For the Love of Dixie (16 page)

Echo

The clubhouse is packed as everyone celebrates Shadow’s last days of freedom. I’m convinced the brother didn’t want the party. He’s unimpressed with the strippers shaking their ass for all they’re worth as they pace the edges of the stage and wind their bodies down the pole.

“Are you even enjoying this?” I ask.

Shadow shrugs. “I waited forever to get the woman I wanted. I could give a fuck about the ones up on the stage. A night at home with Blue would’ve been a million times better.”

“So, why aren’t you with her?” I ask.

“Traditions have to be upheld, brother, you know that,” he answers with a grin.

“Yeah, he needs to throw us single people a bone,” Skull says, a smile crossing his face.

“You single again? I can barely keep up with your status, you change that shit so much,” Shadow taunts.

“Oh, you got jokes?” Skull asks.

“I got opinions, which I keep to myself for the most part,” Shadow replies.

“What? You want to give me shit, too?” Skull’s look goes from carefree to dark.

There’s an undercurrent running between them I don’t understand.

“Who else has been talking, Blue?” Shadow asks.

“Fuck yeah, man. She came down on me hard.” Skull sighs.

Shadow laughs.

“Your girl can be vicious when she wants to be.”

“You don’t fuck with friends or family when it comes to her,” Shadow says.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Skull mutters.

“What the hell happened between you two now?” 

“Dude, we just can’t get on the same wavelength. She wants things I’m not sure about, and I need more space than her, usual, dudes. It seems to be a breaking point every time we try to get something going.”

“You can’t be half in and half out. Not with a woman like that,” Shadow says.

“I know, brother. She drives me fucking crazy. I don’t know if I can do the commitment thing. Not one hundred percent with plans to be forever. That shit is too heavy for me right now. If she’d let shit ride and unfold organically, we’d both be good. But she always has to push for more.”

“Might be good for your slacker ass,” Shadow states with a raised brow.

Skull shoots him a glare. “Shit.”

“Seems like single men are a dying breed these days,” I say.

“God, don’t say that,” Skull grumbles.

Shadow and I laugh and toss back our shots. The tray comes around again, and we grab another round. No one is driving out tonight, so we’re running through amber liquids like its water.

“What’s up with you and Dixie Rose? Ain’t seen the two of you around together much,” Skull says.

“Keeping our shit contained and away from the drama right now.”

“I can feel that, considering,” Skull whispers, looking at my father who’s seated at the front of the stage with his new cronies and my brother.

“Hate those motherfuckers,” I mumble.

“The prospects?” Skull asks.

“Yeah, they rub me the wrong way.”

“Ain’t given them too much thought. I get kind of blind being in the bar so much. What did they do?”

“Nothing yet. Just a gut feeling,” I say.

“It’s your right to give them shit and test them,” Shadow suggests.

“Yeah, but I’m trying not to be too obvious.”

“Please, let me do what I do best, clown motherfuckers and test their patience,” Skull says.

I laugh as he stands and stalks over to the stage. “Damn, I forgot how quickly he could wild out,” I say.

“Yeah, you can always count on Skull to do things without hesitation.” Shadow snickers.

We watch as he barks at the prospects who jump to their feet, standing at attention like this is boot camp and he’s their commanding officer. They practically shrink as Skull unloads. I can’t blame them for that. If you don’t know him, he’s a scary ass dude. With broad shoulders, muscles on top of muscles, and his mohawk, he cuts an intimidating figure.

“Have you seen the bathroom? It’s fucking disgusting. Go clean that shit up, prospects.”

It’s comical watching the two all but trip over one another as they rush to do his bidding. The malicious looks given by Scott aren’t missed. It’s not the action of a man trying to prove himself.

Careful, your mask is slipping.

Skull makes his way back slowly, stopping to have words with the others who share their approval of his actions. They haven’t been hazed much since they started—Mouth’s seen to that—but it’s a rite of passage he can’t stop inevitably.

“You see who has his back?” Shadow asks.

“Most people, seems like,” I reply.

“Skull is likeable, but I think this is more of a drawing of lines and a show of support. Mouth has friends in the club who are willing to look the other way and let him ride out the last years he has left. But recently, he’s rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and they’re showing support.”

I watch my father and see he’s taking note of the people talking to Skull. I sense the winds of change creeping in. The club is about to go through a civil war. I scan the crowd until my eyes land on Stone. He’s smiling, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s very aware of the division going on. It makes me wonder if Mouth is running the very thing that earned his road name. Opinionated, cocky, and loud, he didn’t back down or mince words. It was going to be his downfall.

Charm stands. I pretend to watch the strippers as he makes his way toward the back to smoke. When my father stays put, I wait a few more minutes and then follow.

Losing myself in the crowd, I stop by the bar. “Can I get a beer, darling? Whatever’s on ice is fine,” I ask the scantily clad brunette hired for tonight.

“You got it, handsome.” She sets a Bud on the counter.

I scoop it up and disappear into the crowd. Coming out on the other end, I slip out the back door.

Charm is seated in one of the chairs. “What’s up, bro?” he asks.

“Just coming to see how you’re doing. We haven’t had any one-on-one in a long time.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s the life of a sponsor,” he says with a quiet chuckle that sounds forced.

I laugh. “I forgot you were moving up in the ranks now.”

“Fuck you, Echo,” Charm says, flipping me off.

“No thanks, I don’t do guys or incest.” It feels good to laugh with my baby brother. For a moment, things are normal. He lets down the wall he’s had up between us. I see the stress he’s carrying, and what I suspect is fear. He can feel the mounting tension as well as anyone else. “Inflated ego aside, you doing okay?” I ask.

He toys with the cigarette between his fingers. “I’m not sure what I am, man. You know that moment when you first understand your parents aren’t always in the right?”

“Yeah, I remember it well.”

“I used to think Dad was right. I never questioned why he believes the shit he does, not after the story he told about Grandpa, but now I’m not sure the end justifies the means.”

“What’s changing your mind?” I ask, careful to keep my voice interested, but not overly intense.

“I see you with Dixie Rose. You love her and she loves you. How can anything so wrong bring such happiness? And I see how others are starting to look at us. It makes me wonder if this is how she’s always felt. Damn, the thought of doing that to her for so long…” Charm trails off shaking his head. “It doesn’t sit well with me.”

“You can always change your mind, Charm. No one says you have to take this shit to the grave, brother. Growing up means making your own decisions about things.”

“Not so easy—”

“Wasn’t easy for me either. I just found something I wanted more than the old man’s respect and approval.”

“Dixie Rose?” Charm asks.

“Mmm-hmm.” I want to do the typical big brother thing, rush in and save him from whatever sticky situation he’s gotten into, but I can’t. There’s more than him at stake, and my loyalty is to the club and Dixie Rose first and foremost. Priorities shift, and consequences can be a bitch. It’s a tough lesson to learn.
I need to make sure it’s not a deadly lesson for Charm.

“You always were braver than me, Echo.”

“No, I just stopped drinking the Kool-Aid a lot younger than you. I was sure once he knew how I felt about Dixie Rose, he would at least give her a chance to prove she was different, maybe even apologize. But just in case, we planned on telling him after we were married.”

Charm gasped. “You’re married?” he asked.

“Oh no, Dad made sure we never got that far. I was all set to leave and meet her down in Vegas. She’d gone before me. It was the weekend she left for college. We were going to tie the knot, and I’d deliver her to college. Dad found me, threatened her, my patch, and everything else under the sun. I took one look into his eyes and knew he was capable of everything he claimed, so I stood her up.

“That’s why you prospected for so long,” Charm whispered.

“Yeah, the bastard wouldn’t vote for me. After all he’d done. He made sure I stayed away from D’Rose for at least a year. The damage was done after that. I didn’t want to screw her up worse than I already had, so I let her go for the moment. She had my ink by then though, so I knew one day, we’d come back around. I spent my time building myself and my standing up in this club because I knew the stubborn bastard wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

“That’s fucked up, Joel.”

“Yeah, Shayne, it is. I never said anything, because I didn’t want to ruin Dad’s image for you. You were still so young, and there was no guaranteeing your journey would be the same with him. I didn’t want to sway you one way or another.”

“You’re a good brother, Joel,” Charm says quietly.

“I tried. No matter how old we get, you’re always going to be my baby brother, and I just want the best for you.”

Charm nods his head, a pensive look on his face. “I believe that.”

“You should, punk. I’m the one who fought your battles until you could fight your own,” I say, ruffling his hair.

He moves his head away from like he always did and I laugh.
He’s still in there buried under bullshit.
“You know I always got your back.”

He opens his mouth. The back door opens. His features harden and he gives me a nod, back on guard.

I hold back a curse.
I’ll get him to crack. But will it be in time to save him?

Dixie Rose

Preparation for the wedding has me thinking about my own engagement. I take in my appearance in the mirror and I’m transported back through the years.

Past

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?” I ask, nervously glancing around the garden I knew should technically be closed.

“I’m sure, babe, just relax and enjoy it. We’re celebrating your graduation,” Echo says.

“You’re always getting me into trouble.”

“What? We never get caught.”

I giggle.

“There’s the smile I was looking for.”

He twines our fingers and leads me to the bench I’ve come to think of as ours. The flickering candle makes me look up at him. The gesture wasn’t like him. I glance over at him, confused. “Echo, did you do this?”

“Yes, and if you’ll be quiet and go with the flow, you’ll know why soon enough.”

I laugh. He’s my opposite; laid back and go with the flow, he compliments my list-making uptightness. Curious about where he’s headed with this, I let go of my worry about being caught. The pillar candles in glass holders light our way and add a romantic ambience I’ve only read about in books and watched in eighties movies.

We reach our bench and we both sit down.

He reaches under the bench and produces a tin pail full of beers.

“Nice.”

“I thought so.” He cracks open the bottles, hands one to me and keeps one for himself. He holds his beer up. “To the graduate.”

I clink my beer against his. “Cheers. Can’t believe I’ll be headed off to college in the fall.”

“I can, you’re way too smart to just stay here and work some mediocre job for the club or otherwise.”

I beam. He’s been behind me since the day he picked me up at that horrible party. His unwavering faith in me is one of the things I cherish most about our relationship. “Thank you.”

He chuckles. “You’re always so fucking modest, babe. I love that about you.” He leans forward and tucks strands of hair behind my ear.

“I think you’re only with me for my hair,” I say playfully.

He places a sweet kiss on my cheek. “No, but it’s a bonus. I wanted to ask you something.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Okay?”

He clears his throat. “You changed my life the day you called me to come pick you up from the party. You showed me the person I could be, and from there, I figured out the man I wanted to be, and the woman I wanted to be with. The past few years have had their ups and downs. I’m the first to admit that. But the good has always outweighed the bad. I can’t picture life without you, so I have to make sure that never happens.”

I understand his pre-college jitters. “Babe, I’m wearing your mark.”

“Yeah, that’s not enough. I want to make sure the dumbest civilian knows from the second they lay eyes on you, you’re mine.”

My heart races. He can’t be about to do what I think he’s going to do. I place a hand over my heart.

He reaches into the pocket on his cut.

With a gasp, I hold my breath.

“What I’m trying to say is will you marry me and become Mrs. Spencer?”

“Yes.”

He grins and opens the black velvet case. The ring resting on the white material is stunning. The circle cut diamond is surrounded by a ring of diamonds and the band resembles an infinity symbol done in diamonds.

“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.

“Can I put it on you?” he asks.

“Please.” My voice shakes and I exhale, holding out my hand.

Grinning, he slips the ring on, holding it up to the light provided by the moon and candles.

“A-are we coming out to everyone?” I ask.

“I thought a long time on that. We’re going to get married the weekend you head to college. We’ll come out after you’re gone and the blowback can’t reach you. I want to think my father will come around, but I’m not willing to risk you.”

I beam up at him, so grateful for the amazing man I found right under my nose. “Okay.”

The full-fledged cheesy smile that lines his lips and reveals his pearly whites is a sight I know will be seared into my brain forever.