About four or so more days went by and every single one of those, Hawke was either texting me, or leaving me a voicemail. It was on that fourth day that he said something in that message that I could not ignore. He said, “You’re never far from my mind, I just want you to know that. But, today’s been shitty, not only because it’s another day without you by my side, but because I have no one to talk to about it. I would love to see you, Aria. I have some heavy truths that I feel you deserve to hear.” That was the message verbatim. Could it be? Is he really ready to start to open up to me? As afraid as I was to respond, I did it anyway. Now, he’s on his way over and as nervous as I am; I’m ready to rip this band aid off one way or the other.
Sitting on my sofa, I nervously chew at my nails before I hear the roar of his motorcycle pulling up. My tummy does flip flops and I stand and straighten my shirt while giving myself a mental pep talk about how strong I am.
When he knocks at the door, I open it. Staring back at me is a rugged man, but his face looks as if it’s softened. He’s holding a Tupperware bowl of what looks like spaghetti. “Made this.” He extends the bowl to me. “Your mom's recipe. I tried to go off of memory alone, but it’s been a long time.” I feel my heart pitter-patter inside at the fact that he remembers that time just as vividly as I do. But, I try not to allow myself to get overly excited too quickly.
“Gosh, where are my manners? Come in,” I say to him as I take the bowl from him. It’s still warm. “Did you make this for us to eat now?”
“Now or whenever. It’s up to you.” He seems nervous and that’s definitely not like him.
I walk into the kitchen and set the bowl down. “Want something to drink?” I ask him as I grab myself a water from my refrigerator.
“No, but thanks.”
Oh boy, this could get awkward quick. “Have a seat,” I offer as I plop down on my sofa.
“I’d really rather be standing, if that’s okay?”
Unsure of how to respond, I nod. “Sure.”
He paces the floor briefly while rubbing his hands together before he finally stops. “Aria, I don’t even know where to begin. So, this might be all over the place, but all I ask is that you keep an open mind.”
My heart begins to race inside my chest and I swallow thickly. “Absolutely,” I answer.
“My father was an abusive asshole. He beat me and my mom on a regular basis on top of being an alcoholic. You see, the day that you thought I saved you in high school, was really the day that you saved me. As much as you thought I was your safe place, you were mine. Now, I’m not making excuses for any of my past behaviors, I just want you to know that when you were taken, the one constant in my life was stolen from me in the blink of an eye. You already know I spent what felt like an eternity determined to find you before I settled and accepted the possibility that maybe you too had left me.” He begins pacing the floor again and my heart feels so heavy as I know these admissions are beyond hard for him to admit. “Again, going back to my childhood, my mother was that constant for me; the only other woman on earth that loved me more than her own life. When she was murdered, I felt like the world had nothing to offer me. Of course, that was until it presented you into my life. So having you stripped away from me unexpectedly was my mind’s last and final straw. I closed myself off. I became cold and ruthless. I didn’t care about anything anymore except revenge on any and everything that crossed my path. Then when I found out that you were in fact alive, I was stunned. It was as if I was being gifted a second chance, but when I got it back, I struggled with truly accepting the gift I was granted. It was easier to stay shut down and closed off. Basically, I was winging day-to-day life with you. Torn between wanting to keep you as close to me as possible, but only allowing myself to love you at arm's length, as you once said. I suppose I thought I was protecting myself but what I didn’t realize at the time was how badly I was hurting you.”
Tears prick the back of my lids and I beg for them to stay put as I hear him out. I’ve waited so long for him to just be honest with me, but more importantly, himself.
“Aria,” he stops his pacing and looks me straight in the eyes. “I love you, I’m in love with you and I think I have been since the day I first met you. I know those are just words, I get it.” He begins to fumble with his fingers. “But if you give me another chance, I promise you will never go another day wondering or questioning that love or where you stand in my life.” Each word is laced and dripping with such sincerity it’s palpable in the air between us.
I fly up off the couch and race toward him, catching him by surprise as I wrap my arms around him. He places his hands on the small of my back and pulls me in closer. “There he is,” I whisper into his ear. “We still have a long way to go, but I’m here and I’ll always be here as long as you never shut me out again. Now, kiss me, you fool.”
A devilish smirk creeps up the corner of his lips before he smashes them to mine. He pulls away, stealing the oxygen from my lungs and I hear myself let out a small whine. “I’m still an enforcer in the Twisted Iron MC. You do understand that, right?”
“Yes, and I also understand that you’re still Sandman to the club and I will call and respect you as such around them. All I ever wanted was for you to let me back in, and I hope you never shut me out again.”
“I can make promises to you all day, but the proof is gonna be in both my words and my actions, baby.” He plants a kiss on my forehead.
“That’s all I want. As long as we both work on this together as a team and put the work in, I don’t think anything can stop us. And I know we will face trials and challenges, but I’m willing to do all of that; I always was.”
“I know,” he tells me as he sweeps me up bridal style and begins to walk toward my bedroom. “We’ve got a few weeks to make up for.”
“Then let’s make right now the new beginning, and the first day of the rest of our new lives together,” I reply before my lips meet his and he kicks the bedroom door closed with the heel of his boot.
The End...For Now
Epilogue
Fox
Six Months later
“Awe, Prissy. You love going to see the doc. Novalee will take good care of you,” I say in a tone usually reserved for babies. But Prissy is my baby, she’s my beautiful white and grey terrier. She’s a rarity with beautiful, blue eyes that shine like the sky on a cloudless summer day. Her coloring is unique, so grabbing her before anyone else could cost me a mint. But my girl; she’s worth every penny of it. The guys all make fun of me about her, calling her my purse puppy. They’re just jealous because they don’t have the love of a stunning lady like I do. She’s way more loyal than any female I've ever come across.
She greets me at the door, eats dinner with me, occasionally talks back; but that’s to be expected. She’s faithful, loyal, gives great cuddles and is the best companion a man can have. She even comes into the bathroom with me while I’m taking a shit and keeps me company, no woman alive would do that!
“We’re gonna have Dr. Porter check out them claws of yours. Those are too damn long, baby girl, we gotta make sure you walk with zero amount of pain,” I soothe my girl as she watches me while I speak intently to her. Pulling up in front of the clinic, I eyeball my girl and remind her of the usual game plan. “Remember, Prissy, you’ve gotta go in there and be all cute-like if I’m ever gonna win that woman over. Give her lots of kisses and cuddles like you do Daddy.” I pull her out of the cage, and as usual, she goes to town cleaning my face. “Not in the mouth, Prissy,” I gently scold her; she’s a sensitive soul.
I pull her out of the truck with me as I exit. One day I’m gonna teach her how to balance on the bike so she can ride with me. She gets overly excited seeing as she’s still just a pup, so I have to wait until she settles some first. Walking inside the veterinarian’s office, I walk up to the desk where Aria is sitting. “Hey, sweetie. Prissy needs to see the doc.”
“Fox. I’m beginning to worry about your mental stability
,” she teases me.
“Why? Ain’t a damn thing wrong with my mentals,” I jokingly reply.
“What is it Prissy needs to be seen for today?” She looks over at my girl snuggled in my arm and begins cooing at her, just as all the old ladies do with baby Mel. When all of my brothers began dropping like flies, finding their women, I decided I needed someone to hang out with, therefore my journey began searching for the perfect dog. I’ve brought her to see Doc Porter a few times. Alright fine, I’ve brought her in almost weekly. But that’s because Novalee is fine...f.i.n.e with a capital motherfucking F. What makes this worse is that she seems to be completely unfazed by my looks or charm. In the history of my existence this has never happened.
“Her toenail is lopsided, I don’t think she’ll be able to walk on it much longer,” I flutter my eyelashes at her. Hey, it works for women, why can’t it work for a man?
“You know, you’re almost as obsessive with her as our men are with us,” she cackles out in laughter.
“She’s basically like my old lady. Except I don’t have to deal with attitude,” I pointedly look at her.
“I don’t have attitude.” She points to her chest.
“Liar,” I accuse her.
“Maybe a little,” she says this while holding her thumb and index finger an inch apart. I lean over and widen the gap of her fingers. That’s much more believable and closer to the truth; they expand the width of her hand. “Go have a seat, Fox, I’ll let Dr. Porter know you’re here. She has time to see her now.”
Walking over to the chair that sits in front of the desk and has a view of the hallway leading back to Novalee’s office, I plant my ass down in it. My eyes stay glued to Aria as she heads in the back. The same direction of the office, where my fantasy woman is currently sitting on her proverbial throne.
God that woman gets my dick hard!
Novalee
Aria knocks on my office door and I call out for her to enter. “Guess who’s back,” she sing-songs.
“No,” I groan out. Knowing it’s the infamous Fox and his sidekick, Prissy. “Did he accidentally get her high again?”
She shakes her head and snickers. “Not this time.”
“Dear God, what the hell is wrong with her this week?” I’m almost scared to ask, but figure I better get myself under control before I end up laughing in his face.
“So get this.” She giggles, bending over to catch her breath. I give her a few minutes to contain herself. “Her toenail, yes you heard that right. Well, according to Fox, it’s sideways,” she wheezes. “Oh hell, I just can’t even with him sometimes.”
“Let me get this straight. Her toenail curves and isn’t perfectly straight and he wants me to do what about that exactly?” This guy, he will come up with every excuse under the sun to show up to my office...all but the right one. He needs to grow some balls already and ask me out! Fox isn’t boyfriend material; I get that. But my vagina’s cobwebs have cobwebs. Something needs to be done about that issue. My battery-operated boyfriend isn’t cutting it anymore. Let’s face it, the stories of what he can do with his package, makes me weep in desire and need.
“Yes,” she answers, “can you do anything about it?”
“No. I can’t cast it or put a mold on it. When do you think he’ll gain the courage to ask me out?” I blurt out without thinking.
“Oh, doc, you’re gonna have to have the balls in this relationship.” She saunters out the door and I look down at the crease between my legs. “Balls, don’t fail me now.” Getting up, I go out in the hallway to call my future friends with benefits into the exam room.
Let the games begin.
Acknowledgments
Darlene Tallman - As always, none of our work would be possible or presentable without yours. We sometimes give you impossible deadlines, but you never fail us. Words can never express how grateful we truly are not only to have you as an editor, but to call you family and friend.
Nicole Lloyd PA - You always manage to keep us on our toes and persistently work on our behalf to share our hard work. You’re one of the most loyal and dedicated PA’s in this business and we appreciate all you do immensely.
Sharon Renee PA - Thank you for always being ready on a whim. Sometimes we find ourselves flying by the seat of our pants, but you’re always there ready and willing to lend a helping hand. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication.
Dedication
This one is specifically dedicated to the devoted members of the Twisted Iron Groupies. If it weren't for your love of this series and our combined writing; none of this would be possible.
We sincerely appreciate your unwavering loyalty and patience with us as we finished this book. And, we hope that you all enjoy reading this one as much as we loved writing it.
~ Liberty & Kayce
About Liberty
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About Kayce
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Also by Liberty Parker
Rage Ryders MC
1. Taken By Lies
2. Taken By Rage
2.5. Taken By Vegas
3. Taken By Sadistic
4. Taken By Chaos
5. Taken By Temptation
Rage Ryders Templeton
Faithfully Devoted
Diva's Ink
1. Blank Canvas
2. Clean Slate
3. Beautiful Template
Dreamcatchers MC
1. Charlee's Choices
2. Capturing Dreams
Surrogacy
1. What Should've Been
Crossroad Soldiers MC
1. Walking The Crossroad
2. Our Cross To Bear
Rebel Guardians MC (with Darlene Tallman)
Braxton
Hatchet
Chief
Smokey & Bandit
Law
Capone
A Twisted Kind Of Love
Rebel Guardians Next Generation (with Darlene Tallman)
1. Talon & Claree
2. Jaxson & Ralynn
New Beginnings (with Darlene Tallman)
1. Reclaiming Maysen
2. Reviving Luca
Nelson Brothers (with Darlen
e Tallman)
1. Seeking Our Revenge
2. Seeking Our Forever
Twisted Iron MC (with Kayce Kyle)
1. Mercenary And His Outlaw
2. Fueling The Edge
3. Sandman’s Awakening
Old Ladies Club (with Kayce Kyle, Erin Osborne and Darlene Tallman)
1. Old Ladies Club - Wild Kings MC
2. The Old Ladies Club - Soul Shifterz MC
3. Old Ladies Club - Rebel Guardians MC
Also by Kayce Kyle
Riding Resistance: Soul Shifterz MC Book
My Book
No More Resistance: Soul Shifterz MC Book 2
My Book
Bound By Anguish: Soul Shifterz MC Book 3
My Book
Deceitful Reflections: Soul Shifterz MC Book 4
My Book
Surviving Our Past: Soul Shifterz MC Book 5 coming soon
One Night Stand: Blaine
My Book
Alpha Demons MC (with Erin Osborne)
Tempted by Demons
My Book
Twisted Iron MC (with Liberty Parker)
1. Mercenary And His Outlaw
https://books2read.com/u/bxZ2Kq
2. Fueling The Edge
https://books2read.com/u/47xQYE
3. Sandman’s Awakening
Old Ladies Club (with Liberty Parker, Erin Osborne and Darlene Tallman)
Sandman's Awakening: Twisted Iron MC Page 15