My breath rushes out of me as I turn on my heel, lifting my head up. I meet eyes that I thought I’d never see again. He’s taller than he’d been at eighteen, broader with muscular arms and shoulders. Blonde hair to his shoulders with a short beard, dressed in denim, with a leather cut on his back.
The boy I’d known and loved was a biker, and he was here now. Standing in front of me. I’m struggling to make sense of everything.
My breath hitches again as memory after memory bombards me. He calls my name again and walks towards me.
I don’t have control of my limbs. I move towards him slowly at first, then I’m running and launching myself at him. He catches me, not that I’d had any doubt that he would. We kiss like it hasn’t been twenty-eight years since we’d last seen each other, and then I break.
Long-held grief at the years missed pours out of me as I bury my face in his neck and breathe in the scent of Garret and leather with a faint tinge of oil. I’m aware of him speaking to Siera and more bikers arriving, but I’m so deep in my head that I don’t pay attention to them. I know I’m safe in his arms. Arms that I’ve missed so much.
Another wave of grief and sadness flows over me. As if I’m afraid he’ll disappear I close my eyes I tighten my grip on Garret, and give myself up to it.
I don’t open them while Siera drives us somewhere, or when Garret carries me inside a house, closing a door behind us and shutting out the world. I don’t open them until he places me on a soft bed, keeping his arms tight around me as he presses a kiss to my forehead.
“Missed you so much, Angel. Finally, I’ve found you.”
“I’m so sorry, Garret. I hope you don’t hate me.”
“I could never hate you, Angel. We’ve got time for you to tell me where you’ve been.”
Exhaustion flows over me. I know it’s the effect of the adrenaline dump I’ve just had.
“So tired,” I mumble into his chest.
“Sleep baby, I’ll be here when you wake up,” Garret reassures me, rubbing his hands up and down my back.
I stop shaking and relax an inch at a time into his body, allowing sleep to take me. Trusting that he’d be here when I woke up.
Chapter 6
Axle
Angel falls asleep in my arms, clearly exhausted from the aftermath of her storm of tears. We can wait to find out what happened to us. I have a feeling that I’m not going to like whatever she has to tell me.
Pressing my lips to her head, I inhale her scent. Still the same as I remember; vanilla with a hint of something else I’ve never been able to place. It was comforting to me that not everything had changed about her.
When I was sure she was asleep, I slid out from under her and tugged her sneakers off, covering her in my blankets before I left the bedroom. I needed a minute.
Opening the front door, I step out onto the porch and into the twilight of early evening.
From my periphery, I see a movement and, unsurprisingly, find Roman sitting on his porch drinking what looks to be a glass of whiskey. Something he only does when he’s got something on his mind.
“Is she okay?” he asks.
“For now,” I reply, going to the chair on my porch and taking a seat with a weary sigh. I’m fucking exhausted. When I woke up today, I never expected it to end the way it did.
Glasses clink next door. Turning my head, I watch Roman walk from his place to mine carrying a bottle and two glasses. He climbs the steps and puts the glasses on the table next to me, filling them up and handing me one before he sits in my other chair. We sit silently, sipping at the malty goodness. Years of friendship meant we knew each other better than most. Neither of us spoke, but the company was still good. Although it was unusual for Roman to be silent for long.
After half an hour, I can’t take it anymore. “You okay brother? You’re pretty quiet.”
Roman nods, contemplating the glass he’s rolling on the table, watching the whiskey move along the sides. Picking it up he takes a sip, not meeting my eyes as he looks out over the land on which our houses are built. We’re near the end of the plot. Nobody would build on the other side of me; there is a place for one more house next to Roman. A wide road faces me, with marked lots available for brothers. The only brothers with Ol Ladies are the older ones, and they’ve opted to stay in their home away from the clubhouse.
Different generations, different times. Their expectations of what they allowed their Ol’ Ladies to see and know was vastly different to now. For me, I preferred the protection that having my brothers around me offered.
Roman speaks up, “Have to grow up brother.”
Barking out a laugh, I turn to my friend. “Been grown up for a while now, Roman.”
“Not you.” He shakes his head, resting his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low. He turns toward me. “Me. If I want a chance with her, then I’ve got to grow up.”