Lynx
One Week Later
It had taken Meredith about five days before she felt comfortable leaving for Alabama, and while we’d stopped overnight along the way, we were finally at the Dixie Reapers compound. My sister met us at the gates and showed us to our temporary quarters. Even though I’d said Grizzly could stay with us, he hadn’t made a decision last I’d heard, so walking in the door and seeing him lounging in a chair took me by surprise. Not only me. Meredith tensed behind me, her hand gripping the bottom of my cut.
“Decided to stay with us after all?” I asked.
“I want as much time with my girl as I can get.” He stood and came closer. I hadn’t seen him in a long while, and the man had aged quite a bit. I didn’t think it was all to do with how old he was either. His medical issues had taken a toll on him. “Meredith?”
She peeked from behind me. I watched as tears gathered in her eyes. The moment her dad opened his arms, she darted around me and went straight to him. He wrapped her up in a big hug, and the relief on his face was rather telling. Clearly, he hadn’t known what sort of reception she’d give him.
“Why don’t I put our things in our room, then I’ll head out with Ridley for a bit. The two of you can sit here and talk,” I said.
“I wanted to meet your family.” Meredith pulled free from her dad. “I know I’m not exactly a stranger to any of them, but it’s different now.”
“You will, Merry, but I think you and Grizzly need some time together first. I’m sure he knows the way to Venom’s house. I’ll leave the keys to the Charger here. I think it would be best for the two of you to drive over.”
Ridley cleared her throat and gave Meredith a bright smile. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you from both my daughters and my brother.”
Meredith winced. “I can imagine what Mariah and Farrah had to say.”
Ridley shrugged. “I make my own decisions. What I can tell you is that my brother seems happier than ever before. His opinion is the only one you should be concerned with.”
Meredith nodded and leaned against Grizzly. The big man held her close, and I saw the look of gratitude in his eyes when we locked gazes. He gave me a slight nod, and I carried the bags to the empty bedroom. Ridley was waiting outside for me when I got back to the front door. I kissed Meredith and left, knowing she needed this time with her dad, even if she wouldn’t admit it.
“So, my nieces have been running their mouths,” I said.
“When do they not?” Ridley rolled her eyes. “I thought you were crazy when you said you wanted them to bring Grizzly down. Their entire families piled into their vehicles. I’m surprised the big guy could find a spot to sit.”
“Wait, so the kids are at your place too?” I stopped mid-step. I didn’t mind seeing Farrah and Mariah, even Venom would be a welcome sight. But the children… We’d just lost our baby. How would Meredith react?
“I asked Lyssa and Darian to wrangle them for a little while. You didn’t even ask about Dawson. He’s all grown-up now.”
“I keep in touch with him. Unlike my nieces, he knows how to reach out now and then. Or how to answer a damn phone call.”
Ridley snickered. “They know how to answer. They choose not to most of the time. Probably worried we’ll want something.”
“How’s your other half enjoying his retirement?”
“I think he likes it. He still gets together on a regular basis with Torch and the others. The lot of them play cards and gossip like old ladies. The rest of the time, he’s with us at home. Probably why Dawson wanted to move out.”
I wasn’t going to disillusion my sister. If she wanted to believe that was Dawson’s reason, then I’d let her. Since I spoke with the kid somewhat often, I knew the real score. He came from two generations of bikers and didn’t have the slightest inclination to join a club. Not the Dixie Reapers, or any other one. In fact, he’d been dating a girl in town. Something told me my sister and Venom still didn’t know.
My sister had walked over to the apartments, so we headed back to her place on foot. When I got there, I saw Farrah and Mariah out front, looking as if they wanted to ambush someone. The fierce expressions on their faces didn’t bode well for my Merry.
“Look who it is. Trouble One and Trouble Two,” I said. “Have you made both your men go gray yet?”
“You’re not funny, Uncle Lynx,” Mariah said. “You know I wouldn’t do something so cruel to Savage.”
“Since Demon decided to shave his head a few months ago, and keeps doing it, I wouldn’t know what color his hair is these days,” Farrah said.
“Maybe he’s hiding the fact you’re aging him.” I smirked and Ridley smacked my arm. “Now, why the hell are you two out here with those looks on your faces?”
“Did you really claim that stupid bitch?” Farrah asked.
The smile fell from my face. I stopped in my tracks and fought for control. If anyone other than my niece had said such a thing, I’d have knocked them on their ass. I counted to ten. Then twenty. By the time I reached forty, I knew there was no way to cool my temper right now.
“Ridley…”
She nodded and stepped forward. “You just said something incredibly disrespectful about your uncle’s woman. And at my house, no less. If you didn’t come here with an open mind, then fucking leave, Farrah.”
“Daddy won’t let you throw me out,” she said.
“Really? Because I recall being the one to give you some cash when he did exactly that. He told you to pack your shit and leave because you were causing too much trouble. Now here you are doing it all over again.”
My sister folded her arms and stared her oldest down. Farrah’s posture relaxed, and she sighed before giving a slight nod. The door behind her opened and Demon stepped out. His eyebrow went up as he looked from Ridley to Farrah.
“What did I tell you?” he asked.
“To behave,” she mumbled.
“What did I say would happen if you didn’t?”
Her cheeks went crimson, and I was certain whatever her answer, it would be something neither Ridley nor I wanted to hear. She hurried into the house and Demon lingered. He pointed inside and Mariah ran after her sister. Looked like he had the two of them well in hand. So, why had everyone let Meredith run wild, then condemned her for it? I had so many questions.
“You really claiming Meredith?” he asked.
“Already did. She’s coming by in a little bit. I told her to spend time with Grizzly first. Thought they could use the one-on-one right now,” I said.
“Probably. He’s missed the hell out of her. No one back home can understand why. Girl was more trouble than either of those two,” he said, tipping his head toward the house.
“Can I ask you something?” He motioned for me to continue. “You seem to do just fine with Farrah. I’m guessing Savage doesn’t have an issue with Mariah. So why is it a club, who clearly knows how to handle strong, opinionated women, let Meredith fall so far? No, what I really want to know is why you then blamed her for it.”
Ridley let out a long whistle. “Okay. This conversation is going to require coffee. Possibly spiked with something.”
We went into the house and everyone gathered in the kitchen. I noticed the table wasn’t the same as before. In fact, the kitchen looked larger too. Had they done some renovations since I’d been here last? With both Farrah and Mariah having kids, it made sense. Even if they lived in a different state, I knew the girls came home to visit now and then. Dawson would eventually settle down and have a family too.
We each took a seat while Ridley brewed a large pot of coffee. I hoped she planned to make a second one. No one said a word until we each had a cup in our hands, except Mariah. She shook her head when Ridley tried to hand her one.
“I can’t. I’m pregnant,” she said.
Ridley set the cup down hard, her lips forming a thin line. “Why the hell are you just telling me now? Does your daddy know?”
Mariah shook her head. “I’m only two months. We were going to wait and tell everyone after I’d made it through the first trimester. I didn’t plan on being here so soon.”
“Do me a favor and don’t tell Merry,” I said.
“Merry?” Demon’s brow furrowed. “Is that what you call Meredith?”
Farrah snorted. “Wow. Doolittle called her that. If you ask me, it’s the wrong name. There’s not a damn thing merry about her.”
I took a swallow of my coffee, letting it scorch my throat. It was either that, or reach across the table and throttle my niece. Demon must have known my exact thoughts because he reached over and squeezed the back of Farrah’s neck, hard enough she winced.
“What I’m going to tell you doesn’t leave this room. Meredith will tell the Devil’s Fury, and Grizzly, if and when she’s ready. But I think it might be the only way to get my niece to stop running her fucking mouth.” I glared at Farrah. “None of you stopped to consider why she acted the way she did. You just thought she was being a bitch, or immature.”
“We were in the wrong too,” Demon said. “None of us tried to stop her. We thought Doolittle would be good for her, and she seemed crazy about him, so… I guess we all hoped the two would end up together.”
“Crazy,” I mumbled. “Don’t use that word around her either.”
“What’s going on?” Ridley asked, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Is there something wrong with Meredith?”
“She has an appointment with a psychiatrist next week. I noticed she has a tendency toward reckless behavior. She admitted to obsessing over Doolittle, and she worried the same would happen with me. I told her she could obsess all she wanted.” I sighed and took another swallow of coffee. “I think she’s got some problems that she can’t solve on her own. Ridley, I never told you, but our mom had mental health issues. Found the pills for it one day. I don’t think she was always a rotten human being. There’s not a doubt in my mind that my father took advantage of her and twisted her to fit his needs. She probably just saw a rich man and thought it would be a good way to take care of you.”
Ridley pulled out a chair and sat down hard. It looked like I’d hit her right between the eyes. If things hadn’t come to this, I would have taken that secret to my grave. Perhaps I shouldn’t have. If Mom had been sick like that, then it was possible Ridley or I could end up with it later, or pass the gene to our children. Which made me eye my nieces.
“You realize that if Meredith is mentally ill, you’ve condemned her for something entirely out of her control. It would be like ridiculing someone with autism or giving an amputee a hard time. Neither of which you’d ever do, right?”
Farrah slumped in her seat, and even Mariah looked ashamed of herself. Not my intention, but I did need them to stop and think before they spoke. One wrong word and Meredith would start spiraling again. She’d been so tense and anxious over seeing these two. Although, I also knew my nieces were rather talented at showing people what they wanted to see. I had no idea if they were genuinely remorseful.
“Tell us about Meredith,” Demon said.
“Do you know why the trip was delayed?” I asked.
“Mom said the two of you couldn’t make it here any sooner.” Mariah frowned. “We thought you had club business or something.”
“Meredith was in the hospital. She had a miscarriage.” I scanned the faces around the table. “Yeah, we were going to have a baby. I need her to remain as calm as possible during this trip. She insisted on coming, but I’m not convinced she’s fully recovered yet. It’s also why I hoped the kids wouldn’t be here. I don’t know how she’d handle seeing them right now.”
“Jesus,” Demon muttered. “Did Grizzly know?”
I shook my head. “I told him after we got home from the hospital. She’d wanted to share the news in person. I could tell she was scared, but I think she was a little excited too. I know I was.”
Having kids with Meredith seemed like a dream come true. Unless we were both going to pass on fucked-up genetics. Maybe it would be better if we didn’t have any. We could always adopt.
“Is she talking to Grizzly about all this now?” Mariah asked. “Can he handle it?”
“I don’t know the answer to either question.” I leaned back in my chair. “What I need to know is if you can be supportive of Meredith, or if you’re going to treat her like the enemy. Because if it’s the latter, I’m going to have to ask you to leave when she comes over. You’re my family and I love you, but I have to think of what’s best for her right now.”
“I can be good,” Mariah said. “I wish things had happened differently back then. Oh, God. When Doolittle finds out…”
Farrah winced. “That won’t be pretty. He took care of her for so long. I know he felt betrayed not only by her but the club as well when we all tried to run Minnie off. If he finds out Meredith acted that way because she was sick, he’s going to want to kick his own ass.”
“We’ll deal with that later.” Demon cocked his head. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe Meredith and Grizzly are here. Venom too. Hell, it sounds like a damn herd of buffalo out there.”
The front door opened. “Where is everyone?”
Ridley smiled. “In the kitchen, Venom.”
He came in with not only Grizzly and Meredith on his heels, but Rocky and Mara as well. The way Mara had looped her arm through Meredith’s made my tension ease quite a bit. It looked like she’d made a friend here already. Good. I wanted her to have all the support she’d ever need. Being the only woman back home wouldn’t be easy, especially since she hadn’t had time to make friends in town.
“Brought a few extra people,” Venom said. Ridley stood and he took her seat, then tugged her down onto his lap. Demon patted his legs and Farrah did the same, freeing up a chair for someone. I held out my hand for Meredith.
“And where’s an old fart like me supposed to sit?” Grizzly asked.
Mariah jumped up and ran out of the room, returning a moment later with a rolling computer chair. Although, it had so much padding it looked more comfortable than my damn living room furniture.
“Right here,” Mariah said. “Best chair in the house.”
Grizzly grunted as he sat, and Mariah reclaimed her seat. I also didn’t miss the look she shot Meredith, and I didn’t like it. Not even a little. I’d noticed Savage was absent and I wondered if he’d decided to stay with the kids. Or did he dislike Meredith so much he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her? The thought was unsettling.
“So, who’s ready to apologize to my daughter?” Grizzly asked, giving Demon, Farrah, and Mariah a glare.
“We’re sorry,” Mariah said. I could hear the lack of sincerity in her voice, and I was certain Grizzly could too. “We should have been more supportive and…”
I hugged Meredith, tugging her closer against my chest. “I told them about your appointment next week, and about your hospital stay. I hadn’t planned to say anything to you, but I don’t want there to be secrets between us.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. “So you forgive me for acting out now that you know there was likely a reason?”
Mariah’s cheeks flushed. “Um, well…”
“If the three of us being here makes you uncomfortable, we’ll leave so you can spend time with Venom and Ridley,” Demon said. “It’s not our intention to make you feel ill at ease.”
Meredith sighed. “It’s fine. You can stay. It’s not like this is my house anyway. I can’t exactly run you off.”
Ridley waved a hand. “By all means. Chase them off if that’s what you need to do. Besides, Venom already threw Farrah out once, and I damn near did it already today. She should be used to it by now.”
Farrah stuck her tongue out at Ridley and Demon smacked her on the thigh. Pretty damn hard by the sound of it. It certainly got her attention, and she immediately became more obedient. Interesting.