I’ve fucked everything up.
I haven’t approached her today. To be honest, I’ve been fighting myself to keep from it. I need to talk to her, though. I need to try and make this right. I want Beau in my life. I want to explore this pull I have toward her, and I want to see my son have more of the happiness I see on his face right now. I want all of that and more.
I watch as the cake and ice cream are passed around. My gaze keeps glued to Beau. Several guys are openly flirting with her. I’m not positive she picks up on it. I do notice that she treats them all like family. That’s probably the only thing that keeps me from taking their heads off. I also notice that Callum is the only man she seems entirely comfortable around. There’s a rapport between them that is completely familial. I ate her food, and it was damn good—especially the chocolate stuff that Slider was raving about. She’s apparently not only spectacular at painting vehicles, but also cooking, sucking cock, and fucking a man while wringing multiple orgasms from him.
Christ, I fucking screwed up.
I let my thoughts fade as I watch a gray Dodge truck with a white box trailer pulling up. The trailer has Beau’s Customs painted in bright red letters on the side. “Son, can you come up here a minute?” Gordo says once he’s standing at the door of the trailer. I stand watching as Slider walks to his dad. “Beau, I think you should be here, too. Since this gift is from both of us.”
Fuck, she is in a relationship with him.It feels like acid is moving through my blood, burning me. I’ve let this shit go on too long. I should have made her speak to me the same day she drove away from the clubhouse. I look at the son of a bitch standing there proudly calling out to the woman who should have been mine.
Fuck that shit.She will be mine.
“Not on your life,” Beau laughs waving her hand as if to ward him off. “This is all you. I just prettied it up a bit,” she saysrefusing to join him. That’s a good thing. It might be the only thing that saves his damn life.
“What’s going on?” Slider asks.
Gordo opens the back of the trailer steps inside and then he’s rolling out a brand-new Yamaha Raptor 90. It’s a kid’s dream I’m sure—I know because I got Ty one a while back. What makes this one so nice is the custom paint job that I instantly know is Beau’s handiwork. It’s a blue metal flake, but there’s an airbrushed complicated design of a baseball and a trail of fire on the front fender. The back fender, however, has his nickname Slider written on it in the prettiest opal paint I’ve ever seen. It’s done with such care it looks like the name is bursting out of the fender and coming closer to you with each letter. It’s fucking gorgeous.
Slider is moving his hands over it, hugging his dad and looks blown away. He says something to Gordo. I don’t catch it. What does get my attention is the way he runs to Beau and hugs her, wrapping his arms around her tight. “I love it, Beau,” he breathes. I can’t see his face, but Beau is facing me and even from the distance between us, I can see her smile. I don’t know what she tells him, since everyone starts clamoring around them. It doesn’t matter. I saw the happiness that enveloped her features.
I’d already decided, but now? Now, I’m making myself a fucking vow. I will be the man in Beau’s life and somehow, I will get us to the point that I’m the reason she’s that happy every fucking day. Yes, I’m going to give my boy a woman in his life who will cherish his hugs like she clearly does Slider’s. That’s one reason, but it’s more than that. I want to be the man who gets her in every way imaginable.
Beau will belong to me—heart, mind, bodyandmotherfucking soul.
Chapter 5
Beau
I thoughtthe party had gone well. I mostly ignored Apex’s flirting. Slider was happy and I enjoyed it—even with Hunter being close by. I felt his eyes on me often. I spent my time doing my best to avoid looking at him and ignoring how having his gaze centered on me made me feel. Luckily, I was successful in my endeavor.
“We need to talk.”
I let out a slight scream, as I slam the door to my car. When I manage to get my heartbeat to slow down so I don’t stroke out, I look in my rearview mirror and give Hunter the stink eye. I have enough anger inside of me that I find myself hoping I can channel Medusa and turn him into stone just by looking back at him in the rearview mirror. Sadly, this doesn’t happen.
“How did you get in my car?” I grit out. My body vibrating with a mixture of anger, fear and yes, some excitement.Damn it.
“You left it unlocked. That’s not really safe, even in our small town, Harper.”
“Get out,” I order. Pissed at his gentle reminder. I don’t leave my doors unlocked—at least not normally. I know better than anyone how that can be bad—very bad.Still, I must have gotten distracted when the men came over. I look over toward the partyto see whose attention I can get. At the moment, I really hate that my windows are all tinted dark. If my boys looked over and saw Hunter was in here, they’d rescue me.I really needed them to rescue me right now.
“We’re going to talk. It’s past time,” he announces.
“Where’s Ty?” I ask. “Shouldn’t you be paying attention to your son and not me?” I huff.
“Ty is with Gordo and Slider. He’s going home with him and I’m going to pick him up later.”
“You pawned off your son to?—”
“I have been the sole parent to my son since I was seventeen. I’ve never pawned him off.Not once.I’ve had a lot of help raising him from my family, but make no mistake Harper, it has always been me and my son, and he has always come first,” Hunter bites out. It’d take a fool not to hear his anger and I’m not a fool—at least not this time.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that,” I respond, ashamed of my words. Even I know what a great father Hunter has been to his kid. Skull and Torch talk about it freely.
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have,” he answers, which kind of pisses me off even more than I already was. Before I can let loose of that anger, however, he speaks up again. “Although, I figure I deserve it because I was a dick to you.”
“A colossal dick,” I mutter.
“A stupid colossal dick,” he adds, which was an even better description.
