Chapter 25
Lila
Girth and I were standing in front of the doors of T-Bone. We could hear the voices of the rest of the MC inside. I wasn’t even sure if Hugh had said anything to my dad, my hope was that he hadn’t.
Girth and I were holding hands, staring at the door and biding our time before we stepped inside.
“Are you sure about this?” I whispered to him. I was looking at his sharp profile, his strong pointy nose, his scruffy beard thick and dark, his eyes shining bright as he glared at the entrance of the bar.
“There is no way around it. We need to tell Lewis. I need to tell Lewis. I can’t keep doing this behind his back,” Girth said. He was repeating the same words he had said to me back in the house.
He had slept on the floor of the kitchen, with his head on my lap and I had fallen asleep too. We had woken up a few hours later to discover that it was the late afternoon already.
Girth was a different man now, once he had admitted his feelings for me to himself. We held each other, kissed and laughed and worked ourselves up to a heady state of desire again. It was only when I was about to take his cock in my hands again that he stopped me. He told me that he needed to speak to Daddy first, before we could take this any further.
“Let’s just do it,” Girth growled now, and then dragging me along by my hand, he led me into the bar where nearly all the members of the MC were present.
Some heads turned to us. I saw Abe and Rodeo standing near Daddy and their gaze immediately dropped to the spot between Girth and me where our hands were fused. I saw Abe gulp. He was already predicting the worst to happen.
Daddy had his back turned to us while he sat at the bar counter, cradling a bottle of beer in his hands.
“Daddy,” I called out to him and he looked over his shoulder, with the bottle at his lips.
“Mouse! You’re back!” Daddy sounded jubilant and he was swiveling around on the bar stool. I could sense Girth tugging at my hand. He wanted to slip it out of my grip. I held him back.
Daddy turned to us fully and he was smiling at me. I tried to grin at him too but I knew he would see it soon enough—Girth and me holding hands. Daddy’s gaze dropped to it soon enough, and when it did, I could see the rage brimming behind his eyes.
Girth jerked his hand away from me this time and stepped towards Daddy with an apologetic look in his eyes.
“Lewis, we have something to tell you,” Girth began by saying. Daddy’s brows were crossed and he was glaring at Girth and then at me again.
“I can guess what you have to say,” Daddy’s voice was firm and there was anger brewing inside him. Every person in the bar could sense it and everyone was silent. I gulped. This had been a bad idea. I could feel it in my bones.
Instead of stepping back, Girth held his ground and nodded his head.
“I’ll walk out of here and never come back if you want me to,” he said.
“No! Daddy! Don’t tell him to do that!” I cried and I could feel the tears welling up inside me. I knew Girth was capable of it. If Daddy told him to leave, he would do it.
Daddy turned to me and his eyes were wide and angered.
“Lila, stop talking,” he was talking with his teeth gritted. I clamped my mouth shut but my lips were quivering.
“Lewis, I didn’t want anything to happen behind your back,” Girth said and Daddy turned to him again. There was a sour look on his face.
“Looks like things have happened between the two of you already,” he snapped and all Girth could do was clench his jaws.
“Daddy, you can’t keep telling me what to do or who to be with. I’m tired of not having a life of my own. I’m sick of being a prisoner in my own home!” I was screaming now, but my father seemed unaffected by what I was saying. He continued to glare at Girth.
“It’s against the rules. The rules that apply to my men apply to you too. You’re working with us now or have you forgotten that?” Daddy’s voice sizzled as he spoke to Girth menacingly.
“I haven’t forgotten and I know I’m breaking the rules, but…” Girth began to say but Daddy held his hand up to shut him up.
“Don’t tell me you’re in love with Lila, I don’t fucking want to hear it,” Daddy hissed and I gulped before I spoke to him again.
“I’m going to New York,” I said. Even though the bar had already been silent, it seemed like a new kind of silence had descended on everyone. Daddy seemed to be turning his head in my direction in slow motion.
“What are you talking about, mouse?” he asked with his brows crossed and I licked my lips nervously. This wasn’t prepared. I had never thought I would actually say the words aloud to him.
“I’m going to New York so I can get away from all this. So that I can finally lead my own life and you can’t stop me from being with the men I choose for myself,” I cried and Daddy looked more surprised than angry when he heard my words.
“You’re being silly, Lila,” he finally said and I crossed my arms over my breasts and stuck my chin up in the air.
“Tell yourself that, Daddy. Tell yourself that I’m being silly. I’m an adult and I can go where I want. You can’t stop me,” I said and I met Daddy’s eyes with a new kind of conviction. For a few moments, Daddy still seemed more confused than anything, after which his eyes dimmed and he seemed to begin to realize that these weren’t just empty threats.
***
“Dating my daughter is against the MC rules. Everyone knows that, and Girth like all the others must abide by these rules,” Daddy said. The aggression in his voice had faded a little, after he realized that he wasn’t going to scare me into submission this time.
“Except Hugh, right?” I snapped and Daddy looked shiftily around, as though he was making sure that Hugh wasn’t in the room.
“Hugh is a good man. He is responsible and easy on the eyes too,” he said with a grin and I arched an eyebrow at him.
“Have you forgotten the little detail about me liking him, and him liking me back?” I asked and Daddy looked confused again.
“He does like you, and I always thought you liked him too,” Daddy said and I rolled my eyes.
“I spoke to Hugh this morning. He doesn’t have any feelings for me. Besides, I’m not even attracted to him. You can’t force us to be together,” I argued and I watched as Daddy drew in a deep dejected breath.
“Everything that I do for you, Lila, I do to keep you safe and make you happy,” he said and I stepped towards him in a rush.
“Then do this for me, Daddy, accept our relationship so that I can be happy,” I said and we were staring at each other. I was pleading him with my eyes and he gritted his teeth.
“Girth is supposed to be your bodyguard,” Daddy said and I nodded my head.
“That doesn’t have to change. Nobody can keep me safe the way Girth does. I trust him,” I said and Daddy’s eyes travelled to Girth again. He waited a few moments before he spoke again.
“I trust him too,” he said and I tried to stifle a smile.
“Then what are you worried about?” I asked and waited for Daddy to reply.
I wasn’t expecting Girth to speak up, but he did.
“It’s against the rules, Lila, and we need to respect that. Without these rules there will be anarchy,” Girth growled from behind me and I pressed my eyes close. I couldn’t believe he was actually on Daddy’s side. That his sense of duty and loyalty was so strong towards an MC that he had only recently joined.
Daddy was watching me. I could sense that he was trying to figure out my true feelings. If he could truly look into my soul, he would see what I was feeling. He would know that this was for real.
“Fuck the rules!” he exclaimed and my eyes grew wild. Those were not words I had ever heard Daddy use before. He was never the kind of man who wanted to fuck the rules, but here he was; actually saying them.
I could feel the corners of my lips tugging in a smile.
“Daddy?” I said, barely in a whisper and he threw his arms open for me to fall into.
I sank into my father’s arms, smiling as he held me close to his chest. He was stroking my back now.
“You have always gotten what you wanted, mouse,” Daddy said and I looked up at him with my cheeks flushed, my eyes sparkling with excitement.
“But this time, darling Lila, I’m glad you’ve asked for something that I’m happy to give to you,” Daddy said and he pressed my cheeks with his thumbs the way he used to when I was little.
“Happy?” it was Girth’s shocked voice that interrupted us and Daddy looked up at him now, over my shoulder.
“Lila is right. There is nobody better to keep her safe. I’m sorry if I was hard on you yesterday, Girth, I had every intention of thanking you too. None of us could have chased her down and brought her back to safety the way you did. For that I am grateful,” Daddy replied.
I turned to look at Girth with a wide smile on my face. He was still looking shocked, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I was surprised too, but I was too happy and relieved to express anything else.
“So, what you are saying is that you will not have me lynched for being with your daughter?” Girth asked. Daddy, who was still holding me by my shoulders now broke into sudden laughter.
Some of the men in the bar chuckled along too, while Girth continued to glare at my father. Still unsure about what the situation was.
“No. You can breathe easy, brother,” Daddy said and then pulled me in for another hug and placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Go on, go to him. I’m not going to stop you,” he said and gave me a light push.
With my cheeks flushed, and my eyes heavy with excitement, I took a few steps towards Girth. He was looking too embarrassed to even meet my eyes now, but then he stretched his hand out towards me.
My heart was racing in my chest as he kept his hand out, urging me to go to him.
I rushed towards him and he pulled me into his arms.
It was Daddy who started clapping, and within seconds, every person in the bar was clapping too. It was strange to be in the arms of a man, in the presence of the whole MC, and nobody was trying to shoot him down.
I looked up at Girth, who surprisingly, was smiling too right now.
“Can I say I told you so?” I asked him and he grinned.
“Yes, Lila, you are always right. I’m slowly coming to realize it,” Girth said and we shared our first kiss in front of the MC.