Page 12 of When You Stayed
Taryn and I were in our influencer era, mostly because Taryn was one. I tried everything that promised to make my life easier, or my skin softer. The overnight phenomena that made your blowout remain intact, was one my sister and I tried immediately.
“That thing does not work. I tried it, but I can’t get my hair to stay.” Mom slid onto the leatherback chair that sat nestled under the lip of our kitchen island.
I nudged her mug of coffee in front of her and let out a disappointed sigh. “Did you watch the video tutorial?”
Taking a generous sip, she nodded. “Three times, Royce.”
She was obviously a lost cause. I’d have to text Taryn and let her know because once again, she wasn’t in her bed when I woke up this morning and I went searching for my lip gloss that I knew she’d stolen.
“What’s with the breakfast?” Mom asked, sipping from her mug once more. The sun cut through the large windows in our kitchen, highlighting her dark lashes and blue eyes. Dad had replaced most of the wall with glass, except for a few spaces where he’d placed floating shelves. Otherwise, the kitchen was all-natural light, broken up by trim and a few long curtains.
Wiping down a spot on the counter where I’d spilled coffee, I tried to keep my tone light.
“Just thought you deserved it.”
Her knowing smile had me panicking. She always seemed to know more than she should and see more than what was there.
“Tell me what’s going on, honey.”
I sagged into the seat next to her and vented about Rodney and the unfair ultimatum he’d issued me regarding my father’s club. I watched as Mom’s golden brows dipped with worry and then raised as shock settled in. Her lips pursed and her fingers tightened around her mug as I moved through the story and then explained what Dad had said about the shifting leadership.
Then she staredoff into space.
“So?” I asked.
Her hair slid over her shoulder as she shifted toward me. “Honey, your dad has been considering handing things over, but I’m sure he could hold off for three months. There’d be no reason at all that he wouldn’t be able to. We aren’t going anywhere. He just has this simmering worry that there might be something coming, and he can’t keep everyone safe.”
With a scoff, I shook my head. “He’s being ridiculous.”
My mom’s eyes softened, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I might not have caught her lip tremble. “He’ll always be strong, always be my Killian, but he’s also feeling old. His body aches more, he’s got a few health concerns.”
Worry caught my heart in a vise as I asked, “He’s okay though, right?”
“Yes, baby. He’s fine, I promise you.”
My mom set her mug down and gently pulled my hand into hers, as whatever revelation sparked in her mind. “Callie texted last night about all of us going over for dinner tonight. Why don’t you come with us so you can chat with her, and we’ll try and sabotage your dad and Wes’s plans on stepping down. Surely, they can give you three months before stirring the waters with new leadership.”
My mind was curious about how the members would even respond to new leadership. If it was Ford who would take over, would they like him, or would it be an issue that he was in charge? There were a lot of original members who were part of my father’s crowd, and those men, I couldn’t picture following a young twenty-five-year-old.
“Count me in.”
Me: Where are you?
I slid my phone back onto the bathroom counter as I wrapped my hair around the curling wand. Taryn hadn’t been home in days, which wasn’t like her. Most of the time, I could keep tabs on her, but she was twenty-two years old. It wasn’t like she was a child, but she typically told me where she was going. I’d already checked her socials, and she hadn’t posted anything in over twenty-four hours, which was also odd for her.
Taryn: My friend’s place.
I was going to kick her ass, I thought as I rolled my eyes.
Me: Which friend, Taryn. Stop being annoying.
Taryn: But it’s my favorite thing to do. I’m with Mya, she’s leaving her deadbeat boyfriend and wanted some backup while she moves out.
Mya was a hot fucking mess to put it mildly. Ironically, it wasn’t even that she exclusively dated men in biker clubs, but she had a pretty bad drug problem. I didn’t love that my sister was there with her or said deadbeat boyfriend. Because chances were said boyfriend was in a motorcycle club.
Me: Isn’t Mya in Richland?
I was going to be late at this point if I didn’t get a few curls in my hair and swipes of mascara in. I wasn’t typically late to events if I could help it, but I’d taken the entire day to schedule out the whole summer line up for the Hollow. I hated that even if Rodney didn’t give me the promotion, I still wouldn’t walk away. I loved it too much.
