She paused in cutting his hair. This had to be the first time he’d shared personal information.

Should she be flattered?

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she continued snipping away, only taking small cuts in case she messed up.

“She likes to complain about my weight. It’s the only problem she has with me. My room is always tidy. I’m a good student. I do my chores.” She couldn’t figure out why her mother hated her so much. At the end of the day, without her, her mother wouldn’t be classed as an old lady.

“What kind of shit does she say about your weight?”

“Do you really want me to bore you with all the details?”

“I’m asking, aren’t I?”

“True, but it’s girl stuff. You know having too big hips, I’m top heavy.” Her face was once again on fire.

Bishop had heard some of the nasty stuff she’d said and it hadn’t embarrassed her, but saying it to Preacher, it was different.

“Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Rebecca has always been a spiteful cunt.”

“I already figured out long ago I’d never be good enough for my mom, and I stopped trying to be.”

“It’s because she gave birth to a girl.”

She paused and turned so she was able to look him in the eye. “What do you mean?”

“Your mother wanted a boy. She believed it would be a way to control Bear more. You’re just a girl and don’t have a place within the club, only as a daughter and, if you decide, one day as an old lady.”

“But a son would be different.”

“Yep. For one, he wouldn’t be no old lady. He’d earn his patch.”

“You know it’s sexist, right? A woman not getting a place within the club.”

“Being a brother is no place for a woman. We’ve got to know our backs are taken care of by each other. Women are not stronger than us. I’m not being sexist. I’m being biologically accurate. Besides, none of my men would ever trust a woman at their backs.”

“Would you?”

“Maybe one I hadn’t fucked.”

She laughed. “So you can only trust women you haven’t slept with. Is that because you don’t call them back or write?”

“I don’t have a place in my life for a woman.”

“Okay.” She went back to cutting his hair.

“Your mother also doesn’t like the fact Bear never fell for her bullshit when you were a kid.”

“What do you mean?”

“When he was at the club, she’d threaten to leave you outside of another clubhouse, around town, sell you to strangers. She even went so far as to leave you in the park. She also left Bishop in the park, and that was the last time she did anything like that. I took care of it. You’re a club daughter, Robin, and that gives you more power than she does. You’re Bear’s princess. She’s jealous because the truth is, if she was to leave, no one would care. You, on the other hand, you will stay.”