6. Tate
6
TATE
Thumper looks exactly like he did the last time I saw him—like an asshole. He isn’t a bad-looking guy. I’m sure the ladies who hang out at the club are all too willing to spread their legs for him.
But his attitude makes him ugly. The man is full of himself. He thinks he’s the creator’s gift to the world.
Bleh.
He lifts a leg, climbing off the back of his bike like he’s the hulk. “I made record time,” he says without making eye contact with me.
Had Wylder told him about me? He has to know we are dabbling in some sort of relationship, right? I mean, no one in my family does anything without everyone knowing. I can’t imagine word doesn’t spread from Cheryl’s lips like wildfire.
Thumper moves to the back of the bike and reaches into a leather bag he has hooked to the side. Just as he sticks his hand inside, he turns his head and his eyes land on me.
At first, he doesn’t say anything. I don’t either.
I stand as still as possible with my eyes narrowed. I won’t show any fear. Although, the last time I laid eyes on him, I wasn’t sure I’d ever draw another breath. Maybe if I don’t move, I’ll blend into the background somehow.
“What the…” he starts, and I know my plan didn’t work.
Duh.
“Don’t start,” Wylder warns, his body visibly becoming rigid as he moves himself in front of me.
But I, being the nosy bitch I am and unable to back down from anything, including a fight, take one step to the left.
Thumper’s eyes narrow into little slits like he’s stalking prey as he steps away from the bike but doesn’t pull out the much-needed part. “Brother, is that Tate, or am I seeing shit?”
“Don’t make me kick your ass for a second time in as many months. I don’t have the energy this morning.”
Thumper lets out a loud, long chuckle. “I’m sober, and the other time, I wasn’t. You couldn’t knock me on my ass when my body isn’t swaying.”
Wylder crosses his arms, his body still tight and every muscle bulging. “Wanna bet?”
“I don’t feel like riding back with bruised ribs.” Thumper swipes his hand through the air, waving his brother off. “It’s not worth it. You can fuck whoever you want to fuck, but,” he says, raising his hand and pointing a meaty finger at me, “I’d watch out for that one.”
Oh boy.
Wylder takes a step forward, the veins on the side of his neck popping out.
“Wylder,” I say, reaching out to touch his arm, but he moves too far away and stalks right up to Thumper.
As soon as they’re eye to eye, my heart starts to race double time. Nothing about this is good. While I’m certain Wylder would win in a fight, I don’t want to watch the two of them beat each other over me.
“It’s fine, Wylder. Let Thumper think what he wants,” I say as they snarl at each other. I fully expect them to start foaming at the mouth with all the noises coming from them. “It’s not worth it.”
“Yeah, Wylder. Listen to the woman,” Thumper taunts with a shitty smirk.
“ My woman,” Wylder states with a firmness to his voice that has my knees going weak.
Thumper takes a step back, his eyes roaming from Wylder to me and back to Wylder. “ Your woman?” he asks with a raised eyebrow, looking as shocked as I feel.
We still haven’t had a talk about what we are to each other. I’m not sure we’re at that mine and yours part of the relationship yet.
In all honesty, I’m not even mad about it either. We’re beyond the age where we need to have “the talk” to define what we are to each other…right?
Wylder closes the space between them again, and all I can do is watch as panic climbs up my throat, replacing the momentary flutter of the previous statement. “I know what happened in the past, and if you talk shit about her or come near her, I’ll end you.”
Thumper jerks his chin back, and his lips flatten. “You’re serious?”
“Dead,” Wylder grits out between his clenched teeth.
Thumper’s eyes swing to me. I can almost see the wheels turning in his brain. This is either going to go extremely bad, or we’ll leave the past in the past. I don’t know if Thumper has the ability to leave shit behind us. Hell, I’m not sure I have that ability either.
“She is a hot piece of ass, though,” Thumper says, but his face isn’t relaxed as he says it. It’s like it’s painful for him to admit anything positive about me, even if it is an asshole statement to make about your brother’s girlfriend in front of her.
Am I pretty? I guess. I’m not ugly. I don’t have a third eyeball, and I spend many a weekend waxing off the mustache on my upper lip because the Italian genes are way too strong in my family for me not to have unsightly hair somewhere.
I have a nice ass. Big and round. The perfect amount to be more than a handful for any man, even one with big hands like Wylder.
I am soft and curvy everywhere. Bones don’t stick out anywhere they shouldn’t. I look like one of those women in the old Renaissance paintings with lush breasts and a soft middle. I am meant for the snuggle life and to bear children because my hips are not narrow.
“Thumper,” Wylder grinds out in warning.
He lifts his hands to Wylder and moves another step back. “I was paying her a compliment. I meant no harm.”
“I know how you feel about women, brother. Would you say that shit if your nieces were here?”
Thumper shakes his head, looking remorseful for a second, before he drags his hand through his hair and blows out a breath. “I’m trying here, man. So much shit went down with her and Row?—”
“I know,” Wylder interrupts, finally releasing one of his fists and relaxing his fingers with a few wiggles down their length. “She was innocent, and you fucked up. You almost ended her life over nothing.”
Thumper grunts before responding. “We make mistakes sometimes. Shit happens.”
Shit happens? Mistakes? A mistake is putting on a pink top with brown pants. A mistake is not ending an innocent person’s life…my life.
“Say you’re sorry.”
My eyes widen. This should be good. Men like Thumper never apologize. It is damn near impossible for them to admit they are wrong about anything, and he just did that.
“You really like this girl, don’t you?” Thumper asks, the reality of the situation…of us…finally making its way into his dense brain.
“I do, and so do the girls.”
Thumper grumbles under his breath as his top lip curls. “Fuck.”
“Mom loves her too.”
If the nail wasn’t secure in the coffin yet, Wylder just gave it one final whack.
“Fuckin’ great,” Thumper mutters.
“Say you’re sorry,” Wylder demands.
“For what?” Thumper asks, being an asshole.
“I don’t need a fake and forced apology,” I say as I take a few steps forward and wrap my fingers around Wylder’s bicep. “It won’t change what happened.”
Wylder peers down at me, his eyes burning with anger, but I know none of it is pointed at me. “Princess, the man at least owes you an I’m sorry. You almost died.”
“I remember,” I tell him, brushing my fingers against his skin to try to calm the situation. “But I’m still here and breathing. Let it go.”
“Listen to the woman. I drove hours to do you a favor, and you’re hassling me about bullshit that happened years ago.”
“It was more than bullshit,” Wylder corrects him, and I can see this is going nowhere fast.
I have to step in and do something to get this shit moving, or we’ll be here all day while these two have a virtual pissing match. “Let’s save the talk for another day. We’re wasting time, Wylder. We need to get back to the city since I have to work this evening. Let Thumper give you the part, fix your baby, and let’s dip. The other shit can wait.”
Wylder blows out a long breath as a growl rumbles deep in his chest. “Fine,” he bites out. “But we’re going to have it eventually.”
Thumper mutters some stuff under his breath as he stalks toward the back of his bike to grab the part. I stay at Wylder’s side, continuing to keep a grip on his arm so we can get through the next few minutes without another incident. The sooner we get this interaction over with, the sooner we can be on our way back to civilization.
When Thumper hands Wylder the part, he says, “You want me to take her back with me?”
I study his face, trying to figure out if he’s kidding. He’s not laughing or smiling. He’s serious, which is crazy as hell. Why in the world would he think I’d go anywhere with him or that Wylder would let him take me?
“Fuckin’ no,” Wylder tells him. “She’s not leaving my sight, and she’s definitely not going anywhere with you.”
Thumper snarls at the response. “I wouldn’t hurt her. She’s your girl.”
Wylder barks out a loud, bitter laugh. “I’ll never trust you, brother.”
“Your loss,” Thumper says as he throws a leg over his bike and starts her up. “Someday you’ll take that big stick out of your ass and figure out I’m not your enemy.”
Before Wylder can reply, Thumper guns the engine and takes off.
“Asshole,” Wylder whispers.
I shrug. “I’ve met worse.”
Wylder only shakes his head in response.
“Need my help?”
“No, princess. Go inside and wait. I’ll work as fast as I can, but it’ll probably be an hour or so.”
“Go inside and do what? Compare cross-stitching patterns with the old ladies? I’m going to walk around and see if there are any shops. Text me when you’re ready.”
“Don’t get into too much trouble,” he says as he leans over to kiss my lips, the tension from moments ago vanishing.
I snake my arms around Wylder’s neck, rubbing my nose against his with a smirk. “Baby, you’re the only one causing trouble around here. I’m an angel.”
Wylder lets out a chuckle as his one free hand finds my ass. “You were an angel last night.”
“I remember you moaning something about God.”
He gives my ass cheek a rough squeeze. “It was a heavenly experience.”
I drop my arms and give him a playful push. “Go, or we’ll be stuck here another night. No more touching my ass until we’re back in the city.”
He doesn’t argue with me. I know he wants out of this small-town hell just as much as I do. “I’ll be quick.”
“No worries,” I say as my phone vibrates against my ass. When I pull the phone out of my pocket and glance down, it’s exactly who I thought it would be. “Hey, baby brother.”
“I really wish you’d stop calling me a baby,” Brax says, his voice a little saltier than usual.
“Well, you’re younger, and I didn’t call you a baby. I said you were my baby brother, which you are.”
“I tower over you.”
I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. “You’re right. You’re big. You’re bad. You’re the master of the universe. Happy?”
He grunts his displeasure with my attitude. “It’s a start.”
“What do you want, Brax?”
“Where the hell are you? I stopped by the shop, and you weren’t there.”
I stroll down the sidewalk of the small town, if you can even call it that. It’s minuscule. The entire downtown area could fit in half a block in my neighborhood. “I went with Wylder to take the girls to summer camp, and we broke down in the middle of nowhere.”
“Sucks.”
“We’ll be out of here in an hour or so, though. I’m killing some time while he fixes the truck.”
“Cool. Cool.”
“Why’d you stop by the shop?” Sometimes getting information out of Brax, even when he’s the one who initiates the conversation, is like pulling teeth.
“I needed your opinion.”
“Well, you got me now. Shoot.”
I hear rustling in the background on his end. “I think I’m ready to settle down.”
I almost trip over my own feet as soon as the words leave his mouth. “Wait, what? I think we have a bad connection.”
He groans. “You heard me just fine.”
“What in the world has gotten into you, Brax? Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I’m getting bored with the games, Tate. Dating isn’t fun like it used to be.”
“Well, you do go through the ladies like water vanishes in a drought.”
“Why do you always say weird shit?”
I chuckle as I stare at my reflection in the storefront window of a clothing store. “Am I wrong, though?”
He exhales loudly. “No.”
“Maybe try to get to know a woman before you sleep with her. You might not go through them as quickly as you have been. Are there even any women left in Chicago you haven’t slept with?”
“Come on. I’m not that bad.”
“You are, brother. What’s your thing with relationships? Have you ever had a steady girlfriend?”
I cycle through all the women who have come and gone over the last ten years. Not one of them stuck around longer than a month or two. I didn’t even bother learning their names because I knew they weren’t going to be there long.
“Amber.”
“Who?”
“Long red hair.”
“Ah. I remember her,” I lie because he’s been with more than one redhead, and I’m not about to waste time trying to figure out which one she was. “How long was that?”
“A little over a month.”
“I hate to break it to you, but a month isn’t a long-term relationship.”
“I know. It’s like I have a block. I don’t know what it is.”
I know what it is, and so does he. We don’t talk about Mom often, but we saw the heartbreak my dad went through when she died. We were little, but the memories of that time are burned into our brains.
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right one. When you do, you’ll know it and won’t want her to get away after a month.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, and maybe get off those dating apps and stop hooking up with the women at the bar.”
He sighs. “You sure are killing all my fun.”
“You asked for my opinion. I’m giving it, but that doesn’t mean you have to listen to me.”
“Did you know it?”
“Know what?”
“Did you know it with Wylder?”
“Did I know what with Wylder?”
“Jesus, Tate. Keep up. Did you know you didn’t want him to get away as soon as you met him?”
Flashbacks of the moment I met him when I walked the girls home after they snuck out flash through my head. He was a grumpy bastard but hot as sin, and I wanted to climb him like a tree.
“No, but he’s growing on me.”
“So, someone has to grow on me?”
I chuckle. “No, silly. I’ve been burned too many times, and my shield is a little bit thicker than yours. Wylder and I met under strange circumstances. I’d say the second time I met him, he made my toes curl, and I’m not sure there was any turning back after that.”
“So, you’re officially a thing?” he asks.
“I think so,” I whisper, pacing in front of the clothing shop. “We haven’t really talked about what we are, but I think so.”
“Ridiculous. Why is shit this complicated?”
“Because love isn’t always easy.”
He gasps. “Do you love him?”
My stomach flips at the question. “I have feelings for him, but love… It’s too early.”
“Could you love him?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
“I like that for you. He’s a good dude.”
“Yeah. I haven’t found anything I dislike about him.”
“That’s big, coming from you.”
“It kind of is.”
“Where do you think I should look for someone?”
“Don’t look. She’ll find you when you least expect it. I know Wylder did.”
“I got to run,” Brax says. “I’m meeting my buddies at the gym. Maybe I’ll stop by the shop later.”
“You should. Our cousins get in this evening. Drop by and see them.”
“I forgot about that. I’ll drop by for sure.”
“Later, baby brother,” I say, teasing him.
“Bye, asshole,” he says with a chuckle before the call disconnects.
I glance back up, staring through the glass to see the most beautiful silk and lace nightgown against the wall of the store. I want it. It would be a great reminder of this trip and make the perfect surprise for the next night Wylder and I spend together.
The door to the store isn’t even fully open when a woman appears, greeting me and ushering me inside.
“Hi,” I say back, feeling a little uncomfortable at how quickly she descended on me. At the stores closer to home, I practically have to hunt down a salesperson to buy something, but not here. Some people would find it refreshing, but I am too used to my space.
“What can I help you with today?”
I point to the nightgown, soaking in its beauty.
“Ah,” she says with a cluck of her tongue. “It’s a stunning little number.”
“I want it.”
“Do you want to know the price?”
“Doesn’t matter. It’s coming home with me.”
“For a special someone in your life?”
“Yes,” I tell her.
She gives me a wink. “I’ll get that wrapped up for you. It’s going to look stunning on you.”
“I’m hoping it doesn’t stay on too long, if you know what I mean,” I say, giving her a wink back.
She chuckles as she moves toward the nightgown and takes it down from the wall. “If the man has any sense and has eyes, it won’t last long, sweetie.”
I am ending the road trip with a souvenir and a new boyfriend. It’s amazing how quickly things change, but I am ready for it, hoping shit won’t go sideways when we get back to reality.