Free Prodigal Son by Jayna King Page A

that Krystal might take my gesture the wrong way. She’d mentioned that her school was expensive, and I had more money than I knew what to do with at the moment. I’d meant to be nice, but I was afraid that I’d come off like an asshole. I agreed to let her buy a round of beers at the ballpark and let it go.
    My phone chimed again, and I assumed that it was Krystal calling me to talk, but when I looked, it was a number I didn’t recognize.
    “Luke Callaway,” I answered.
    “Luke, It’s Sable Hall.”
    My heart jumped into my throat. “Yes?” I hadn’t expected to hear from her so quickly. It hadn’t been more than a few hours since I’d left her house.
    “I talked to your …um … Daniel, and not only is he thrilled that he has a son, but he wants to meet you.”
    “Wow. I don’t know what to say. Guess he wasn’t too mad at you, huh?”
    Sable hesitated. “Well, he isn’t exactly happy with me, but he’s seriously excited about meeting you.”
    “I can’t wait.”
    “You mean that?”
    “Of course. I drove all the way from Arizona, you bet I want to meet him.”
    “You busy tonight?” Sable asked.
    “Nope. Free as a bird.”
    “Well, if you’re interested, you could stop by the house around seven and meet your father. He is dying to take you to his club and introduce you to all of his friends, but I’ve convinced him to take baby steps and meet you here first and see how things go. I figure it’s kinda like a first date, and it’s been a long time since he’s had one of those.”
    I laughed. “You’re a smart lady, Sable. I’ll be there at seven.”
    I could hear her sigh with relief. “Good.”
    “And thank you,” I said before I hung up.
    “No, Luke. Thank you,” she said quietly before she hung up.
    ***
    I stood in my hotel suite and tried to decide what I should wear to go meet my old man. I knew he was a blue collar sort of guy, so I figured that I shouldn’t get too dressed up. I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, but I didn’t want him to be insulted either. I stood naked in front of the window that looked out over the city and the mountains, and I decided on clean jeans and a collared shirt. I’d leave it untucked so it didn’t look too stuffy.
    As I buttoned my jeans, I was glad I’d made myself go to the fitness center in the hotel. The workout had helped me clear my head and given me a chance to sweat out all of the beer and scotch from the night before. I felt good — nervous, but good. I checked the time on my phone. Time to leave.
    The drive to the Hall’s house felt like it was over in an instant, probably because I was a little anxious. When I pulled into the driveway, my mouth was dry and my heart was racing. What if Daniel didn’t like me? Or what if we had absolutely nothing in common? After all, I knew he was a biker, and I didn’t know the first thing about motorcycles. Taking a deep breath, I climbed out of the Jeep and headed for the front door.
    I didn’t even make it to the door before it opened and Daniel stepped outside, clearly eager to see me. I stood still and waited for him to speak.
    “Oh, my God,” he said, shaking his head. “You remind me so much of your uncle when he was your age. Come here and let me get a look at you.”
    I walked toward him and held out my hand. “Luke Callaway, sir,” I said.
    “Fuck shaking hands,” Daniel roared, holding out his arms. “Come here.”
    I stepped into his embrace, and I thought he was going to squeeze me to death. He held on like his life depended on it.
    “Nice to meet you, Daniel,” I said when he finally let me go.
    “Call me Joker,” he said, coughing as he tried to calm down. “That’s what my brothers call me.”
    I assumed that he meant the other members of the MC, and I nodded. “Okay. Joker, it is.”
    “Come on inside,” he said, gesturing toward the doorway, in which I could see Sable watching the two of us.
    “Hello, again,” I said as I walked inside.
    “Want a