by Sam Crescent
She stayed with her head resting against her mother’s shoulder for some time. Lily ran her fingers through her hair, and Chloe allowed all the day’s stresses to just evaporate into the air.
She forgot all about them, and stayed completely calm.
It wasn’t a failure coming home without a job or any career prospects.
“Mom, how do you feel about Eagle?” she asked.
The one part of her guilt when it came to the incident five years ago was Eagle and Lily. They were so good together, and if Alfie wanted her help to fix it, she was more than willing to do whatever it took to bring the two together.
“Chloe, I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.”
She lifted her head and looked at her mother. Lily’s fingers played with the blanket. “Why isn’t it?”
“Eagle and I, it ran its course, and there’s no way for us to get back what we lost. I told you, I couldn’t be with someone whose son planned to do that.”
“If I can forgive Alfie, you’d consider Eagle again?” Chloe asked, tilting her head to the side.
Lily stared at her, waiting. “Why do I feel like I’m about to be manipulated here?”
“Think about it, Mom, it’s what you said. If I can find it in my heart to forgive Alfie for what happened, in theory, you can also forgive Eagle and maybe go out on a date with him, or something. You could at least tell Eagle to start treating his son like a human being and not scum.”
“I’ve got two broken legs, and I … I’ve always hated the way Eagle is with Alfie. I never felt it was my place to tell him otherwise. I’m not his mother, and well, Eagle is his father. I don’t know. I’ve made so many mistakes.”
“Not right now, obviously. I’m talking about in the future. To give you guys another chance, what do you think?”
“I think I’m getting way too old to negotiate this.”
“Mom, you’re forty-three, and women are still having babies at your age. You’re not that old.”
“Everything is heading south,” Lily said, her face flaming. “You don’t think I see the women who hang around the club? I do.”
“None of them will ever compare to you, Mom.” Chloe put her hand on her mother’s. “You’ve always had Eagle’s attention, even when you were a married woman.”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe if … forget about it.”
“Come on, Mom, tell me.”
“If you and Alfie were to attempt to give it a shot.”
“That’s a huge step up from forgiving. Dating is, like, spending a lot more time with each other, and getting used to our spaces, and making it all personal.”
“You’re home, maybe give it a shot.”
“What happened to never coming back to town again?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to come back, and besides, you’ve got the reason you need. You did nothing wrong, and I guess this is something I’ve been thinking about, Chloe. You ran away, and I let you. I myself didn’t fight, and what I’ve come to realize, we should have. We didn’t do anything wrong. Neither of us did. The wrong was done to you—and to Alfie. Alfie told me about Daniel and how he got into a fight with him. I watched him destroy the tape as well, Chloe.” Lily took hold of her hands. “You shouldn’t have to run away. You’ve done nothing wrong in your entire life.”
“Do you think I should forgive him? The video wasn’t his fault, I get it, but can I go through all of this again? I’m so confused when it comes to him. What would you do?”
“I can’t tell you what I’d do, Chloe. This is all on you, and I won’t be responsible for making such a life-changing decision for you.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“No, thank you.” Lily chuckled. “I’m going to be doing a lot of thanking. I can’t believe this happened to me.”
“I’ll take care of you.”
“I’m not exactly a lightweight, honey.”
“I’ll be there to help,” Eagle said, joining them. He held a small bouquet of flowers. They looked like wild ones, her mother’s favorite.
“Eagle, what a pleasant surprise.”
“Alfie is getting us all some food at the café. You care to join us? Hospital food in bed, or in the café.”
“Sounds like fun,” Lily said.
Chloe saw her mother’s blush. The color in her cheeks suited her.
“Are you joining us, Chloe?” Lily asked.
She saw the begging in her eyes without saying a single word. “Sure, why not? It could be fun.”
Eagle pushed her mother, and they followed the hospital signs toward the café. It was a rather large room and incredibly loud, but she liked it.
For Chloe she hated places where you could hear a pin drop as it always reminded her of that night at the fair.
Alfie had found a booth, and he’d also gotten plates of food.
“I think I ordered everything,” he said.
Chloe bent down and put the locks on her mother’s wheelchair. She was about to slide in beside her, but quickly moved, sitting beside Alfie so Eagle could sit with her mother. She would have to get used to being around Alfie if she wanted this to work with her mother.
“You’re looking better, Lily,” Alfie said.
“Thanks. Apart from the legs, I feel better. Until I look in the mirror and see how bruised I am. The pain meds they’re giving me are working wonders.”
“You’re not taking too many?” Eagle asked.
“Of course not. You know me, I like to keep my wits about me and prove I can handle pain as good as any man.”
Chloe laughed. Her mother was a bit of a hard ass when it came to pain. Lily didn’t like to take any medication unless it was absolutely essential.
“It’s what I adored about you,” Eagle said.
Everyone at the table paused, and Chloe knew she had to get this to work for them.
Turning her attention to the vegetable lasagna, which she’d seen written on the board entering the café, she took a bite. It was a little overcooked, but she wouldn’t complain.
“I heard your breakfast date got crashed,” Lily said.
“Trust Ian and Riley to invite themselves,” Alfie said. “I can’t shake them.”
“They’re okay.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “They’re friends, right, and I’m guessing friends can be crazy and drive you insane. All the good stuff people love and hate.” She had to shut up as she was just talking for the sake of it.
“Will you be asking her out again?” Lily asked.
“Mom!”
“I’d really like to. I feel we left a lot unresolved this morning,” Alfie said.
“Speaking of shit that’s unresolved, here you go, son.” Eagle threw a set of keys across the table. “The bike’s at the clubhouse.”
Alfie looked at the keys in wonder and then at his dad. “Is this? This is the key to my bike?”
“Yeah, about that. I overreacted, and I’ve been working on it with Nick’s help. I finally got it finished last month. I’ve been meaning to, you know, find the right time to tell you.”
“This the bike you got back in high school?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah, but Dad trashed it after what happened.”
“You trashed his bike after you spent all that money getting it built for him?” Lily asked.
“You knew about my bike?” Alfie asked.
“I saw it when he came riding across my lawn with it before he gave it to you. Told me how he’d been a bit of a mess with you and wanted to make it up. Some father-son, bonding stuff. You really trashed it? Why? Why would you do that to your son?”
Eagle looked at Lily, the two sharing some kind of moment, and it wasn’t comfortable either. Lily glared, and Eagle looked embarrassed.
“I trashed it because he needed to be taught a lesson. We’ll talk about it another time.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lily. Honestly, I deserved it.”
“No, you didn’t,” Lily said. “You
were just as much of a victim as Chloe. What happened between the two of you should have remained private, but it didn’t. Eagle had no right to trash your bike, and I shouldn’t have pushed you away either. For that, I’m sorry.”
Silence fell around the table, and Chloe started to feel a little sick. She hated tension or conflict. It was another reason she had run like hell and not looked back.
When she couldn’t take another bite, she opened up a bottle of water and took a swig.
“When are you going to ask her out?” Lily asked.
“I’m thinking of doing it right now,” Alfie said.
“Don’t let me hold you back.”
“Alfie, you want to go out tonight, dancing?” Chloe asked, shocking the whole table.
Lily chuckled. “There goes my daughter. She is not one to be told what to do.”
“You want to take me dancing?”
“Why not? You can dance, can’t you?” she asked.
“Even if I can’t, I’m sure you’d teach me.”
She’d missed his blue eyes and the smile that always made her think of sex and sin. Being this close to him again after so long apart, she was starting to remember all the good things.
The one bad was slowly canceling out, and she hadn’t thought it was possible for her to feel anything but anger toward him, and yet, here they were, organizing a date. A date she’d asked for.
“Of course I’d be happy to teach you.”
“Consider it a date then.”
Chapter Fifteen
Alfie was nervous as he rode up to Chloe’s house. She’d been the one to ask him on this date, and now it was really up to him to show her a good time. A chance to shine for her.
Parking his bike, his brand-new baby, he couldn’t help but smile. Eagle had dropped him off at the clubhouse and in his own way apologized. He knew deep down his father didn’t mean him any harm. He just didn’t know how to deal with his own feelings, and when it came to Lily, it triggered something within Eagle.
With Chloe back, he saw a chance for them to be together without all the bullshit lies. She knew the truth, and now he could work around making her fall for him, the real him. He’d given her a piece of himself five years ago. It wasn’t all bullshit, regardless of what she thought.
When he knocked on the door, Chloe opened it a second later with a smile.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
She wore a pair of jeans and a long black crop top. “I didn’t know where we were going, and I can only remember the bar as a place to dance. Am I good enough?”
“Chloe, even if you were dressed in a sack of potatoes, you’d be good enough.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I’m not. I want this date to work tonight.” He took her hand, and she left her house, locking the door behind her. “Are you ready to see my other beauty?”
“Your bike?” She ran his hand across the back seat. “I still can’t believe your dad trashed this.”
“He did. He was angry.”
“Do you think you give him enough excuses? You were kicked out of the club, unable to earn prospect until recently. He trashed your bike, and you moved out.”
“Every kid needs to move out of their parents’ house.”
“True, but this all happened because of one night. You’d think he would have taken your side.”
“Why would he take my side?”
“You’re his son, and we were both victims.”
Alfie laughed. “You’re cute.”
“I’m being serious.”
“It’s not about being cute. I know this is a little confusing, but Eagle’s not just my dad. As a club president he gave me an order, and as the tape showed, falling in love with you wasn’t my original plan. That all came after. I did intend to do something similar, Chloe. I did change everything though. At first, because I really didn’t want to piss off Eagle with the way he felt about Lily.”
“At first? So, what’s second?”
“I fell in love with you. There’s no way I wanted to hurt you. The night you gave yourself to me, I hated how I hurt you.”
“It’s supposed to hurt.”
“Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to take the hurt away.” He placed a hand on her hip, wanting to draw her in close. “I’ve never wanted to hurt you.”
She rested her hand against his chest. “I don’t know if I can talk about this.”
“You’ve got all the time in the world.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and then produced the helmet. “This was the one thing he didn’t destroy.”
“I’m not putting it on.”
“Chloe? I’m the one riding.”
“Don’t care. I want to feel the wind in my hair. You can’t make me.”
“Can I pay you to wear the helmet?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” He tucked the helmet away and climbed on. “You better hold me tight.”
“I intend to.” She climbed on the back of his bike, arms wrapped around his waist, and he was sure she pressed her lips against his ear, but it could just be him imagining her doing all those things. “Like this.”
His cock was paying close attention to how close she was, and he liked it. Damn did it feel good to have her here.
“Yes.”
He revved the engine and took off down the street, heading toward the bar. The instant he started to move, Chloe’s grip tightened. He wanted to bask in the moment, to close his eyes, and enjoy the feel of her arms around him, but he had to focus on the road.
Not that there were many cars.
His father was still investigating all the security cameras in the guise of helping Ryan. The club wanted to know who would dare run down a Satan’s Croft resident without any consequences. So far, none of them could see any cars that weren’t accounted for.
Lily had given them a brief description of it looked like a standard five-seater car, brown, and it hurt like hell.
Her words, and it wasn’t exactly easy. She didn’t see the make or model.
The fact she didn’t have time to see those little details, told them exactly how fast they were, which didn’t exactly settle his dad’s nerves.
Arriving at the bar, he saw several of the club bikes already parked. If they weren’t partying at the clubhouse, they were always at the Cove, which was Satan’s Croft’s only bar.
The small town didn’t require much, and rarely did anyone set up a competing business. If it wasn’t for the club’s investment, this town would have gone bankrupt years ago.
Chloe climbed off the bike and used the seat to help her gain her balance. “That was amazing.” She drew out the last word with a laugh.
“You can’t ever sit on the back of anyone else’s bike.”
“I can’t.”
“No.”
“Why the hell not?” she asked.
“You do look so cute when you’re angry.”
“You think this is angry, you haven’t seen nothing.” Like old times, she grabbed his waist and pressed a kiss to his lips.
It was so sudden and natural, it made him pause.
She jerked back. “Shit, I’m so sorry.”
“We’re on a date. You’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
“With how close we were it seemed so natural to just kiss you.”
“You don’t have to make excuses. I’ve got really kissable lips.” He puckered up.
“Come on, before those lips get you into trouble.”
She did another little surprise. She grabbed his hand, and they walked together into the bar.
The place was packed with dancing bodies, the heat already getting to them. Most of them were sweaty, grinding against each other.
“I always imagined this place was empty, you know?”
“Nah, a lot of people love to get their shit on,” he said. Gripping her hand a little tighter, he pulled her toward the bar, and once he got enough room, he placed her in front of him, holding her shou
lders as she led him to where the bar was. He ordered her a beer, and himself some water.
“Water?”
“You think I’m going to risk you? I don’t drink and drive.” And especially after just getting his baby back.
“You have become all responsible, haven’t you?”
“Can’t help it, babe, comes with the territory.”
Their drinks were served, and he downed his in one, while Chloe sipped at hers.
With how many people were in the bar, they had no choice but to stand close together. The music was pulsing, almost vibrating the ground.
“You want to dance?” she asked.
“Finish your beer first.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk?”
“I don’t want to risk it being roofied.”
“That’s a thing here as well?”
He tensed up. “Someone roofied you?”
“No, not me personally. You know it happens. I’ve never heard of it in town.”
“You’d be surprised how times change a lot of people.”
“Not all that surprised actually.” She grabbed his arm. “Like this. You work out a lot, don’t you?”
She didn’t grope his muscle, simply squeezed and let go.
“It’s a way to relieve the tension.”
“Tension?”
“I don’t date, and when I think about all I lost, it stops me from pummeling the first guy I meet to death.” He laid a hand on her hip, wanting so badly to be anywhere but here.
Chloe downed her beer, all in one, which he’d never seen her do before. She took his hand.
“Let’s dance.”
She once again had his hand, and they were able to push their way between the sweaty, pulsing bodies.
Alfie wasn’t looking forward to dancing, but with how close everyone was, he didn’t have a problem holding onto Chloe in any way.
Hands on her hips, he pulled her in close, staring into her blue eyes.
“It has been a long time.”
“My mom wants me to date you before she will consider being with your dad again.”
Alfie frowned. “What?”
“You mentioned about us getting our parents back together. I’ve seen the way they look at each other, and I don’t want to be responsible for tearing them apart. Not anymore.”