David’s hand fell into hers as he said, “Are you okay?”
Turning towards him, she let out a long sigh and said, “Yes.”
As they pushed the heavy doors open, the bright sun welcomed them, and Kyleigh tilted her head towards the sky, taking in the feeling of freedom. The darkness of resentment had withered away, not completely, but enough to satisfy her. She had her father back in her life, in a way, and even though he had ruined her childhood and took her mother away, she now knew it was never intentional. He wasn’t the psychotic, crazed man she had made him out to be. The addictions had created that person and he had gone along for the ride. He was still responsible for it all, but he would be paying for his crime for the rest of his life, and she knew it was what he deserved.
She slid into the passenger seat and looked up at the prison looming above them. The place was scary but she realized it couldn’t compare to the horrifying feeling of things left unsaid. Peace had finally settled into her soul and she was ready to accept it.
Chapter 34
The Ride of Her Life
Kyleigh set the letter down on the table. It had been a week since she and David had visited her father for the first time, and she had already received a letter from him. He promised to write weekly and she was going to do the same. They had a lot of catching up to do.
She stood and walked over to the window. Pulling the curtain back, she could see David outside of his garage, working on a bike for a customer. His business had picked up, now that he was getting things done, and he was busier than ever. She was happy for him. He loved his job and he was good at it.
Grabbing the mystery book from the coffee table, she settled onto the couch, pulled her legs underneath herself and picked up where she had left off, before the incident with Brad. Since everything in her life seemed to be calming down, she could finally concentrate on relaxing.
The front door slammed open, banging loudly against the wall, causing Kyleigh to jump. With her heart now in her throat, she looked up to see David standing in the doorway, a huge, boyish grin covering his grease stained face. Slowly taking her hand away from her chest, she swallowed the lump of adrenaline and asked, “David, what the hell? I think I almost had a heart attack.”
Remaining in the doorway, he drew his forearm up to wipe away a trail of sweat off his forehead. Between a bundle of laughter, he said, “Sorry, I’m just excited.”
Through narrowed eyes, she stared at him. She’d never seen him so excited before and when he continued to stand there grinning like an idiot and not saying another word, she threw her hand out in a tell me gesture as she said, “About?”
“Uh, it’s not something I can tell you, I need to show you. Come outside,” he said with a wave of his hand before he hurried out the door.
Staring at the vacant doorway, Kyleigh looked down at the book resting on her lap and sighed, “I’m never going to find out who killed the guy’s wife,” before she tossed the book to the side.
As she walked outside, she found David hunched over an older, small motorcycle, running a white rag over the seat and handlebars. “So what are you so excited about?” she asked, crossing her arms as she watched him work.
Shoving the rag into his back pocket, his excited, boyish grin was back as he held his arms out towards the bike. “What do you think?”
Kyleigh took a step towards the bike. The burnt orange caught her eye since it was her favorite color. She ran her hand over the black leather seat, and then up over the handle bars. There were nice touches of chrome displayed on the bike and the burnt orange had a hint of glitter in the undertone. The bike was smaller than most of the ones he worked on, and nothing special stood out on the bike, making her wonder why he was so excited about it.
“Well?” David questioned again.
“I love the color,” she offered.
“Good, I knew it was your favorite color. Do you think its small enough?” he asked.
The frown situated on her face displayed her confusion and she said, “Well, it looks like it would fit a girl, but I’m still not understanding why you’re so excited about it.”
David took a step towards her and placed his arm around her shoulder. They stood side by side, staring at the bike, and after a moment, he took a deep breath and said, “I’m excited because I’ve been spending all my spare time restoring this bike for someone very special.” He paused for a moment, letting his words hang in the hot, humid air.
Kyleigh stared up at him and asked, “For who?”
Laughing, he sighed and said, “Oh, Kyleigh, who else could possibly be special in my life, besides you?”
Her mouth dropped as she stared at the bike in complete awe and she quickly brought her eyes over to David. His chagrined smile met her shocked expression and Kyleigh was at a loss for words. She stared blankly at him for a moment, not sure what to say first. As the realization of what he’d just presented her with finally hit her, a loud squeal erupted from her mouth, causing David to wince.
She jumped up and threw her hands around his neck as she said, “Oh, my God, David!” over and over until he finally planted her feet back onto the gravel drive.
Taking a step towards her new bike, she ran her finger over the leather seat, taking the bike in. She had her very own Harley. Fear suddenly paled her flushed cheeks as she realized she had no clue how to ride one. She turned towards David, eyebrows knitted together in concern, and said, “I...”
He raised his hand in the air and cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. “I’m going to teach you. You’ll learn fast, I promise, it’s not too hard.”
Her expression relaxed as another question popped into her mind. “Why did you decide to get me a bike?”
His smile faded some, his features softening as he answered. “Well, you had so much fun when I took you on my bike, our little escape from our troubles, that I thought you might like your own bike. Then, you can hop on your bike whenever you want and put all your troubles behind you for a while. You’ve had a lot to deal with lately and I thought this might help when you need to clear your head.”
She couldn’t help letting out another squeal, it was inevitable, she couldn’t have stopped it if she’d tried. Slinging her arms around his neck, her words were nothing but a whisper in his ear. “David, that is the sweetest present ever. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile.
Pulling away from him, she looked into his eyes, not sure how it was even possible for someone like her to have found such a decent man. She leaned in and kissed him, and as his hands trailed down her back and towards her ass, she pulled away and said, “Don’t be getting any ideas, mister, you are teaching me how to ride this thing first.”
“Damn!” he said. He gave her ass one more squeeze as he added, “All right, well, let’s get your helmet first.”
Kyleigh watched him head towards his garage and she turned towards her bike, eagerness reeling inside her. She didn’t know how she was going to hold this thing up because her hands were shaking from excitement.
“Okay, here’s your helmet,” David said as he thrust it into her outstretched arms.
Sliding the helmet down onto her head, she quickly fastened the straps, and then watched as David slid his on.
“All righty, I’ll drive it first so I can run you through everything and then I’ll let you take over from there. Just promise not to dump me on my ass when you take off,” he said with a smile.
With her hand held up, she said, “I cannot make any promises on that.”
“Great,” he mumbled as he threw his leg over the bike. Nodding, he motioned for her to get on back.
Kyleigh slid in behind him, taking in the weight of the bike. She hoped she could hold it up. As David took off, he went over everything he was doing. Kyleigh watched and listened, taking it all in as if she were an eager student. It didn’t seem too hard, but she didn’t want to wreck her new bike.
After a short lap, they
pulled back into his drive and nervousness suddenly fluttered inside her instead of excitement. Now, she wasn’t so sure about having her own bike.
Pulling the bike to a stop, David said, “Okay, you’re up.”
She quickly hopped off the bike and stood to the side, frozen in place. “Um, David, I’m not too sure about this.”
He shoved the kickstand into place and got off the bike, giving her a questioning look. “Ky, you’ll do fine, I promise. We’ll take it slow, just down the drive.”
Fumbling nervously with her hands, she became irritated with herself for being so nervous. She had overcome so many things in her life and now she was terrified to ride a motorcycle? Taking a step forward, she pushed the unease away and let the excitement take its place. She was excited about this, so why let apprehension steal it away? “Okay, let’s do this,” she said with a smile. “Just don’t let me wreck this beautiful bike.”
“I won’t,” David said.
She cautiously gripped the handlebars and slid onto the bike. It felt strange being in the driver’s seat. David held onto the bike at first and then slowly released his hold to see if she could keep the bike up herself. She did and she was proud of herself. It wasn’t as hard as she’d thought it would be.
“Okay, get your balance because I’m getting on,” David cautioned.
Making sure she was steady, she felt David’s weight settle in behind her, and the bike momentarily wobbled for a second. Gritting her teeth, she steadied herself and finally adjusted to the feeling of David’s extra weight.
“Are you good?” he asked.
Nodding, she said, “Yes, I got it now.”
“Okay, do you remember what to do first?” he asked.
Giving it some thought, she finally answered, “I pull in the clutch, shift to first, give it throttle, and then slowly let off the clutch?”
“Right,” David said in her ear.
She did it, feeling the bike take off.
“Go very slow at first,” David instructed. “You don’t want to do a wheelie and then flip me off.”
Her eyes widened at that thought and she slowly eased the bike forward. They slowly took off down the gravel drive, the bike wobbly beneath her, and making her a nervous wreck. She made herself relax so she could steady the bike and not wreck them. Within seconds their ride smoothed out and she was coasting down the long driveway.
“You’re doing good, Ky,” David cheered behind her.
She felt good. She felt in control and she loved feeling the wind against her skin. She was amazed she was actually doing it. “David, oh my God, I can’t believe this,” she called over her shoulder.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” he asked.
“It’s better than riding on the back,” she said, keeping a tight grip on the handles.
Reaching the end of the drive, David instructed her to do a “U” turn in the middle of the road and then head back up the drive. She did as he said, and increased her speed a bit. She felt like a natural at this. Somehow it came easily to her and she couldn’t wait to head down the road at full speed.
Coming to a stop in front of the garage, she felt the bike shift slightly beneath her body as David got off. She leaned over and put the kickstand out and then swung her leg over. Yanking her helmet off, she looked up at David with brown eyes dancing with eagerness and said, “I’m ready to go on the road.”
Laughing, he said, “I don’t know about that, Ky. I think you need to practice in the driveway some more first. I’d hate for something to happen to you, and anyways, you’ll need to get a license to drive the bike first. So, you’ll need to study and practice a lot before you take the test.”
That was not good news. She was ready to ride her bike now. With her helmet dangling at her side, she said, “Dammit, I thought I could just start riding it now. That sucks.”
After hanging his helmet up in the garage, David came out and said, “It will go fast. You’ll have to practice driving it out here and everything. Why don’t you keep practicing by yourself, while I get to work on a bike that needs fixed.”
Unable to stop smiling, she slid her helmet back on and began driving up and down the driveway as David worked inside his garage. Riding for an hour straight, she’d worked on turning, stopping, and drove it through the yard, up and down a few small hills. She was getting good and she knew it wouldn’t take long until she’d be ready to take the test.
***
A week later, Kyleigh swung open the garage door to David’s shop, causing him to drop a wrench on the concrete floor, the loud clanging echoing against the enclosed space. “Look what I have,” she told him, thrusting a piece of paper into his face. She watched him look it over, and then as he took in her new clothes, a smile formed.
“That’s great, Ky,” he said, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “The leather jacket and black riding boots make you look just like a biker bitch,” he teased. “And it’s sexy as hell,” he added as he gave her another kiss.
She pulled back, and smiled, saying, “Yes, it is, and I’m glad you like it. You know what the best way to celebrate would be?”
Placing his index finger to his mouth as if he were in deep thought, he said, “Sex? With you still wearing those boots?”
Slapping him against his chest, she said, “No, a ride, silly. Let’s go, I’m ready to go on our first ride together.”
Sighing, he said, “Only if you promise to wear the boots later.”
“Maybe,” she tossed over her shoulder as she headed for her bike.
She felt David’s eyes on her the whole time, and as she got to her bike, she cleared her throat, “Are you going to stand there and stare all day or are you going to go for a ride?”
“Oh, I’m ready for a ride, all right, just not on the bike,” he laughed.
“David, let’s go,” Kyleigh said in the sternest tone she could manage, which wasn’t much, but made him get moving.
She started the engine, and closed her eyes as she took in the loud rumble. Straddling the bike, she looked over her shoulder for David, wishing he would hurry up. She was ready to get on the road.
He gave her a wink as he pulled up next to her. “Are you ready for this?” he asked.
“Yes, let’s hit the road,” she said as she slid her black sunglasses down and gave him the thumbs up.
“Follow me then,” he said as he descended the drive and turned left.
Kyleigh quickly ushered her bike forward. Gravel dinged beneath her, the wind brushed against her face, and the bike vibrated between her legs. As she turned left to follow David, she saw him quickly glance behind to check on her. She smiled brightly at him, telling him not to worry about her. She was good. She was beyond good. She felt free as they headed down the open road.
As the loud roar of their bikes echoed in the quiet country landscape that surrounded them, Kyleigh thought back to her first ride with David and how they had called it an escape. Back then, they’d needed an escape from everything. Their chaotic lives had been riding on a thin line and they’d felt bottled up, needing a way to escape it all.
Now, as she pulled up next to David, her bike riding next to the white line, she looked over at him. His dark hair was askew from the wind, his music was blasting, and his face was relaxed as his gaze was trained on the empty road before him. As their eyes met, a knowing smile appeared on his face, telling her that he agreed how perfect this was. And she realized if there was ever another time that their lives became too difficult and she needed to escape her troubles, she knew she wouldn’t even have to explain why she’d need to hop on the bike and ride. He would know and understand everything and wouldn’t question her need for the open road. Because he would just know. And with that thought, she knew she’d found her perfect partner.
Seeing her staring, he gave her a wink before turning his attention back to the road. Both smiling, they rode side by side, just like they would for the rest of their lives, until the sun disappeared, the stars
drifted out, and night called them home.
The End
Dear Reader ~
Thank you for taking the time to read Fragile Simplicity. This is book two of a trilogy, but each book can stand alone. I would love to hear from you, so don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, it would mean so much to me if you would take the time to leave an honest review. Reviews are very important to authors and other readers. Your support means everything to me!
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~ Tara Neideffer ~
Books by Tara Neideffer
Deadly Road
When the Dead Whisper
Where Forever Lies
Fragile Simplicity
About the Author
Tara Neideffer was born and raised in Indiana with a love for animals, especially horses. As a child she could always be found in the saddle, running her horse at full speed through open fields. She also has a love of ghost stories and a morbid fascination with watching murder mystery shows. When she's not busy writing, she's taking care of her animals, spending time with her family or reading. She still lives in Indiana with her husband, daughter and stepson on twenty acres, with too many animals to name.
You can find her at:
taraneideffer.wordpress.com/tag/tara-neideffer/
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