The Rampage MC #2: Beard and Emily

Chapter 17 (Beard): You're On

"You love me," Emily repeated. Her voice was even. Not happy, not mad, not confused. Just clinically re-stating what I'd just told her.

"Yeah, I do," I told her. "Surprised the hell out of me when I realized it. Gone all my life without a woman, without this love bullshit messing with my head. Just my club and my bike."

"Hold on while I swoon over the love bullshit line," she mocked me. "And what you said isn't true. You have your family, too, in addition to the club and your bike."

"I do have my family. But we lead very different lives and they weren't my job, my business. My focus was the Rampage. Always has been. Never wavered. Until you walked across my line of sight in that bar, Emily. Never went running after a woman before. Never was exclusive with a woman, never even wanted to keep to just one. Until you, and you didn't even ask for that. I saw you and just wanted to be with you. No one else."

"I find that hard to believe, Beard."

"Believe it. All my years in college, I was focused on my studies. Didn't mean I didn't fool around quite a bit, but the girls I was with understood I was just blowing off steam. Starting up the Rampage took all my focus and energy."

"Well, things couldn't have always been that intense. There had to have been time."

"No, you're right, it wasn't always that intense, but once the Rampage was established, then my focus shifted to making the Rampage a solid presence in the MC world, financially well off and bringing in a shit ton of money for the brothers. I wasn't just  focused, I was balls-to-the-wall dedicated and didn't let anything get in my way of expanding on and protecting what I'd built. Women were a distraction I didn't want."

"And I changed that?" Emily wanted to be skeptical, I could tell, but the truth was right there for her to see. I'd never had a girlfriend.

"You did. I knew that right away, and that's why I kept things superficial. Why I reacted like a shithead when you showed up at the clubhouse unexpectedly to tell me you were pregnant. Not an excuse. Just the why."

I walked right up to my girl and trailed my fingers down her arms. "You tilted my world on its axis, Em. Everything I thought I knew, everything I thought I wanted...had changed. I want you, Emily. In my life."

"I am in your life, Beard."

"Officially, Em. Permanently and not as a co-parent. I'm talking biker wedding or church wedding kind of official. Whatever you want."

"Was that a marriage proposal? If so --"

I grinned at her. "If you say yes, then it was a proposal. Otherwise, no. That was just me letting you know what I want."

"No, Beard, I'm not saying yes. In fact, here's what's going to happen."

Here's what's going to happen...

Did women have a list of established phrases they used on men or something? I'd just heard that phrase from Genny last week. Coincidence? Or female conspiracy to confuse us men?

"Genny, remember that day a few years ago when I brought you Chain's cut? When I told you that I didn't think Chain had done anything wrong with you because he was following orders?"

"Oh, my God," she breathed, her eyes wide for some reason, and her hand flew to her chest. "Are you finally apologizing to me? After all these years?"

"What the fuck? No," I said. "What the hell is there to apologize for? Chain was taking care of club business and did what he had to. I'm just asking if you remember that day."