by A. M. Myers
“So, why a big dog?”
I shrug, stroking the soft fur of the puppy sleeping in my lap. “I don’t know. I just love how big and goofy they are and they’ll protect you, too. They are like the ultimate best friend. Plus, have you ever been around some of those little dogs? They’re so mean.”
“Shit, yeah. My neighbor as a kid had a Chihuahua and that thing was awful.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
“So, why not get one now?”
“I’ve thought about it,” I admit. “But I’m pretty sure my mother would still have a conniption if I ruined her design with a dog bed and some toys.”
“She didn’t let you decorate anything in your own place?” he asks, leaning back and propping himself up on one elbow. Two puppies jump up from their nap and trot over to him before jumping up to lick his face. He smiles, gently rolling them to their backs and rubbing their bellies as they try to bite him.
“I got to decorate the closet. It is so out of place compared to the stark modern look in the rest of my apartment, but I love it. It’s kind of my safe space.”
“Why not move?”
I sigh, thinking about the money that I refuse to touch. “Ivy and I both got trust funds from one of Mother’s exes when we turned eighteen but I don’t like using that money and I refuse to touch the twelve million that she blackmailed those boys for, so I stay even though I’m miserable.”
“Wait,” he interjects. “You’ve never touched any of that money?”
I shake my head. “No. I can’t. It would be like saying I’m okay with what they did to me or that the money was an acceptable punishment when it wasn’t. Maybe for the other boys it was, but for what Austin and my mother did, for the way they betrayed me, the money wasn’t enough.”
“Is there anything that would make up for it?” he questions, anger in his voice. I bite my lip as I shake my head.
“Probably not. I trusted Austin and his disloyalty was spectacular. To this day, I don’t understand how he could claim to care about me and then watch as that was happening to me. Or participate. As for my mother, I suppose it was my own fault for expecting anything more of her. She stayed true to who she was by going after the money but I as I laid on that bathroom floor crying, I had hoped she would be more.”
“Baby, you have no idea how much I want to fix it all for you and it kills me that I can’t. I do so much for women like your sister and I can’t do anything to help you.”
I turn to look at him, choked up by how much he cares. “But you do help me, Chance. From the moment we met, you started healing what they broke and there are moments with you where I can let go and not be that girl anymore. At least, for a little while.”
Sitting up, he leans over and presses his lips to mine as he cradles my face. Just as I’m sinking into the kiss, I feel something hitting my shirt and jerk back. Glancing down, I find a wet spot on my t-shirt, right underneath the puppy in my arm and I start to laugh. Chance shakes his head, fighting back a smile.
“Ready to get out of here?”
I shake my head. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Okay,” he says, turning back to watch the puppies climb all over each other.
“I actually have a question for you.”
His eyes widen and he sits up straight. “Oh, shit, this is new. Let me prepare myself.”
“Shut up.” I laugh, shoving him. He falls to one side and a few puppies jump up and swarm him. “I was wondering if you could tell me more about Logan’s grandparents.”
“Yeah,” he replies with a soft smile and from just a look, I can see his fondness for them. “So, as you know, my home life wasn’t great and Logan’s dad ran off when he was a kid so his grandparents watched him when his mom had to work. They had this cabin out in the woods with a lake in the backyard and we loved going out there. Elsie and Samuel were just amazing to be around, you know? They had the kind of energy that drew people to them and as a kid from a broken home, seeing their love for each other and for Logan, it just stuck with me.”
“I was always jealous when I saw a dad and daughter out somewhere, like they were taunting me with the missing piece of my life, you know?” I offer up and he nods.
“Yeah, there was definitely some of that but mostly they taught me that I didn’t have to be my upbringing. Samuel knew about my mom and her boyfriends, so he always made it a point to teach me how to treat a lady and how to be a good man.”
“He did a pretty fantastic job.”
He flashes me a shy smile. “Thanks, Princess.”
“How did they fall in love?”
Chance laughs, shaking his head. “Well, if you asked Samuel, he would tell you about the time he saw Elsie kick a bully in the shin on the playground. They were just kids and he said he knew in that moment she was meant for him.”
“And if you asked Elsie?”
“They had always been friends, but she didn’t find out about Samuel’s feelings for her until high school. After he graduated, Samuel joined the Army and it was hard, but they made it work. After he was discharged, he built the cabin for her.”
“Sounds like you know the story pretty well.”
He nods. “Yeah, well, they told it often and they would look at each other and you could just see the connection. Even as a kid, I recognized it was something special and I wanted it. And now, I’ve found it.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I glance down at the puppy in my lap. “I never thought I’d be happy like this. After everything they did to me, I thought this wasn’t in the cards for me, but you showed me how wrong I was.”
“Anytime you need me to straighten you out, I’ll be here, Darlin.”
I roll my eyes and he laughs as I set the puppy in my arms down to play.
“You ready to get out of here?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah.”
We take the puppies back to their cages, making sure they’re all comfy before we head back out to the hallway. Chance takes my hand and pulls it to his lips, smirking at me as he kisses it.
My mood is definitely improved from earlier and despite my objections, I know this is exactly what I needed. Plus, Chance was right. If anything happens, someone will get in contact with us. I can’t spend all day in my apartment, worrying myself to death. If Ivy were here right now, she would insist I get out and have fun with my man.
“So, where to next?” I ask as Chance opens the passenger door of his truck and helps me up.
“The apartment.”
“What? Why?”
“Because, you need to change,” he says, glancing down at my t-shirt. I wince at the dog hair and pee spot before nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, okay.”
Nodding, he shuts my door and circles behind the truck before climbing in behind the wheel and firing the truck up. As we pull out of the parking lot, he grabs my hand and I turn to the window, a smile on my face.
Who knew I could be this happy?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carly
Opening my eyes, I yawn and stretch my arms over my head, squinting at the sunlight flooding into the room from the windows. How do I always forget to close those damn blinds?
“Don’t move,” Chance grumbles, tightening his arms around my body and I peek over my shoulder at him.
“Why not?”
He peels one eye open to glare at me. “I’m comfy.”
“Well, I’m hungry,” I say, rolling over to face him as my stomach growls. He scowls but the smile in his eyes gives him away. Before he can say anything else, his phone starts ringing and he groans, rolling over to grab it off the bedside table.
“What’s up?” he asks as soon as he answers it. After listening for a second, he sits up and runs a hand through his hair. When he glances over at me, I know it’s time. I’ve been waiting for the past four days to hear what Streak was able to dig up on Julian and each day that passed only made me more anxious. “Yeah, we’ll be there.”
He hangs up and turns to
me. “Everyone’s meeting at the clubhouse to go over your sister’s case.”
“Okay.” I nod and jump up, flinging the covers behind me as I rush into the bathroom and throw my hair up into a bun. After Chance took me to the animal shelter, I was able to relax a little bit but worry over Ivy has always been at the edge of my mind and I’m more than ready for answers.
“Baby, we got a little time if you want to slow down and maybe eat some breakfast,” Chance says from the doorway as I brush my teeth and I shake my head. I spit in the sink before turning back to him.
“I can’t. I just want to go to the clubhouse.”
He sighs and nods. I know he’s concerned that I’m worrying too much but with the imminent onslaught of information, my stomach is rolling and I’m not sure I could keep anything down. Besides, food seems so trivial now that we’re finally going to start talking about how to help Ivy.
“I’ll get dressed then. But after the meeting, we’re getting you some food, deal?” he asks and I nod.
“Promise, babe.” I give him a quick kiss before going back to brushing my teeth and he turns back into the bedroom to get dressed. When I’m done, I go to the closet and pull a pair of jeans and white t-shirt out of the dresser, quickly throwing them on and slipping on black leather booties.
Chance’s eyebrows shoot up as I walk back into the bedroom and he fights back a smirk. “You look hot as hell, Princess.”
“Thanks,” I reply, glancing down at my simple outfit and grinning. He stands up from the bed and stalks toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Wanna take my bike today?”
My heart rate spikes and I stare at him for a moment before nodding. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before, but the thought thrills me as much as it scares me. He leans in, claiming my lips in a quick but passionate kiss, before leading me out of the bedroom. In the kitchen, he grabs his keys off the island where he tossed them last night when he came over with movies to watch and I grab my bag off the entry table. I hand him my keys as he closes the door behind us in the hallway and he locks up as I glance down at the elevator and I bite my lip.
I have no idea what Streak is going to tell us about Julian Henshaw, so I have no way to know if I’m prepared for it at all. I think I am. I hope I am but there’s just so much, so many awful things that he could be doing to my sister and I know I’m not prepared to deal with it. In the darkest corners of my mind, I’ve wondered if she’s going through the same thing I did but I can only handle a few seconds of that before I’m on the verge of sobbing. It’s a miracle I haven’t fallen apart yet and the only reason for that is the man standing next to me.
The elevator doors open, snapping me out of my thoughts and I suck in a breath as we step on. Chance squeezes my hand and I look up at him.
“It’s gonna be okay, baby.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know that, Chance, but I appreciate you saying it.”
He doesn’t say anything else and I know that he’s just as worried about how I’m going to handle all this as I am about Ivy, but neither can be helped. Until my sister is safe, out of harm’s way, I won’t be able to relax. When the elevator doors slide open on the first floor, we step out and he leads me outside to his bike.
“You ever ride before?” he asks and I shake my head. “It’s pretty simple. Just lean with the bike when I turn, don’t put your feet down if we stop, and hang on to my waist, okay?”
My gaze roams over the bike before I nod and sling the strap of my bag across my body. “Okay.”
Chance hands me a helmet and puts his on before climbing on and holding out his hand to help me climb on behind him. Once I’m comfortable, I wrap my arms around his waist and grip his shirt, my heart pounding in my ears. He fires it up and the deep rumble of the bike seems to reach right into my chest. As he slowly pulls out of the parking spot, I bury my head in his back and close my eyes, not brave enough to glance up yet.
Oh, God, what the hell was I thinking?
Chance makes a couple of turns before speeding up and I guess that we must be on the interstate now. He rubs one of my hands with the death grip on his shirt and I glance up, my eyes widening. We’re flying down the road, weaving in and out of the few other cars on the road this early on a Saturday morning and I feel free. It takes my breath away and a wide smile stretches across my face.
The rest of the drive to the clubhouse goes way too quickly and I pout a little as he pulls into the lot and parks the bike. He pushes the kickstand down and climbs off before helping me down and I grin up at him as I take my helmet off.
“We’re definitely doing that again.”
He flashes me a grin that makes him look more boy than man and warmth hits me in the chest. “Anytime you want, Princess.”
Turning away from him, I stop and stare up at the clubhouse, my nerves returning full force. He steps up next to me and takes my hand.
“Ready to do this?” he asks.
“Yes… and no.”
He squeezes my hand. “I’ve got you.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. I don’t doubt for one minute that Chance has my back and always will. The man would walk through fire for me. It was one of the main things that settled my fear and made it possible for me to trust him, even when I didn’t want to.
“Let’s do this,” I whisper with a nod and we walk through the door. At first glance, it seems like everyone is here, milling around and eating breakfast or just bullshitting with each other. They all glance up when we walk in, some nodding in our direction, others offering me sympathetic looks.
“There’s breakfast in the kitchen if you’re hungry,” Storm tells Chance and he glances behind us to the steel door.
“Who made it?”
“Red’s old lady.”
Chance’s stomach growls and I can’t fight back my smile. “Aw, hell yeah. You want some food, baby?”
I know Chance wants me to eat something so I nod. Besides, it kind of seems like we won’t be starting until everyone gets some food anyway. He instructs me to sit down at one of the tables while he grabs me a plate and I walk over to the table in the corner, away from everyone else before sitting down. As soon as my butt hits the chair, Smith walks up and sits down next to me.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
I shrug. “I’m all right.”
“Listen, we’re gonna do everything we can to help your sister,” he says, his face full of compassion. I know this is what the club does but I’m still so touched they would step up to help me save Ivy.
“Thank you for doing this. I really don’t know what I’d do if y’all weren’t here to help me.”
He smiles, shaking his head. “No worries, Darlin’. You’re Chance’s girl which makes you family and there ain’t nothing we won’t do for family.”
“Smith!” Kodiak yells from the door. “Your little brother is here and he looks like he’s high as fuck.”
“Shit,” Smith hisses, jumping up. “I’ll see you around.”
He rushes off before I can reply and I watch him jog outside, wondering what the deal is with his brother. A plate full of biscuits and gravy lands on the table in front of me and I glance up as Chance sits down in the seat Smith just vacated.
“Red’s old lady makes the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had. You’re going to love ‘em,” he says, cutting one biscuit in half and shoving the whole thing in his mouth. Some gravy runs down his chin and I giggle as I wipe it away, shaking my head at him.
“You’re a mess.”
“Try the food,” he insists, pointing to my plate. “Then, you’ll understand.”
Pursing my lips to hide my smile, I cut into the biscuit and take a small bite before moaning. “Oh my God, that’s so good.”
“That’s what I’m sayin’, Princess.”
We eat in silence for a little while and when he shoves his plate away, he sighs and I turn to him.
“Why did Smith say I was family?” I ask. We’ve been to
gether for a little while, but Chance and I just started officially dating so it seems a little early to be throwing words like family around.
“Because you are. No one in this room is going to let anything bad happen to me or someone I love if they can do anything to stop it. By loving me, you also get all these guys. You ever need anything, all you gotta do is pick up a phone and they’d all be willing to help,” he says, gesturing to the men around the room and I sit back in my chair, watching them. It feels weird to think I have seven quasi brothers I can call if I ever need anything but it’s also nice. It’s more family than I’ve ever had in my life and something I desperately need in this moment.
“Let’s get started,” Blaze calls out from one of the open doorways. All the guys stand and start heading toward the door. I suck in a breath and stand up, adrenaline surging through my veins. Chance grabs my hand again and we walk into the room together. He leads me to one of the chairs and sits down before pulling me into his lap.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers in my ear again and I nod.
“All right,” Blaze says and a hush falls over the room. “You all know why we’re here.” A few guys nod and glance over at me. “Carly, I’m sorry your family is going through this but we’re all here for you. Your family is our family.”
“Thank you,” I say softly, nodding as my gaze sweeps over the room.
“Streak, why don’t you go ahead and get started?” Blaze suggests and Streak nods, standing up and setting a little white box down on the table. A couple guys chuckle and I look at Chance, who just shakes his head.
“Jesus, did you make another PowerPoint, Streak?” Fuzz asks, laughing and Streak shoots him a glare.
“Shut it, you’re going to be thanking me for this.”
I wring my hands together, unable to sit still and Chance holds me tighter as a white screen fills the back wall of the room. Streak sits down at his computer and after a few clicking noises, a photo of my sister in a gorgeous gold ballgown pops up on the screen. Her gray eyes sparkle as she laughs at something someone says and my heart aches.