The Biker's Fate Chapter 302

Lily

"NOT HAPPENIN'," DAD ground out.

I was standing in the kitchen with Mom and Dad and talking about Maverick's and my plans to look for a place to rent.

"What? Why?" I demanded.

Dad scowled. "You're not leavin' this house until you're married."

"There goes our plan to elope," I grumbled.

Mom gasped. "You wouldn't really elope, would you?"

I bit my lip. "Not if it would devastate you."

She sighed. "It would devastate me. But I wouldn't have a problem with a small wedding."

"Us and the Quinns?" I asked, hopefully.

"Us and the club," Mom countered.

That meant a hundred people, minimum. I frowned. "That'll take some planning... so I'm back to my original plan of finding a place with Mav."

"Lily," Dad said, his voice pitched low in his "serious" voice. "You're not gettin' married until all this shit with Jenny's sorted. And you're gonna stay close where I can protect you."

"Dad—"

"You'll obey me in this, baby girl."

I threw my hands up. "Dad, I'm an adult. I start working at Legacy as a nurse in two weeks, and I'm engaged to be married, so which part of this indicates I'm still a child?"

"Daddy just wants you safe, Lil," Mom said.

I took a deep breath and faced Dad again. Arguing with him was not the way to go here. "I know you want me safe, Daddy. But Mav and I want to start our lives together. He can keep me safe... will keep me safe. Or better yet, I will keep myself safe."

Wrong thing to say.

"What the fuck!" Dad roared.

"Ohmigod, Alex," Mom said. "Take it down a notch."

"What's wrong?" Hunter demanded, rushing into the room with Case on his heels.

"Nothing," Mom and I said in stereo.

"Why's Dad yelling?" Case asked.

"See what you're doin'?" Dad accused.

"Hold up there, handsome," Mom interjected. "You roaring down the house has nothing to do with Lily wanting to move out."

"Lily wants to move out?" Hunter asked.

"Oh, yeah, you can't move out," Case said in all his teenage wisdom.

"And why can't I move out?" I challenged.

Case crossed his arms, much like my dad was doing. "'Cause me, Dad, and Hunter can't make sure you're safe if you move out."

"I can keep myself safe, Case. Plus, I'll have Maverick for backup."

"No. You need us," he continued. "You're a girl, and girls need us men to protect them."

I watched Dad try not to laugh.

I threw my hands up again. "Seriously, Dad? This is working for you?"

"Which part of it isn't working for you?" Dad challenged.

"Forget it. I'm no longer talking about this with you. Maverick and I are going to look at apartments this weekend, and since I'm an adult, you have no say in it." I stomped up the stairs, you know, because I was an adult, and slammed the door to my room.

I glanced out my bedroom window and saw that Maverick's was open, so I opened mine and leaned out. "Mav?"

He leaned into view and then stood and leaned out his window. "What's wrong?"

"Dad's being unreasonable."

"I'm coming over."

"No, don't," I said. "It'll just piss him off."

"Baby, I don't like seeing you like this."

"I don't know why he still has this power over me," I complained. "I'm an adult. I don't need his permission."

"I'm coming over."

"Möosh—"

"Two minutes, Lil."

I couldn't say anything else because he was out of view, so I closed my window and rushed downstairs, arriving just as Maverick knocked. I disarmed the alarm and pulled open the door, shaking my head as Maverick stepped inside. "Don't poke the bear."

"Fuck the bear, Lil. This is bullshit."

I reset the alarm and followed Maverick into the kitchen.

"Wanna talk to you, Hawk," Maverick said, his voice gruff.

"Oh, yeah?" Dad said, his tone demeaning.

"Don't patronize me," Maverick ground out. "You talk to me like a man, or I'm takin' Lily home with me."

Mom raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I shook my head. With a grunt, Dad led Maverick out of the kitchen, and I stepped over to Mom.

"Maybe not the best move, honey," Mom said.

"Didn't have much of a choice, Mom."

"Well, there is that." She smiled. "Tea?"

I sighed. "Yeah, tea would be good, thanks."

She handed me a mug, and we sat down at the kitchen table. "How do you deal with this?" I asked.

Mom smiled. "The alpha male, beat-the-chest, I-am-man thing?"

"Yeah."

"You just have to let them do their thing and then talk it out when they're calm. Your dad'll come around."

"He doesn't get it."

"He gets it, Lil. It's just hard to let his little girl go. Give him a minute." She sipped her tea. "Glad you have an alpha man by your side. He's the only one who could stand up to your dad and win."

I nodded. "I know. But the challenge is managing that alpha man so that he remembers we're equal."

Mom chuckled. "Oh, honey, he doesn't forget; he just likes to see how far he can push you."

"I was talking about Dad."

"I was too."

We dissolved into giggles, and all was right with the world again. "Thanks, Mama."

"Anytime, baby girl."

Dad and Maverick returned, and Maverick held his hand out to me without comment. I stood and grabbed my tea, taking his hand and letting him lead me up to my bedroom.

"What's going on?" I asked after I closed my door.

"We can't look for a place this weekend."

"Why the hell not?" I snapped crossing my arms.

"It's not safe. Your dad's right. We're gonna have to postpone until this mess with the Spiders is finished."

"And?" I pressed.

He didn't respond.

I raised my hands and shook my head. "No."

"Babe, seriously."

"No, Maverick, I need information. No 'club business' bullshit."

He sighed. "Do you remember when you were little and Payton beat the shit out of some guy in a store?"

"Yeah. Vaguely. I remember being stuck in that gross basement after Payton and I were kidnapped more, though."