Page 38 of Taken With You

“You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to,” Harmony said quickly. “And even though Sienna’s the one that blurted that out, we didn’t mean to come over here and make you feel like we were attacking you.”

“Hey,” Sienna said.

“Don’t worry about it. I was thinking about how to tell you exactly what was going on anyway. You three coming over here made it easier for me and was so helpful.

“So, hi. My name’s Meadow.”

Sienna snorted. “Okay. We’re going to start with that. We love you, you know?” she said quickly.

“Thanks.” I let out a shuddering breath, my heart beating quickly even as my body warmed at that.

“We lost a friend because we didn’t ask the right questions,” Violet said softly. “And I know this is a completely different situation, but we’re here for you. Okay?”

A tear slipped from her eye, and she quickly wiped it off her cheek. I nodded and then gestured for them to follow me into the living room. “Let’s sit down. I’ll try to explain. Just don’t hate me after, okay?” I added quickly.

“I don’t think we could ever hate you, Meadow,” Harmony said.

“You don’t know who I was.”

I thought about the scar on my hip, the ones on Beckham. And I knew that scars dug themselves in deeply. The path you traveled left evidence behind. I needed to figure out where I was at the end of my journey, so while the scars might remain, I would still be able to figure out what I needed to say.

“I knew the people that came in and recognized Beckham.”

“Okay,” Violet said. “Did you know that Beckham knew them?”

I shook my head. “Let me start from the beginning.”

“We’re here,” Harmony said, reaching out and squeezing my hand. “We’ll always be here.”

And that’s why I could say what I needed to. Why I could do this.

I’d never had friends like these before. The people in my old life hadn’t been like this. Some in the club and on the periphery were able to form connections, but not me. I’d thought I had something with Coby, but that had been an unhealthy relationship that led to nothing but pain and heartache.

The girls in front of me deserved more. And I needed to be better for them.

So I’d tell them where I came from, who I’d been, and hopefully they could see who I was now.

Even if I wasn’t always sure who that was.

“I knew them because I was one of them once upon a time.”

“You were a biker?” Sienna asked incredulously, and I shrugged.

“That’s part of the culture. I didn’t have my own bike. I rode bitch. First behind my daddy when I was little, and then behind the boy I thought I’d fallen in love with.”

“Oh,” Violet said, looking at me wide-eyed.

“I know. That’s not who I am now. But that’s who I used to be. I grew up in the lifestyle. My dad was the president of an MC. And I thought it was the most amazing thing ever because while there’re some TV shows and things that show MCs in a bad light with all the illegal crap and overdramatization, there are some beautiful clubs out there that give to charities and help with bullying and many amazing things. They’re truly a family who do their best to make sure that the people in the club are taken care of. And they give back.” I let out a shaky breath. “When I was a little kid, that was ours. I don’t know when it all changed. Maybe when I was about fourteen or so. But people needed money, and new blood came in. They started doing things they shouldn’t. They weren’t on the right side of the law anymore, and I knew there were drugs involved—only not as many as some other clubs.” I let out a shaky breath, and the others looked at me.

“I’m sorry, Meadow,” Harmony whispered.

“Me, too. But that’s not the worst of it. As I mentioned, I met a boy. From a rival club. But it wasn’t much of a rivalry, it was just an MC that was close by. Coby was the son of their president and wanted to be the vice president. I didn’t really know much about it because it wasn’t the club I grew up in. I fell for him hard. He was everything to me. I thought he loved me. And he treated me like I was the princess that everyone thought I was.”

The girls looked at me, and I was grateful that they didn’t say anything. It was hard enough getting this out as it was.

“My dad used to hit my mom. Not all the time, but enough that it scared me. But he’d always apologize, and they’d be fine afterwards. My mom would slap me and hit me and make me feel like crap and force me to think about my body in ways I shouldn’t, especially as a way to get men. And so, when Coby treated me like a princess, I fell for it all. Then he hit me once, and then again, and I couldn’t get out. The times I tried to leave, it was even worse.”

“Oh, Meadow,” Violet said. She moved forward to sit next to me on the couch, and I was grateful. The girls sat next to each other on the loveseat, holding each other’s hands as they looked at me.