“I’ve been wanting to meet the girl who stole Bear’s heart. I’ve known him for a couple of years before he came to this club, and he is the same as he was before. Never got close to anyone and now here he is, with a girl,” Hawk says.
“I wanted to meet the new mechanic. I heard it was a girl and wanted to know who would be working on my bike. Pres told us not to come and talk to you in case you got scared. I’m happy we get to meet you now.” Jaws smiles at me.
“Well, I am on a tight schedule before Bear comes back. She knows you now, so don’t be afraid to come and say hi,” Gears says.
All of the men laugh before they say goodbye, and they say that they will talk to me later. I wave as Gears guides me toward another group of guys.
“Hello, brothers. I need to make this quick before Bear comes back. This is Brooke, and you can say hi to her anytime you want to,” Gears says.
The group says hello. After their greetings, Gears takes me toward a wall and looks at me.
“I didn’t tell you their names because I honestly don’t know them. Most of them are prospects, and we just call them ‘prospect’. If any of them make you uncomfortable, either come to me, Ink, Bear, Whiskey, or Pres, and we will handle it,” Gears says.
I nod. I don’t think I will ever remember all their names anyway. I have a hard time remembering names, but I can remember faces.
“Hello, dear. I am Jaws’ Old Lady. I just wanted to say welcome back, and I look forward to seeing you around. My name is Cecilia, and if any of the boys are giving you trouble, just come to me and I will put them in their places,” Cecilia says, giving me a hug.
I smile at her, and she walks away. Several other people come and go, telling me that they are happy I am back and safe. They also can’t want to get to know me better.
I am growing tired, but there are still more people coming up to say hello. I didn’t know that the club was this big. My legs are aching the longer I stand on them. I don’t want to tell Gears because he looks so happy to introduce me to people, but at the same time, I hope that this ends soon, so I can get off my feet.
“All right, that’s it for tonight. Brooke needs her rest. I am taking her upstairs,” Bear says.
I let out the breath I was holding. Bear hadn’t been here the whole time, and it was super overwhelming without him. Gears was next to me, but he isn’t Bear.
Bear wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. I let out a sigh of contentment and snuggle into him more.
“I don’t want you guys to overwhelm her, so she will be taking it easy,” Bear says.
Several people say okay, and the rest nod. I step out of Bear’s arms and turn toward Gears. I give him a smile and wave, but before I can walk toward the stairs, Gears has his arms wrapped around my body, giving me a hug. We hug for a couple of seconds before he lets me go.
“You have tomorrow off, guaranteed, but you also have until you feel better to come back to work, but don’t take too long. It hasn’t been the same without you,” he says. “Goodnight.”
Gears walks to a group of guys. Gears has grown on me, and I enjoy his company. He is fun to work with and is super nice.
“Ready to go upstairs?” Bear asks.
I nod. He wraps his arm around my waist, and we start walking toward the stairs. I am dreading going upstairs. Walking on flat ground is hard enough with my aching muscles; I know stairs will be harder.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Bear asks.
I shake my head. I want to try before Bear helps me. As much as I love him helping me, I need to push myself a little to try and get better, even if it hurts. I lift my right leg and set it on the first step. I hoist my body up and take another step, but my body leans backward and starts to fall. I let out a little shriek, but I hit a hard, big chest behind me.
“I’ve got you. How about I carry you up the stairs?” he says.
I nod and wait for him to pick me up. I have to listen to my body. Bear picks me up bridal style and starts climbing the stairs. I snuggle into his arms and close my eyes.
“You can’t fall asleep yet,” he says.
I crack my eyes open and give him a smile. He laughs. We make it into his room, and he places me on the bed. I watch him as he changes into some comfortable clothes.
“Do you want to change?” he asks.
I look down at what I am wearing. I am wearing sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt with a scarf around my neck. I shake my head and start to take off the scarf.
“How about we lie down and talk for a little bit before we go to bed?” he asks.
“Sure,” I reply.
