Shepard

7 - The Prez wants a word

Lynette

“I can’t believe it, Lyn,” Taylor grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly.

I may have only worked at the clubhouse, but all the women treated me with respect; each a friend to me in one way or another.

However, it’s Taylor and Hillary that I’m the closest to; we’re best friends. Taylor is BlackJack’s wife, and Hillary is Titus’ wife. Both men are Shepard’s best friends.

The second Shepard walked me into the clubhouse earlier – after three days straight of fuckin.g me like a wild beast devouring his prey and not letting me leave the house – and told everyone in the club how he’d claimed me, that I am his, everyone has been going wild.

Everyone has told Shepard for years that he should claim me, which I didn’t know until today. Shepard is the reason none of these men ever propositioned me. My man threatened to kill them all in the worst way if they ever did.

And there I thought it was because they didn’t find me attractive. I should have known it was Shepard’s doing. I’m not even mad about it because it shows me how long he’s wanted me for his own. How long he has protected me.

Of course, Willow and Tate are finally happy to have their parents together. We shouldn’t have left the kids with Myra and Apollo for three days, but we needed the time to get to know each other better.

We did nothing but eat, fuc.k, and sleep the whole time. Shepard fucke.d me so hard, long, and so many times I’m surprised I can even walk today.

We collected the kids this morning, told them everything about us, then came to the clubhouse and told everyone here.

The kids are milling around with the other kids belonging to the club, Shepard is talking with some of the other men near the bar, and I’m here with my two best friends as they tell me how happy they are for me.

I couldn’t be happier right now.

“I never thought this would happen,” I tell Taylor and Hillary.

“Tay and I knew this would happen eventually. Just fuckin.g happy Shepard finally grew a set and told you how he feels.”

“He’s in love with me, Hill.” I can feel my face getting red. I’m not embarrassed as such; I just never thought I’d be able to tell my besties this information.

Taylor is my age, but Hillary is older than us by a few years. Age means nothing when it comes to any relationship, and the three of us have been there for each other since we met. We’re all super close, and I know I couldn’t ask for better friends than Taylor and Hillary.

“We all know you’re in love with him. Not like you kept it a secret.” Taylor laughs.

She’s right; I didn’t. I never really tried.

“And I never will for as long as I live. Shepard is my world, and I will spend my life loving him and just as long loving his son and my daughter. They’re all I need, the three of them, and one day, I know we’ll find Nova and bring her home. Then we’ll be complete.”

I laugh at both my best friends as they hug me to them. Nothing in this life could be better than this right now.

“Lynette. I want a word with you in private. Right now, please.”

I swallow hard. I wasn’t expecting Apollo to say that.

Hillary and Taylor smile sympathetically, and now I’m worried.

What if he doesn’t want me with his son or around his grandson?

What if he’s going to tell me he wants me away from them, as of right now?

What if he’s going to fire me?

That he no longer wants to be Willow’s grandfather?

No. Apollo wouldn’t do that.

Willow would be heartbroken.

I’m a good person; I’ve never done anything to make Apollo think poorly of me. I’ve always been loyal to this club, even if I wasn’t one of them. I’ll make him see that I belong with Shepard. No matter what it takes, I will.

I follow Apollo into the back office, where he does most of his business. Private business that he wants no one else to hear about.

I couldn’t grab Shepard’s attention as I walked past him; he was too busy laughing at something CueBall said.

Apollo closes the door behind us, and I smile at him as he sits on the edge of his massive desk in this smart-looking office.

Apollo is an intimidating man. He’s incredibly tall, well-built, and strong. He looks like the typical biker with his super long hair that he braids down his back, the scars he bears on his face and hands, and the usual biker clothing with the chains hanging all over the place.

He always carries his gun in his holster at his waist and is as dangerous as they come. Upon first meeting him, he looks so scary, but he’s a pussycat underneath all that aggression.

“Do you know why I called you in here?”

I nod, and Apollo folds his arms across his big body. I’m not afraid of him, he’s my man’s father above the biker, the man my little girl calls Papaw, and I know that he wants nothing more than to see his son happy. I’m not cock.y, but Shepard could do much worse than a girl like me.

“You and my son,”

“Can I just say something?”

He raises his eyebrow at my audacity to interrupt him. Apollo isn’t the kind of man who likes to be interrupted. It’s beyond rude, in his opinion.

However, I need to get this out. I need him to understand that Shepard and Tate mean the world to me.

I smile at the rough and tough man before me and take his hands in mine. “I love your son more than I have ever loved anyone in my life except for my daughter. I love your grandson as if he were my own.

“I know this is probably not what you want for Vince and Tate. I’m not what you wish for them, but I swear that no one else could love them the way I do. I will always be there for both of them, never leave them, and I won’t stop until we find Nova and bring her home to us. I will love her just as much as I love Willow and Tate.

“Shepard, Tate, you and Myra, even this club, you are the only family Willow and I have, the only family my daughter knows. Please don’t get me wrong, that’s not why I’m with your son, but because he is the most amazing man I have ever known.”

I smile at Apollo.

“Your son is a wonderful man, and that’s thanks to you and Myra. He’s kind, compassionate, smart, funny, strong. . .” I look up at the ceiling for a second and smile so wide. I’m so overcome with happy emotions right now.

I look at Apollo and tell him, “There are so many words I could use to describe your son, but they wouldn’t do him justice, Apollo. He’s amazing, and you did that. You raised Vince to know right from wrong and to protect those he loves.

“I know the things he has to do for his club, I know what you expect of him, and I will never stand in the way of club business. You have my word on that, Apollo. However, Shepard is my man, and I don’t want to lose him now that I have found him. You might be a scary old man to most,” He laughs, which cuts me off for a second because I have to smile. “But my daughter thinks the world of you, and so do I.”

I swallow hard.

Apollo smiles at me and tells me, “Sweet girl. I didn’t call you here to tell you that I didn’t want you with my son or my grandson’s life.”

“You didn’t?”

“No, you silly girl. I called you in here to thank you.”

Thank me?

“I knew you were the woman for my son. I’ve been telling him for years to claim you.”

He has?

I never once thought Apollo would have done any such thing.

He wanted his son with me?

I’m so touched, I could kiss him!

“Both my son and my grandson are lucky to have you. Little Willow is just as lucky to have them both in her life.”

I agree with that; Shepard is fantastic with Willow. We’re all lucky.

“You never have to explain yourself to me, Lynette. Not to anyone. One day, you’ll be this club’s First Lady. However, before that day comes, you’ll be my son’s wife.”

“I will?”

Fuc.k yes, I will. I have dreamed of being Shepard’s wife since I met him. No joke or exaggeration.

“He’d be stupid to let a woman like you go, Lynette. A man makes a woman like you his wife, the mother of his children. I’d be damn proud to call you my daughter-in-law.”

I giggle and wrap my arms around Apollo’s neck. He hesitates for a second before hugging me close to him.

I don’t care what people say about this man. Sure, he’s mean, rough, tough, and aggressive, but he loves fiercely, just like his son.

“Thank you,” I tell him with a kiss on his cheek, drawing a smile from his lips and a kiss on my head.

I’ve never really had a love of a father. Not the conventional kind of love, at least, and I’m not saying Apollo is the kind of father I would have wished for as a child. But for all his faults and wrongdoing as President of this club, he’s a wonderful father to Vince.

Apollo is a fantastic grandfather to Tate and Willow because he’s never treated her any differently than Tate. I know he’ll be a tremendous father-in-law.

Now, all I have to do is wait for Shepard to propose to me. Because I know if Apollo is telling me this stuff, then Shepard has told him that he wants me as his wife.

God, I’m so excited I could scream!