A grin pops on her face. “I like you just the way you are.”
Fuck. That makes my chest tight and it twists my stomach but in a good way.
“They fixed the bed,” I state, handing her the key to her room, “Thought you’d want some privacy.”
She stares at it. “Hmm, sure.”
Around noon, after a morning shift at the bar, I go back to my room and pull my phone out. The cavernous urge to call her dad is bigger than me. Someone needs to and I think he will listen to me. I dial and tuck the phone to my ear.
“Papa Wilder,” I say as he picks up on the first ring.
“Hey kid, how are you doing?” his low, bass voice echoes from the other side of the line and a calmness settles within me.
“I’m good. I was hoping to see you but you sent us a surprise this year.”
“I sure did. Is she doing okay?” I hear his concern immediately.
“Yeah, better than okay, I think she’s fallen in love with this place. Besides, she’s a Wilder, badass runs in your genes.”
He laughs at the speaker. “I’m sure it does.”
“Listen, can you do me a favor?” I take a deep breath, hoping he would agree.
“Humor me, kid.”
“She needs you to be here, not only for her but for yourself.” There’s a moment of silence before I continue. “Before you tell me no, I got some beers, a nice view of the best show, and a million stories and jokes my dad would gladly provide.”
“You had me at beers.” He jokes. “But mostly because she needs me.”
“Thanks, Jim. It’ll mean a lot to her.”
“I’ll be there in a few hours.”
I can’t wait to see the look on her face.
She just went for a ride with her friends, our friends. I’ve come to like them. Brook and I have some things in common and he is a part of the stunts squad I’ve been teaching this summer. They’re not so bad after all.
Maybe I’m finally ready to give others a shot. I can’t let the fear of losing people hinder me when I crave the samefriendships like the ones I had with people who meant a great deal to me, besides the biker squad that I get to see now and then.
Blakely
Idrop the kickstand down and climb off my bike as I take my helmet off. “Bye guys, I have a small tattoo job this evening, thank you for the ride.”
“Yeah guys,” Meadow’s voice pops from behind me, “Wilder needs to work.” He hauls me across his shoulders, tucking his arm around my legs as I hold his chest with mine.
“Okay,” they laugh, “See you later,” Brook says before they fall into conversation with some other bikers.
“What are you doing?” I shove my mouth to his ear.
He moves as if I tickled him and giggles. “I’m pissing on my territory.”
I stare at his profile, entranced by his playful smile. “Are you a dog?”
“Your loyal guardian at your service.” He strides away fromThe Garage,crossing the road.
I roll my eyes, feeling every bump in my ribcage. “You’re a psycho.”
“I’m fun,” he goes toward the convenience store and starts tickling me, “Admit it.”
