The Long Road Home

Chapter Nine

Rubble moved off, leaving Fin to wonder what he meant. His eyes looked for his brother to see Gus seated in a cushioned patio chair. The brunette from upstairs sat on his lap, feeding him cake. Fin had never known Gus to like anything sweet, but he seemed to be enjoying himself now as the brunette leaned close to kiss him.

Gus caressed her thigh with a smile. He sat like a king with his queen. Fin suddenly realized the brunette was also wearing one of the leather cuts. The patch across the back loudly declared: Property of the Duke. Was his brother really okay with that?

He seemed fine. Actually, Gus seemed more than fine. He looked…happy.

Fin’s gaze continued to sweep the gathering until he found the blonde again. She stood leaning against the young biker who had also been upstairs. The biker’s arms circled around her and his hand caressed between her thighs as he bowed his head and kissed her neck. Neither looked embarrassed by their excessive, public make-out session. Fin looked around and no one seemed to care. In fact, several seemed in the middle of their own. Evidently, this group had different expectations when it came to PDA.

“Daddy! Daddy! Can I open presents now?” Jacob ran up to his parents with the little blonde girl in tow.

“Absolutely,” Gus chuckled as Nailah stood and Jake quickly took her place.

“Me too! Me too!” the little girl laughed.

“Hey there, Princess,” Caine approached and picked her up. “It’s not your birthday yet. This is Jakey’s day.”

The little girl giggled. She didn’t look disappointed.

“I don’t mind sharing,” Jake said, “as long as it’s Emily.”

“Oh, be careful what you say now, bud,” Caine laughed. “You give an inch and a woman will take a mile.”

“As if you don’t enjoy every single second of it,” Elle smacked his ass as she brushed past him with a present in hand. “Here you are, sweetie. This is from us.”

“Thank you, Auntie Elle!” Jake happily exclaimed, tearing into the box.

“Hey, what am I?” Caine asked.

“Thank you, too, Uncle Dog.”

The group chuckled.

“Whatcha’ get?” several called out.

“It’s a T-Rex!” Jake exclaimed as he revealed the electronic dinosaur that would roar and walk on its own. “Thanks!”

“No problem, buddy,” Caine grinned.

“Here’s one from me,” Rubble announced, handing over another present.

“Thank you, Uncle Rubble!”

Fin watched as each Brother, or their wife, presented their gifts. Even ones without a significant other had prepared something. Soon Jacob had a growing pile of toys, from Transformers to PAW Patrol stuffies, a mini basketball and hoop set to a VR educational learning toy. Fin watched with growing notes of jealousy.

This was his nephew, but the little boy seemed closer to all these bikers. He showed no fear and knew everyone by name. They got to spoil the little boy for years while Fin hadn’t even known he existed.

Why didn’t Gus tell him? Twenty-five years and not one phone call. Surely, enough time had passed so that there was no reason to hold a grudge. And what was he supposed to do now? It was bad enough he felt out of place among the bikers, he didn’t even have a gift for his nephew. But how could he have known?

“Here you go,” a voice said from behind.

Fin turned, and a large box was shoved into his hands. It was wrapped in brightly colored paper and even had a bow. Confused, he asked, “What’s this?”

“What’s it look like?” the biker named Hammer asked. “It’s a present for your nephew. Now, go give it to him.”

“But where did it come from?” Fin asked.

“Wal-Mart is only a couple of miles away,” Hammer shrugged. “It was Nailah and Elle’s idea, since you obviously didn’t come prepared. Don’t know what is going on with your family, but don’t let it ruin Jake’s birthday.”

Fin hesitated. He glanced in Elle’s direction to see her looking at him. She gave a brief nod. Just when had she arranged this? He hadn’t arrived more than an hour ago, if that. Still, he couldn’t exactly afford to say no. Hesitating, he approached his brother and excited nephew.

Clearing his throat, Fin announced, “I…have something for you too.”

“Really?” Jacob asked. “Thank you, Uncle Fin!”

Fin sucked in a breath as he handed over the present. He could hardly believe he had heard those words. It didn’t matter if Gus gave him a questioning look. His nephew had called him uncle.

He stepped back and watched as Jacob tore away the paper to reveal his present was a tee-ball set. Fin frowned at the simple gift, but Jacob was ecstatic.

“Can we play when we get home, daddy?” he excitedly asked.

“Maybe tomorrow, depending on how late it is,” Gus chuckled.

“Yeah! And Uncle Fin can play too!”

“Right,” Gus sighed, kissing the top of his son’s head, “but you still got one more present left.”

Gus stood, picking up his son before nodding to the crowd. It parted, revealing Rubble as he pushed a bike with training wheels forward. It looked like a mini motorcycle. A big bow was tied to the handlebars and a helmet rested on the seat.

“A bike!” Jake exclaimed as his dad set him on his feet. “You got me a bike!”

“Sure did,” Gus chuckled.

Running up to it, Jacob grabbed the helmet and jammed it on his head before he quickly climbed onto the seat. The group laughed as he pedaled around without hesitation. Nailah slipped her arms around Gus with a happy smile. It was a shame her parents were on vacation somewhere in Peru. At least, that’s what they called it. She just hoped she wouldn’t get a phone call that they were arrested again for chaining themselves to a tree.

Last year, they were on a boat protesting whaling. This year, it was the rainforest. Nailah loved her parents, but sometimes she wished they’d stayed home. She hated the idea of Jacob missing time with them because they were too busy saving the world. At least, they had called to wish their grandson a happy birthday the previous night.

“So, what do you think of your birthday?” Nailah asked as Jacob rode closer to them.

“Best birthday ever!” Jacob declared and earned a hearty cheer from the Club. It was all the family he had ever needed.

Fin watched his nephew with a smile. He just couldn’t believe it. No matter how long he looked, he half-expected it to vanish, or he would wake up. With the presents opened, everyone settled into relaxed groups while the kids played. If not for the leather cuts, Fin would have thought it was any other backyard gathering.

“So, where are you staying?” a gruff voice asked.

Startled, Fin turned and faced his brother. He hesitated before saying, “Ah, I got a room at a hotel.”

“Fine,” Gus sighed. “Nailah wants me to invite you to brunch tomorrow.”

“Brunch?”

“Yeah. Rubble, Mad Dog and Elle will be there too. Jacob is going to want to play with all his new stuff.”

“Oh, yeah. I’d like that,” Fin was eager to see more of his nephew.

“Fine. Here’s the address,” Gus shoved a small piece of paper at his brother. “Be there around ten.”

“I will,” Fin promised.

Gus gave him a long look before leaving. As he walked back to when Nailah sat, Jacob rode his bike in front of him. Chuckling, Gus snagged his son before setting him down again to continue his play. He still wasn’t sure why his brother had gone to such lengths to find him, but he wouldn’t let anyone interfere with his family. This was his paradise and Gus would not compromise it in any way. Tomorrow, he would get straight answers from his brother if he had to beat it out of him.