Page 90 of Hard Corps (Selected Sinners MC 7)

With their eyes locked, he continued.

“So, Alec. What’s your fat? How much fat you got?” he asked.

“Eight point two percent this morning, Sir,” I responded.

“Huh,” he said, still staring at Ripp. “So, Mike. What do you weigh?”

“What’s your point?” Ripp asked.

Vee chuckled. “Answer your father.”

“Two-forty, give or take,” Ripp said.

“And the fat?” Mr. Ripton asked.

Ripp clenched his jaw and stared.

“Alec, you eat hamburgers?” his father asked as he shifted his eyes from Ripp to me.

“Yes, Sir,” I responded, fighting not to smile as I did.

“This is funny,” Katie whispered.

I nodded my head.

Ripp sighed, reached for the plate of burgers, and picked one up.

“None of your business,” he responded.

“I’m thinkin’ you could learn a lot from Alec,” Mr. Ripton said.

“Alec ain’t perfect, Pop,” Ripp snapped back.

“More so than you,” his father said as he reached for his burger.

“He’s got a different metabolism,” Ripp snarled.

“Sure does,” his father said as he finished his burger. “It’s called devotion.”

Ripp had already eaten half the burger. As he glared at his father, he dramatically opened his hands and dropped the remainder onto his plate. “You sayin’ I ain’t devoted?”

“I said all I got to say,” his father said.

“That’s about enough,” Mrs. Ripton said softly. “It’s Sunday, we should all get along.”

Katie grinned as she squeezed my knee. When we gathered on Sundays, I’d become accustomed to her having her hand on my leg for almost the entire meal, which was something that developed over time.

I glanced around the table as everyone quietly ate and realized I was amongst my family. Since moving to Texas, my old habits had faded away one by one, leaving a void within me. The void, entirely, had been filled with new events, new people, and new purpose.

There was no doubt in my mind I was exactly where I belonged.

After everyone finished their meal and began to tell stories of bare knuckles matches, changing diapers, and babies learning to eat solid food, I lowered my head and said a one-word prayer.

Courage.

I lifted my head, glanced at Mr. Ripton, and as he met my gaze, winked. In response, he furrowed his brow and glared back at me.

I stood from my seat.

“Since I’ve moved to this fine state of yours, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown considerably, and not in size, but in my ability to become human again. I look at each and every one of you as family, and I appreciate all you do for me,” I said.

“But something’s missing,” I said as I turned to face Katie. “Something I’m afraid I can’t go any longer without at least attempting to fix it.”

“There’s a huge hole in my soul, and I feel empty sometimes. So, tonight, I’m going to take a step toward repairing that one part of me that remains broken.”

I lowered myself to kneeling, reached into my pocket, and pulled out the ring.

“Katie, would you consider filling the void within me by agreeing to be my wife?” I asked.

Her mouth curled into a smile. She glanced toward her father. I did the same. He grinned and nodded his head. She gazed down at me with her beautiful blue eyes and responded.

“Yes,” she said excitedly.

As I slipped the ring onto her finger she reached for the back of my head with her free hand. I’d never been one for public displays of affection, but as she pulled me into her for a kiss, I didn’t resist at all.

I closed my eyes, kissed her, and allowed myself to become lost in the moment, but not so much that I wasn’t able to hear her father.

“Yeah,” her father said. “I’m thinkin’ you could learn a lot from Alec.”