is good. Hop on. We’re going for a ride.”

I didn’t feel like taking her out to eat again. I wanted her to wrap her arms around me while I drove through the streets of Arizona. I wanted her to feel what it was like to be on a bike for that long. There was nothing in the world that could clear my head quite like a bike ride. We rode for about an hour, and then, I found a small clearing to stop. It was my favorite place to sit, and it was the first time that I’d ever taken a girl with me. But I didn’t tell her that.

“I bet you take all the girls here,” she said and looked out. “I don’t blame you. It’s wonderful.”

“Yep, it’s my number one spot to make my first move,” I lied.

She laughed. “Must work like a charm. Lucky you’ve already made your first move on me. So now you can just sit back and enjoy the view.”

“That’s what I’m doing,” I said and looked at her.

She groaned. “So cheesy.”

“Ah, don’t lie. You like it.”

“Actually, I do. So, how did the meeting go today? I’d love to be a fly on the wall at one of those things. Goodness, the testosterone must be high.”

I laughed. “We do have women members too, you know.”

“You do?”

“Well, not too many. They’re outnumbered. But I have a feeling that’s going to change one day. Most of the women members have only joined in the past few years. It’s cool, though. They’re badass.”

“I bet they don’t look anything like me,” she said.

I looked at her, in her bright yellow shirt, her little shorts, and her tiny heart necklace and laughed. “Nothing at all like you. You’re one of a kind, Lashes.”

“So, who runs the club?” she asked.

“Well, it’s funny you say that,” I said. “My father has been head of the club for a very long time. The main reason for the meeting today was for him to announce the person he has chosen to take over. I assumed it was going to be my brother, Patriot. I mean, he’s my father’s favorite son.”

“And it wasn’t?”

“Nope,” I said. The reality of the situation still hadn’t sunk in. I shook my head. “It’s me.”

“What? That’s amazing! Wait, you don’t look like this is amazing news. Aren’t you happy with the decision?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t expect it. And the whole thing is so confusing to me. I know you like my dad. Most people do. But he’s tough on me. And for the most part, I get the impression that he doesn’t really like me all that much. He’s always complaining about the things that I don’t do, rather than praising the things that I do. He said my name, and it took me a while to comprehend that he meant me.”

“Are you going to accept?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. I haven’t even thought about it. I pretty much walked out of the meeting and came to get you.”

“You didn’t speak to your father?”

“I didn’t know what to say.”

“You know, you should consider talking to him the way you talk to me,” she said.

“I don’t know, Eliza. I find it easy to talk to pretty girls.”

She chuckled. “Yeah, flirting comes a lot easier to you than everything else. Trust me, I’ve noticed.”

What I didn’t tell her was that she was the first woman that I’d ever truly opened up to. The first woman that I’ve ever spoken candidly with. I’d always been a closed book, with guys and girls alike. I thought it was simply a part of who I was and that I’d never change. So why then did I find it so easy to talk to her?

“So,” she said. “Exactly how many brothers do you have?”

I groaned. “Four.”

“And they’re all part of the club?”

“Hmm. They’ll tell you that they are. But they’re never there. I also have five cousins who are in the club. For a family this big, it’s a little sad that I’m the only one that truly gets involved.”

“No wonder your dad chose you. So, you’re Gunner. What about the others? Do they all have nicknames?”

“Oh yeah, wanna hear them?”

“Yes!”

“Okay, let’s see. Ryan is Knuckles, Brady is Shotgun, Grant is Patriot and Reed is Moneymaker. Those are my brothers.”

“Moneymaker?”

“He’s a doctor. And trust me, he’s not in the business to save people. Okay, and I have six cousins in the club, too. Josh is Bulldog, Max is Maverick, Xavier is Fireball, Silas is Country, Dominic is Maddog, and Axel is Renegade. And, of course, you’re not in the club, but you’re Lashes.”

Eliza clapped her hands in delight. “I love this. Oh, I have so many questions.”

I chuckled. My mood had instantly improved since being with Eliza. “Bring it on.”