A/N : This chapter is dedicated to Emmettluver2010 – It warms my heart when I know my readers are really enjoying my stories! I'm going to write the next chapter for this as soon as I've uploaded this one, so it shouldn't be too long until you've received the next instalment. I'm really enjoying where this story is going, so please let me know if you are too!
(April's POV)
It had been a couple of days since Andy had met his grandfather and he couldn't stop talking about his Abuelo. We hadn't seen the Mayans since that night, as they were busy 'taking care of some business', but Alvarez had promised to pick up Andy the second they were back home. I didn't think Alvarez played a major role in the day to day running of the Santo Padre charter, which made me think something big was going down. Either way, I was happy to be staying out of it, where Andy was safe.
It was Friday evening and I was just getting ready to close up shop. When I decided to move us down here, I used my inheritance to open a small bakery and café. Business was still taking off, but I made enough to cover our bills. Working for myself gave me the flexibility I needed as a single mom. Andy loved the fact I baked – he was always happy to sit in the back after school, doing his homework whilst munching on a plate of my cookies. That's where he was now; happily chatting about how excited he was to see 'the guys'. It made me smile when he told me for the hundredth time how cool Coco was for taking him on his bike. He had taken a liking to the rugged but intriguing Mayan, which honestly surprised me.
Normally, Andy shied away from anyone he found… intense. They overwhelmed him and he became shy. And, from the brief encounter we had had, intense was definitely a word I would use to describe Coco. Having said that, I felt that, despite his age, my son was normally a good judge of character. There was something about Coco that made me feel like he could be trusted, otherwise there was no way I would've let him ride off with my son on the back of his Harley.
Speaking of Coco, I was surprised when my phone buzzed with a text. After the other night, Bishop had made sure that I had all of their phone numbers and they had mine, just in case we ever needed to contact each other.
C: Party 2nite clubhouse. You in?
I was surprised at the invitation. They must have finished their business, whatever it was. I hadn't heard from Marcus at all, though, and I didn't want to be MIA if he came to spend time with Andy. Biting my lip, I shot a quick reply to him.
A: Does Alvarez know?
It wasn't that I needed permission to go to the party, but I didn't want to create drama with Alvarez either. Coco replied almost immediately.
C: El Padrino wants you here. Bring your boy.
I smiled at that, pleased that Coco had made it clear the invitation was for the both of us. I sent a quick reply, letting him know we would be on our way once I'd locked the bakery up. As soon as I looked down at my flour-covered outfit though, I knew I needed to stop home for a quick change first.
"Who was on the phone, ma?" Andy asked, having finished his snack.
"That was your new friend, Coco," I told him and he grinned. "Put your plate in the dishwasher. We've got to make a quick stop home and then we're going to the clubhouse, ok?" His plate was in the dishwasher before I'd even finished my sentence.
"Done!" He declared, making me laugh. "Let's go ma!" Within a few minutes, I had locked up and we walked the short walk home. I quickly changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a casual but cute strappy top, pulling on my favourite knee-high black boots. When I walked back downstairs, Andy was waiting by the door, a soccer ball in his hand, looking nervous.
"What's wrong, bud?" I asked him, grabbing him a coat in case it got cold later.
"Do you think they might wanna play with me?" He asked quietly, picking at the ball. I smiled at him.
"I'm sure they'd love to," I smiled, holding his coat out to him. "Now come on, let's get going."
The clubhouse wasn't very far, and it was a pleasant evening. As we got closer, I could hear the music and the chatter of the club by the time we reached the end of the road. Clearly, they were celebrating something.
We entered through the open gates, and Andy immediately ran through the crowds, up the steps and into the clubhouse. I rushed after him, not yet ready to let him out of my sight at a Mayan party. I knew better than anyone the types of things these guys got up to. I'm pretty sure Andy was conceived at a very similar event in Oakland, 11 years ago.
I opened the door to the clubhouse, and felt a sigh of relief as I spotted Andy sitting between Bishop and Marcus. I looked at them, worried he had interrupted them, but Marcus looked over at me, nodding and smiling. Bishop lifted his beer in greeting, letting me know they were fine with him being there.
"Finally," a familiar voice spoke from behind the bar, "we were beginning to wonder if you weren't going to come." I turned to see EZ grinning at me, already pouring me a vodka and coke.
"Sorry, I had to get changed. No one wanted to see me covered in flour and butter," I joked, accepting the drink. He grinned, offering the rag he was holding to a sweet butt, before hopping round the bar to stand next to me.
"Come on, everyone is outside," he said, holding the door open for me. I took one glance back at Andy, who was happily chatting in Alvarez's ear, before following him outside. He led me over to a set of benches, where Angel, Gilly and Coco were sitting with a couple of girls, smoking. I don't know why but I got butterflies when I saw Coco, and I was pleased to see he was the only guy who didn't have a girl on his lap.
"Hey, what's up, ma?" He greeted as EZ and I approached the group. I smiled at his greeting.
"Hey Coco, thanks for the invite," I told him and he shrugged.
"It's no problem. El Padrino wanted to see the kid," he answered, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Speaking of kids um… This is Leti. She's my kid." He indicated the young girl that was sitting next to him, who smiled awkwardly at me. She looked about 16, pretty, with heavy black eyeliner.
"Hey Leti, it's nice to meet you," I smiled warmly. I didn't know Coco had a kid, especially one as old as Leti, but I was cool with it. Coco hopped off the bench to get another drink.
"So, what… you're Alvarez's old lady?" She asked, making me spit my drink on the floor whilst the guys howled with laughter.
"Ew, what?" I asked, "No, gross. Do I look like I have daddy issues? I used to be with his son, Ese. He passed away before our son was born."
"Oh, right, my bad," She shrugged, looking awkward at her mistake. "I'm not very good at all this. It's pretty new to me."
"What do you mean?" I asked. The other guys had turned their attentions back to the sweet butts surrounding them, so I was glad for Leti's company.
"Me and my grandmother only moved back here a few months ago. She told me I had a brother at first. Turns out Coco is actually my dad. We are still kind working on that … Celia, my grandmother, was meant to be taking care of me. But she was a total bitch. Coco took care of it though. We've been pretty close since," she explained, grimacing as if she realised she had said too much.
I didn't need to ask what 'took care of it' meant. I looked over at Coco, who had just emerged from the club house, trying to imagine what drives a man to kill his own mom. Then I looked behind him, to where Andy was following him out of the clubhouse, ball in hand, and I knew the answer. His love for his child. Coco had done whatever he needed to, to protect his daughter.
"So, now you live together?" I asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, we moved into a place together a couple of months back. I'm trying to show him I can be responsible, you know? Going to school, trying to find a job. A suitable job," she corrected, laughing as if there was an inside joke. "It's hard though. No one wants to hire an ex teenage porn star."
I looked at her, surprised at her boldness. She shrugged, unapologetic for her past, which was something she couldn't control. I liked her immensely.
I smiled at her and, by this time, Coco and Andy had reached us.
"Hey bud, you ok?" I asked him, and he nodded.
"Grandpa is busy, but he said that one of the other guys would play with me," He said hopefully, looking around.
"Yeah, I'll play with you champ," EZ said, putting his bottle down.
"You can play Soccer?" Andy asked suspiciously, and Angel snorted.
"Ain't a lot my baby bro can't do," He joked. Andy beamed, putting the ball on the ground and kicking it over to EZ.
"You gonna let a kid play by himself against you, bro?" Angel called to EZ. "That's cold. Come on, Ese, I'll be on your team," he told Andy, also putting his bottle down.
"Who's going to be in goal?" Andy asked, ever the practical one.
"Consider it done," Gilly announced, draining his drink and standing up. Somehow my son had roped nearly all of the Santo Padre into this game. I had to laugh.
"What about the other goal?" Andy asked and, after a brief pause, Leti sighed.
"Go on then, I'll play too," she said. Coco looked at her in surprise as she untied her hoody from around her waist and threw it on the picnic table.
"Do you even know how to play Soccer?" He asked her quietly. She took a quick look at Andy, who was distracted by Angel tackling EZ for the ball, before shaking her head.
"No fucking clue," she answered honestly. "But he's cute. Couldn't say no." I laughed.
"Don't let that fool you, Leti. He's cute and he knows it. Boy uses it all the damn time," I groaned, and we all laughed.
"Besides, how hard can being in goal be?" She shrugged. "Let's do this." Coco and I watched as she joined in the game. I moved to lean on the bench besides Coco, who lit up a cigarette and took a drag. He offered one to me, but I declined.
"She seems Happy," I commented, smiling as we watched her swing Andy around, trying to stop him from scoring. Andy was laughing, for once not caring that the rules weren't being followed.
"Ya," he nodded, "It's nice. Leti… she's been through a lot." He was watching his daughter too, a small smile in the corner of his mouth.
"She told me that you haven't known each other for very long…" I started, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable. He nodded again, taking another drag of his cigarette.
"I fucked up. She was born when I just turned 18. Her mom was no good, dumped Leti on my doorstep the day she left the hospital. I was a kid myself… didn't know what to do with her. So, my mom took her in and I went to Iraq. By the time I came back … my mom was gone and she had taken Leticia with her. I joined the Mayans. I had 2 more kids with 2 different moms. This life… my family… it just felt like every time they touched, one of them got fucked up. So I never went looking for Leti. But then they moved back to Santo Padre… and I couldn't keep denying her, you know? She's my kid. I owe it to her to try," His tone was heavy, like he was carrying the weight of a lot of shit on his back. I didn't judge him for his choices; he did what he thought was right at the time.
"She told me… what you did for her. Protecting her," I said quietly, hoping he wouldn't be mad. I wasn't trying to get Leti in trouble. I just wanted him to know she appreciated him. He sighed heavily, taking another drag.
"She's gotta stop saying shit to people," he groaned, and I got the sense this wasn't the first time he had spoken to her about things she said. I laughed, putting my hand over his.
"I'm not judging. You were protecting your child. Besides… your secret is safe with me," I told him, looking him straight in the eye so he knew I meant it. His gaze met mine, reading me for a second as he blew the smoke out of his mouth.
"Yeah, I guess you're good at keeping secrets," he admitted, tilting his head in Andy's direction. I moved my hand away, crossing my arms. I felt like he was judging me.
"I did what I had to do to protect my family," I answered bluntly and he looked confused at my change in demeanour.
"I didn't mean no offense, chica," he said quietly, but keeping his eyes on the game. "I just meant you know what this life is about. Lots of chicks don't get that. Your kid… he's lucky to have you." I smiled at his vague attempt at an apology.
"Thanks Coco. Yours too," I told him, smiling. "Speaking of… Leti told me she's looking for a job? That she's finding it hard to find one?" He chuckled humourlessly.
"Ya. I guess people in this town don't wanna hire the 'kid sister' of a Mayan biker," he said bitterly, scraping his foot in the dirt. I rolled my eyes; people could be so judgemental.
"Well, I've got an idea," I told him, and he look surprised. "Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"
"Why? You asking me on a date?" He grinned cheekily and I rolled my eyes, shoving him lightly.
"No," I laughed, "You wish. I was wondering if you could drop Leti at my shop?"
"Sure," he nodded, surprised. "I can do that. Why?"
"I might be able to give her some hours. Not a lot," I warned, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. "My business is still small, starting up. But it'll give her some independence… and keep her off the street."
He looked at me, shocked for a second.
"You sure you wanna do that? You don't know her, you don't know any of us," He asked, and for the first time it occurred to me that Coco wasn't used to people being kind. Well, that was about to change.
"I know we're family," I answered, shrugging. "You'd look out for my boy if I needed it. Mayans are all about family. It's one of few things I love about the club. Besides, I could do with the help, especially when Andy is also around after school." He looked at me for a moment, as if struggling with what to say.
"I think she'd like that… thank you April," He finally said, smiling shyly.
"You're welcome," I smiled back.
We were distracted by a large cheer, as Andy kicked the ball past Leti and into the makeshift goal they had made between two abandoned cars. Angel picked Andy up, spinning him around on his shoulders as they both cheered at their win.
"My bad," Leti called to EZ, who laughed.
Angel put Andy down and they all walked back over to us, Andy running over grinning.
"We won ma!" He shouted, throwing his arms around me before giving Angel a high five.
"I can see that," I laughed, smiling at all the guys who had played with him. I really appreciated the way they had just welcomed us in.
"Yeah… turns out being in goal is harder than it looks," Leti grumbled, making us all laugh.
"What's this I hear about winning?" A familiar voice asked, and we turned to see Marcus and Bishop making their way over to us, smiling.
"Abuelo! I won!" He grinned, running over to him.
"I'm proud of you, mijo," he smiled, ruffling Andy's hair playfully. "Next time I'll make sure I'm here to watch."
"Ok, Grandpa," Andy agreed happily, before letting out a yawn.
"Thanks for having us, Marcus, Bishop," I told them honestly, "but we should head home. It's getting pretty late."
"You're always welcome here, sweetheart," Bishop replied, "you don't need an invitation."
"Primo is right," Marcus agreed, "family is family."
"Thanks guys. Come on, Andy, say goodnight. We still gotta walk home," I instructed, earning a groan from Andy, making everyone chuckle.
"You're not walking, nena. I'll drop you back," Coco told me, as Andy was doing his rounds of fist bumps. I smiled at the term of endearment.
"We can't both fit on the back of your Harley," I reminded him and he rolled his eyes.
"I'll take the truck. You ain't walking in the dark, it's not safe," he insisted, catching the keys as EZ threw them to him.
"Ok… thanks," I smiled, honestly grateful not to have to walk. It had been a long day.
I was surprised when Marcus put his arms around me, holding me close for a second.
"Thanks for bringing him over. It's real good to have you both here," He told me and I smiled.
"No worries. I'm sure we will be back over the weekend," I promised, earning a cheer from Andy and a smile from Bishop.
"We'll look forward to it," Bishop responded, and then Andy and I headed over to the truck.
The drive back to mine was short. I noted that I didn't need to direct Coco to our place, which told me that Marcus had already ensured that all of the charter knew where his grandson lived. It didn't bother me; it was nice to know he seemed to be serious about taking care of us.
When we got there, Andy wasted no time hopping down from the truck, shouting a thank you to Coco, before racing to where the spare key was hidden. He unlocked the door and let himself in, leaving me standing outside the truck with Coco.
"So, thanks again for the ride," I said, suddenly nervous, though I wasn't sure why.
Coco nodded, finishing a cigarette he had been smoking on the drive over.
"You still serious about the Leti thing?" He suddenly asked and I nodded.
"Course," I told him, "I'm actually looking forward to it. It'll be nice to have an extra set of hands."
He nodded again, throwing his cigarette butt on the floor and grounding it with his foot. Then he looked at me, a strange look on his face that I couldn't identify.
"What?" I asked him, nervous again.
"Fuck it," Coco said suddenly, putting his hand to my cheek and pulling me in for a kiss. He caught me by surprise but I quickly reciprocated, stepping closer to him and deepening the kiss. He was surprisingly gentle as we felt each other out, clearly not wanting to push me too far. My hands went automatically to the front of his kutte, pulling him closer to me as I enjoyed the moment. It had been a long time since I had done this with anyone, and Coco was a damn good kisser. After a few minutes, he gently pulled away, smiling crookedly.
"And what was that?" I asked him, confused, but pleased he had done it. He shrugged, his hand falling away from me as he opened the truck door.
"Life's too short for regrets, chica. Gotta live in the moment," he told me, hopping into the truck and closing the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow," He grinned through the open window, "lock your door behind you, April." Then he turned on the engine and pulled away, before I had a chance to respond.
I watched him turn the corner, smiling to myself. It had been a long time since a Mayan had looked out for me. I had forgotten how good it felt.
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