“You’re a woman who worked hard to provide for her kids.”
“I did.” She takes a sip of the tea she holds in her hand. “But I also made a lot of mistakes. I lost our house, got involved with a motorcycle club I’d only heard bad things about- even though it turned out to be the best thing that happened to us-- and there were times when I couldn’t feed you the way you should’ve been fed. Times were tough, and you two never complained.”
“We knew you tried hard.”
“I wanted better for you two, I didn’t want you to struggle like me. But here you are.” She runs her palm down my arm.
“Mom, this isn’t your fault.”
Tears pool in her eyes and she clears her throat loudly. “A part of me feels like I failed you.”
“You didn’t,” I insist. “One of the things I learned is I have to take responsibility for myself. You don’t get to take responsibility for this.”
We both laugh, and I bring her in for a hug.
“You’re going to be fine.”
“I hope so,” I say on a sigh. “It’ll be difficult. If I’ve learned anything, nothing comes easy all the time.”
“No, it sure doesn’t, but if you look around this room, you have so many people who are willing to help you.”
Taking her advice, I look around, noticing my brother and sister are standing next to one another, laughing as they each try to eat cupcakes that are falling apart. I’m not sure who brought the cupcakes, but it was much appreciated and I’ve had my fill for the night. Them standing together is the perfect opportunity for me to speak with both of them at the same time.
“Hey,” I interrupt their laughing.
Neither one of them act like I’m intruding, and I send a thank you upstairs.
“Hey, Sis.” Drew puts almost the entire cupcake in his mouth, smearing icing all over his face.
Reaching behind me, I grab a napkin and hand it to him.
“I have a favor to ask the two of you. Can you meet me for lunch soon? There are a lot of things that need to be said, and I’d love to get it out in the open sooner rather than later.”
Drew nods, putting his arm around me. “Whatever you need I’m here.”
“Mew too,” Tatum tries to say around the cupcake in her mouth, causing me to give her a look before I laugh.
“God I’ve missed y’all.”
Drew picks me up, hugging me tightly, before twirling me around. “We missed you too. Don’t leave us again.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mandy
I watch as some of the last people leave the clubhouse. The only ones staying behind are Dalton, Walker, Caelin, and myself. I can’t deny how much I want to spend time with Dalton, but there’s another part of me that needs to make sure Walker knows how much I love him.
After all, he saw me through the darkest parts of life so far.
“What do you say we get out of here?” I grin at the two of them.
“Get out of here?” Dalton asks, his eyebrow raised. “Babe, it’s after ten.”
“Yeah, I have to go to bed.” Walker frowns.
“No you don’t, not tonight. Tonight’s special! Do you remember the letter I wrote you? What I said we’d do on our first night together?”
His eyebrows come together in concentration. “You said we’d go to Wet Wanda’s to have wings.”
“I did say that, but there’s a catch. If it looks like there’s too many people there, we’ll take them to go and tailgate. Sound good?”
Dalton slightly raises his hand. “What do you mean by too many people?”
Tilting my head to the side I give him a look. “I mean if there’s too many people there we won’t stay. Go put your shoes on.” I press Walker back toward the dorm rooms.
“Why didn’t you just come right out and say what you meant?” Dalton gives me a grin. “If there’s women there showing a little too much, you don’t want him there.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want you there either.” I reach out, grabbing hold of his belt loop. “But here we are. You still do your job.”
“You know none of them have anything on you, right?”
“Oh they have a lot on me,” I laugh.
He reaches in, pushing my chin back so that I tilt up to him. “I know this is a lot to take in on your first night back, but we’re being open and honest with each other. One of the new girls came onto me when she heard you were gone.”
There’s a riot in my stomach, it’s tumbling and rolling this way and that as I digest what he’s said. There’s only one thing for me to do, and that’s to ask the question. We’re supposed to be open with one another?
Here’s our first test.
“What did you say to her?”
“Told her I love my wife, and there’s no one else I want besides you. You’ve never had to worry.” He bends down, kissing me softly. “About other women. I swear. You’re the only one I’ve wanted since I was a teenager.”
I grip the wrist of the hand holding my face. “I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah.” I swallow roughly. “I do.”
The side of his mouth hitches in a grin. “I love you.”
My mouth matches his. “Love you too.”
“I’m ready!” Walker comes running down the hall. “Let’s go.”
I don’t really know how much I can eat since we just had dessert, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
There had been too many people there – dancers – so we’re sitting in the parking lot of the clubhouse with the tailgate of Dalton’s truck down. Each of us has a container of wings on our laps.
It’s so reminiscent of easier times, and I’m beyond grateful this is my life. It easily couldn’t have been. I almost gave all this up.
“Did
