The Possibility of Trey (19 page)

"Hear-hear," Silo bellowed and which other voices in the room echoed.

"If there is no other business, I call this meeting adjourned," Trey announced, banging then dropping the gavel. He watched his inner circle, his council, as they made their way to him from the different parts of the room. "Don't have much time, amigos. Got someplace I gotta be."

"Just wondering how this call-in business is going to work?" Dare asked, looking to the other members.

"Rotating schedule of twelve hour shifts?" Huff offered. Trey saw his shoulder was immobilized in a sling. "I don't mind taking the lion's share until doc says I can ride."

"I'm good with that as long as all of us are on board with how we're gonna play going forward." Every man around Trey nodded in agreement. "Great. Now can I get outta here?"

"Tell Sheridan we said hi," Bishop offered with a grin.

"Yeah, give her a big, ol' tongue swabbing from all us, will ya?" Dare called to Trey's retreating back. At the glare he received from over Trey's shoulder, Dare's hands went into the surrender position. "Just jokin'!"

Trey replied by shooting him the bird. The comment not even warranting a verbal reply.

.
.
.
.*

TM:
Am on my way. Dinner?

Dasher:
Thank god 4 both. Chinese? Not as much as b4. Mom egg soup. Dad mixed plate. I'll eat whatevr ur havg.

TM:
On it. She up 4 flowers?

Dasher:
Only no scent kind.

TM:
C U in a few. Missed u & ur mouth 2day
.

Dasher:
Me 2. Cant w8 2 c u
.

I tucked my cellphone in the back pocket of my fancy jeans and glanced at my folks only to find my mother's eyes on me. "What's the smile for, Lally?"

I hadn't even realized I was wearing one but once it was pointed out, I allowed it to beam even brighter. They already knew my guy was on his way but didn't know the last of what was traded. "Trey will be here soon."

"Remember that Mary? That feeling in the beginning, knowing we were going to get to see each other?" My dad's voice was quiet as he leaned towards my mom.

"Yes, Mill," she said on a long exhale as her eyes took on a soft light. "I remember."

"Sometimes it still feels that way for me," he admitted and I had to turn my head away to allow them a moment of privacy. Although it was hard getting used to, I was beginning to enjoy seeing my parents as a couple in love. Trey's toast had held the right of it.
'To parents healthy enough to enjoy each other,'
he'd said.

I was starting to see that he was a romantic, in his bad-boy, biker kind of way. The care he'd shown me last night as he kept checking to ensure I was comfortable with what we were doing, his note and his recent text not to mention directing me when I'd found someone had broken into our house spoke of a man who cared. Of one who protected and held safe those close to him.

And, in his own way, Trey had let me know we were becoming close. Very close. And in a way I hadn't imagined, a biker
could
be with just one girl who wasn't affiliated with the club. Although, I admitted to myself, I probably wasn't his only one.

I wished I was.

I hoped I was.

But from what I'd heard, there wasn't any way to guarantee that when you got with a Hellion.

And both my mind and my heart had been asking me for hours if that was going to be good enough for me.

The TV droned away as my mother's voice kept time, whispering the action of whatever was on so my dad could follow along. I knew they were both tired but also was aware I needed to make an effort to step back from my mother-hen stance that I'd wanted to do by pointing her tiredness out.

I'd spent some time going over the conversation between Trey and my dad while at the hospital too. The one that made me sound like the saint I knew I wasn't. And in the replaying, I saw how I'd unwittingly slid into the 'mother' role in the breaking up of squabbles, determining who was to do what and when. A position that I'd felt had pissed Trey right the hell off, not that he'd said so. His tamped down negative reaction, such an extreme response to what had been described, surprised me.

If I wasn't angry about it, I couldn't understand why he would be.

Mom actually fell asleep before Trey got there so I opted to wait for him out in the hall almost bouncing in anticipation. At just the sound of his heavy boots on the hospital's floor in the hall around the corner, my tummy tumbles started, and I pushed off the wall I'd been leaning against eager for my first glimpse of him.

His eyes lit up when he saw me and he began to move faster. "There she is," I heard him say just before he swept me up and against him by only snagging me with his elbows since his hands were full. I closed my eyes as that feeling of safety and warmth hit before I pulled back and pressed my lips to his. I tried to keep it short and sweet considering our very viewable position in the middle of the hallway of a busy hospital, but nothing had ever been harder to do.

"So I was missed." His gaze held the same teasing light as his voice.

"Yes, you were. And I see you came bearing gifts," I answered, pressing my cheek to his chest only to hear his heart thumping as fast as mine pounded.

"I did. Why are you out in the hall, Tex? They doing the nasty in there and threw your pretty ass out?"

"No, goofball," I replied with a laugh. "Mom was sleeping and I thought I'd greet you in…like, you know, private."

He shifted us to one side as an orderly came through pushing an empty gurney. "Private, huh?"

"Relatively speaking," I mumbled, disengaging. The sound of his chuckles followed me into the room.

"Hey, Miller," Trey greeted my dad in his deep voice, softened by the knowledge of my mom's sleep. "Should we take this down to the waiting room or cafeteria?"

"Trey," my dad greeted, his voice equally as quiet as he stood, pulling out his collapsible cane as he pressed a kiss to my mom's forehead. "Be back in a bit, beauty."

I shared a glance with Trey, a look that honored my dad's actions and words. I put my hand on dad's arm and led us down the hall. "Let's get set up and I'll make a run for the drinks."

"Already got 'em, Dallas," Trey said from behind. "I hope water all round is okay."

"I'm good with it," dad said, his voice lagging almost as much as his steps.

We were just finishing up when Trey brought up what'd happened earlier. "Miller, I need to let you know that your house was broken into today. Dallas had driven over to get some clean clothes for both you and herself, but saw the back door was open."

"You didn't tell me?" my dad cried, his face pointing at me, sitting up straight all traces of exhaustion forgotten at Trey's news.

"No, Dad. I didn't. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out and wanted to have all the facts from Trey first."

"There's nothing you could've done, Miller." Trey's tone was kind yet respectful as he spoke.

"But it's my house, son. My fucking home!"

"You're right, sir. And maybe Dallas was wrong to keep it from you for a few hours. But by delaying, she only prevented you from worrying about something else out of your control. How do you think your Mary would've reacted to the news?"

My dad's hand covered his eyes and I saw his chin quiver. After a time, he cleared his throat and dropped his hand. "How bad is it?"

Trey glanced at me and I nodded my approval for him to speak plainly. "Bad, Miller. The inside was completely trashed with almost anything made of glass shattered. Your furniture was knifed or broken with even the clothes in the closets pulled out and destroyed in one way or another."

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what Trey meant about our clothes. Dad was back to covering his eyes. "What are we gonna do, girl? We've got nothing. No dishes, no furniture and no insurance to cover us…"

"Ah, that's not exactly true," I hedged in a small voice, causing Trey's eyes to swivel back to me. "I didn't actually cancel the contents portion of the policy when you asked me to."

"You
what
?" My dad exclaimed. "I told you specifically we couldn't afford it and damn well told you to have it removed! And you
didn't
?"

"No, Daddy. I didn't," I said, my discomfort in admitting to defying my dad in front of my new boyfriend causing me wiggle in my plastic chair. "I trimmed some of the fat from our budget and picked up a few extra hours in order to pay the premiums."

Trey shot me a crooked smile and winked at my explanation. "Anyway, Miller, our own Missoula PD have the dumb shits, I mean,
suspects
in custody caught red-handed when they exited the premises. Since a couple of Hellions had witnessed the activity, they'll be giving their statements eliminating the need for the cops to involve Dallas."

"How'd your boys know to go to my place?" my dad challenged.

"Dallas called me first," Trey said quietly but firmly, his eyes burning into mine. "And let me handle the situation, sir. Just as she should have."

At the quiet that fell over us for a time, my father's voice gave me a start when it finally came.

"Why, son? Why are you so involved in my family's business? Seems like just a short time ago we didn't know of your existence and now every time we have a problem, you're there finding a way to make it better or solve it. What's in it for you?" The wounded pride in my dad's words had my stomach dropping to my knees.

Trey's face tilted to the floor and I saw him mouth, 'I'm sorry' my way before he turned his face to my father to answer.

"I have a thing for your daughter, sir. And have had since the moment I laid eyes on her."

"One of them casual biker kind of things?" my dad pressed.

"Do you honestly believe your Dallas would ever allow a casual thing from any man, biker or otherwise?"

And my insides again began to glow at my father's whispered, "no" that was accompanied by the shaking of his head.

But then dropped as I realized Trey hadn't given him a firm answer—one my heart was aching to know as well.

.

Trey watched her truck pull in behind him as he got off his bike. He knew he should've been tired with only four hours of sleep the night before and after the busy day he'd had.

But he wasn't.

Because his other purchase, which he pulled from a saddlebag was guaran-damn-teed to prevent sleep for the next couple of hours. Shit, maybe even the rest of the night if he had his way.

He met his girl his back steps and guided her into the house after resetting the alarm on the security system. He'd been lax about using it over the last few months but with all the shit raining down, the system was going back into use. It was just another way to keep him and his girl safe.

"I'll need to do a load of laundry, Trey, if that's okay," he heard her say as he moved around, turning on lights and removing his hoodie and cut.

"The laundry room is through the left door at the back of the kitchen," he advised, his eyes roaming over her back as she turned to where he pointed while he took in her girlish t-shirt and jeans with the bling on the back pockets. It was a great view. He watched as she upended the carrier bag into the washer and then glanced down at herself before her eyes turned to his.

"What, Tex?"

"Uhm, could I borrow a t-shirt or something? I just have my clothes from yesterday and the stuff I have on." He could've kicked himself for not thinking of offering her something to wear. While Trey hadn't gone to the Sheridan's house personally, he'd gotten the pics Bishop had taken with his cellphone. When he'd told Miller the family's clothes had been destroyed, he hadn't lied. According to Bishop, a lot were ripped or partially burned but the worst of it was the two ass-hats had used the piles of clothes and linens as a toilet.

"Absolutely." He pushed off the doorjamb and started to go into the hall when he heard her call. "And there's not enough of my stuff for a load so if you want to add to it, I'm good."

While picking out a tee and grabbing an armload of stuff from his dirty clothes hamper, Trey wondered when was the last time someone wanted to do something for him. A girl-type someone because, god knew, his brothers did all sorts of shit when he needed them to. He couldn't remember unless it was when the Honeys put on a meal or whichever one worked behind the bar poured his drink. But that was about it.

And, of the women he'd known, if they had done something it would've been performed with a lot of fanfare and the expectation of 'now you do something for me'. But Dallas wasn't like that. He'd seen it when he'd joined her family for movie night and she'd handed him the beer without asking. When she'd hugged him as she told him 'thank you' for whatever it was that he'd done. Or when she'd handed him the keys to her truck without even blinking, and he knew her ride was something she valued.

With Dallas, it all was simple and real. It had been a long time since he'd had any of that in his life.