Page 72 of Clint & Ivy
Ipulled up to my parents’place to find Ivy wasn’t around. Ford sat on the front porch like a bored kid waiting for his mom to come home and give him something to do. I took the spot next to him and admired the mild day.
“Your woman’s got problems,” Ford told me as he nursed a beer. “Health issues. They’ve been at the hospital checking her out. I wasn’t supposed to tell you. But Shay texted to say they were coming home and everything was fine. I figured there was no harm in letting you in on the secret now.”
“Hospital, huh?” I said, looking at my phone and wondering about Ivy’s secrets.
“They do the tests faster that way. Your mom called important people to make sure Ivy got seen today,” Ford explained and chuckled. “I love when Shay throws her weight around like that.”
My parents took different paths as they reached middle age. Ford had lived a rough life since he was a kid. All those brawls came home to roost once he hit a certain age. On cold days, he shuffled around like his body might shatter if he moved too quickly. Today, he stretched out like he was feeling fine.
Meanwhile, Shay was a wife and mom for most of her life. She basically raised her brothers before she was even an adult. After they were grown, she remained focused on the home, caring for her husband and kids.
These days, though, she attended business meetings and took part in local activities. She didn’t scare anyone like Lula did, but she knew who to call to make people afraid.
I tried to imagine what Ivy and I would be like in thirty years, but I didn’t know her well enough to see that far ahead. I wasn’t totally sure what next week would look like. Her keeping her illness secret had messed with my head.
“I’m meeting with the Black Rainbow club next week.”
“Be careful with Zodiac,” Ford said immediately. “He’s got swagger. There’s something showy about him that makes you think he’s weak or full of shit. But the guy can fight. He moves sneaky like you do.”
“You still got him good in the knee.”
“Yeah, but I was aiming for his fucking head,” Ford muttered, glaring at his beer bottle. “The guy was too damn fast, so I changed tactics. If he starts something, you need to stay flexible with your attack moves.”
“What if he wants an alliance?”
Ford studied me. My father ran his life by his gut. He was a force of nature. That was why he never wanted to call the shots.
For years, his life was small. He loved his brother and liked being part of the club. Later, he added Shay and my uncles to the mix and then Bebe and Lula.
Ford grew tighter with his club after Joker was in charge. His bonds got tighter, but his view of the world remained the same. Ford Reed was a man who only cared about his people. The bigger picture was never going to interest him.
“What would an alliance offer you?”
“I don’t want to rule the world,” I said, and Ford nodded in agreement. “I just want to ride with my club and control my territory. I can swallow some shit to keep Tricky happy. I don’t need him to disappear for me to survive. So, I could leave things the way they are.”
I glanced at Ford and remembered when I was a kid. He’d sometimes enter the house like the devil was on his tail. I was terrified when he acted that way. I knew his life was dangerous. He often came home with cuts and bruises. But those days, when he looked afraid, were what really scared me.
Yet, as soon as Shay entered the room, his crazed energy would drop away. My father clearly feared someone had stolen away his reasons for living.
Now, as a grown man, I saw how violence and danger could drag a person down and make them doubt anything good existed. Ford needed to see the woman he loved to remember how he was more than a guy with a bat. She kept his heart safe and his mind sane.
When I left Ivy this morning, I thought we were on our way to a similar bond. She spent the night in my bed. We had a nice breakfast. I learned to adjust my routine to fit her needs. She seemed excited to spend time with my mom and sister. We fooled around on the couch. There was already a familiarity about our time together.
Yet, now, we were back to being strangers. My uncertainty about Ivy made me doubt this meeting with the Black Rainbow Motorcycle Club.
“I want every day to be predictable,” I told Ford after we sat for a few minutes. “I like the comfort of my routine. I know where my people are and if they’re safe. When I think like that, there’s no reason to deal with Zodiac and his crew. I have Tricky, if I need numbers.”
“But?”
“But thinking too small would be a mistake. If there’s trouble brewing, even if it’s from the Black Rainbow club, I’d best know about it. So, meeting with this guy could tell me if they’re planning to cause us trouble. Or he might prove to be useful. But it’s better to know than to wonder.”
“Men carry a specific burden when they want to live up to their fathers. Tricky suffers from that problem. I’m glad you don’t. It keeps your head clear.”
“But Idowant to live up to you.”
“Not really. Ever since you were a kid, I knew you’d want more than to take orders. You always needed to understandwhythings happened. That was never me. I used to think maybe you’d have a hard time with that pressure on your shoulders. If it was me in charge, I’d be stressed all the damn time. Shay and I almost didn’t have Elle because worrying about you was a full-time job. But you’re wired different than I am.”
“These club things don’t rattle me. But not knowing what’s going on with Ivy is making me feel weak and stupid. I want to control the situation. Except if I squeeze her too tightly into a box to fit what I want, I’ll always wonder if she only stayed because she had no choice.”
