“I’ve never let anyone on my bike before,” is his response.
And the hesitation I had before is pushed away. Relief washes over me, though I’m not really sure why. That isn’t something I was worried about, but it’s nice knowing that I’m the only one. That this is something special to him, and he wants to do it with me. I’m pretty sure it means something when you’re in an MC, but I don’t want to deal with the explanation right now. I wouldn’t retain any of it anyway.
“I’d love to,” I say.
“You’ll have to use my helmet,” he starts, walking down the steps. I don’t miss the excitement in his voice. “I don’t have an extra, but if you like it, I’ll get you one. This one will be a little big, but I’ll strap it tight so it doesn’t fall off. And I’m a good driver, so don’t worry about us crashing or anything.”
“Well, I wasn’t until you mentioned it.” I reach for the helmet, but he pulls it away, causing me to frown.
“I’ll do it. Come here.”
I step toward him, biting on my lip as he moves my hair back and settles the helmet on my head. It is big, but he tightens the straps so it’s snug.
“You look hot as fuck,” he murmurs, and my heart skips a beat. “You good to get on?”
I blink a few times, then turn to the bike. “Uh, maybe?”
He chuckles as he gets on, throwing his leg over the bike, which has his worn jeans tightening in some really good places. My eyes dip to his thick thighs, then to his ass, and I feel my cheeks heat. I’m totally checking him out. Not that I don’t all the time but today feels different. Seeing him get on his bike? Is it supposed to be so hot?
He looks at me over his shoulder. “You going to get on?”
I huff a laugh, then try to repeat what he did, only it’s not as smooth. I shift a few times to get comfortable, then slide my arms around his waist and rest my cheek on his back.
His large hand goes to my thigh, squeezing gently. “It’ll get easier the more you do it.”
That’s true for many things… I hope.
Grizz’s house isn’t far from the town line. Norden isn’t much bigger than Pinehaven, but it has more options for shopping. There’s a small plaza we pull into, and when he turns the bike off, my body is buzzing. Not only from the vibration of the bike, but the adrenaline from being on it at all.
I get the helmet off and he settles it on the bike, taking my hand before walking toward the shops. I’d told him what I wanted to get, and he said he knew just the place. Now, as we walk toward this baby boutique, I wonder how he knew about this at all.
I haven’t thought to ask him if he has kids of his own. He could. They could be old enough to be on their own or maybe living with their mother. I’ve been so busy dealing with my own stuff and the baby that I haven’t thought much about what I know about him, and I don’t think that’s fair. I haven’t given him much attention, and that doesn’t sit right with me.
Before we head inside, I tug on his hand, moving away from the door.
He’s frowning when he looks at me. “What’s wrong?”
I shake my head. “Nothing, I just wanted to say thank you for taking me here. I feel like I don’t tell you that enough.”
“Angel, you don’t have to tell me at all,” He says, putting his hands on my waist. “I know it. By the way you look at me. Trust me, I know.”
All I can do is smile, because if I talk, I’m going to cry again.
As we walk into the store, I tell myself that if this trip is successful, I’ll suggest dinner. Somewhere nice that we can talk and get to know one another better.
The store has a calming smell to it, nothing overwhelming, just simple and sweet. It’s not a big building, so it’s easy to see all the way to the back wall. There are racks with baby clothes hanging on them. To the right is mostly pastel blue, while the left is pastel pink. There’s yellow and white mixed in as well, but I love the way it looks. Everything is just so calm and sweet.
There are paintings and pictures along the walls. Shoes. Bibs. Blankets. In the back corner are some furniture pieces with a sign stating they’re handmade. They are beautifully crafted.
Grizz follows me to the section with pumps and bottles. This was the whole reason I wanted to come here. Kelsey was right about what she said to me earlier. Deciding to give my baby a bottle won’t hurt anyone. She’s still eating, and I still plan to breastfeed and give her breast milk. Even if I choose to do formula, there's nothing wrong with that. I’m still taking care of her, still making sure she gets everything she needs. Taking care of myself along the way doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’m being smart. Taking care of myself so that I can take care of her better.
There are two options for bottles that are made for babies who are breastfeeding, and instead of stressing myself out over which one to pick, I just grab one. Grizz grabs the other and puts them into the basket too. I give him a questioning look.
“This way she has options. In case she doesn’t like them.”
“Good idea,” I say as I just about melt.
We grab everything else we need and put it into the basket Grizz will not let me carry.
