Claimed by the Biker Giant (Maxine and Tank) novel Chapter 332

Chapter 332

Skunk POV

I was being overprotective, I knew this, but mum, being mum, came off far too strong. I explained

this quietly to Dad when Mum was getting dessert, not a lot, but a bit more than last time Pip told

them her story. He understands and will talk with Mum to try to be less loud, but that’s who Mum is

and always has been. It didn’t bother me much in the past, but it does now. Scaring my soon–to–be

wife and child was not going down too well.

“Son, she might be a little more over the top than usual, because last week, she found a lump in her breast, and yesterday the results came in, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a biopsy done, and needs to have the breast removed, but when you called, she told the doctor to wait till after the wedding. You might want to tone it down a little, and I will talk to your mum to see how we can fix this. The poor boy, I can see he was scared. If I can get her to be softer while she’s here, maybe the lad will accept her.”

“We shall see Dad, but I can’t force Dan to like her. First impressions and all that.” I understood, being told she was losing a breast had to be hard, and finding out I have a son, their first grandchild, she was a little eager to meet him, and bond before her surgery, but she ruined it.

Dan complained he was ready for bed, which was a perfect opportunity for me to leave them to enjoy their night.

I was torn.

What do they call it?

Divided loyalties.

I wanted to comfort my mum and, at the same time, protect my son and Pip, so I shunned my mother; it hurt inside as I did it, but I felt it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Last time I saw her, we fought because she didn’t want me to follow my mates to this club, she wanted to keep me home, where she could call on me.

Control me was more like it.

It might not have seemed that way to her, but that was how it felt to me. I needed to spread my wings and fly, yet she wanted me to stay in the nest or close to it. I couldn’t think when she was around; she had suffocated me with her neediness for all my attention. I have other siblings, but being the eldest, Mum didn’t want to let go, because that would mean the others would leave soon

too.

Dad called it the fear of the empty nest. So, a child, suddenly being in her clutches, was a little over

exuberant.

Tuoter

I get it, sort of

Mum worried she would be left alone, and the fear of loneliness consumed her, but she had lots of

friends. Fixer would always be nearby, so in that sense, I don’t get it. Maybe it’s coming home to

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Pip took one of my hands and held it.

“Mum hated that Storm and Tempest had left. She knew the writing was on the wall, that the three of us would soon follow; we’d been together since we could crawl. Find one, and you will find the rest of us. She nagged me for days, trying to convince me that home was where I belonged. At that stage, we hadn’t thought much about moving, other than that we missed Storm. With mum’s nagging and whining about me not leaving, she more or less helped me make up my mind to move out and fast. Even Dad was getting annoyed with her going on about it. When I packed up my gear and was walking out the door, she screamed at me that if I left, I would never come back. As if that

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would make me stay, Dad wished me luck, and we left. Fixer had the chopper ready, it took all our gear and bikes. We travelled light most of the time and could buy what we needed when we got here. That was the last time I spoke to Mum, and that was two months ago. I can’t believe we’ve been here for two months already. Anyway, we never patched that up, which is why you saw the tension. She needs to apologise; however, she has other reasons for coming and meeting you, and

that, Dan, is that she wants grandkids. Mum’s health hasn’t been the best, and she needs a

mastectomy and is holding off till after our ceremony. I have been conflicted, part of me wants to move forward and encourage Dan to get to know Mum, and part of me is holding onto the past, and doesn’t want to share, as if punishing Mum for her harsh final words. I am telling you this because you’re going to be my wife soon, and I don’t want secrets. You shared your hard times. Well, this was mine. I didn’t have a bad childhood, just a clingy mother who couldn’t let go.” I took a sip of my coffee; my throat was getting dry from talking and clogged with emotions.

“Sorry to hear your mother has breast cancer. That had to bring her down a notch or two. As a nurse, she would know all the worst–case scenarios running through her head, not the positive outcomes. That doesn’t mean she shouldn’t apologise. I agree, her emotions ran high, and she said things that she must regret. We can talk to Dan when he wakes up. Try to get him to understand that she’s your mother, like we did with your father. He might understand that sometimes mum shouts, but it doesn’t mean any harm. I have shouted at him a few times, and he grasps what we are trying to say. But I won’t push him; if he needs time to adjust to her, then she needs to understand that, too.”

“Thank you.” I felt a lot better having spoken to Pip about my issue and about Mum in general. We talked more about my childhood, good times and bad, and she covered some of hers, which sounded like she had more bad than good. Dan slept for about an hour; he never sleeps long in the afternoons now, but that small break was enough to talk and make some plans. We can look at either moving into the clubhouse or into one of the cottages nestled in the trees further back in the block. I feel Pip might prefer a cottage out the back, rather than be in the noisy clubhouse, with a child that is not used to that sort of revelry.

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