Havoc

9 - They don't like me

Wynter

“Don’t be nervous. Everything will be just fine.”

He says that, but I am beyond nervous. I shouldn’t be nervous; I’m about to see Cassie again after all this time. I’ll finally be able to see for myself that she’s okay. But I’ll also meet Havoc’s family for the first time, and my stomach is turning over.

What if they don’t like me?

Okay, Havoc won’t end things with me because of his family. He’s a grown man and can make his own mind up. But that doesn’t mean things wouldn’t be awkward for him.

“Do I look okay?” I ask while smoothing down my white shirt front and then my hair.

Havoc smiles while climbing off his bike. “You look beautiful.”

I smile despite myself. He always makes me feel beautiful.

The magnet pull between us is suddenly so strong that I forgot to breathe for a moment. Our eyes are locked, and I know he feels this too. It’s been there since the moment we met.

Now, here’s the biker cliché. Havoc is tall, handsome, blue-eyed, with collar-length hair, scruff on his jaw, and muscles that go on for days but don’t overshadow his body in any way. There’s no denying how good-looking the man is, and he’s all mine. Nothing will go wrong this time because I’m not letting the doubts creep in. My husband loves me as much as he ever did. I love him, and we’re staying together this time.

Havoc’s good looks aren’t the only thing that draws me to him. Any man can be good-looking, but Havoc has a wonderful personality. I’m not blind to the man he is and the things he does for his club. I’m under no illusion that he’s a saint because I know he’s not. Havoc warned me about the life he led before I agreed to be with him. After the life I led before I met him, nothing surprised me, and nothing he told me would have me walking away from him – well before I did for a different reason. But there is something about Havoc that makes me want him and need to be near him. I know he feels the same – the way he’s looking at me right now tells me that he does.

“We should get inside.”

I nod my head in agreement, yet I haven’t moved. Havoc has moved closer to me, and one hand slides around my waist, the other cups my cheek, and I lean into his touch with my eyes closed.

“What are you doing to me?” He whispers against my lips.

“Havoc,” I whisper his name like a plea while holding onto his hips to steady myself.

“I want to kiss you so badly, Wynter. God knows I want to kiss you every moment of every day. Losing you never dulled my need for you, baby girl.”

Both hands now frame my face, and I can’t help smiling.

I slide my right hand around the back of his head, bringing his forehead to mine. “Ditto, husband of mine.” The smile he throws my way sets off a spark in me. I’ll never love anyone the way I love Havoc. I know I lost my way a little initially, but I know I can trust him now. “Kiss me, Havoc. Please.”

“This is a bad idea.”

“I know.”

“If I kiss you now, I’m not sure we’ll make it inside.”

I raise my eyebrow and smirk at him.

“We could always slip away for a few minutes.”

Havoc chuckles. “Baby, you don’t think much of me if you think it’ll only take a few minutes.” I run a hand down his thick chest while biting my lip. “No,” He laughs.

“Fine,” I sigh dramatically. “But I’m not going in there until you kiss me.”

He chuckles right before he steals my very breath with the most intense, passionate, and heart-stopping kiss I have ever and am likely to ever have in my life.

You say that every time Havoc kisses you, Wynter.

Finally, Havoc pulls out of the kiss, even though I can tell he would have kissed me for days and not stopped if we were at home. God knows I would have gladly let him.

He rests his forehead against mine. “You’ve wrecked my head.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re my wife. It’s your job to wreck me for all other women.”

I playfully slap his chest. “I should hope so!”

Havoc laughs again, and it’s the best sound in the world. “Let’s get inside before they send out a search party.”

I nod and take my husband’s hand when offered. I like holding his hand. I feel safe when I do. I got the same feeling when Jack held me and told me that he and his sons would always protect me. I have a family now. I’m not alone in the world any longer. I have an uncle, an aunt, cousins, cousins-in-law, and even second cousins. I have people I’ll see at Christmastime, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s. I won’t be alone.

I smile to myself because I’ll never be alone as long as I’ve got Havoc. I squeeze Havoc’s hand a little tighter and smile when he winks at me.

We enter the clubhouse, and the smell of alcohol instantly hits me. Having limited hearing means my sense of smell is heightened. I don’t hear anything until we walk into the main room. It’s filled with people all talking at once. I hope I don’t get flustered. If that happens, my speech will fail me, and I’ll have to use sign language. Speaking isn’t always easy for me, but I do my best.

Havoc leads me over to a table near an unlit open fire where a giant lumberjack-looking biker is sitting. There’s also a younger biker with blond hair, a young boy around thirteen or fourteen, and a woman with auburn hair and a pretty smile. She’s the older biker’s wife; it’s easy to tell from how he leans over and lovingly kisses her.

Shi.t, I’m so nervous. Any idio.t with eyes can see that the biker and his wife are Havoc’s parents. Even with the bushy beard, it’s easy to tell that man is Havoc’s father. They have the same eyes. Plus, I’ve seen pictures of them all. Havoc showed me when we first met. But seeing them up close is very different from seeing them in photographs.

Christ, I didn’t think I’d crave their approval as much as I do.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Wynter. Officially.” Havoc smiles and winks at me. “Wynter, this is my mom, Tammy,”

“Nice to meet you.” I smile.

“Nice to meet you, too, Wynter.” She is definitely pretty; her smile lights up her whole face.

“This is my dad, Red.” I smile at Red, and he tips his head at me. “This is Shadow,” I smile at Shadow, the blond biker, who winks at me. “And this is Cullan, both my little brothers.”

“Hey, gorgeous.”

“Cullan!” I laugh at how cheeky Havoc’s youngest brother is and how his father yells his name. He’s a charming young man.

“Havoc’s told us all about you, of course,”

I swallow hard because I can already see that Red doesn’t like me. Great, that’s just what I need, my father-in-law instantly disliking me.

“BlackJack’s told everyone else about you. He’s very proud of you.” That makes me smile. “Now,” Red turns to Havoc. “Wanna tell me what this is?” He looks down at our entwined hands, as do Havoc and me.

Havoc looks at his father without letting go of my hand. “She’s my wife, as well you know. Since when was it yours or anyone else’s business what I do, and with whom?”

I swallow hard as Red raises his eyebrow. “Don’t get smart with me, Havoc. I know who she is and what you did.”

What Havoc did?

“But do you even know anything about her? What good is a marriage if you don’t even know the woman you’re married to?”

I startle at his booming voice. I clutch Havoc’s hand tighter in mine. My stomach is turning over, and I just want to leave. I can sense how angry Havoc is right now; I can feel it radiating off of him. I knew his family wouldn’t like me, but he wouldn’t listen.

“Enough, Red,” Tammy snaps. “Not in front of Cullan. Wynter is Havoc’s wife. She wouldn’t be if they didn’t know each other. Time means nothing when you love someone, and she loves Havoc, Red; it’s undeniable from how she looks at him.”

I watch as Tammy reaches over and takes Red’s hand in her own. “Baby, you know what it’s like to fall in love, right?” He nods slightly. “And you know what it’s like to be impulsive. Our son fell in love and couldn’t wait to marry the woman who stole his heart. We have to accept that and welcome Wynter to our family.”

“And the men chasing her? The trouble she’ll bring to this family? What about our son, Tammy? What happens when those men kill our son to get to her?” Red points at me angrily. “What about Cullan and Shadow, hmm? What happens if they get hurt because of these men? I will not lose another son, Tammy!”

I swallow hard when Red looks right at me.

“If anything happens to either one of my sons, my wife, my grandchildren, or any fucke.r belonging to this club, I’ll kill you myself!” I jump when he slams his fist down on the table.

I want to leave. I feel sick to my stomach. I understand he’s scared and wants to protect his family, but I need Havoc. I’d have left if I thought he’d let me, but he won’t. Havoc has made it clear that if I so much as try, he’ll stop me. If I managed to escape, he wouldn’t stop until he found me again.

I trust my husband, and I know he spoke the truth when he said he’d protect me. Havoc will find out who those men are and what they want. Jack told me the same thing. Red might hate me right now, but I have a family here, too. My husband, uncle and aunt, cousins, brothers-in-law, mother-in-law, and whether he likes it or not, a father-in-law.

Of course, I’ve thought about leaving so Havoc will be safe. I know how strong he is, and I know with the Snakes behind him, he’s powerful. However, Red is right; the men chasing me could get to any member of Havoc’s family, even mine, to get to me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.

God, I’m so torn. I don’t know what to do!