Page 23 of Given to the Prez
And that felt so good for him to say.It felt even better than good.More than good.
****
Doc had no choice butto let Maeve go, as he had some club business to attend to.Most of the morning was spent dealing with the Russian Bratva.They wanted to make a deal to distribute coke through Rivermont Ridge.They felt it was a good place to work their product, seeing as it was also a connecting town, which could draw in tourists.
This was not the first time the Bratva had attempted to do business and Doc shut it down.There was no way he was letting drugs into Rivermont Ridge, nor was he letting the Bratva loose.Chaos Monsters MC controlled the town, and all the shit associated with it.No one else.
He terminated that meeting, and all the brothers agreed with him.They had seen the damage drugs did to a club.There was no fucking way he would ever let that shit come to town.It was toxic.After the Bratva meeting, he got several of the boys to patrol the perimeter of the town, but also added extra detail at the strip club and the bar they owned in town.
There was no fucking way he was letting any of this shit slide.Just because he told the Bratva no didn’t mean they weren’t going to attempt to distribute that shit without his permission.Again, it was bad shit he’d seen in the past.
By the end of the day, there was one last call for him to make, and he went and knocked on Nancy’s door.His ex-wife opened it, holding a jar of ice cream.
“Have you come to tell me what a fucked-up mom I am?”Nancy asked.
He stepped into the house, following her down the hall, after he closed the door.“You’re not a bad mom, Nancy.You know that.”
“Tell that to Charlotte, who told me today that I don’t listen and I don’t fucking care about her.Does that girl even realize what I sacrificed for her?”
This was not the first time, nor would it be the last time, he heard the same old shit.Nancy would never say this to Charlotte.Mainly because during one of their arguments, he had told Nancy he would kill her if she ever breathed a bad word of being a mother to their kid.She could say all her spiteful shit to him, but their kids were always in the clear.
“Drop the fucking shit,” he said.
Nancy turned to look at him, and he saw her going red in the face.“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You and I both know that up until a year ago, you didn’t give a shit about Charlotte’s choices.”
“I cared a great deal.”
“Did I say you didn’t care?For fuck’s sake.I said you didn’t give a shit what choices she made, because it was about what Charlotte wanted.This is no longer about what Charlotte wants.This is about what you want.So, drop your shit and look at me.You’re talking to me now.The guy that knows the real you.”
There was a lot of bad shit between them.Neither of them could deny that.They had a toxic relationship that turned into a toxic marriage.But even though they were fucking toxic for each other, there was no denying they could be straight with one another.
“I want out of Rivermont Ridge,” Nancy said.“I know you’ve given us a good life.This house.All of it.You protect us, and I am grateful I get to be a stay-at-home mom, and you didn’t need to do any of that.You could have dragged my name through the mud and probably gotten sole custody of our kids.”
“Enough, Nancy,” he said.“You knew I wasn’t going to do that.I stuck to my promise, and you know when I give my word, I fucking mean it.”He imagined it was why she had not once gone back on telling the kids how much she had sacrificed.He didn’t want them to ever feel like a burden.
As far as he was concerned, their kids didn’t ask for this life.They were born to it.They were a freaking gift.
“But I want out.I don’t want to live in Rivermont Ridge anymore.Charlotte is eighteen, and I think she should go and see the world.”
“Nancy, if you want out, then you want out.We’ll talk to Charlotte, and you can go.I’ll take care of her, and there will always be a home for you to come back to.”
Nancy had tears in her eyes.“I couldn’t ask you to do that.You’ve given me everything and all I’ve ever done is given you shit.”
He shrugged.“It’s what you want.I can’t guarantee you’ll be safe.I’m not going to send any of the guys along with you.”
“I wouldn’t want you to.If I go, then this has to be my decision.”
“It’s your decision to make.It’s up to you.”
He looked at her for a few seconds, then got to his feet, about to head out.
“I know about you and Maeve.”
He stopped and turned toward her.“Are you going to give her trouble?”
“Not at all.Why do you think I got you to take her out on Valentine’s Day?I saw the looks you were sending her way.I do need to talk to Maeve, because she is avoiding me.”
