Hawk

13 - Men and their stupid pride!

Brooke

I love it here; everything is so calm. Hawk’s grandparents are amazing, and I’ve never felt so welcome anywhere in my life before. It’s kind of sad that we have to go home soon. Hawk has work to get back to, and we have a house to find.

If I didn’t have to leave this place, I wouldn’t. I feel safe here. Gabriel is safe here. However, life must continue, and we must go home sometime. I can’t let my father rule my life with fears of what he may or may not do. If I did that, I’d never move on with my life.

Right now, I’m sitting in a bar with Hawk, Wrench, and Roman. I don’t know why I agreed to leave my son already, but Hawk insisted it would be good for me to take an hour or two out of the house without the baby. I wasn’t so sure, but I came because it seemed to mean a lot to him.

Although I can’t deny that I'm very uncomfortable right now, Hawk is angry because a guy winked at me, and I automatically smiled back. It didn’t mean anything. Not from me, anyway. The smile was a natural reaction. But Hawk snapped at me and asked me if I wanted to go over there and sit on the guy’s lap. Of course, I didn’t want that; it was just a smile. I was offended he would even say such a thing to me.

Hawk has been ignoring me ever since. He’s laughing with his brother and cousin, but I’m left out of the conversation.

Why did he bother to bring me if he was going to act like this?

I wore this stupid blue, on-the-knee dress because Hawk bought it for me and asked me to, and the same with the blue heels. I fashioned my blonde hair in a twist because he asked me to, I’m even wearing makeup because he asked me to. Now I just feel stupid.

“When are you planning on leaving?” Roman asks Hawk.

“End of the week.” News to me, but I guess he’s just decided this through his anger.

I listen to them talking like I’m not here, and all I want to do is go home to my son. I don’t understand why Hawk is acting this way over a smile. I feel like crying, but I won’t. I also won’t let him treat me like this! I can’t handle the jealousy; it’s childish. I left my family for this man, and if he wants to keep me, he best damn well get over himself!

“Right,” I butt into their conversation. “I’m leaving.” I stand from my seat and slip my purse strap onto my shoulder. I won’t sit here and allow him to make me feel like this. Some women might like the caveman act, and it is attractive in some way, but not like this; this is just hurtful and makes me think he doesn’t trust me.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I raise my eyebrow at Hawk. “I’m going back to your grandparent’s house to be with my son. I’d get more of a conversation out of him.” I turn and walk away without another word. I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’m not pandering to this shi.t! I deserve respect from my partner, not the silent treatment!

I don’t make it to the exit before Hawk grabs my arm and swings me around to face him. “Do not walk away from me.”

“Take your hand off me, Dante. I’m not staying here, so you can ignore me over something so trivial that it makes you look younger than Gabe!”

“He wanted you, Brooke. Do you have any idea how that made me feel? Then you go and smile at him?”

I yank my arm from his grip. “So, because a man thinks I look good, you don’t like it? Because I smiled, you felt threatened? You don’t trust me? Am I supposed to be some ugly shrew? I’ll go home and act like the nothing you made me feel. Will that make you feel better?”

“No, of course not! You’re beautiful. Every fuckin.g man in that room knows it!”

My heart is beating harder as I grit my teeth.

Doesn’t he see how this is making me feel?

Hawk is jealous because a man found me attractive, and he hates that fact. That makes me feel like crap!

“Baby,” He cups my cheek in his big hand. “You’re the most beautiful woman in this world, and I don’t deserve you.”

“So now you think I’d go cheat on you because you don’t feel worthy of me? You don’t trust me at all. Do you?”

The thought hurts my heart.

“Of course, I trust you, Brooke. It’s other men I don’t trust.”

“You can’t behave like this every time a man looks at me. Would you expect me to behave like this if a woman looked at you? You are more than the biker cliché, Dante, and you know it. This is the real world, and I won’t date a caveman.”

“Are you all right, Miss?”

I tear my eyes away from Hawk and look at the man addressing me. Great, it’s winky guy from the bar. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

“If this man is bothering you,”

“Back off, fucke.r!” I jump on my heels, startled by the way Hawk grabs winky guy by the shirt front and slams him back against the wall. “You followed my wife out here, didn’t you?”

I’m stunned into silence for a second by the fact Hawk just referred to me as his wife.

He’s trying to prove a point to this man, Brooke, nothing more.

“Yeah, I did, to make sure she’s okay. I saw how you treated her in there, and then you chased after her. I was worried.”

“Like fuc.k you were! Do you know what I do to men like you?”

“What the fuc.k is going on out here?” Roman and Wrench have joined us. They must have seen what was going on through the window beside us. As I take a glance through, I can see almost everyone inside is watching us. Jesus, this is so embarrassing.

I don’t want the man I love to do this kind of thing in front of me. I’ve seen enough violence in my life to last me the rest of it. Not to mention, someone inside could call the cops!

“I wanna know what this motherfucke.r thinks he’s doing following Brooke out here. He’s been staring at her all damn night!”

“I didn’t mean no harm!” The guy’s face is turning red, and I can see the fear in his eyes.

Three huge bikers surround him, each one angry and ready to rip him apart, and for what?

Because he found me attractive?

Okay, following me might seem creepy to some.

But what if he genuinely was checking to make sure I was okay?

When did it become wrong for someone to worry about another enough to check on them?

“Please don’t do this!” I yell, my words falling on deaf ears as Hawk, followed by Roman and Wrench, drags the man away from the bar and around the side of the building. I follow as fast as I can in these heels. My heart is racing, and I feel sick.

“Do you have any idea what I’m gonna do you?”

This isn’t my Hawk. I know what he does to people who deserve it. I learned a long time ago to put it out of my mind. I did that because I love him, but this man is innocent; he did nothing but look at me. I doubt he intended to hurt me.

I can’t bear this side of Hawk; I’ve never seen him so angry and ready to hurt someone before. I’m physically shaking as I stand here dumbstruck while Roman and Wrench egg Hawk on to teach the guy a lesson in manners when it comes to women.

I can’t stand here and watch this. I won’t.

I approach the man I love and gently take his arm in my hand, stopping his fist midair. I don’t want him to hurt this man, especially not in front of me; he’s better than my father; he’s worth more than this.

Hawk turns his eyes to me, but he doesn’t let go of winky guy.

“Please don’t do this.” I swallow back my emotions. I need to be strong right now. “You’re angry and not thinking straight. Baby, he didn’t do anything, not really, and you know that.”

Hawk grits his teeth, his jaw ticking with anger. There’s more to this than winky guy and what he did or didn’t do on Hawk’s mind. I will get to the bottom of it before the night is out.

“Hawk, what do you want to do, Brother?”

I turn my eyes to Roman and shake my head. I’m not playing here; this is my man’s life, and both men have been egging Hawk on like kids in a playground.

Are they so stupid they believe themselves immune to the police?

I won’t sit back and let Hawk beat this man maybe to death and risk losing him to prison or worse.

I turn back to Hawk and cup his cheek with my hand. I’m not happy that he’s done this and made me look like a fool, but I love him and know he’s better than this. I need him, and Gabe needs him.

“Let’s go home, Hawk. Please, sweetheart, Gabe needs his daddy.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “I need you. Please.” I feel a tear slip from my eye, and I see his soften. He’s coming back to me; I can see it.

Hawk pulls the guy away from the wall and throws him to the ground. “Get the fuc.k outta here, you piece of shi.t!”

“Yeah,” Wrench calls after him as he takes off running. “And keep our club’s name outta your mouth. We’d hate to have to seek you out and silence you!”

I breathe a sigh of relief and turn and walk away from them.

“Where the hell are you going?”

I flip Hawk the bird and keep walking. I’m mad at him for what he did here. If he thinks I’m just going to forget it, he’s got another thing coming!

Men and their stupid pride. I could scream!