AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
TANNER
With my backpack strapped onto my back and my arms around Wesley’s waist, he revs his bike’s engine, and we ride. I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s scary as hell, but at the same time, it’s liberating.
Freeing.
I don’t know what feeling free is like. I’ve never been free to do or be what I want. Not until I met Wesley. This is the only time that I’ve ever felt free in my entire life, with him.
When I was a kid, my mother suffered so badly with her mental health that I was never allowed to justbe. I was always either helping her, helping around the house, or trying to be perfect so that I wouldn’t upset her.
Brent was the same, which is likely why he is as controlling as he is.
When she killed my father, by that time my father was just a shell of a human and would either spend all of his time at work or stay in the garage and hide. I think she honestly put him out of his misery because he wasn’t going to leave her. He was stuck in a black hole, revolving door kind of situation.
When both of my parents were gone, I had shifted and was trying to be perfect for Brent. By that time, I was seventeen and already taking complete care of myself. Brent didn’t know what to do with a seventeen-year-old girl, so I took on the woman’s role in a household. I started doing all of the cooking, cleaning, and whatever else it took to take care of a home.
“Tanner?” Wesley calls out.
I blink a couple of times and look around, shocked to see that we’ve stopped. We’re at that same place where that horrible woman is. The clubhouse. I don’t really want to go back inside. Wesley reaches backward and taps my thigh with his hand. I take that to mean that I need to climb off of the bike.
Once I’m stable and on the ground, I watch as he disengages from the machine and turns to me. “You don’t want to stay here, do you?” he asks.
It’s almost as if he can read my mind, but it’s likely more my face that he can read. I’m not really hiding anything. I really don’t want to go inside. I don’t want to see that Brianne woman again. In fact, I think that I could go my whole life with never seeing her again.
“Not really,” I admit.
He smiles, and it’s not quite what I expect. I don’t know why, but I thought that he would get upset that I didn’t want to stay here with all of his people. Nobody else really bothers me except her.
“How about we go inside and at least stay a few nights? I have some shit coming up. We’ll look for a place for us soon. Can you be okay temporarily?”
I want to tell himabsolutely not, but I don’t. I don’t want to ruin this before it’s even begun, especially since I’m dependent on him now. Completely and totally dependent on him. I won’t be for forever. I plan on finishing my real estate classes. They were paid for in advance and I don’t think that Brent will be able to get his money back, so I’m going to finish and work to build myself as an agent.
“Temporarily,” I agree with a smile.
He lifts his hand, wrapping his fingers around the side of my neck and squeezing gently. “Okay, buttercup. You hungry? Need me to order some takeout?”
Pressing my lips together, I roll them a few times, thinking about his question. I probably should eat, I’m sure that I should, but I’m not hungry. I’m exhausted though. This has been so damn stressful. I just want to curl into a ball and cry.
“No thanks,” I say, my gaze flicking to the side before I bring it back to meet his. “I’m just tired.”
He dips his chin, shifting closer, and touches his mouth to mine in a brush of a kiss, keeping his mouth against mine. “Okay, Tanner. But you have to eat. You have a life inside of you now.”
“I know, it’s just been hard,” I admit.
He lifts his head slightly, his eyes searching mine. He doesn’t say anything right away, but he doesn’t have to. There’s nothing that needs to be said right now. I’m about to be thrust into a world that I do not understand.
It’s very clear to me that I am completely and totally out of my element here. I’m not sure how much I care though, other than the fact that I have to be under the same roof as Brianne. I can do it though. I will do it... for Wesley, for us, for our future.
RIFF
Ishould not find joy in the fact that the fucking cop disowned her over me and she picked me anyway. This should not feel as good as it does. I should not be gloating, even silently. It’s not like she had much of a choice. I knocked her up. She’s nineteen. Where the fuck is she even going to go?
Walking into the clubhouse, I can feel the eyes of the brothers on me. They are watching me, staring at us as we walk through the bar. Ignoring them, I wrap my arm around Tanner’s shoulders and tug her against my side.
She rests her head against my shoulder as we make our way to my bedroom. Other than Brianne, I don’t think any woman has spent the night here before. Looking around, I flinch at the sight.
There is so much shit everywhere. Trash, condoms, more trash. I usually only stumble out of here in the daylight and spend most of my time sleeping or fucking when it’s dark. Turning my head, I look over my shoulder at Tanner.
