He lifted a hand and tapped his fingers over his lips in a thoughtful gesture. "Tradition, babe. I'm a legacy. And by the time I got out of county, Lu had already cleaned shit up. Half the Widows were gone, and..." he paused and dropped his hand. His lips pursed in what I'd later on figure was a disbelieving and possibly embarrassed gesture. "Luther had been the only one to offer to help me out once I got back from Dallas, so I kinda owed it to him, ya know?"

There it was. That fierce loyalty. He didn't have a clue how that was the most attractive thing about him. It trumped his face, his ink, his body, everything. Dex Locke was true. He was grounded.

And, I really was in love with him.

“He signed Pins’ first lease and loaned me the money without even thinkin’ about it. Nobody else even offered besides Blake helpin’ with the shop’s license. I help out the Club mainly because of Lu.”

“That was really nice of him.”

“He’s the best man I’ve ever known. Most people don’t see all the good in him because he’s so serious, you know. But Lu’s got his shit together and most of the time, he knows what he’s talkin’ about. Can’t help but listen to him when he says somethin’. Keep your shop separate from the club. Keep your nose clean. Lock that sweet girl down before you regret that shit. So I pay attention. ”

I couldn’t help but grin to myself when he touched the side of my thigh with his last statement. I reached out to touch the side of his thigh in return. The corner of his mouth tipped up at the contact.

"As long as he’s in, I’m in. I like mindin' my own business and he gets that. I'm there when I'm there, and they got enough members to do whatever else I don't wanna. Works out all right every way around."

Even imagining someone trying to get him to do something that he didn't want to, seemed ridiculous. Preposterous. And that thought made me smile. He was who he was and you either accepted it or not.

And then I dropped the smile as soon as I thought of how much of a dick he'd been when we'd first met, any thought of loving him temporarily slipped away.

Well, I guess it wasn't always so cute, but we'd gotten past that and I wouldn't bring it up.

Knowing he'd lose his mind if I unbuckled my seatbelt, I kissed my fingertips and reached over to press them to his cheek, grinning like a moron because Dex would be amused with the gesture. He didn't let me down, a goofy half grin covered his mouth. "You're one of the best people I know."

He didn't say anything in return, but each time I looked over at him afterward, the pensive look on his face was stained with pure smugness.

We passed by the hospital my mom used to work at, and I was suddenly slammed with the reminder that I'd hopefully be seeing my dad in a few hours. I wondered what he looked like for some reason. Would he still have the same beard? Would he recognize me immediately? Would he think that I looked like my mom?

"Babe, what the hell is that sigh for?" Dex asked.

I groaned low enough that he might have not heard. "I think I'm nervous about seeing my dad for the first time in forever." I sighed. "It feels like the first day of school or something. It might be almost as bad as my first day at Pins."

He flicked both dark eyebrows up. "Nothin' to be worried about," he assured me.

Nothing at all.

Not if he didn't have the money.

Not if he'd skipped town.

If, if, if, if, and more friggin' if.

Had I mentioned before how much I hated relying on another people?

Especially when that person was the least reliable individual I'd possibly ever met.

"Charlie..."

He chuckled, flicking those bright blue eyes in my direction. "Don't worry about it."

I mashed my lips together and kept my worries to myself. There wasn't a point in stressing until we knew for sure if he really was in town. Sure Luther wouldn't have a reason to lie, and I'd hope his friend wouldn't either, but I wasn't going to put all my eggs into one basket. I'd worry when I knew for sure Curt Taylor was around.

I spotted a few more places I'd seen a hundred times before. The family owned hardware store, the grocery store, the salons that had been around since mullets had been in style.

And it was all way too deja-vu like.

Reminders of some of the best times of my life and the worst.

The hotel we pulled into was a member of a big chain, something I'd found for cheap on my phone when we'd entered Florida. I'd paid for it before telling Dex anything because he'd try to talk me into grabbing his credit card. I sleepwalked through check-in, filling out paperwork with the worst handwriting ever.

"Here you go," the hotel employee said as she handed me two key cards, her eyes straying from the tattoo on Dex's neck, and then back over to the nasty bruise on my cheek.

Oh hell. Whatever.

I wrapped my arm around Dex's and leaned into him, the side of my face pressed to his bicep like it was the most natural thing in the world. Those blue eyes glanced down at me, lined and circled in purplish blue, and one side of his mouth tipped up. His free hand went up to smooth over the top of my head. "C'mon, lazy bones."

There's no doubt in my mind I resembled an adoring puppy on the walk to our room.

"Shower first, honey, I gotta call Son and Lu to check up with 'em," Dex said as we dropped our bags just inside the door.

I nodded at him before fishing through the duffel bag, eyeing the king sized bed that took up the majority of the room. I poked him in the arm as I passed by, rushing through my shower, and getting dressed in an old threadbare sweatshirt and plain bikini panties before I somehow managed to fall asleep standing.

Just as I was about to open the door, I heard Dex on the other side.

"—better than that. Quit bein' a dumb f**k about it," he bit off.

Well. I don't think he'd be talking to Luther like that, and if it was Sonny he was talking to...then, I'd like to hear that conversation.

"She told me everything." He paused. "Yeah, that too. Look, Son—"

Five guesses as to what my traitor-ass brother could be finally spilling.

"I want this shit over with...Yeah...I wanna go back home, and she's comin' with me. How f**kin' hard is that for you to understand? She's mine, my brother, and I don't give a single f**k if you're mad about it or not. It is what it is and you gotta remember how well you know me....You think I'd be here if I didn't?"

Crap. At that moment, I would've given my first born to know what Sonny was saying on the other line instead of settling for guesses. Sometimes I hated how curious I was. I should have just gone into the bedroom like a normal person. Oh, who am I kidding? Anybody would be standing on the other side of the door eavesdropping.

Dex made a noise that sounded like a snarl. "This isn't gonna be a goddamn waste of her time or mine. I’m a grown ass man, Son. You’re not gonna tell me what I can and can’t do. I know exactly what I’m doin’. You wanna try to beat the shit out of me when we get back? 'Kay. I don't give a shit. You're not changin' my mind. Piss your little pants—"

Sonny must have cut him off because the next thing he did was laugh bitterly. "Not a single f**k. Not half of one. Not a quarter of one. Nothin'. You can kiss my f**kin' ass and so can Trip. I'll call you when I find your pa, ya stubborn f**k."