Page 110 of Shadow's Surrender
Shadow sat down next to her. “There are rules like in any club, and a certain protocol that has to be followed. One of the rules is that no woman—even the old ladies—can ever just jump into a conversation or ask questions of a member they don’t know. The thing is you aren’t wearing my property patch so—”
“Propertypatch?”
“Let me finish. The property patch brings respect with it. The club members respect the woman who wears it and she’s accepted into the fold. It doesn’t mean she’s a club member, but she’s part of the club family. Wearing a property patch is actually an honor, and it’s a big deal. Other bikers won’t mess with a woman wearing the patch, and the property thing is like a ring for citizens—it binds the couple together. Am I making sense?”
“I guess. So if I had this patch, Hawk wouldn’t have jumped down my throat?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly. The rules still apply and the old ladies can’t interrupt their men, butt into conversations, or argue with a member if they don’t agree with what he’s saying to his one of his brothers.” Shadow shrugged. “It’s just the way it is.”
Scarlett stretched her legs out and leaned back on her hands. “It’s just so alien to me. I read about the whole property thing but I didn’t think it still went on. Does Cara wear that rude guy’s patch?”
“Yeah, and believe me, she’s got more power than Hawk will ever admit to.” Shadow chuckled.
“Maybe I should talk to her about all this,” she said.
Shadow’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. She’s been with Hawk for years and she’s the second in command of the old ladies. Belle—that’s Banger’s woman—is first since she’s the president’s old lady then comes Cara. She’s a perfect one to talk to, and she comes from your same background.”
“I guess.”
“What you gotta understand, and I know it’ll take some getting used to, is that the club is not a lifestyle, it’s a way of life. That’s all I can say. The way you jumped into our conversation and talked to Hawk was viewed as disrespectful, and respect is everything to us. If you were at family night and Hawk and Cara were standing together talking and you came over, he’d have been totally cool.”
“So what you’re telling me is that the old ladies are basically second-class citizens. I find it hard to swallow that my boobs automatically render my intellect inferior to a person with a dick and a three-piece patch.”
For a long pause Shadow didn’t say anything and Scarlett thought she may have gone too far, but she was pissed and still stinging about Hawk’s abruptness and Shadow’s acquiescence to the whole ordeal. Then he laughed so loud that the doe jerked and ran away, the fawns following close behind.
“Fuck, babe. I love the way you just tell it like you see it. Most women would be kissing my ass right now because they’d be afraid they may be banned from the club. Not you.”
“I’m not most women,” she said glancing sideways at him.
“No you’re not and that’s what drew me in. You’re different in all sorts of ways, yet we got stuff in common. Look, what we do away from the club is our own business. I’ll always treat you right.”
She pushed up then turned to him, her hands resting on top of his thighs. “I never said you wouldn’t. I love you and I want to try and understand the world in which you live, but you have to respect that this is hard for me to wrap my head around. You have to get that I may not agree with all this.”
His face grew somber. “If you can’t accept my world then that’s gonna be a big problem because it’s a part of me. As times goes on, it’ll get easier … that is if you want to give it a try.”
Scarlett leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “My love for you isn’t conditional. Of course I’ll accept your world, but it doesn’t mean I have to agree with the way the club views women.”
He put his arm around her and drew her closer. “That’s fair, but it isn’t this constant tug-of-war between the sexes. The men respect their old ladies to thenthdegree, and they’d do anything for them. It’s just that the club belongs to the brothers and club business stays inside the club.” He kissed her softly. “That’s the way it is in a nutshell, darlin’.”
Scarlett let her head rest against his shoulder while she digested everything he’d said.
A comfortable silence stretched between them as they sat together listening to the rush of the river, the birds singing, and the tree branches rustling.
“Thank you,” Shadow said, his voice low.
“For what?” she asked.
“For helping me out this morning.”
Scarlett’s heart swelled—not just because of his words, but because she knew how hard it was for him to say them.
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
Scarlett took out her phone and sent a message to Kiara telling her she couldn’t make it to dinner that night. Then she nestled against him with a smile, resting her head on his chest and listened to his beating heart.
And, at that moment, life was perfect.
