Chapter Forty-Two
One month later
The night before was the first time Hailey hadn’t woken up drenched in sweat, screaming, and it felt wonderful. The therapist had told her it would take time, but soon the nightmares of that terrifying night would begin to disappear. She couldn’t wait to meet with her therapist and let her know that she’d slept through the night unscathed.
“You ready to go?” Goldie asked.
“In a minute. I want to make sure Aunt Patty has everything she needs.” Her aunt had been released from Cherry Vale by Dr. Rudman just a few days before. Even though Patty was getting around well and had a nurse staying with her for another few weeks, Hailey still worried that she’d fall or need something and Hailey wouldn’t be around.
“You sure you’ll be okay without me here?” Hailey asked as she went into the bedroom.
Propped against the headboard with five pillows cushioning her, Patty laughed. “Yes, go. I’m good, and if I need anything at all, Lisa’s here. Have a good time.”
“All right. You have my number if anything comes up. I’ll see you later.”
Hailey bounced down the stairs and flew out the front door. As she walked toward Goldie, who straddled his bike, a fluttery feeling swirled inside her, as it usually did when she looked at him. He’d been her strength during the long month since Dr. Daniels had attacked her. Even though she loved Goldie madly, she also really liked him. When she’d told Rory that, her friend didn’t know what she was talking about, but Claudia had squeezed her hand and whispered, “That’s a rarity. He’s a keeper.” And he was. She had no intention of letting him slip away.
“Aunt Patty’s doing great,” she said as she climbed behind him. Clutching him tightly, they pulled away from the curb. The first rush of air, the wind whirling around her, and the scent of oil and leather always hit her hard, and she loved it. She wanted so badly to tell Ryan how freeing it was to ride on a motorcycle, but they didn’t talk about bikes or Goldie. After she’d told Ryan how Goldie had saved her life, she’d hoped it would fix what was broken between her brother and his best friend, but it didn’t. Ryan had sent a quick e-mail thanking Goldie, but that was all. Goldie was never mentioned in their conversations, and when she’d bring him up or gush about him, Ryan would feign bad interference and end the call.
At the stoplight, Goldie looked at her over his shoulder, and she stretched forward and kissed him tenderly. He’d been so patient with her when she didn’t want to do anything except have him hold her. The past few days, she’d finally been able to make love to him again, and it thrilled her beyond belief.
They went for a ride through the desert landscape, ending up at a small bright pink restaurant set atop a hill on the edge of the county line. Floor-to-ceiling windows all around made for a spectacular view of the desert and the mountains.
The hostess seated them at a table for two next to the window, where the red rock formations glowed under the setting sun’s rays. Hailey looked up from her menu, meeting Goldie’s intense eyes.
“What’re you staring at? Do I have dust all over my face?”
“No dust. You’re perfect.”
“That’s nice to hear, but I wouldn’t say perfect,” she replied.
“You’re so beautiful, Hailey. You’ve been so strong since that fuckin’ night. In my world, strength is admired.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said softly.
“We complement each other. We have each other’s backs. We have a helluva good time. And we fuck real good together.”
“Anything else?” she said winking.
“That about covers it. I never thought I’d settle down with a woman. You ground me, and it feels fuckin’ fantastic.” He reached out and clutched her hand.
“I can’t believe how fate brought you back into my life.”
“And it was all because you wanted a tat on your sexy ass. I wanna give you another tattoo. I’d love to cover you in them.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I don’t know about covered, but I’d love to have another tattoo. I was thinking either on the back of my neck or on my ankle.”
“Why not both?”
“You’re right. Why not? My parents won’t like it, but parents aren’t supposed to like stuff like that, right?”
“I don’t know. My mom had some ink, and my dad had a ton of it. Anyway, if you want to do it, it’s your skin. I think you’d look wicked sexy in more tattoos.” He leaned across the table and kissed her deeply.
“I love the way you kiss me,” she murmured.
He reclined back in the chair. “We gotta get our own place,” he said.
Excitement flooded through her as she sat up straight. “You want us to live together?”
“Yeah. Now that your aunt’s home, I’m not that comfortable being there all the time, and you got too many purses, shoes, clothes and other stuff to live at the clubhouse, so I thought we should get a house. They have some nice ones over by Las Cruces Road. You wanna check them out this weekend?”
“Definitely.”
“So you’re down with it?”
“I’d love to live with you,” she answered.
“That’s good. Do you want to take it one step further and be my old lady?” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, gazing into her eyes.
“Is that like going steady?” Hailey had read up on the term in her research about the biker clubs, but she didn’t quite see herself as someone else’s “property.” She saw wearing the cut in the same way as wearing a promise ring.
“It’s way more than that. It means you belong to me and I belong to you, through all the good and bad times in life. I’ll always have your back and you mine. We’re entwined and will be until our last ride.”
It sounds like a proposal. “I don’t really understand everything about your world, but I’m willing to try. If wearing a leather vest means we’re bound to each other, I’m down for it. I’ll wear it proudly.”
“I love you,” he said, leaning over and planting a big kiss on her lips.
“Me too,” she said, kissing him back.
After a delicious meal of steaks and baked potatoes, they walked hand-in-hand into the night. When they arrived at his Harley, he opened the saddlebags and took out a black vest, handing it to her. “This is your cut that has my patch. I never thought I’d give a woman my patch, but I’ve never loved a woman before you.”
Turning it around, she saw the words “Property of Goldie” in white embroidery. A grin spread across her lips. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Fuck yeah.”
He helped her slip it on over her halter top. The buttery softness of the leather was cool against her skin. A shiver skated down her spine as she folded the cut around her. The pride in Goldie’s eyes almost had her bawling, but she blinked rapidly as she looked down at the ground to ward off her tears.
“You wanna go to Arrow Lake?” he said thickly.
“I’d love to.” Making love to him under the stars seemed like the perfect way to end their evening.
“I want you naked except for my cut, babe.” He swung his leg over his bike and she climbed on.
As they left the lights and noise of the town behind, Hailey tilted her head back, smiling at the cluster of stars that speckled the inky sky. The wind rushed around and darkness surrounded them, and she was on top of the world. She’d been there since that night she walked into his ink shop.
Life was funny. She had been rambling along, doing what she was supposed to do, and then in came Goldie, turning her life upside down. And ordinary was no longer enough.
Goldie, her first real crush when she was a kid, and now her grown-up love.
When they arrived at the lake, Goldie’s desire-filled eyes held hers as he eased her down on the blanket. When he slowly moved his lips down her body, kissing and biting her skin, she looped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
He was her rock, her love, her life. And they’d hold onto each other no matter how rough the ride got.
She was finally where she’d always wanted to be, and she was never letting go.