"Somewhat. We'll see what happens as time goes by," Moose said.

"Damn, dude, I think Tiny's paranoia is wearing off," Shooter said.

"Better to be prepared than unaware."

"Wow, quoting him too. You trying to earn some brownie points?" Shooter laughed.

"Ah, fuck off, man."

"Sorry, can't. I have a hot date with a wedding-cake tasting."

"You're enjoying this entirely too much," Moose taunted.

"Come on, who doesn't love cake?"

"It's more than the tasting. It's the whole process. What gives? How do you go from never committing to racing down the aisle?" Moose leaned back on the stool.

"I met the right woman. The thought of losing her scares me more than any of my other hang-ups about relationships ever did." He shook his head. "I spent my whole life fucked up about some bitch who couldn't have cared less. That's a lot of power to hand over to someone who's off living her life and not thinking twice about it." He shook his head. "The thought sobered me up fast."

"Yeah, I can see how it would," Moose said, still reeling from his friend's about-face.

"You think I'm nuts? I can see it in your face, but you're halfway there yourself. Joey is special and the two of you click. Which says a lot 'cause, my friend, you are weird as shit."

"I prefer the word eccentric."

"See that whole statement...weird. Hold on to this one. " Shooter patted him on the shoulder. "Later, man."

She's already gotten more out of me than I thought I had to give. Not everyone needs a ring and a contract. I think that's plenty.

Wanderer walked toward the house. It had been months since he last visited and never in broad daylight. His palms were sweaty and his heart hammered against his ribs. She'd be pissed. But the time for secrecy and sealed lips had come to an end. It all would come out eventually and as usual, he'd make damn sure it was on his terms. He lifted his hand and knocked, hooking his thumbs through his belt loop as he flexed and relaxed his biceps.

The door opened, and Ellen's full lips formed an O. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to talk," Wanderer said.

"Without calling first? What if Joey had been here?" Ellen said.

"Good."

Her brown eyes flashed and she clenched her jaw. Her high cheekbones stood out, and her almond-shaped eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ellen asked, narrowing her gaze.

"Exactly what it sounded like," Wanderer said.

"Get in here and explain yourself." She stepped away from the door, allowing him to enter the house.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

"I'm no longer part of your crew. You don't get to command me around. It's a right you gave up a long time ago."

"How long are you going to bust my balls about that, Ellen? I said I was sorry."

"Last time I checked, an apology doesn't allow you to travel back in time and fix past mistakes."

He kicked the door shut behind him.

"Hey!"

"I'll fix it if it breaks."

"Because money solves everything with you, right?"

"Damn it, Ellen." He slapped the wall.

Ellen remained a few inches away. Her gaze was steady and she stood unflinching. She'd never been the type to scare easily, but after the upbringing she had, it didn't surprise him.

"What do you want?" She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, and he was drawn to the cleavage visible in the formfitting black tank top. You. "I told you, to talk."

"About what?"

"Joey and the man she's been hanging out with."

"Moose?"

"Is that his name?" He scowled, cataloguing the information for later.

"Yes and she's happy as hell. Now if you have something important I should know about this M.C. I'm willing to listen. Otherwise let the girl live her life."

"No, the Lords of Mayhem are good people, allies. We've never had a problem with them, and the Prez, Tiny, has a real good head on his shoulders."

"So, what's the problem, Wanderer?"

"Why did you leave, Stargazer?"

"You really want to go into that now?"

"Would I ask if I didn't?"

"Because, you were too scared to man up and handle your business. The title of president meant more than me, us, your child."

The words were a heavy weight on his chest. "You think I don't think about that daily?"

"You always seemed to sleep well at night to me. As long as you threw money our way and made sure we were well enough off."

He ran his hands through his hair. "I had an M.C. to run. My dad died unexpectedly. I was scrambling to keep the boys from flipping their shit and to make the families feel safe and well cared for. I couldn't be the man you needed, either of you. Starting shit with your dad at that time would have been suicide. We would've imploded." His thought drifted to the surly bastard who'd never taken care of her like he should. The go-to man when you needed a dirty job done, he'd have wanted his pound of flesh for Wanderer not coming correct from the start.

A member of a charter a few hours away, her father had allowed Ellen to spend her time with them because the old ladies had taken a shine to her. None of them had missed the bruises or her cowed behavior around him.

"And I understood that at first. What's the excuse for after?"

He shook his head.

"Right." She shook her head. "Fucking unbelievable, Joseph!"

He cringed at his given name. "I was young and stupid. What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"Nothing. I want you to remain a silent partner in our daughter's life," she said.

The words dug the knife deeper. "Fuck that, Ellen." He stalked toward her, backing her into the wall. "Don't act like we haven't been fucking this entire time," she said.

"That's the one thing you were always more than willing to do with me. Good enough to screw, just not to claim, right? Me or your daughter."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. It's time to let the world know you're mine, both of you," he said. He clutched her face in his hand, refusing to let her turn away from him.

"Because another man is trying to put his mark on Joey? No thanks," she said, shoving him away and wiggling out from under his body.

He bowed his head, resting his forehead against the cool wall as he mentally counted to ten. I deserve this. Anger under control, he turned to face her. "So you telling me I can't see my own kid, tell her the truth?" he said.

"No, I'm saying I'm not going to allow you to come at her all fucked up," she said.

"I'm checking this kid out, Ellen," he said.

"Fine, do it covertly and keep your opinions to yourself unless he's some kind of serial killer."

"This isn't where she belongs! You expect me to watch her fly their flag instead of ours? She's not an old lady. She has a rightful legacy."

"Don't you think that choice is up to her?" she asked.

"It's not a choice. It's a fact of life."

Ellen shook her head. "Not for my daughter. I left to allow her to do whatever the fuck she wanted. I'm sorry you don't like the path she's taken, but no one is taking away her freedom."

"So we're at a stalemate."

"I guess so."

He shook his head. "You know I'm not going to stand for this."

"You can do whatever you like. I'm not the one who has to prove a damn thing. So if you plan on going in all boss M.C. Prez, you might want to think about that."

"Never make it easy, do you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? What do you think the past twenty-some years have been?" She balled her hands into fists and shook her head, making the dark curls bounce.

The passion between them was volatile and could sour as easily as it sizzled.

"I don't want to argue, Ellen. It's not why I came here."

She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair.

He ducked down to meet her gaze and cupped her face. "I'm trying to make amends. Right the wrongs."

"I'm not ready to make nice, Wanderer."

His chest ached. "I understand that. What I need to know is if you'll ever be."

"I can't answer that just yet."

Chapter Seven.

Joey studied her melancholy lover and frowned. It wasn't like him to be so subdued. "What's going on with you? You're withdrawn tonight." She turned off The Walking Dead episodes they'd been getting caught up on and angled her body to face him on the couch. It was a lazy Sunday, and they'd opted to spend it together in her home.

He sighed. "It's been a long time since I talked to anyone about this. It's a part of my life I don't rehash much."

He looked at her, and the stark pain in his eyes hit her like a fist to the gut. "Moose?"

"You know I came here for a fresh start after my mom died, but you don't know the details. Today my mom would've been sixty-four. So she's been on my mind all day." He rolled his shoulders and fidgeted. The uncertainty looked strange on her massive male. "My mom was freaking amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better woman to raise me. She was always laughing and cheerful. She had one of those half-full life philosophies. I could never buy into it, but I respected the hell out of her for it. After my dad passed from a heart attack when I was ten, and my mom and I became super close. She'd had issues over the past five years. We figured old age was setting in when she started having numbness, aches in her limbs and stiffness. I mean everyone knows about arthritis. Then it worsened to the point where she needed help to do everyday things. When I was twelve, she was officially diagnosed with multiple sclerosis."

Joey covered her mouth with her hand. "I am so sorry."

"Me too. It was painful watching her go from this firecracker of a woman to a shell, unable to care for herself. We had aides, but the brunt fell on me. I lost my father, so there was no way in hell I'd abandon her to some home. Thank God Dad worked for the government and his insurance still paid for pretty much everything she needed." Moose shook his head. "The more time passed, the more her care took up every aspect of my life. We'd spend the time telling stories about the family trips we took or her years as a twenty-something in America." He smiled. "She always told me get out and explore the world. It's why I came here after she passed. A way to escape the memories that were too fresh, and honor her at the same time. I was named after my parents. Dylan because he was Ryan, and she was Diane."

"Okay, that's adorable."

"Yeah, don't spread it around." His voice sounded gruff, but the smile on his face took the sting out.

"My lips are sealed." She made a zipping motion with her fingers.

He grunted. "She loved horror movies. My dad hated them, but she and I would get out the popcorn and have mini-marathons." He shook his head, obviously amused.

Seeing him open up moved her. He spent a lot of time being closed off. This step was giant. "Is that why you wanted to catch up on The Walking Dead?"

"Yeah, I figured it'd be a fitting tribute."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "It is."

Moose took a deep breath. "I felt like a shit bag toward the end. I resented the hell out of her. She was this burden I couldn't escape. The last two years I was frightened she would die when I was out of the house. I didn't want her to go that way, all alone with no family."

"Honey, that's a lot of responsibility for someone that young to take on," Joey said.