Driving up to my parents’ house after I get off work, I can already see Walker there, running up and down the yard, playing with a dog Dad got somewhere. Probably a stray, and his heart couldn’t take letting the dog not have a family.
“Hey, Mom!”
“Hey.” I wave at him.
“Watch what I taught him.” He motions for me to come over. “Tequila, sit.” he points down at the ground, and the dog does it automatically, looking up at Walker for a treat. Walker obliges.
“Wait, this dog’s name is Tequila?”
He shrugs. “That’s what Grandpa said.”
I shake my head. “I’m gonna go in and say hey to them. You be good with them tonight, okay?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m always good.”
There’s so much of his dad in his smirk, I have to make sure I’m talking to my son and not my husband. Pointing a finger at him, I go inside.
“Mom, Dad?”
“Out here on the back porch,” I hear her voice reply.
Dad is asleep on the couch and Mom is kicked back, reading a book in her chair.
“How’s it going?” I’m quiet, trying to keep from waking the old man up.
“Better now that you’re here.” She smiles, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
“Thanks, Mom.” I haven’t told her about feeling abandoned, and I’m not sure I ever will. She always did the best she could with what she had, and there’s no reason for me to make her feel worse. Now that I’m a grown woman who can process emotions, I think I’m going to spare her heartache on this one. “It’s good to be home, and to be back around y’all.”
“Do you think you and Dalton will sell your land and the house?”
It’s a question I’ve thought of, but I haven’t wanted to bring it up to him. The land is his family’s, and even though I have great memories in the house, I’m not sure I can ever live there again. Not with the way I treated Walker toward the end. Maybe he won’t want to live there either. Definitely something we all need to talk about as a family.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “Right now we’re taking one day at a time, and that means we’re at the clubhouse. Will we stay here, or go back home, maybe build a place somewhere else? I have no idea.”
“As long as you’re happy.”
“I am.” I grin at her. “I’m the happiest I’ve been in a very long time. Which is why I’m okay with taking day by day. I don’t want to put myself in a situation I can’t get out of.”
“I agree, I think that’s the best thing you can do.”
Glancing at my phone, I see the time. “I gotta go get ready.”
Mom grins. “Have a good date night.”
“Oh.” I smile right back. “I definitely plan to. It’s been way too long since I was on the back of my man’s bike, and tonight I’m gonna enjoy it.”
Dad picks that moment to snore loudly before mumbling. “I hate when I wake up to shit like that.”
Mom and I snicker. “Turn over and go back to sleep.” Mom pats him on the back. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
This time Dad snorts, and Mom smacks him.
“Love you two, see ya tomorrow.”
“Have fun,” Dad yells.
Oh I plan to. I most definitely plan to.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dalton
“Are you comfortable back there?” I yell as we stop at a red light.
“Never been more comfortable in my life,” she responds to me.
Having my wife on my bike is something that hasn’t happened in way too long, and it was something that should have been corrected ages ago. This was one of the little things we let slip, when we should’ve made sure it was something we prioritized.
Red flashes to green and we’re heading down Louisville Road, preparing to stop in at Wet Wanda’s for a few minutes. I’m not working tonight, but I’m stopping in to check on a few of the new recruits.
The night is cool, but I can smell summer coming, quicker than most of us are probably ready for. The older I get, the less I enjoy the humid, stifling heat. I’d much rather have just a bite in the air. Chilly enough a jacket is required.
Up the road, I can see the sign for Wet Wanda’s sticking out amongst the dark, blanketed sky. Neon always draws attention, and that’s exactly what we need to get bodies in the building.
We’re lucky enough to catch a green light, allowing me to make the turn and pull into the parking lot without stopping. Going back to the employee parking, the sound of my bike reverberates off the concrete of the building, making it sound even more robust than it actually is.
Coming to a stop, I reach back to take her helmet and let Mandy get off first. She’s never been completely graceful, kicking me lightly as she does.
“I will never learn how to get off a damn bike without causing you bodily harm,” she groans.
“Doesn’t matter to me.” I grin, hooking her helmet on the handlebars and then getting off myself. “All I care is you still ride with me.”
Easily she moves into my arms. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“You used to not want to.” I hold her tightly, kissing her softly. “It should have been a major clue things were wrong that I couldn’t see. You’ve always loved being on the back of my bike.”
She twines her arms around my waist, under my cut. “Stop, D, you couldn’t have prevented what happened. The only person who could’ve was me. I don’t blame you and I’ll never put you in the position to blame yourself again.”
“Dalton!”
It’s not often I get to know a voice. Not unless they’re a friend or a member of my family, but this one, this one I’ve gotten to know. “What?” I ask without
