by Nicole Hart
“I’m brave,” she said when she pulled away, and looked over at me.
“That’s my girl,” Ryker said, and my heart melted just a little more.
“You’re so brave,” I said quietly, using every bit of composure I had to keep from turning into a blubbering mess right in the middle of this classroom.
“I’m ok now, momma,” Brooklyn said as she sat at her desk.
I reached down and gave her a tight hug, kissing her head at least five times.
“I love you, honey, have a good day.”
“I love you, too, momma, you have a good day, too,” she said with a smile.
“See ya later, Ryker,” she said, holding out her fist, which he bumped immediately.
A little girl, who was alone, came to sit at the desk next to Brooklyn. She seemed shy and nervous.
“Hi, I’m Katie,” she said to Brooklyn with a tiny smile.
“I’m Brooklyn.”
“Is that your mommy and daddy?” she said as she looked in our direction, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, walking into her first day of kindergarten alone.
“That’s my momma,” Brooklyn beamed as she pointed in my direction.
“And that’s my Ryker,” she said with a smile, and they both started to giggle, and then started looking through the tiny basket of supplies on each of their desks.
She glanced at us once more and gave us a quick wave before turning back to her new friend. Ryker took me by the hand as we walked out the door, both of us turning around for one last glance before she was out of our sight.
We walked in silence through the crowd until we got to our vehicles. Ryker wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.
“You did good,” he whispered against my forehead, and kissed it again.
“That was hard,” I said, trying not to cry.
“She’s going to be fine, she’s brave,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked. He didn’t even know how amazing he was.
“For being you,” I said, squeezing him tight but pulling away, remembering we were in a school parking lot.
“That’s all I know how to be,” he smiled.
“Well, it’s pretty perfect.”
“I don’t know about that.” He laughed, scratching his beard.
“You wanna come over for dinner tonight? I know Brooklyn will want to tell you all about her day.”
“No place I’d rather be,” he said, and kissed my lips quickly before opening my door for me.
Safety First
I saw her running out the front door, her little bare feet hitting the sidewalk before I even pulled into the driveway. She was bouncing up and down, watching my bike roll in.
“Momma told me you were riding your motorcycle over here. She said you had a surprise for me, but wouldn’t tell me what it was! What is it Ryker? What is it?” she yelled as I cut the engine, and hopped off the bike, hitting the kickstand with my boot.
“Well, how was your first day?” I asked.
“Good!” she yelled as she looked over her shoulder, just as Natalie met us in the driveway, with a dish towel slung over her shoulder. She was wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts and a Johnny Cash t-shirt, with bare feet. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head with little strands falling around her face. Fuck me, she was beautiful.
“Hey you,” she said as she looked me up and down.
“Hey beautiful,” I said as I gave her a quick peck on the cheek, squeezing her waist gently. I tried not to be too affectionate with Brooklyn around, but I had this uncontrollable need to touch her. The smile she gave me almost brought me to my fucking knees. I ran my index finger along those little freckles on her nose before turning my attention back to Brooklyn, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet, waiting patiently.
“I’m sorry, Brooklyn, did you mention something about a surprise?” I teased.
“Momma said you had a surprise for me!” she said, clapping her hands.
“I actually have two surprises for you,” I said as I reached into my saddlebag, and pulled the gift bag out.
“Thank you!” she said as she grabbed it from me.
“Awesome!” she said when she pulled the box out. “It’s a mustang! My papa got me a truck set one time, but momma got too frustrated because she didn’t understand how to put it together, remember that momma?” She said, looking in Natalie’s direction and laughing.
“Oh, I remember,” Natalie giggled.
“Well, I can help you put this one together,” I said as I watched her inspect the model car box.
“I love it, thank you!” she said with her eyes beaming, staring at me and then back at the box.
“Ryker does have one more surprise,” Natalie said, eyeing me with a nervous grin before looking down at Brooklyn.
“I don’t know what could be better than a Mustang!” she said as she hugged the box against her chest.
I reached into the second saddlebag and pulled out a helmet, handing it to her.
“No way! No way!” she said, and stared at the helmet in awe.
“Just around the block and he’s going to go really slow. So don’t try and make him go fast,” Natalie said in her very serious mom voice.
“I promise, momma,” she said as she handed Natalie the model car box, and took the helmet from my hands.
“You have to be safe,” Natalie said, to both of us. She was so nervous about this, I was shocked that she even agreed.
“I can’t ride a motorcycle in shorts, I need to go change,” she said and ran into the house.”
“You sure about this?” I asked Natalie as I wrapped her in my arms.
“Just be careful,” she said as she stared into my eyes.
“I promise,” I said, and brushed my lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around my neck, scratching her nails gently along my hair line.
“I might have to sneak in your window tonight,” I whispered in her ear, and bit her lobe gently. We hadn’t had sex in a few days and my dick was begging to be inside her.
“I think we can arrange that,” she said with a smile as she grabbed my ass.
The honking of a car horn startled her and she jumped back.
“How’s this Ryker?” Brooklyn asked as she ran outside wearing a pair of jeans and cowboy boots.
“Works just fine,” I said as she put the helmet on her head. I reached down, buckling it and giving it a tug to make sure it was in place.
“I forgot one thing,” I said as I reached in the bag and pulled out the other helmet. I wasn’t too happy about this one, but I figured I needed to be a good example and shit.
I took my baseball cap off and replaced it with this fucking helmet, but didn’t let my face give away my feelings.
“You’re wearing a helmet?” Brooklyn said with a huge grin on her face.
“I’m a little shocked, too,” Natalie said as she stared at me, with her hand over her chest.
“Safety first, right Brookie?” I said as I held out my fist to her to bump.
I hopped on the bike and started it, then held out my arms for Brooklyn. She leaned right into me and I lifted her, placing her in front of my lap. Technically, she was supposed to ride behind me, but I didn’t feel that she would be safe enough behind me. I wanted her in front of me so I could make sure she hung on.
“Ok, hang on right here,” I said, and patted the front of the motorcycle. I knew I wouldn’t be going very fast at all, so she would be safe. I tightened my legs against her until I felt like she was secure before pulling out slowly.
“Please be careful!” Natalie yelled over the rumble of the engine.
“I promise,” I mouthed to her, and she gave me a tiny grin as she gripped her arms across her stomach.
We putted down the side streets and I could hear Brooklyn’s giggles over the engine. I couldn’t help but smile the whole time around the block.
“This is awesome!” she yelled throug
h her laughter as we pulled back into the driveway. I noticed Natalie snap a picture with her phone as we pulled to a stop.
“Momma, that was so fun! Can I do it again?”
“Maybe some other time, I don’t think my stomach can handle another ride today,” Natalie said as she held her hand over her stomach. I could see in her eyes how nervous that made her.
“We’ll go again soon, ok?” I said as I jerked that damn helmet off my head.
“Besides, dinner is almost ready.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” I told Brooklyn.
“Me, too. Momma is making tacos and they are gooooood,” she said as she stood next to me.
“Come on y’all,” Natalie said.
“They are yummy to my tummy! Yummy to my tummy!” Brooklyn sang as she skipped into the house, still wearing her helmet.
FaceTime Fail
Christy had warned me that with school starting came school germs. It hadn’t taken long for that to ring true. School had only started two weeks ago, and I got the call today that Brookie was running a fever. So I took the last few hours off work to take care of my baby. This was the hard part about being a single mom. Well, one of them, anyway. Some days I had a list. But thankfully, the Tylenol had worked and she had finally fallen asleep.
Today was the first day I hadn’t seen Ryker in quite a while. He came over every night for dinner and would sneak back in most nights once Brooklyn was in bed. I had gotten used to having him around, and I didn’t like the feeling it gave me when he wasn’t here. I had fallen for him hard and I didn’t know how to stop it. But I was a mom first, and my baby came first. So I knew that taking care of my sick little girl was my top priority.
When I finally crawled in my big lonely bed, my phone started to ring.
Ryker. That involuntary smile that occurred every time I saw him appeared when his face lit up my screen.
“Hello,” I said quietly as I snuggled under my down comforter.
“Mmm . . . your phone voice is sexy, have I ever told you that?” he rumbled in his deep sleepy voice. Now that voice was sexy. I had to cross my legs at the sound of his voice.
“I think you’ve mentioned it,” I said with a little giggle.
“What are you doing?”
“Just got Brookie to sleep, now I’m in this big lonely bed,” I whined.
“I miss you,” he said quietly, and my heart started to pound harder.
“I miss you, too,” I replied quietly but without hesitation.
“You’re in bed all alone?” he asked.
“All alone.”
A few seconds later my phone started to ring. He wanted to FaceTime. Damn it. I wish he would have warned me. I pulled the hair tie from the messy bun sitting on top of my head and quickly wiped the under eye cream off that I had just put on. I ran my fingers through my hair quickly, and covered my bra-less chest that was sporting an old Dallas Cowboys T-shirt with a rip in the sleeve. Sexy, Natalie. Ugh.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said when the call connected.
“You should warn a girl next time,” I said, running my fingers through my hair again as I held the phone in front of my face.
“I needed to see your face,” he said with a smile. Shit he was sexy. He was lounged back on his sofa; I could see the black leather behind his head. He was shirtless, and his tattoos were sprawling in all directions. He wasn’t wearing a hat and his hair was standing on end in a perfect mess, which added to the pure sexiness that he exuded.
“Whatcha got on under that blanket?” he asked, giving me that heart stopping grin that I couldn’t resist.
I didn’t want him to see the torn shirt I was wearing. I was pretty convinced it even had an old coffee stain on it, and it was too late to check now. There was only one way to avoid it so I figured what the hell.
“Hold on,” I said putting the phone beside me, then pulling the t-shirt over my head, exposing my breasts.
“Nothing actually,” I said as I held the screen in front of me once again ,trying to sound sexy but unsure if I pulled it off or not.
“Fuck baby,” he replied, biting his lower lip, so I figured I did ok.
“Yeah?” I said with a smile, and decided to take my bravery a bit further. I rubbed my hand over my breasts and pinched my nipple, watching his face intently. He crinkled his brows together and his eyes narrowed just a little.
“God, I wish I could touch you,” he whispered.
“Right here,” I said, as I ran my hand over my nipples, then down my stomach, putting my hand down the front of my panties, not even realizing that I was already wet for him.
“Yeah baby, right there, tell me how it feels,” he growled, and I noticed the phone shaking just a little as he adjusted his body.
“It’s feels warm and wet,” I whispered, and a little moan escaped my throat as I started to touch myself. For him, for me.
“Rub your clit, baby,” he said with heavy breaths, as I squeezed my thighs together, doing exactly as he said.
“Momma,” I heard in the distance. I immediately threw the phone on the floor and jerked the blanket over my breasts.
The orgasm I was close to finding disappearing immediately.
“What’s wrong, honey?” I said, fumbling under the blanket trying to find my shirt. She had her hands over her eyes, shielding them from my lamp, so I threw the old shirt over my head quickly and stood to my feet.
“My tummy hurts,” Brooklyn mumbled, and then held her hand over her mouth. “Momma, I think . . .” she said quietly as I scooped her in my arms and sprinted to the bathroom, just in time for her to empty the soup she had for dinner into my toilet.
She started to cry after she finished. I wrapped my baby in my arms and carried her to my bed, where I noticed my phone, face down on the carpet. Shit. Ryker.
“I’m going to get you a washcloth ok, stay right here,” I said as I grabbed the phone off the floor and walked into my bathroom.
I looked at the screen and saw Ryker’s face, staring at the screen, watching, and waiting.
“I’m sorry,” I said as I held the screen near my face, grabbing a washcloth out of the cabinet.
“Is she ok?” he asked, genuinely concerned.
“She just threw up.”
“I heard, poor kid,” he said with a sad smile.
“I’m gonna keep her in my bed tonight. I’m scared she might throw up in her sleep. I’m sorry,” I said again.
“Nat, don’t,” he said with a smile. “Take care of our girl,” he said, and I wanted to kiss his face on the screen.
“Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow, ok?”
“Tell her I hope she feels better soon,” he said.
“I will, goodnight Ryker.”
“’Night,” he said, giving me a wink before ending the call.
I walked back into my room with the wet cloth and it looked like Brooklyn had fallen back to sleep. I crawled in bed beside her and rubbed the cloth over her forehead.
“Was that Ryker you were talking to?” she asked, with her eyes still closed.
“Yeah, he said he hopes you feel better soon.”
“I will,” she whispered, already half asleep. “I gotta ride his motorcycle again.” Her light snores began right after that.
I kissed her damp forehead and put my head on the pillow next to her.
Our girl.
Gone Too Far
The rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning lit up the clouds in the distance, hovering over the ocean. I loved living and working by the water. I don’t know why it took me so long to live here full time. There was nothing like the salty air and the sound of the waves crashing. And this old dock is where I spent most days on my lunch hour. I would eat my sandwiches and throw the sea gulls my leftovers. I had been doing this since I started working down here. It was a peaceful ritual. I threw the remainder of my sandwich out into the air, watching the bird scoop it up before it hit the salty water, then pulled my buzzing phone from my jean
s pocket.
“Hey beautiful,” I said as I hit the green button, watching her face disappear from the screen.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
“You got them?” I asked.
“They’re beautiful, Ryker,” she gushed.
“I’m glad you like them.”
“I can’t believe you found a florist with so many cherry blossoms. I always have trouble finding them.”
“I know they make you happy,” I said. I called at least ten florists looking for those damn flowers, but I knew they were her favorite.
“You make me happy,” she said quietly.
“Me too, baby,” I said. God, I fucking cared about her so much. I just wanted to make her happy.
“So, I have a question,” she said, and sounded nervous.
“What’s up?”
“My parents are coming into town next weekend. They know all about you, thanks to Brooklyn, and they want to meet you.”
“Are you ready for me to meet them?” I asked. I wasn’t exactly the kind of man women usually liked to show off to their parents. The tattooed, motorcycle rider who liked to fight way too damn much wasn’t exactly a parents dream for their daughter.
“Of course I am, I . . . I think they will love you,” she said.
“Cops don’t usually like me, Nat.” I laughed.
“Oh stop, it’s going to be fine; you’re a good man, Ryker. Trust me, it will be fine. As long as you’re ok with it,” she laughed.
“Yeah, I can handle it,” I said.
“Well good. They want to meet you. They’re happy I found someone.”
“I’m happy we found each other. Again,” I said with a smile. That’s all I seemed to do here lately is smile. That woman had me wrapped around her perfect little fucking finger.
“Me too. Listen, I gotta get back to work. Will I see you tonight?” she asked.
“Of course,” I said, and then we said our goodbyes.
Later that day
I couldn’t shake the sick feeling I had in my stomach all day. Ever since I got off the phone with Nat at lunch, it was clawing at me, driving me fucking crazy. I even texted her twice just to make sure everything was ok. She assured me she was fine. I called my parents, which I usually only do on Sundays, just to make sure they were ok. They were getting older and I worried about them, but all was well. I even checked on fucking Cain, who was in a business meeting and had to cut our conversation short. But everything was fine.