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My eyes shot up. It was the last thing I was expecting her to say and her words were so genuine. I shook my head. “You and Harlyn are absolutely not to blame, I would hate for you to think that.” I swallowed. “I’m happy that you’re here, and Optimus gets to spend time with Harlyn. He and I, that’s something I can’t really explain, but knowing he had this huge secret just made me realize that maybe we weren’t as close as I thought.”
She sighed. “Unfortunately that’s Optimus to a tee. He’s a protector. He has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders but refuses to share his burden with others. He keeps it locked away and apart from his brothers, everyone is maintained at a safe distance.”
It seemed like this should be awkward, meeting Sugar, the woman Optimus had once been deeply in love with. But it felt strangely comforting.
“Is it weird that this,” I gestured between the two of us, “isn’t weird?”
She laughed, it was light and soft and I couldn’t help but smile. “Optimus and I both know exactly where our feelings lie. I love him because he’s my daughter’s father. There was no messy breakup or vileness between us, we just realized that we weren’t meant to be.” She looked me directly in the eye, still grinning. “And now I think I know why it never worked.”
I blushed. “I don’t know about that. There’s only so much rejection a girl can take before she gets the point.”
“Stubborn bastard,” she murmured, rolling her eyes.
“How’d the visit go?” I almost shot out of my seat hearing Wrench’s deep voice rumble behind me.
“Jesus Christ!” I gasped, covering my racing heart with my hand.
Wrench placed both hands on the table and leaned in. I caught Sugar look up at him with a shy smile before she set her attention back on the table in front of her.
“As to be expected. I believe the words ‘disgusting,’ ‘disgraceful,’ and ‘biker trash’ were used.” Her shoulders slumped like she had been utterly defeated. “I don’t know why I thought telling them that they had a grandchild would have made them feel any different.”
Wrench’s jaw ticked as he clenched it, obviously trying not to say anything.
“I’m sorry, this is your parents?” I asked in awe.
Sugar nodded, her gaze finding me but clearly trying to avoid the hulking man who stood over us. You could feel the anger pouring from him as he just stood there, watching her.
“My parents wanted me to marry a lawyer or a doctor, something that would look good for our family.” She fiddled with her burgundy hair, tucking it behind her ear as the wind whipped it around her face. “I wasn’t one to think I was better than others because I came from money. I learned fast that people were attracted to my status, rather than my personality. Then Optimus came along and introduced me to the club and everything felt real. These guys, they aren’t fake. They don’t feel like they need to impress you. They are who they are and fuck it if you don’t like it.”
I laughed and even caught a twitch in the corner of Wrench’s mouth as my eyes flicked between the two of them. I was trying to figure out what the feeling was that was sparking the air around us.
I cleared my throat and chuckled lightly. “Ain’t that the truth?”
“So they don’t even want to meet Harlyn?” Wrench spat, clearly not impressed.
I heard a high-pitched giggle and we all looked over to see Blizzard carrying Harlyn upside down over his shoulder. “Tell me, where you hid the ice cream,” Blizzard demanded, his fingers hovering over her, threatening a tickle attack if she didn’t give him the info he wanted.
“Never!” she cried in between fits of laughter.
We all laughed as he proceeded to‘torture’the ice cream location out of her.
“Harlyn has everything she needs already. It doesn’t matter if they want to meet her or not. She’s happy,” Sugar murmured as she rose from the table. Wrench placed a hand on her shoulder as she passed by him. She stopped briefly, and they shared a look that only lasted a second but said everything that needed to be said before she rushed off.
“I’ll save you, Harlyn,” she called in a dramatic voice as she ran toward them smiling.
Wrench stood silently and watched her go.
“You know Optimus would kill you, right?” I warned softly.
He didn’t even flinch. “Somethings are worth the risk,” he muttered before walking away.
Don’t think I’ll be mentioning that one anytime soon.
