The Grease Monkey || A Happy Lowman Love Story

51

A few days later we headed back home. Everything was starting to settle down for the club, which was good. Happy was getting through the loss of his mother. He was starting to cope better too, which was good. There were a couple nights where I had to get Tig or Chibs to drag him out of the party so he would quit drinking. On those nights we'd just stay in the dorm together.

We were both still working for TM, something Happy was mildly annoyed about. He didn't want me working in the garage while pregnant. That was fair I suppose, but it wasn't really up to him. We needed the income, even with the club pulling into more legit money streams.

As the first few months of my pregnancy progressed, I had to concede and work more in the office with Gemma. I refused to quit though. I needed to be able to work. I felt useless and dependent when I wasn't. Gemma understood better than anyone else. She knew that my psycho ex roommate had told me there was no need for me to work as a way of controlling me, so now when Happy said it out of genuine care, I didn't trust it. I trusted him, but I just needed to be able to work.

I was about five months into my pregnancy when Happy and I had our first big fight as a married couple.

He got home late one night from a run and I was in the garage working on the Panhead that still wasn't finished.

"What are you doing?" He asked. He was pissed and needed to relax. Something had gone wrong on the run.

"Welcome home. I'm trying to finish this Panhead so I can maybe ride it some day," I said. "Plus then I could sell the Sportster and put that money to the nursery."

"You don't need to do that. I can take care of you," he said.

I nodded and sat down the wrench in my hand. "I know baby. I just can't not do this. I love my bikes same as you do."

He scoffed at that which really pissed me off. "What the hell?"

"Ya know what Nick. Do whatever the hell you want. That's what you do anyways," he said.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Is this really about me working on the bike?"

"No Nick," he said. "It has nothing to do with the bike. Why won't you just let me worry about money and take care of you and our little one?"

"I just can't Happy," I said. "My not working and not having my own income was used to control me."

"I'm not trying to control you."

"I know that Hap. For fucks sake. I know you're doing it because you care but come on. If we both work this kid will have a better life."

"My mom couldn't be around as much as she wanted," he said, sitting down on the ground by his bike. "I didn't realize it til I got older, but she had to rely on my aunt to take care of me a lot. I promised myself if I ever got married and had a kid I'd do everything I could to let their mom be around just as much as she wanted to."

"Hap," I said, going to sit by him. "Thanks for telling me. I do want to be around for the baby, all the time. Hell, I already don't want to put her down. My parents were absent a lot too. I always wanted them to be closer to me than they were. I just don't think we're going to have the same problems. Hap, we work in the same place. You know Gemma and the club will be okay with her being around."

He nodded and leaned into my shoulder.

"I love you Hap," I said.

"I love you too Nick," he said. I leaned down and kissed him.

"You know," I said with a soft laugh. "You don't have to instigate fights to open up to me. I'm your wife. You can just say," I paused to drop my voice an octave or two, "hey little girl can we talk."

We both lost it laughing at my Happy impersonation.

A few minutes later he kissed my head and stood up before helping me up.

"Be careful if you're gonna be working on the bike. Yeah?"

I nodded and we cleaned up together before heading inside.

"Oh, Hap," I said. "Don't forgot-."

"Appointment tomorrow. 2 pm," he said. "We find out whether we're getting a prospect or a Princess."

I nodded and kissed his lips before heading off the shower quickly while he got himself a beer.