TWATKNOT

“Come back to bed,” she beckons, her voice thick with desire. She’s lying on the bed in my motel room, her face lit up with happiness and a satisfied smile. If only our neighbors had appreciated our reunion last night. The pounding on the wall, and the visit from the concierge for a noise complaint, had been an interesting twist to our evening. Cora was embarrassed as hell, but I reveled in knowing that everyone around heard us. Jealous bastards.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell her, kissing her forehead. “Get some sleep, ’cause I’m not through with you yet.”

She giggles. “I thought you’d be tired after last night.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you, darlin’.” I kiss her lips. “Get some sleep. I won’t be long.” Rolling out of bed, I grab my phone from the nightstand and step out onto the balcony. I have to call him. The missed calls and texts I’d ignored yesterday are only going to add more fuel to the fire when I knew damn well that Priest had likely already called and checked in on his ride back. Nevertheless, Judge deserves an explanation.

I make the call, and he answers on the first ring like he’s been expecting me.

“You better be calling me to tell me you’re on the road, TK.”

“Right to the fucking point, as always, Judge. Not even a ‘Hello, TK. Long time, no talk.’ Grace is slacking on your manner lessons.”

“Do you deserve a hello?” Truthfully, no. I’d disobeyed his order to come home, a disrespectful defiance to my club president.

“You got me there.”

“Where the fuck are you? And don’t try to lie to me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Prez.”

“Answer the fucking question, TK. I know you’re not with Priest. He called me as soon as you turned back.”

“I guess you know where I am, then.”

“Better be a good fucking reason for you ignoring not only a call home, but every attempt to connect with you.”

I grip the phone, willing him to understand. “I couldn’t leave her, Judge.”

The other side of the line goes quiet, his heavy breathing the only thing I hear. “I think you owe me an explanation, son.”

“I do. But you, of all people, know what it’s like when you find the right woman.”

“Fuck, do I know it.” Judge would never admit it to us, but Grace changed him, made him better. She had a bit more work cut out for her to change that moody asshole’s attitude, but going from zero kids to two hormonal and emotionally damaged teenagers in a blink of an eye, I could see why he’s still a moody fucker.

“Cora’s my Grace, Judge. Don’t ask me why or how, but she is. I don’t know what I came up here looking for, but I found it.”

“I’m happy for you, TK. Really, man, I am. It’s about time you found someone who can keep your ass in line.”

“That, she does. You’ve known me for a long time, seen the shit I’ve done. My priorities have changed.”

“I’ve seen enough to scar me for life. Shit, we all have.”

All I can do is laugh, because he’s not wrong. I’d done a lot of shit to get a rise out of my brothers, and for my own personal satisfaction. Shit that I’m now not exactly proud of, but I can’t change the past. What I can do is look to the future, shining like a fucking beacon from my bed. My salvation. The redemption I didn’t know I needed to find.

“So what’s the plan, then?” he asks, never one to beat around the bush. “You stayin’?”

I consider my answer carefully. “I think I am, Judge. Cora’s family is here. I can’t force her to leave.”

“What about the club?”

“I’m no good to you this far away. My only option is to go nomad.”

“That’s a big decision, TK. We’re a family out here. You gonna walk away from that?”

“If I want her, it’s the only way. If you knew what she’s been through, you’d understand why I can’t force her into our lifestyle.”

He pauses at that, his unsure tone changing to one of concern. “Enlighten me.”

I tell him everything. I tell him about Big Dick raping her and getting her pregnant. I tell him about me and Priest keeping watch over Cora and her family until we could deal with him and make sure they were safe. And then I tell him about what had happened outside of the brewery.

The implications of what I’d done might bring a whole pile of shit down on the club. I know he’ll probably be pissed, but I leave nothing out. He listens to everything I say, only letting out the occasional heavy sigh as I talk. “The only reason he’s not dead is because Cora stopped me.”

“I’d have killed the motherfucker if that were Grace,” he growls.

“I know, Judge. It would’ve been easier if I had, considering his affiliation. I haven’t seen any blowback yet, but that doesn’t mean it’s not coming. Hashtag has information on them if it comes to it.”

“Of course he does.”

“I didn’t want to get the club involved. It was personal between him and I.”

“If there’s blowback from the Screwballs, I’ll take care of it. That’s a fucking promise.”

“I appreciate it, Prez.”

Going nomad, there’s a chance Judge could cut me off completely. I’d be my own problem, unless another chapter asked me to step in. But with no chapters in this part of the country, those requests would be few and far between.

“Fuck, I saw this going in a different direction,” I admit. “I thought Austin was it for me, my home. Turns out, I didn’t really know what home was until I met her.”

“I hear ya there, kid. Perspectives change when you have a good woman in your life, and leaves you wanting more. Are you ready for this big of a change?”

My pacing on the balcony stops. I look at Cora's sleeping form inside the room and smile. “For her, I’ll be ready for anything.”

“I’m proud of you, TK. I never thought I’d see the day you’d grow the fuck up, but you’ve done it.”

“I never thought it would either, Judge,” I admit with a happy, yet heavy heart.

“It won’t be the same without your annoying fucking ass terrorizing the clubhouse.”

“Meh. I’ll have to come back eventually to get the rest of my shit. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to piss you off between now and then, I’m sure.” I smile when Judge’s laughter flows through the receiver. “Besides,” I add, “between V and Priest, I think you’ll be fine. The good father has learned from the best.”

Judge pauses. “Have you heard from Priest?”

“Not since I left him on the highway outside of Sturgis yesterday. He said something about taking the scenic route since he didn’t have my ass to haul away from here, kicking and screaming. He’s probably in the middle of nowhere without a phone signal.”

“Could be… Or he might just be ignoring me like someone else I know.”

“Like I said, he learned from the best. If I hear from him, I’ll tell him to call home.”

“Appreciate that. I’ll let you get back to your girl. See you down the road, brother.” He hangs up without letting me get my own goodbye into the conversation. A blessing on his part as a tear rolls down my face.

No one ever said that starting a new chapter in life would be easy, but with Cora, I might just have a chance to make the next one worth the fight.