Blacktop Freedom

by Winter Travers

  I propped myself up on my elbows and watched as he shut the door and turned the lock. “How did I get so lucky?”

  Zephyr turned his gaze on me, and I realized I had just said that out loud.

  “I was supposed to say that in my head,” I laughed nervously.

  “I’m the lucky one, darlin.” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor.

  “We need to get you a hamper,” I mumbled. “You have a thing about just throwing your clothes on the floor.”

  He popped open the button his jeans. “And your clothes, too.”

  “Yes, mine, too.”

  He dropped his pants, and they puddled at his feet.

  I flopped back on the bed and sighed. “You cannot do that to me when I’m drunk. Give a girl some warning when you don’t have underwear on.” A naked Zephyr should be illegal. “Hey.” I struggled back up on my elbows and blew a piece of hair out of my face. “Why are you Zephyr?”

  “What?” he asked. He looked down at his dick. “That is what you ask me when I’m naked?”

  I waved my hand at him. “It’s just a side question. Why do they call you Zephyr?” I had been wanting to know how he had gotten that name since the first time I heard it. “We’re still gonna get it on.”

  Zephyr chuckled and stalked over to the bed. “Uh, because that’s what my birth certificate says.” He planted a knee on the bed and moved over me.

  My jaw dropped, and I pressed a hand to his chest. “Shut up.”

  “Can we get back to what we were about to do?”

  I shook my head. “Eventually.” I had to gather my thoughts because while I was drunk, I still needed to make sure that I was understanding this correctly. “Are you saying your parents named you Zephyr.”

  He nodded and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek. “Yes, darlin’.”

  “Like, your mom pushed you out and your dad said Zephyr.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “I mean, I was there, but I don’t really remember how it happened. Though I can tell you my dad wasn’t there. It was just my mom and her sister.”

  I frowned. “Where was your dad?”

  “I don’t know where he is now, darlin’, and we didn’t know where he was when I was born.” His lips moved down my neck. “Can we get back to what I had planned for tonight?”

  “Here I thought it was some biker name that had a story behind it.”

  Zephyr laughed. “Darlin, my name literally means ‘a breeze.’ How the hell did you think there was a badass biker story behind that?”

  I shrugged. “Well, I knew what the word meant, but I was thinking you were more like hurricane winds.”

  He shook his head and pushed me back onto the bed. “It’s my real name, and my mom called me that because she liked it. She called me ‘Z’ all of the time, though.”

  I reached up and brushed my fingers over his cheek. “I like Zephyr, and I like Z.”

  He pressed a kiss to my palm. “That’s good, because it really is my name.”

  “But why didn’t you get a biker name?” I asked.

  “It’s called a road name, darlin’, and I didn’t get one for the same exact reason why you thought Zephyr was my road name.”

  “They all think it’s a road name, too?” I laughed.

  “Bingo.” A smile spread across his lips. “Now can I fuck you?”

  I raised my arms over my head. “Permission to come aboard.”

  Zephyr choked and buried his face in my neck. “You’re a fucking trip, Lynn.”

  And Zephyr was everything.

  Everything I never knew I wanted, and everything I wasn’t going to let go of.

  He was my everything.

  That was quick, but it felt right.

  *

  Chapter Twelve

  The 70s called...

  Zephyr

  “Try this one.”

  “No, try this one.”

  Walter’s arms were full of clothes, shoes, and even a black curly wig. “Uh, I think this might be enough,” he laughed. “At least to try on first.”

  “Then let’s get you into the dressing room,” Queenie laughed. “I can’t wait to see what those plaid pants look like on you.”

  Kimber shook her head. “I think we need to go with more of a hippie look.”

  Walter looked at me and Brick for help. He literally had three girls fighting over him while they tried to dress him. It sounded like a fantasy come true, but I could tell Walter was a little overwhelmed.

  “Why don’t you just let him try on what you gave him, and then we’ll go from there,” I suggested.

  Brick and I were sitting in two chairs by the dressing room while Walter and the girls were at the end of the clothing aisle.

  “Yeah,” Brick agreed. “He needs clothes for one night, not for the rest of his life.”

  Kimber raised her middle finger and stuck her tongue out. “I’m pretty sure you asked us to come along because you couldn’t do this, Zephyr, so just let us handle this.”

  Brick chuckled and shook his head. “Quinn has his hands full with that one.”

  “They all have their hands full,” I laughed.

  “You better be lumping yourself in with that.” Brick tilted his head toward Walter. “You’re spending the day with your father-in-law.”

  I scoffed. “I don’t know if I would call him that.”

  Brick kicked his feet out in front of him and folded his arms over his chest. “You randomly take elderly guys shopping all of the time?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, no, but I think you’re jumping the gun by calling him my father-in-law.”

  “It’s not jumping the gun if it feels right.”

  I glanced at him. “Am I supposed to take advice from a guy who just did a five-year stint in prison? I’m pretty sure you’re a little rusty when it comes to dating.”

  Brick shrugged. “Maybe, but I know shit can change in the blink of an eye, brother. If it feels right, fucking hold on and don’t let it go.”

  “You talking from experience?” None of us really knew much about Brick except that he and Quinn had been friends for years before Brick was locked up.

  “Talking about a different lifetime, brother. A life that wasn’t meant for me.” Brick flipped his sunglasses over his eyes. “That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Is it bright in here?” Petra chided.

  Brick flipped her off.

  I scoffed and laughed. “You know she’s gonna tell Rhino, right?” Not like Rhino would be pissed, but we couldn’t do anything without the girls telling everyone.

  Brick shrugged. “Whatever.”

  He had a load of shit his was carrying, but he didn’t want to tell anyone about it. At least not me. Though he did seem to give glimpses into what it could possibly be.

  Kimber ushered Walter into the dressing room, and basically madness ensued for the next half an hour. They tossed clothes over the door when they found something they wanted him to try on, and then a minute later, they were tossed back when Walter gruffed, “Hell no.”

  “You think you could find some shit you like, Walt?” Brick asked. “We still gotta get lunch and then head to the strip club.”

  Walter opened the door and stepped out in the most hideous outfit I had ever seen.

  “I think this is it,” he preened. He stepped forward, did a spin, and then propped his hand on his hip. “What do you think?”

  I couldn’t find a single word to say.

  Kimber, Petra, and Queenie didn’t know what to say either.

  Walter wore the black wig on his head, huge coke-bottle glasses on his face, a lime green button-down shirt with belled sleeves, and yellow plaid pants. Over the lime green shirt, he had layered on a tan, leather vest and two long necklaces.

  “I mean,” Kimber sputtered. “If you like it.”

  That was a pretty diplomatic answer.

  He had taken everything the girls had thrown at him and made his own outfit.

  �
�You know what,” Queenie chirped. “I think it’s great. It totally has your own spin on it, which is what it should be. You’re totally going to catch Marg’s eye.”

  “Whoa,” I laughed. “We’re trying to catch a woman with this getup?”

  Walter gripped the lapels of his vest and smiled huge. “Yeah, I think this is going to do the trick.”

  It was a trick, all right.

  “So we’re done?” Brick asked. He twirled his finger in the air. “Wrap this shit up and let’s get on the road.” He stood and headed for the front door.

  Walter clapped his hands. “It’s settled then. Let’s go.” He walked back into the dressing room and closed the door behind him.

  “That was awful,” Petra whispered.

  “I mean,” Kimber drawled. “Some of the clothes from the seventies were pretty bad. He’ll fit right in at the party.”

  I didn’t think anyone could fit in with that outfit.

  “He seems to like it, and that’s all that matters, right?” Queenie chirped. “Maybe that might be just the thing to catch Marg’s eye, right?”

  Walter tossed the clothes and wig over the top of the door, and I headed to the register with the pile. By the time I paid, Walter and the girls were headed out the front door to the van. We stopped and got sandwiches for lunch, and we brought enough to feed the guys at the strip club.

  “Wow,” Walter gasped. “You weren’t kidding when you said this place use to be a funeral home.”

  “Did you really think that was something we would lie about?” Kimber laughed.

  I parked the van out front, and we all piled out.

  Dyno walked out the front door with Rhino and Sledge behind him.

  “Hey, baby daddy. Where’s our baby?” Queenie clucked.

  Sledge laughed and hitched his thumb behind him. “Fancy has him. Last I saw, he was passed out on her.”

  Queenie and the girls climbed the front steps and headed inside.

  “How many of you guys are there?” Walter asked.

  I slapped him on the back and laughed. “Quite a few.”

  “Shoot,” Walter laughed.

  “We’re all family here, Walter. The more, the better.”

  He turned and his eyes connected with mine. “You’re right about that. And if these people are your family, then that means they’ll be Lynn’s family, too.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that’s for sure.”

  He sighed and looked up at the building. “She deserves only good in her life, Zephyr. For too long, I gave her so much bad. I was too selfish and didn’t think of her or Steph.”

  “But you fixed it, Walter. You know what you fucked up, and now, you’re being there for Lynn and Steph.”

  “Steph is doing drugs, and Lynn can barely stand to be around me,” Walter mumbled. “I don’t know if you could say things are fixed.”

  I chuckled and grabbed the last bag of sandwiches. “Well, life is never perfect.” I closed the door to the van. “If it was perfect, that would be boring, right?”

  Walter moved toward the front steps. “I’m pretty sure some boring in my life would be welcome.”

  “Lynn will come around, Walt.” At least, I hoped she would. I understood what Lynn felt when it came to her dad. For years, he had made bad choices, and now that he was sober, she was expected to pretend like the past never happened. “You’re just gonna have to give her time.”

  “I know. It’s just going to be time with her.” He glanced over at me. “Steph is the one I’m afraid I might not have enough time with.”

  “You know she was using before she came over the other night.”

  Walter’s eyes dropped to the ground. “I had a feeling she was. I didn’t know for sure though until I opened the door.”

  “You talked to her since that night?”

  Walter shook his head. “Nah. I tried to call her this morning before you came over, but she didn’t answer.”

  “She take a break from school because of the drugs?”

  “I don’t know, Zephyr. I don’t know a lot of things because I don’t think I’m worthy enough to ask questions. I wasn’t their dad for twelve years and now I don’t know how to be a dad. Steph told me she was taking a break from school, and I tried to tell her it wasn’t a good idea. She went off on me and everything she said was true. I don’t have a right to know anything.”

  “Yeah, well, you know what, Walt? I say you may have fucked up in the past, but that doesn’t mean you’ve fucked up for the rest of your life. You’re still their dad, and nothing is going to change that.” I knew Lynn still loved him; she was just struggling a bit. Now Steph, well, I wasn’t too sure about what was going on there.

  Walter sighed. “I’m not going anywhere, Zephyr. I just wish this didn’t have to be so hard.” He ambled up the steps and through the front door.

  Hard was what life was. It was all about how you handled it.

  Walter, Lynn, and Steph had made it through some pretty rocky shit, and now, they had to figure out how to live in the present.

  That was also going to be hard.

  *

  Lynn

  “A wig?”

  Zephyr nodded and turned off the light. “Yeah, darlin’. A wig.”

  “Who gave him that?” I laughed.

  “I think it was Queenie, but honestly, it could have been any of them. It was a whirlwind of cloths while they grabbed shit from the racks.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway to the bedroom.

  “Is it weird that I want to go over to Dad’s tomorrow and see what he looks like?”

  Zephyr scoffed. “The image of your dad in that outfit will forever be burned in my brain. I’m sure it will be burned in Marg’s brain, too.”

  “Oh yeah?” I wasn’t too sure why Zephyr was mentioning Marg. I mean, the party was at her place, but I didn’t think Zephyr would remember her name.

  “Uh, yeah.” Zephyr grabbed the remote to the TV and turned it on. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

  I grabbed the remote and tucked it under my ass. “Yes, but not until you tell me why you’re mentioning Marg.”

  Zephyr cringed.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Zephyr?” He had one day with Dad and he already had secrets from me?

  “It’s nothing, Lynn.”

  “Uh, what is nothing?”

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, well, he might like her.” He pinched his finger to his thumb. “A little bit.”

  “Marg? From two doors down?” I sat back in the pillows, shocked. “Really?”

  Zephyr nodded. “Yeah. Uh, are you good, darlin’?”

  I was. I was a little shocked that Dad liked someone, but I was good. I mean, after all, he was in his seventies . The man could do whatever he wanted. “How come you know this and I don’t?”

  Zephyr laid back in the pillows. “I wasn’t even the first one to know it. The girls found it out.”

  Of course. I wasn’t at all surprised about that. It’s not a shock Kimber and the girls would get the dirt out of Dad. “So, did you at least make sure he’s going to look good for her?”

  Zephyr chuckled. “Uh, well, he thinks he looks good. I’m not too sure about it, though. Even Kimber cringed when she saw him.”

  I slapped him on the chest. “Zephyr, how could you dress my dad bad when he has a date?”

  He rubbed his chest. “Darlin’, I don’t think it’s a date. There are going to be other people there. Like, everyone in the apartment complex is going to be there. Hopefully Marg doesn’t even see him.”

  “You’re awful, Zephyr,” I laughed. “I figured since you were taking him you would make sure he looked good.”

  “Well, he looks good for a hippie pimp.” He grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “I’m kind of surprised that you’re more than okay with your dad and Marg.”

  I shrugged and snuggled into him. “He’s a grown man, Zephyr.” Dad liking someone was something I didn’t need to add to my list of worries.
“Who is going to be dressed like a hippie pimp thanks to you.”

  “Pimping ain’t easy, darlin’.”

  I groaned and reached for the remote. “Put on a movie and let’s not talk about this anymore. I had a long day and I just want to watch mindless TV.” It had been group meeting day, and it was a clusterfuck. I had an plethora of new people seeking counseling who didn’t know where they were supposed be or even if they were in the right place. Cluster. Fuck.

  “Anything I can help with?” Zephyr asked

  I sighed and couldn’t help but smile. There weren’t many people in this world who would immediately ask how they could help when someone else has a bad day. “Help clone me so I can be in two places at one?” I laughed. “That could help. While I was trying to wrangle all the new people into the right rooms, one of my patients who I thought was doing well, came in.”

  “Were they supposed to come in?”

  I shook my head and sighed. “No. He seems to be struggling, and I can’t really figure out why. I’m supposed to help him, but it’s hard to help when I can’t figure out what they need help with.”

  Zephyr pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “You’re too good, darlin’.”

  “I can say the same about you,” I whispered. My long day weighed down on me, and exhaustion hit. “I think I’m going to fall asleep.”

  Zephyr’s body shook beneath me. “Sleep, Lynn.”

  I relaxed into his arms and did just that.

  *

  Chapter Thirteen

  Vengeance...

  Zephyr

  “Bro, your woman’s sister is a straight-up bitch.”

  I grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped the top. “Is that so?” The ten-minute run-in I had with Steph had given me that vibe, too.

  Core grabbed the beer in my hand and chugged half of it. “Quinn asked me to talk to her again and see if she would tell me anything more about who she has been scoring from.”

  I opened the fridge. “You take this beer out of my hand, I’m gonna punch you in the dick.”

  Core sighed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I deserve a beer after dealing with this fucking cat and mouse game.”

  “I’m assuming you must have found Wrigley if you’re playing a cat and mouse game.” Again, I popped the top of my beer, but this time, I took a step back from Core so he didn’t steal it.