Gonzo (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club Book 7) Read Free Page B

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    I’d loved Clara and Nicky with all my heart, and it’d destroyed me when they were so viciously taken from me.
    I’d been a good father. Even after my wife died of cancer, I’d taken care of my kids and kept them as happy as possible. We’d worked through much of the pain and grief of losing their mother before I met the homicidal bitch who killed them. If only I hadn’t felt the need to find someone else to share my life with.
    Well, I wouldn’t make that mistake again, but I could be a father to my children. I may have been cheated out of their infant and toddler years, but I could damned well be present for the rest.
    My mind floated back to Sandy. She’d been friends with some of the chicks who have permanent invites to our parties, and had come with them maybe eight or ten times. She always seemed to gravitate to me, but I’d never known her last name, never asked for her phone number. Hell, even her first name hadn’t stuck in my head.
    We pulled into the park before I realized we should be there, and I unstrapped the ball and backpack, and unloaded my saddlebags.
    I set up about twenty yards from the playground, on a stretch of grass without anyone else near. Harmony helped me stretch the blankets out, and then she looked through my bags at what I’d brought as she asked, “Do you have a game plan?”
    I shook my head. “Game plans are pointless with kids you don’t know. I’ve given myself options — offer them food, ask if they want to play with one of the balls, or see if they want me and their aunt to walk them to the playground equipment. I don’t even know if they can swing by themselves or if they still need to be pushed, so I can’t offer to push them.”
    “It’s going to be okay,” she said, her eyes sad. “It might be awkward at first, but give it time, okay?”
    I nodded, and then my heart skipped into high speed as I caught a familiar scent, and then saw a woman and man leaned into the backseat of a Volvo helping two children out of either car seats or booster seats.
    And I made a mental note to go buy a safe car with a backseat, so I’d be able to drive my children places.
    Both kids wanted Gramps, and he carried Chloe while he held Declan’s hand as they walked across the parking lot.
    I refused to call their aunt Constance — the name pissed me off just thinking it, so I decided she’d be Connie. She carried a large picnic basket, and she wore a flowing skirt with a blouse.
    Chloe got bashful as they neared, and held tighter to her grandfather. Declan’s hand squeezed harder but I could tell he was trying to be brave.
    I’d walked a dozen steps from the blanket, where Brain and Harmony were sitting, and I went to one knee so I’d be on Declan’s level.
    “Hello Declan, it’s very nice to meet you.”
    “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve always wanted a daddy.”
    “If I’d known about you, I’d have been there, buddy.” I looked up. “Chloe, do you think you’re brave enough to come down and talk to us?”
    “Why do you have that stuff on your face?”
    “It’s my beard. Have you seen your gramps shave his face?”
    She nodded, and I said, “Well I don’t do that, so the hair on my face is long.”
    She squirmed and pushed away, and her grandfather leaned forward and set her down gently.
    “Thank you, Sir,” I told him, wanting him to understand I appreciated his role in their lives.
    He nodded but didn’t say anything, though I could smell the disapproval coming off him. I’d been part of the fuck-up daughter’s life, so how could I be anything but a fuck-up, too? I couldn’t deal with him right now, though.
    Right now, I was meeting my children.
    “Can I touch it?” Chloe asked.
    My heart felt as if it split in two as I told her, “I would love for you to touch it.”
    I put the other leg down and sat back on my heels to give them better access. Declan touched it also, so I had two tiny little tentative hands on either side of my chin, and I