The words should have terrified her, but instead they filled her with excitement. The thought of belonging to someone so completely was all she had ever truly wanted deep down in the hidden spaces of her soul, where no one could see. "Why aren't you telling me to run, Mom?"

"Because you're smarter than I ever was and there's something to being loved by a man like that. They don't do half-ass and if you can capture their heart..." Her mother trailed off. She peered off into the distance. "It's the most beautiful connection in the world," she whispered.

"And you don't mind me being in that world?" Joey asked.

"I've come to realize no matter what we do, we end up right where we're supposed to be."

The cryptic words made Joey long to know more of her mother's story.

"Are you going to go talk to him tomorrow?" her mother asked.

"Yes, but what do I even say?" Joey said with a shrug.

"What do you want?" her mother asked.

"To be with him, that's all I really know for certain," Joey answered firmly. "God, I'm crazy aren't I?"

"No," her mother said. A soft smile lined her lips. "Tell him that and live in the moment. Life is too much for anything else."

"God, Mom, how can you be so sure?"

"You're thirty years old and I've never seen you like this about anyone else. It's something that should be explored further," her mother said.

"He doesn't want a commitment. He's made that clear," Joey said. She toyed with her mug. She wasn't one-hundred percent sure she wanted to get married, but kids would be nice someday. If she entered into this, would she be giving up on that?

"And yet you're his sweetheart," her mother said.

Her mother's counter comment blew her out of the water. Actions spoke louder than words. He might not want the traditional, but that didn't mean a happy medium couldn't be reached. Damn you, Mom. "Okay, so you have a point."

"Of course I do, darling." Her mother winked at her over the rim of her mug.

"Have I told you lately how amazing you are?" Joey said.

Her mother set down her mug. "Remember, I didn't tell you to lose yourself in him. I told you to take a chance." Her mother's hazel eyes bored into her own. "You understand?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom."

"There's my beautiful girl." Her mother reached over and patted her cheek.

A new bond had been forged today. She saw beneath the tough-girl faade. Growing up with the tattooed badass mom all the boys lusted after had proven a serious challenge for her as a kid, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.

The minute Joey left, Ellen went to the phone and entered his number.

"Ellen, everything okay?"

Ellen closed her eyes and gripped the cell phone tightly as the familiar baritone washed over her. It had been over a month since she heard his voice. "Yes and no."

"You know I don't do vague, Stargazer, so speak," Wanderer said. The impatience in his tone lit a fire inside her.

"Your daughter is dating a biker." Best to be short and to the point.

"Son of a bitch! Isn't that why I let you leave? To keep her away from all this bullshit?"

Ellen winced. There was a lot of truth to that statement. Everything they'd withheld from Joey allowed her to have a normal life. "She's a grown woman, Wanderer. What did you expect me to do? Not support her so she could run straight to him blindly? We both know how well that works."

"I'll be damned if I let my little girl relive our story," he said. The anger in his voice was infuriating.

"Oh, now she's your little girl?" Ellen said, pissed that he wanted to pull the M.C. card after all this time.

"Fuck you, Star. Don't take that tone with me. I've been giving you money from day one," he said.

"And that makes up for your absence?" she huffed. All the years of silence shattered, not because he'd seen the error of his ways, but because another man was claiming what he'd neglected to.

"You are riding me for a reason, or you just feeling like being a bitch tonight?" Wanderer said. She imagined the snarl she knew he'd be wearing.

"Watch your tone; you owe me more respect," Ellen said, using the same tone. After all this time, she was used to his head getting too big for his shoulders. "We both know we were wrong to let this go so long. It's in our blood. Did we really think controlling her environment would remove it?"

"Fuck, I don't need this shit right now," Wanderer said.

She heard something slam on the other end. "Listen, I told you out of respect. You might run in the same circles and I didn't want you to see her and have it catch you off guard." Ellen's voice cracked. She'd done what she had to, always did. Even when it ripped her fucking heart out.

"I'm not going to have my daughter a fucking target for these assholes looking for easy prey," Wanderer said.

"Fuck you, Wanderer. You promised! I got to make the big decisions when it comes to her. You don't get to come here and disrupt her life now."

"Hers or yours, Star?" he asked.

The insinuation burned her from the inside out. "You always were a cold motherfucker," she said shaking her head. Unbelievable.

"Not what you said when we made her, or last month for that matter," he said, taunting her.

"Stay away." Ellen disconnected, shaking as she rested her head against the wall in her bathroom. Please let this be the right choice.

"What's this I hear about Joey being your sweetheart?"Shooter asked.

Moose glanced up from the bike he was working and watched his friend enter the garage. "Good news travels fast," Moose muttered, returning his attention to the bike he'd just finished doing maintenance on for a customer.

"Is it good news?"

"Are you seriously playing big brother right now?" Moose shot back.

"Hey, I'm trying not to get caught in the crossfire with my old lady before we even get married," Shooter said. He stopped a few feet away.

"Yeah, well, I'm not pissed about it, if that's what you're asking. You should be happy I got Red deported. Crazy bitch," Moose said.

"Yeah, I'll buy you a drink for that one," Shooter said.

"Keep your money, it was my pleasure." Moose grunted, tightening bolts.

"So you making a go of it?" Shooter asked.

"Not like you, family man." Does getting married turn you nosey?

"Family? I'm getting married to Juliette, not knocking her up," Shooter said.

"First comes loves, next comes marriage," Moose sang.

"What are we, nine?"

Moose finished tightening a bolt and held up his hands. "Just saying, that's the road you're headed down."

"Maybe someday man. Not now," Shooter defended.

"Damn, can't say I ever thought I'd hear you say that," Moose said.

"Me either. But I never had a problem with kids. It was the flighty mothers that made me wary. Joey was cool with you treating Red like a ragdoll? I heard shit got intense."

"Can't say, bro. I haven't had the pleasure of talking with her. The day after the blow-up we had the charity ride and she's been swamped with work since. She's due over tonight, though."

"Fuck man, sounds like a night of fun," Shooter said sarcastically.

"Yeah, you're telling me. Joey's such a cool fucking chick. I keep waiting for her crazy side to come out unexpectedly, like a fucking jack-inthe-box."

"Jul says her mom is cool as shit. Maybe it runs in the family," Shooter noted.

"How cool can she be, living in suburbia?" Moose replied.

"Well, when you're referred to as a black Angelina Jolie, I'd say she's not your cookie-cutter variety," Shooter said.

Moose whistled. "No wonder she's so chill."

"It'll make meeting the parents a hell of a lot easier than I had it. I think my old lady's mom is still plotting my demise. I'm not what she envisioned for her only child. That's for sure," Shooter said.

"You keep talking so long-term I might break out in hives, brother," Moose said, amused by his friend's one-eighty.

"Funny, your actions say the exact opposite."

Moose didn't miss the smugness in Shooter's tone. "You suddenly decide to give Dr. Phil a run for his money?"

"Just making conversation." Shooter shrugged.

"Right. " Moose eyed him, still not certain of his intentions.

"I felt the same way about Jul, you know. I wondered what the hell I was getting myself into and called myself a crazy fool. I almost talked myself out of it a few times. I mean we had a shit-ton of issues slamming into us from every side. There were plenty of times I wanted to walk away."

"All right, I'll bite. Why didn't you?" Moose asked, genuinely curious.

"Because...her lure proved to be stronger than any of that. Men like us don't do regrets or what ifs. We go hard and ride shit out until the end. I'm not trying to cramp your style or get all up in your shit. I just don't want to see you pass up something that could potentially be the best shit you ever stumbled onto." Shooter shoved his hands in his pockets. "All right, I'm done."

Moose walked over to the sink and pumped a liberal amount of gritty orange soap onto his hands. The smell of citrus wafted to his nose as he scrubbed away the oil. "I appreciate it. But you and I are different when it comes to that. I'm not afraid of bitches. I never had my heart broken or had a vagina-owner betray me. I like my freedom. I spent too long trapped in a cage I was born into, and I'm not ready to give that up, might never be."

Images of limbs worn down over time, pale and too thin, flooded his mind. Nothing hurt worse than watching the person you love wither away one day at a time. It was the first time they'd touched on what sent him out this way. "If you're worried I'm going to do her dirty or pull a fast one on her, don't be. I'm going to lay it out in black and white tonight," Moose said. He picked up the small blue-bristled brush to clean under his nails. If she did stay, he had some lost time to make up for. He'd grown used to having her with him at night. A week away from her felt like an eternity.

The conversation moved to the club, and then Shooter headed in to talk to Tiny.

Moose finished cleaning up his work area and went to change.

The cookie-cutter neighborhood made him feel out of place. Brick houses with manicured lawns, gardens and kids' toys lined both sides of the street. Moose imagined the polished professionals peeking out their blinds as he drove to Joey's house and parked in the driveway. He'd only been to her home a few times and every time, he felt like a circus attraction.

He climbed off the bike and walked up to the door with his hands shoved in his pockets. Things were either going to move to another level or crash and burn. Rolling his neck and shoulders, he knocked on the door and rocked back on his heels.

Joey opened the door in a pair of worn denim jeans and an oversized Mayhem shirt.

"Nice shirt," he said, unable to keep the grin from his lips.

"Come in, smart ass," Joey said. She stepped back and he walked in, taking in the decor as she locked the door behind him. Beige walls were brought to life with colorful posters and photos.

"We can go to the living room. Do you want anything to drink?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm straight."

She nodded and began the short walk into the living room.

He sank down onto the light-green couch and rested his hands on his knees, mentally bracing himself for the shakedown he knew had to be coming.

Joey turned to face him. "I don't think there's even a protocol for this conversation, so I'm just going to go at it. I know who you are and the world you live in. However, seeing it up close and personal could only be described as a shock to my system." She shook her head. "It scared me, thinking about the things you might be capable of," she said.

"I can't make you un-see it, Jo-Jo."

"I know, and I'm not asking you to," she said. She peered at him from beneath her thick lashes. "How do I know you won't do that to me?"

"Because you're not some whore trying to fuck up my life," he said. Does she really need me to explain it to her?

"What if you're drinking and we're arguing? How do I know it won't escalate?" she asked.

"Because I'm giving you my word. Have I lied to you yet?" he said. He raised an eyebrow.

"No, but I'd be a dizzy bitch if I didn't bring it up and try to protect myself," she said.

"And I respect that. But, Joey, you have to know you mean something to me."

"Do I?" She wrapped her arms around her waist. "You're a man of few words, and most of the time we're together, talking is the last thing on our minds."