Tess walked over to the clubhouse this morning feeling the nerves grow with every step. She knew she had to meet with Nitro and talk about her plans to stick around, which she’d decided during a conversation with Rachel last night, but she knew that this was a big step. She was officially going to be marking herself with these people after knowing them for only a short time, but already she felt like they were family.
She couldn’t explain it. They had been so welcoming and had even included her in games and conversations last night. She had no idea how to play the dice game they had been playing, and when the other team had won, she’d had no idea how it had happened, but it had been fun just to hang out and joke with them until the early hours of the morning before finally heading to bed.
Nitro walked out of the clubhouse and waved at her before she could even get to the front door. “Good morning, Tess. Ready for a ride?”
She had been expecting to sit and talk with him in his office, but a ride sounded better. “That sounds like a great idea. I’ve been wanting to get on the bike again.” She could see the road going up around a hill and through the mountains. She had seen some waterfalls in the distance and was looking forward to exploring the area some more., but she hadn’t wanted to do it alone.
“Hop on your bike then and let’s get going. I thought we could ride out to the campfire area and talk there, away from everyone,” Nitro explained as they got on their bikes and strapped on their helmets. “Keep close. It’s easy to get lost out there,” he warned her and then started up his bike.
As they rode through the mountains, Tess couldn’t help but be in awe of the scenery. The compound was in the middle of Marcus Garvey Park, which was only five minutes north from Central Park. Tess hadn’t realized how close she was to the well-known landmark, but she made a note to explore the area further once she was more settled. The road stretched through the forests of trees and around a park with a baseball diamond and a basketball court, then around another bend that hugged a complex of buildings. They drove until they came to a clearing in the northeast side of the park where a campfire was set up with benches and logs all around it in a circle big enough to seat twenty people.
Parking their bikes near a tree, Nitro led her over to the campfire and started it, letting the flames and smoke rise to the sky. The scent brought her back to bonfires that she would have with her own family. “So… You seem to be fitting in well already, and it’s only been a couple of days.”
“Everyone has been great,” Tess told him as she got comfortable against one of the cushioned logs. “I can’t get over how welcoming they are and they don’t even know me. Is it just because I’m Andrew Crenshaw’s little sister?”
“That’s part of it. Andrew is a great guy and has helped our MC a lot when we were going through some rough patches a few years back. We don’t forget those that support us.”
Tess nodded softly and looked into the flames as the familiar feeling of jealousy crept in. She wished she’d felt similar support from her brother and father.
“Obviously you don’t have the same opinion of your brother,” Nitro observed.
“I love him, I really do,” Tess said with a sigh. “I just… Miss when things were easier. Before the MC…” She drifted off, not wanting to admit the truth.
“Look. I can’t make up for what he did, or what your father did. All I want, all any of us want, is to help give you a fresh start. Truthfully, hon, I think a family like ours is what you need. Even if you just want to start out as a hang-around… and then after a month or so can decide whether you want to be a prospect.”
“You’re kidding.” Tess looked at him with shock. He wasn’t really suggest she join an MC, was he? And yet… hadn’t that been what she’d wanted waking up this morning? “It’d be that simple?”
“Yeah, it really would. Anyone can see it, Tess. You’ve been hurt. Abandoned. Probably lived in the shadow of your brother for your whole life and wondered if you ever would measure up. Am I right?” Nitro waited for her to answer with a small nod and continued. “Here would be a fresh start. You’d be able to be your own person, live your own life, and know that you have a family here that will support you no matter what.”
Tess looked at him and inhaled deeply as she studied his intense gaze. It was so warm and caring with no hint of judgment, just like the way Rachel had looked at her the other day. She made a decision in that moment and nodded. “Got that hang-around patch handy?”
“You’re not alone anymore, Tess. You can trust us to be there for you.” He reached over and handed her the patch to sew on her vest later and then took her hand, stroking her wrist with his thumb. “Welcome to the family.”
~Thanks to Legends MC~