Broken dove, p.18
Broken Dove,
p.18
Zoey takes her hands off Mikey’s ears and starts rubbing his head and cooing. The big beast flops onto his side and sticks a leg in the air, loving every single second of the attention. Pixie, Agnes, and Violet scamper over to nudge their way into the affection.
Bowls of treats have been set up on the counters, and the cardboard sign I brought in announces the grand reopening of Canine Crashpad: Dog Boarding, Day Care, Grooming, & Training. It’s a long name, but Lia worked hard to make it happen, and she wanted it all in.
“Hey, man. I gotta dash.” Tim claps me on the back. “We got that paint estimate on the Land Rover coming in about twenty minutes.”
I nod at him. “You and Juliette coming by for dinner tonight?” I ask. “It’s Wednesday.”
Tim nods. “Wouldn’t miss it. We’ll be by after our meeting.”
Ever since Tim got out, he and Juliette have been going to NA meetings every day. We have them over for dinner twice a week, Wednesday and Friday, after their meetings. He knew he got lucky when his case was thrown out of court due to some misstep by the police and mishandling of evidence. Supposedly, he’s going to keep his nose clean because he knows he got lucky twice, but shit like that doesn’t happen often.
Lia insisted on forging some sort of relationship. She keeps telling me family is everything and I should give him another chance.
She’s too good and forgiving.
It’ll take years, possibly my entire lifetime, until I trust my brother. He’s burned that bridge too many times for their not to be damage that can’t be easily brushed away.
“Everything ready in here?” Alice comes up behind Lia and strokes her hair. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”
Lia flushes and nods. “I couldn’t be more ready. Can you imagine this place in a few months when I have twenty dogs and a baby?”
Zoey puts on an exaggerated pout. “And a babysitter.”
“And a babysitter,” Lia agrees.
“You got a minute, son?” I feel Morris’s beefy hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah.” I turn to find Tiny right behind me. “Uh, is everything okay?”
Tiny grunts and walks away. That’s been his primary form of communicating with me for the last seven months.
“He’s going to be fine,” Morris says. “I told him I was going to steal you away for a talk.”
I follow Morris out to the parking lot. “What’s up? Everything all right?”
Morris nods. “I got a couple things to run past you. First has to do with the building here. We got a rental application for a business to take over that vacant spot.”
“Yeah? Who is it?” I ask. “What’s the business?”
Morris’s face falls a bit. “It’s your buddy, Arrow. Before you say no, he’s not a bail agent anymore. He’s opening up a security agency. Private investigations, personal protection.” He looks me over. “We’ve got a brother who may need some work coming up. He’s about to get released. Federal pen. Having a business that we trust, right here, could go a long way toward helping out Crow. Helping the club.”
Morris knows how I feel about the businesses opening up here. “You think that’s safe?” I ask. “Decent clientele?”
“Ah fuck, I don’t even think he needs an office, to be honest. I think he wants to work near us.” Morris chuckles. “I hear the kid’s been taking motorcycle lessons.”
I laugh my ass off. “Arrow? What, does he want to prospect the MC?”
“Who the fuck knows.” Morris shakes his head. “You going to be all right with him underfoot? Near your woman and kids every day?”
“Aw shit.” I wave a hand at Morris. “I don’t give a fuck. That’s ancient history. What’s good for the club and the business is good for me. Thanks for checking in with me, though.”
I give Morris a half hug and head back toward the store.
“One more thing,” Morris says.
I lift my chin at him and wait.
“I’m thinking about taking a weekend before the baby comes. You think Lia would want to do a girls’ weekend at my place with Alice and Zoey while you and I hit, I don’t know, maybe Blue Ridge, Cabot Trail? Just me and you and the bikes.”
“Are you serious?” I can’t hold back my excitement. I’m like a kid on Christmas. “Yeah, man. I’d love that. I’m sure Lia would too.”
Morris nods. “We’ll figure out when and go.”
I turn to head back into Canine Crashpad, but something stops me. “Morris,” I call out.
He’s halfway across the lot, headed for his truck, but he stops and nods. “Yeah?”
“I’m really glad I didn’t ride back. I’d much rather ride now. With you.”
Morris smacks a hand against the hood of his truck and gives me a grin that I know means he remembers talking me down from running away, leaving everything and hitting the road.
“Me too, son. Me too.”
When I go back inside Canine Crashpad, Zoey grabs my arm and tugs me over to look at something ridiculously funny Mikey is doing with his tongue and a bone, which he can’t actually chew.
I look around the room, and I reach my hand inside my pocket and feel the red plastic key chain from the Red Pelican. I’ve been using it ever since Tim went away. After all those years it was a lifeline to him, he handed it over to me for a while. The key I have on it is the key that locks a file cabinet back in my office at the shop. There’s only one thing in that cabinet, and I want it locked up for safekeeping until I can officially ask Lia to be mine. I spent a little bit of money on a ring. It’s small. We’ve got a new house to make the mortgage on and a kid on the way, but someday soon, I’m going to make her my wife.
I look over at Lia. She’s carrying our future inside her body, and in her heart, she carries my soul. My love. Everything I ever wanted and everything I could ever hope her to be.
Roommate.
Best friend.
Lover.
Wife…
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