Ryder rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess it’s a good thing y’all are here, because that is way over my fucking head.”
“I’ll teach you. A man should be able to take apart his bike and put it back together.” I grabbed my toolbox and pulled over a couple of stools.
“I’ll leave ya to it. If you need anything, just holler.” Abel patted Ryder on the shoulder. “It’s good to meet you, son.”
“Thanks.” Ryder was staring at the engine compartment, confused as hell.
“Don’t worry, we have all the parts in stock. You’ll be back on the road in a few hours.”
Time for some father-son bonding at its finest.
I motioned to Ozzy as he walked out of the back room.
“Mornin’ Holt.” Ozzy raised his coffee mug up to us.
“It’s one in the afternoon.” I blinked at the grizzly roughneck as he narrowed his eyes at me.
“It’s mornin’ for me,” he replied defensively. “What do you need?”
I handed him the parts list I had scribbled down while Abel and I checked out the motorcycle. “It’s all here.”
Ozzy grunted. “Don’t we have prospects to do the grunt work?”
“I don’t see any, and you’re just boondoggling around here like a schmuck. This is Ryder, by the way.” I motioned to the kid as he took Ozzy’s hand.
“Ryder, good to meet you. I’m Ozzy.”
“Likewise.”
We hadn’t told anyone else about the situation or plan. Until it could be brought to the table after Ryder said yes, I didn’t want rumors to fly or the news of new blood in the family to get back to anyone who shouldn’t know about Ryder. If we were going to make this work, the less people who knew about it, the better.
“So, Ryder…” I hated small talk, but I didn’t know what else to do while he sat there watching me take the engine of his bike apart. “Where’d you and your mom end up?”
“You don’t have to do this.” His eyes were soft as he wiped grease off his hands onto an old rag.
“Do what?”
“Do the whole getting-to-know-me thing. I mean, at the end of the day, we’re just two strangers who have a weird connection. This was probably a bad idea.” The way he looked so defeated made me want to try even harder. It was a weird situation, but I was his father, and I needed to at least try to get to know the guy.
“I’m not doing anything. Look, kid, I have no idea what I am doing here. I don’t know what to say or ask. I just know I was robbed of being your dad for nineteen years. You’re grown, and I fucking get that. You don’t need a father but I can at least be your friend, and we can try to get to know each other.”
“Okay. I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas—lived there my whole life. A little over a year ago, I moved to Atlanta for a welding apprenticeship, but the company downsized last month and I was laid off. Figured it was time for another change. I hopped on my stallion and here I am. I don’t know what the fuck to do with my life at this point. There’s nothing to go back to, and I have no idea where I’m going. That’s me in a nutshell.” By the time he was done rambling, I had the compressor and fuel pump out and ready for the replacements.
“Your mom still in Lawrence?” I asked before taking a swig of my beer.
Ryder’s lips pursed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s currently a resident of the Alpha Recovery Center out there. Here’s hoping tenth time is the charm.”
That stung. I knew what it was like to have a junkie for a mother. At least Pauline was still alive, but I hated that my kid had to grow up in a similar situation to what I had.
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.
He shrugged. “At least she’s getting help, right?”
I handed him a fresh beer from the cooler. “My mom lost the battle right before I met your mother. So, know that when I say I know what you’re going through, it ain’t me just blowing smoke up your skirt.”
“You like working here?” It was palpable how much Ryder wanted to talk about anything else in the damn world.
“Don’t know anything different. Abel’s old man had me start working here when I moved in with them in high school, and I’ve been a grease monkey ever since. I also help run our bar, the one that you stumbled into the other day.”
