Hawk
I shouldn’t be shocked.
I knew she was here. I knew there was a chance that I’d run into her. See her. But knowing and actually seeing are entirely two different things. Tessa Reese, the one who literally got away, is standing in front of me. She is still so fucking beautiful, she takes my breath away.
“Tessa?” Hearing her name roll off my lips seems foreign. Other than that one time I had mentioned my feelings I had for her to Sin, I haven’t spoken her name in seven years. I think the last time I said it, I was sitting next to her hospital bed, begging for her to wake up. I didn’t know that visit would be the last time I would see her.
Until now.
I try to regain my composure as I stand from my chair. Her eyes blink in rapid flutters like she’s trying to determine if I’m real or not. Without another thought, I move my ass and haul my girl into my arms. As soon as I feel my fingers weave through her hair, I’m fucking home.
“Fuck I missed you,” I say more for myself than for her.
When I don’t feel her wrap her arms around me in return, I know something isn’t right. Pulling back, she has a look of pure terror on her face. The pinkness of her cheeks is gone, and it looks as though she’s finding it hard to breathe. She retreats from my arms and takes a step back.
“Tessa? Hey…” When I step forward, she throws up her arms to stop me from coming any closer. What the fuck? Why the hell is she frightened of me?
She drops her hands when she’s confident that I’m not moving then she gets me a closed-lip smile, one that I don’t recognize. “Hi, Hawk.” The sound of her voice makes my stomach drop. There were so many things that I loved about Tessa Reese when we were younger, number one being her fucking voice…
“Don’t be a pansy ass, Hawk.” Sin picks up a rock from the empty lot and chucks it at my head, barely grazing my hat.
“Why the hell would I be a pansy ass? It’s called supporting friends. Besides, Sienna asked me to go with her. You think your dad is going to allow her to go without you or your brother? I mean, if you’re mad because Sienna asked me to go and not you, be my guest. Take your sister.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, you’re funny. There’s no way I’d be caught dead in a place like that.”
“What place?”
Looking up I see Cut and Lick walking through the lot that runs between the clubhouse and the new shop that the MC has started to build.
“This motherfucker wants to go to a pansy ass choir competition,” Matthew says between laughter, sighing as he tries to catch his breath.
“I didn’t say I wanted to go. I said that Sienna asked me to go with her.”
“Why the hell would you tell her you’d go?” Lick asks.
“Fuck. Never mind. I thought I would take one for the team because we all know that Devin isn’t going to allow Sienna to go alone. I didn’t know Sin would make such a big deal about me going and not him.”
“Hell, I’d rather him go. I know Dad will make me go if no one else does,” Cut says.
“What’s all the fuss about?” Sienna asks as she comes walking up.
“Hawk wants to go watch Tessa sing tonight,” Sin tells her.
“Yeah, and why aren’t you going too? Aren’t you guys friends?” Sienna crosses her arms over her chest and gives her brother the death stare. When he doesn’t answer, she rolls her eyes and clears her throat. “I’m waiting, Matthew.”
“Shit Sienna, friend or not, there’s no way I’m sitting through that shit. You two go. Keep me out of it.” He throws his hand in the air before walking back towards his house.
“You don’t have to go, Hawk. I can ask one of the other guys. If no one wants to go, I’m sure my dad will make it happen.”
“No, it’s cool.”
“Jesus, kid. When the hell are you going to grow some balls?” Lick smacks me on the shoulder as him and Cut follow Sin back to the house.
They can make fun of me all they want, but there’s no way I’m missing the chance to hear her sing.
There are two times in my life when I remember crying. The first time was when I was six years old, and my father told me that my mother was never coming back. The second time was when I was fifteen, sitting in the auditorium and listening to Tessa. I thought hearing her laugh was my favorite sound. I was wrong.
It was her singing.