Chapter 1: The Man My Son Already Knew
My 7-year-old son ran straight into the arms of a huge bearded biker outside his school — I rushed over to pull him away, but the man looked at me and said, “Well…
I guess this is how you’ll find out.”
My son, Zion, had always been friendly, but he was usually shy around people he didn’t know.
That’s why what happened outside his school the other day made absolutely no sense.
I was waiting near the entrance with the other parents when the doors opened and the children started pouring out.
I immediately spotted Zion in the crowd and raised my hand to get his attention.
But he didn’t even notice me.
His face suddenly lit up as he looked past me, and before I could see who had caught his attention, he took off running.
“Zion?”
He didn’t even stop.
I turned around just in time to see my seven-year-old son throw himself into the arms of a huge bearded man I had never seen before.
The stranger was enormous, with tattooed arms and a black leather vest.
A motorcycle was parked nearby, but what shocked me most was how comfortable Zion seemed around him.
The man laughed and held him like they’d known each other for years.
For a second, I couldn’t move.
Then I hurried toward them.
“Zion!”
My son finally noticed me, and the excitement disappeared from his face almost instantly.
I reached for his hand and pulled him closer to me.
“Who is this man?”
Zion looked at the ground instead of answering.
I turned to the biker, completely confused.
“How do you know my son?”
The man’s expression shifted.
He glanced at Zion, then back at me, as if silently deciding what to say.
Finally, he let out a long breath.
“Well…
I guess this is how you’ll find out.”
