Page 32 of Jackass

“Yes, Jack, she left, for now. Carrie is my friend. She gave up everything to be with Charlie and me. She has always been there for me when no one else—”

“Because you wouldn’t let me, Sammy.” I jumped out of my chair. “You chose not to let me be there for you and Charlie. You, Sammy, not me. I didn’t walk away from you and Charlie. You didn’t give me the option of being there for you,” I hollered, slamming my hand on my chest.

“Jack,” Sammy whispered.

Her eyes watered, and I felt like an asshole again. When would I get this right?

King cleared his throat. When I turned to look at him, I noticed Charlie watching us wide-eyed.

“Why don’t you two go talk? Charlie and I will hang out here, eating our snack, and then we’ll go watch some cartoons. How does that sound, Charlie?” King smiled at my daughter.

Nodding her head at him, Charlie answered, “That sounds good, Uncle King.”

Chapter Seven

Jack

King was right. We couldn’t talk about any of this in front of Charlie. I held the kitchen door open and waited for Sammy to walk through it.

I could see the hesitation in her eyes as her gaze traveled between Charlie and King.

“King,” Sammy called out.

King turned his head slowly toward Sammy. He raised one eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

“Please don’tteachher anything else.”

King nodded with a smirk.

I knew that look. He might be a badass MC president, but apparently with children, he was a teddy bear. He thought none of us knew that, but we had seen him at the town events. He flocked to where the kids were.

If there was a child in town that had a need and King found out, he was the first one to make sure the club took care of whatever that need was.

Sammy swept past me into the hallway. My hand found her lower back, and I directed her up the stairs.

This time, I was taking her to my room.

We reached the door to my room, and I fished out my key. You learned early on, as a patched brother, to keep your doors locked. Unlocked doors were an invitation to finding a club girl in your bed. Whether or not you wanted her there.

When the door opened, Sammy just stood there.

I tried to guide her into the room, and she held her ground.

“Why are we here, Jack?”

I studied this woman standing before me. I gazed at herwhiskey-colored eyes, framed with thick lashes. Her high, sharp cheekbones. Lips so full, I wanted to suck on them. She didn’t wear makeup, and I liked that. She didn’t need to do anything to enhance her beauty. Everything about her screamed beautiful.

She stood before me in a red plaid sundress. She had no idea what that dress was doing to me. My dick had been pressing against my zipper since she walked into the clubhouse this afternoon.

Yes, we needed to talk. I also needed to run my fingers through her thick, curly hair. I needed to feel her under me again. This woman had haunted me for five years.

All I wanted was to put everything she had done aside. Forgive her for lying to me. Excuse her for the injustice of keeping my daughter from me. I wanted to make her mine.

“We need to talk, Sammy,” I explained, giving her a little push into my room and closing the door behind us. “We need privacy.”

Sammy walked to the bed and sat down. Her hands fisted in her lap. I knew she was nervous. I wanted more than anything to ease her mind. To tell her there was nothing she could say that I wouldn’t forgive. That’s what love meant.

Love forgave everything.