Page 60 of Mending Me
“Hey there, you look beautiful tonight.” Her cheeks flushed the slightest bit and I pulled her in to kiss one.
“Thank you,” she mused as she scrunched her nose at me.
“Do you have everything?”
“Yep!” She flashed me the small bag she was carrying that had been tucked behind her hip.
“What book are you reading now?” I raised my eyebrows at her as I asked the question.
“A spicy one about a soldier,” she winked at me before tucking her purse into the saddlebag on my bike. I chuckled at her and stood up. Reaching into the other saddlebag on my bike, I pulled out her riding jacket that I always kept there. She had ridden with me a few times now and knew that I wouldn’t take us anywhere until she had her jacket and her helmet on. I held up the jacket for her as she slipped both her arms inside. Spinning her around to face me, I reached for the zipper and pulled it all the way up until it reached under her chin. Then, I unlatched her helmet from the backseat and turned towards her again. She was waiting on me with a cheeky expression.
“What?” I questioned looking down at her.
“Nothing…” she paused for a beat, “I just appreciate how you take care of me.” My heart squeezed at her words.
“I’ll always take care of you, hermosa?1. You’re everything to me and I will always do anything I can to show you how much I mean that. I want you to know that you’re safe with me.”
“I know. I’m just very thankful for it. For you.” Her words came out with a twang and I smiled to myself. Careful of her hair, I shimmied the helmet down on her head and took in her eyes whose color rivaled that of the deepest parts of the sea. I reached my finger in and tapped her nose before pulling her now protected head towards my lips so I could press them to the forehead part of her helmet. She giggled underneath it and I winked at her as I flipped the face shield down for her.
Once I had taken my seat, she placed herself behind me and wrapped her arms around my chest. I gave her a pat on herthigh, my signal to her that I was about to pull away, and revved the accelerator. We pulled away from the curb at last and headed off towards Kolbi’s.
Hours had passedand the guys and I had finally made it past the Golem (a massive rock creature that was conjured up by our seemingly spiteful dungeon master). As we played, Bailey sat on the couch in the other room and read her book, only coming in when she was grabbing a drink or asking us if we needed anything. I could tell Kolbi and Malcolm liked her by the way they spoke to her, but Conrad was still distant. It took him time to warm up to new people so I chalked his behavior up to that.
Before leaving, she gave each of my friends a friendly hug and thanked them for allowing her to join us tonight. Kolbi gave her a peck on the cheek and told her she was always welcome. Malcolm held her close a second longer than what I was comfortable with and Conrad held his body stiff as a board as if she was a carrier for the plague. She then looped her hand into mine and we both waved to everyone before heading out the front door.
As we rode across the bridge on my bike, the night sky was dark and the moon reflected off of the water. She kept her arms wrapped tightly around my torso as we sped down the highway towards my apartment. I felt her turn her head and lean against my back. I grabbed her hand for a moment and held it in mine, relishing in the feelings doing so brought me. When we passed by another person on a motorcycle, we both gave them a low wave. After pulling into the parking lot of my complex, she slid herself off the seat and I followed closely behind her, standing from my bike and helping her remove her helmet. Once herjacket was tucked away and I pulled the cover over my bike, we headed towards my apartment.
Our hands were intertwined and she had her arm looped around mine as we walked in silence. This was something I loved about her; she didn’t need to say anything at all and you could still feel her presence around you.
“It sounded like a good night tonight,” she started, looking up at me as we climbed the stairs to my place.
“Yeah it was. Kolbi is insane with what his brain comes up with,” I laughed thinking about how Conrad and Malcolm had become fused together by a wizard after he wouldn’t take their bribe.
“I always love listening to you guys play—” Her words were cut off by another voice. One that cut me to my core and made my heart stop all at the same time. One I hadn’t heard since I left this city with nothing but a backpack and a fresh set of fatigues.
“Hey, Son.”
1 beautiful
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BAILEY
Iturned my head from Hank towards the voice I’d never heard before. Standing just outside of his apartment door was a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties and strikingly similar to Hank. His face was more mature than Hank’s due to his age and he had a scar just over his left eye that couldn’t be missed. His eyes were sunken and his skin was thick like leather. My eyes shot to Hank who wore a grim expression and he slowly moved to place himself between me and the man waiting on us, tucking his arm around me to push me further behind him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Hank’s voice came out low and serious.
“Now that’s no way to greet your old man after all this time,” the man jeered with a cocky smile and brought his arms away from himself as if he was opening up for a hug. My insides started to boil as I realized this was Hank’s father, the man who beat him so badly growing up he had a back full of scars to prove it. His eyes flashed from Hank to me before he spoke again, “And who is this? You sure are beautiful, aren’t you sweetheart.” He took a step towards me but Hank blocked him with his body.
“Don’t talk to her, don’t even look at her,” he warned, swatting his dad’s arm away from me. “You need to leave, now.”
“Now, Son, come on. I know it’s been a long time but it doesn’t have to be like this. You ran off as soon as you turned eighteen and then didn’t even tell me you came home. How do you think that made me feel?” His dad’s words came out in a fake, sympathetic tone that made my belly do a flip. Part of my brain was telling me I should be scared, but I wasn’t. Hank was here and I knew he would protect me. Part of me wanted to protect him too.
“Ran off?” Hank barked. “More like escaped from Hell.”
I stepped out from behind him and spoke. “I believe Hank told you to leave. I think it’s best you do that, sir.” The man’s head fell backward as he laughed at me.
“The ‘sir’ is entirely unnecessary, it’s Javier to you,darlin’,” he mocked my Southern accent and I felt my face flush.
