The title of this book is a nod to the ways a person's actions have potentially damaging repercussions for the people close to them. Aidan's decisions don't just impact him, but those around him.
Sam
The very first time Sam ever laid eyes on Aidan Teague, she was fourteen, and he knocked the breath right out of her.
That impression of him had stayed with her, had held him captive in her fascination longer than any man she'd met as an adult - girlhood had a way of sharpening fascination to something dark and deadly.
For Sam, Aidan represents the kind of deep, innocent longing that comes with being a hormonal teenager. He was beautiful, and in a lot of ways, more grown up than the other boys her age. There was that edge of danger that's always magnetic at that age. But she knew he was a cocky brat, too, and she still knows that.
Now, as adults, since becoming friends with Ava, she's started to see beneath the very distracting outer veneer to the real person beneath all the tats and swagger, and she's realized that, inwardly, Aidan is terribly self-conscious, uncertain, and, most of all, sweet. At this point, Sam isn't just infatuated, and isn't blind to his faults because she thinks he's hot - Sam knows him, by the time we get to this book. Understands how his brain works. She loves him, and she sees his flaws as areas in which he needs help, rather than as reasons to leave him. She's no stranger to hard work. I don't see it as her "fixing" him, or her being "stuck" with him; she loves him, and it's worth it to her to offer her love and acceptance in return. People like Aidan do need a helping hand, and where so many would have turned away from him, because he was inconvenient, Sam's willing to make the effort. She's the first woman outside Maggie or Ava who's really loved him, and he knows that, which is why he's so distressed that he hurts her.
His problem with Sam is a common one: because he didn't tell her about Tonya's pregnancy immediately, it gets harder and harder to know when to fess up. He doesn't want to scare her off - though the longer he waits, the more hurtful the omission becomes. He expects her to walk away - in his mind, it's a matter of when, not if - and that's testament to the way most of his relationships have played out. Sam knows that; once she gets over her initial shock and anger and hurt, that's what brings her back, and keeps her in Aidan's corner.
Greg
The Greg Situation is a good example of Aidan's innate kindness. Aidan can be rude, and inconsiderate, and definitely not politically correct in lots of small ways - generally with his careless language and his preconceptions ("chick soap"). But when it comes to actions, and big decisions, he's good at heart. He's an outlaw, so he's not worried about coming across as polite amongst polite society. But he does have a strong moral compass when it comes to what he deems important. He's not a killer. In Fearless, when Ghost sent him to the cattle property to kill Greg, he couldn't pull the trigger. He disobeyed Ghost not only as his father, but as his club president, and put the Dogs at risk - but for him, it was a worthy sacrifice. This wasn't a mistake, but a conscious act of mercy. He thought Greg would run far away, never be seen again, and that the problem was over.
Often, in counter culture stories, we see characters disobeying their clubs or gangs in nefarious ways that impact the whole group later on. I wanted to turn that theme on its head: what happens when a biker does the right thing? How does that hurt the club? For me, it's maybe the most fascinating element of the book.
The answer here is that Greg shows up again, his presence and his actions set to harm the club deeply. He doesn't see himself as "owing" Aidan for that act of mercy. Rather, it gave him a chance to seek his fortunes elsewhere.
For Aidan, it forces him to examine his own life in uncomfortable ways. What's more important? Looking after the club by any means? Or standing by a personal moral code? The answer is muddled, and complicated, and Aidan's realization is that life is perhaps even messier than he's always thought. If you call the club your family, you can't stand on the fringes; at some point, you'll have to get your hands dirty.
Tango
Tango I'm going to blog about tomorrow, because there's lots to look at there, and I want to take my time with it. Our poor Tiny Dancer has it rough in this book. But his rescue provides some of my favorite moments in the whole novel.
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