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He shrugs, releasing a breath. I caught him off guard; he was probably expecting me to ask about his club again. “I don’t think so. I don’t know much about any of them. There was my mom, she’s gone from an overdose. My father wasn’t around.”
“That had to be rough on a little boy. Who did you grow up with?”
“I found ways to make money so I could eat. I was fine.”
His words are all the confirmation I need to know my previous thoughts are truer than I’d like them to be. Just once I want one of these guys to prove them wrong and say they had a wonderful childhood and teenage life, it’d make it easier to lock them away. But to hear they grew up in extremely tough circumstances like abuse or sexual trauma, then went through hell as a teen on top of everything, and are expected to be upstanding citizens without any baggage as adults doesn’t add up, in my opinion. Should they be able to break the law and get off scot-free? NO. Absolutely not. However, they should be provided with therapy and programs to reach out and help them process some of the trauma. We’ve failed many in society and something needs to change. The system we have in place isn’t stopping the cycle, only putting a Band-Aid on it by attempting to remove these people completely from the population.
Rather than ask him to embellish, not that I expect he would, I brush a lock of his hair out of his face, tucking it behind his ear. I lean in and press a tender kiss to his lips and say nothing. I won’t push him on this. He doesn’t deserve me making him relive the trauma, but he needs to know I’m here if he ever wants to discuss it. “You’re a pretty great guy, you know that?” I eventually whisper against his mouth.
“Yeah? You think so?”
I nod. “I know so.”
Chapter 9
Blow
As another week passes with us holed up in the cabin, I come to a final decision. The snow has stopped. The roads have been cleared for days now according to the radio, so I think it’s finally time for us to head back home. Spice misses her kid like crazy, and I need to get back to the club. I may not be in everyone’s good graces at the moment, but I’m still the VP. We’ve been left alone for the most part. Ripper finally seems to have calmed down and put his trust somewhat back in me. I know he still doesn’t trust Sydney, but that won’t change without time and good faith behind her back. The only way to do that is to head home and give my club the chance to prove they’re on my side. I’ve been adamant about claiming her, making my intentions to them more than clear, so they better not hurt her. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to her.
“Looks like you’re contemplating something pretty hard over there,” Sydney notes, passing me a cup of coffee.
“I think it’s time we head home before we get stuck in another freak snowstorm and get holed up another couple of weeks.”
“We’re probably in the clear, this is practically springtime in Texas. But you have a point and I do want to see my family. I miss them pretty bad, especially my sweet Brisbane.”
Nodding, I order, “Grab your things. I’ll get the extra stuff put away back in the storage room. The ride will still be chilly, so you may want to take one of my flannels to have a few layers.”
“Thanks.” She casts me a soft look before popping a kiss to my lips and heading for the bedroom.
I go to work, straightening everything up to how I usually leave it after I’ve visited. It’s always a bit hard to say goodbye to this cabin, considering it holds so many good memories for me, and it’s the one place I can always come to and fully relax. This time around I got to share it with a beautiful woman, and while I’d imagine it’d ruin my time here, it was the complete opposite. Rather than have a brother come up to stay with me or whatever to visit, now I always want it to be Sydney with me in the future. We could return when it’s warm to relax, fish, and swim, maybe bring her little girl and have a good time together, just the three of us.
I maneuver the mattress from the living room to the bedroom and ask, “How do you feel about coming back when it warms up?”
She beams, “I love that idea.”
“We could bring your kid, if you want.”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind sharing my time?”
“Not at all, Spice. I know your daughter will always be number one in your life and I respect that a whole helluva lot.”
“Then it’s settled, we’re coming back.”
“Yeah? You’re not gonna split on me the moment we roll back into town?” I can’t help but show a bit of vulnerability with the question. I don’t like anyone thinking I’m weak, but I want her to know I’m worried about her jetting and me never seeing her again. That thought doesn’t fly well with me. We already have the glaringly obvious obstacle to get through of her being a Marshal, then add in normal relationship shit, and it damn near seems impossible for us to make it. For her though, I’ll be a stubborn motherfucker.
She immediately moves to me, wrapping her arms around my middle to press her frame to mine. “After the past few weeks of spending time with you here, the last thing I want is to be away from you.”
Her admission does something to me, making my chest feel funny. I squeeze her tightly, kissing the top of her head. “You just like this dick,” I mutter, making her laugh, wanting to lighten the mood because if this gets any more serious, I may never let her leave and then she’ll end up hating me for it.
“It’s definitely a bonus. Are we ready?”
“Yep, let’s go.” I take her hand, threading our fingers, and lead her outside. The chill hits as soon as we’re out the door, and I know this ride is going to feel longer than usual because of it. I secure the cabin, double checking everything is locked up and we didn’t leave anything behind.
After everything seems to be good, I look Sydney over next, making sure she’s nice and buttoned up. I slide my helmet over her head, loving that she has multiple things of mine covering her body. I’ve never been much of a territorial man, but with her, my feelings are different and I find myself wanting everyone to know she’s affiliated with me. My helmet will help block out the chill in the air, but it’s still going to be a cold as fuck ride. My balls will probably be frozen within the first fifteen minutes. It’ll suck, but the further south we get, the more it’ll warm up.
Climbing on my bike, I hold my hand out again so she can use me to help her climb on behind me. “Scoot closer and hold on tight.” My palm finds her thigh, squeezing affectionally when she scooches forward enough she warms my back.
“I’m not letting you go,” she promises.
