AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I held out my hand to first Adeline, then Kettle.
“Nice to meet you both,” I said politely, offering my hand to Kettle.
Kettle took it while giving me a look that I couldn’t quite decipher.
“The man that kissed her and nearly got her punched in the face,” Kettle said.
A statement, not a question.
“Yes, sir,” I admitted. “That would be me.”
“He did not nearly get her punched in the face.” Adeline slapped her husband across the belly. “Plus, that kiss was the best kiss I’ve ever seen.”
Kettle looked positively green.
Saylor started to laugh.
“How about we talk about what y’all got me?” Saylor suggested. “Because I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since last night because I couldn’t stop thinking about not fitting into this bridesmaid’s dress.”
Another couple came up then, parking their bike right next to where Kettle had parked his.
They swung off and removed helmets, their eyes coming toward me and Saylor. Saylor who was so close to me we might as well be touching.
I could feel the heat of her skin, and I could literally twitch my hand and we’d be skin to skin.
“Trance,” I offered him my hand. “How’s it going?”
Trance took my hand and grinned. “Good. What’s going on here?”
I’d met Trance through Justice earlier in the day. Trance was a part of the same motorcycle club that Kettle and Justice’s father, Loki, were. A few weeks back I’d purchased a motorcycle that belonged to Loki, and apparently that made me a-okay in their club.
Though, way before that, we’d met a couple of times at a club party the Dixie Wardens had hosted—so I’d been told. I didn’t remember actually meeting them. I’d been a different little kid when I was growing up—preferring to go my own way and do my own thing. And remembering names and faces weren’t one of the things I really gave a shit about when I was a kid.
Kettle grumbled something that had me once again looking his way.
He was still staring me down as if I had committed the ultimate sin.
Which, in part, I had.
I’d kissed his daughter.
At least, that was all he’d known that I did.
I’d done much more than that just a few short minutes ago.
“My father is withholding whatever food he got me because he’s mad at Lock for kissing me on national television six whole months ago,” Saylor offered.
Adeline snorted and turned to the woman at Trance’s side. Her name was Viddy. Viddy and Trance were the parents of another buddy of mine’s woman, Oakley. Pace, my buddy, had donated a kidney to Oakley a few months ago. And it was a wonder that I hadn’t met the bunch before now.
“How’s the motorcycle treating you?”
I turned to find Justice’s dad, Loki, walking up with his wife, Channing, in tow.
I grinned and offered him my hand.
“Good,” I admitted. “I had to take the truck today since I was transporting a cake.”
“Yours?” Loki asked, his eyes moving to Saylor.
“Yep.” Saylor nodded once. “My last one before I move.”
I felt something inside of me shift at her words.
I didn’t want her to go.
More importantly, I didn’t think that leaving was the answer just yet.
Even though she was set to leave tomorrow morning.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, my mother’s text alert, and I froze.
“Something wrong?”
I looked up to see Kettle staring at me as if he noticed my body stilling.
“No,” I admitted. “My mom texted me.”
I tapped my pocket.
“Answer it,” he suggested.
I knew why he was wanting me to answer it.
He wanted me away from his daughter.
I felt my lips tip up at the edges as I nodded once. “Yeah, I think I need to.”
My eyes never left Kettle’s, though.
A challenge.
“We’ll head inside,” Saylor suggested. “I have to make sure the cake is set up okay anyway.”
With that, Saylor hooked her arm around her father’s and started to tug him inside, but she did look over her shoulder once to say goodbye.
Oh, it was goodbye…for now.
I waited for them all to leave before I pulled out my phone and made the call.
“Mom?”
“Hey, baby,” my mother said softly, sounding tired. “You done?”
I found myself grinning.
“Why?” I asked. “Something wrong?”
“No,” she immediately soothed my worries. “I just thought I might get to see you today.”
I’d been working a lot lately. And when I say a lot, I mean nearly every other day it felt like. When I wasn’t working at the station, I was working on my house. When I wasn’t working on my house, I was working out. When I wasn’t working out, I was sleeping.
It was honestly a vicious cycle, and I was sad to admit that I hadn’t seen my mom in over two weeks.
“I’m stopping by once I’m done,” I confirmed. “That’s still on. It’ll just be closer to around nine. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” she answered. “What’s wrong?”
I grinned, loving that she knew me so well.
