9. Saxon
9
SAXON
If I was a man of words, which I’m not, I would say that I’m glowing as I pull my bike up to Jayne’s bar. I’m absolutely glowing with anticipation. I’m about to see my girl. My girl.
Tammy.
She changed me.
Before Tammy, my mind was always on the present. Never the future. I figured I’d live fast, die young, just like all the clichés say. I took what I wanted and never thought twice about it. Never looked back. I could never be one of those men with a nine-to-five desk job and a house with a white picket fence.
I’m an outlaw.
But now, when I have her in my arms and I can feel her warmth and her heartbeat against me, I can see it . A future beyond the road, beyond gang wars and gasoline. A home beyond the clubhouse and a reason to wake up in the morning beyond survival or revenge. Tammy opened me up, made me reveal my secrets, and showed me that I could want more from life than the next fight. The next thrill.
I could want forever. With her.
But loving Tammy isn’t easy. I showed her the scars I never showed anyone, and it was like ripping open an old wound and exposing myself to them. Like tearing out stitches I’d closed years ago. But now I know that I’d let Tammy stitch me up again a thousand times over if it means I get to keep her.
I’m man enough to admit that it scares the hell out of me the way she’s changed me. I’m not just a rough rider cruising through life without direction anymore. Now I have something worth protecting– someone worth fighting for. And I believe, deep down to my core, that no matter where life takes me now, Tammy will be right there at my side.
I barely remember to shut my bike off before throwing a leg over and striding into Jayne’s. My boots echo off the floor as I step into the room, which is damn quiet for this time of day. No sound of clinking glasses, people laughing. Hell, they don’t even have the music playing. There’s a handful of old drunks nursing their drinks in the back shadows who glance up when I enter, but they’re not who I’m looking for.
My eyes go to the bar, expecting to find Tammy wiping down glasses or the counter, her shy eyes twinkling when she sees me. But she’s not there. I only see George, who shifts uncomfortably when he notices me.
“Where’s Tammy?” I demand, my voice a bit more threatening than intended. He stiffens and puts his phone in his pocket. I can see by the look on his face that he doesn’t want to talk about this. Whatever this is.
“You just missed her Saxon,” he says with a sigh. “She ran outta here a few minutes ago.”
A dart of suspicion stings my chest. “ Ran outta here?” I ask. “What does that mean?”
George glances around, like he’s looking for trouble. Does he think I’m gonna attack him or something? Is he responsible for this? Whatever this is?
“Look, man. I don’t want any trouble–”
“George,” I snap, leaning across the table and grabbing him by the shirt. “I don’t have time for this shit. Spit it out.”
His eyes flash, but before he can even get a word out, I go stiff. And not in a good way.
A familiar scent enters my nostrils.
Not Tammy’s.
Roxy’s.
“She was here,” I growl, every muscle in my body tightening as my heart begins to hammer against my ribs. “Wasn’t she?”
George knows who I’m talking about and immediately nods. “She showed Tammy something on her phone that really upset her. Tammy just about had a panic attack and ran outta here. I just finished cleaning up her puke before you came in.”
The room tilts as his words slam into me like a massive fist.
What the fuck happened?
“Where did she go, George?” I manage to hiss through my teeth.
He’s gripping my wrist now with both hands to keep his balance. “I don’t know, Saxon. She didn’t say. But if you wanna catch her–”
A growl boils up from my chest, and my free hand curls into a first. I’m this close from shattering his jaw, but what’s the point? What good would that do? It’s not George’s fault I stuck my dick in crazy and never cleaned it up before giving my love to Tammy.
No. This is all on Roxy.
And she will pay.
But right now, I have to find Tammy and fix this.
I drop George, spin on my heels, and storm out of the bar, my heart ready to explode as I throw my leg over my bike and gun it to life. The engine roars between my legs, quaking hot and heavy as I tear through the streets. I don’t know where Tammy is right now, but I know where Roxy is.
The clubhouse.
And if I’m gonna get my girl back, then I can’t be going in blind.
It should take me five minutes to get there, but the way I’m driving, I make it in less than three. I hop off the bike and snap at one of the recruits, Palmer, to kill the engine for me. There’s no time to waste. I’m striding inside, chest heaving, ready to explode.
The place is half full, with some of the guys playing pool and others drinking and chatting it up. Roxy stands out like a fox in a henhouse, leaning over the bar like she’s begging to get fucked, sipping a beer like she just got her lips done. When she sees me striding in her direction, her lips twist and her eyes narrow in a knowing smile. Almost amused.
“Trouble in paradise, big boy?” she practically meows, twisting a lock of her hair around her painted nail.
I don’t even answer. I just snatch her fucking phone right out of her hand, causing her to jump back and yelp. “Saxon, what the fuck–?”
I twist the screen to her, opening it with facial recognition, then glance down at what she’s got open. What I see nearly stops my heart.
The dumb bitch didn’t even close them. Clearly doctored photos and texts meant to make it look like I was screwing Roxy behind Tammy’s back. Christ, there’s even one of me and Roxy at the lake.
“The lake?” I snarl, wanting to smash something and feel the pain in my fist. “Are you fucking kidding me, Roxy?”
She shrugs and takes a defiant sip of her beer. “What? I always asked you to take me and you never did. Now it’s like we really went.”
I can barely see straight through my wall of anger. “This isn’t even the lake, Roxy,” I snap. “What is this shit? You use AI to make these?”
I check the texts. They’re clearly doctored. The time stamps don’t even match up. It’s like a collection of lies, screaming at me from the screen.
And Tammy saw all of this…
“You lying little bitch,” I growl. “Did you seriously think I wouldn’t figure this out?”
Again, she just shrugs, fueling the fire of rage building inside of me. “Doesn’t matter. Those weren’t for you, Saxon. They were for her. And she’s long gone by now.”
My anger forces my eyes closed as I fight to retain control. I inhale a deep breath, fighting to get my heart rate down.
“You really think I’m gonna ever get back with you, Roxy?”
“She wasn’t right for you,” she hisses back. “Saxon Briggs, settling down? We both know that’s never gonna happen.”
I open my eyes and take a step toward her, and for the first time since she showed up at my apartment, I see a flicker of uncertainty behind her venomous facade.
“You stay away from Tammy,” I say slowly, staring into her eyes. “You ever pull anything like this again, Roxy, and you’ll regret it.”
She laughs, but I can tell it’s forced. “Pull anything like what? She’s gone, Saxon!”
On my way to the door, I point at Slate and shout, “And I thought I told you to never let her back in here again?”
Slate nods. “Sorry, boss.”
“Get her out of here! Now!” I don’t even wait for the aftermath. Roxy’s phone in hand, I burst outside, my only thought now on finding Tammy before I lose everything.
There’s only one main road in Chesterville that leads out of town to the interstate. That’s where she’ll be. She won’t be at her apartment. I missed that window of opportunity. She’ll have her things and she’ll be on the road, headed for a new town. Because that’s what she does when she runs.
Just like she should.
Only this time, she’s made a mistake. She has no reason to run from me.
I kick my bike into gear and gun the throttle. My tires spit gravel as I rip out of the parking lot and head for the one road she could have taken.
I’m driving like an absolute maniac, weaving past cars like a teenager who got his first bike and learned about lane-splitting. It’s not safe what I’m doing, but I’m not acting rationally right now. I’m acting like the man Tammy has made me into–a man in love.
Wind whips at my face, and the blood-curdling roar of my engine cuts through the air as I push my bike to its limit, speeding down the only road that leads out of town. The pavement is slick and shiny from the rain that’s just begun to fall. This is dangerous. One wrong move here and I could lose control. End up in the ditch or impacted in a tree.
Finally, I spot her taillights, like two red eyes staring back at me through the mist. My chest tightens and I gun the throttle harder, chewing up the distance between us until I’m close enough to see her hair through the glass of the rear window.
It’s time to make my move.
I don’t think. I act.
Like a madman, I cut in front of her and slow down, forcing her to slam on the brakes. Her tires skid and squeal like the sounds of some dying animal. I glance back and brake with her, stopping just beside her. And before she can react, I’m at her door, tearing it open.
“What the fuck , Saxon!?” Tammy shouts, eyes wide with panic and rage. “Have you lost your mind? I could have killed you!”
“Yeah, I have lost my mind, Tammy,” I reply, my voice stoic and unwavering. “Because I know you’re about to leave me, and I’m willing to put my life on the line to stop that from happening.”
Tears spill from her eyes, causing my heart to ache. She shakes her head. “The pictures, Saxon. I saw the pictures. You lied to me!”
“No, Tammy. No–”
“I told you about my dad!” she screams, the pain of her life soaking the tone of her voice. “About my daddy issues! And then you go and betray me like that?”
“I didn’t betray you!” It’s a struggle to keep from shouting at her. I’m not angry. I just want so desperately for her to hear the truth.
“I saw the pictures!”
“You saw what Roxy wanted you to see,” I growl, grabbing the phone from my pocket. “Look again.”
Tammy’s gaze falters. Her lips part in a sigh of desperation. She hesitates but takes Roxy’s phone from me and begins to scroll, her fingers trembling. The more she looks, the more her eyes seem to question the terrible lie she’s been fed.
“She faked the photo with AI,” I tell her. “And the texts are all fake. Look at the timestamps. I was with you for at least half of them.”
Slowly, Tammy’s expression shifts. From desperation, to confusion, to sudden realization.
“She faked these?” she asks, her voice barely a weak breath.
“Yes, baby,” I murmur, kneeling down in front of her. I’m starting to win her back, but there’s still a pang in my chest. Like a dagger that must be pulled out. “She faked it all…and you believed her. Not me.”
Tears waterfall down her cheeks, and she snaps her eyes to mine, covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh my God…”
“I love you, Tammy,” I plead. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
She searches my face with desperate, hopeful eyes, like she’s waiting for the catch. For me to add on an addendum that solidifies my status as a cheating asshole.
But there isn’t one. Because that’s not me.
Every word I’ve said to her came from my heart.
But now, Tammy has to decide if she believes me.
Honestly, I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. After all the horrible things she told me about her father, it’s a wonder she’s even strong enough to go at life on her own. She’s an absolute wonder. The definition of resilience.
And as the rain picks up and fat drops of rain pelt down on me, I watch as the corners of her lips twist slowly into the beginnings of a smile. She nods her head. “I love you too,” she whispers back, her voice quivering.
That’s it.
I saved us.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring that I picked up this morning when I told her I had clubhouse business to attend to. It’s nothing super fancy, not the biggest diamond in the world. But it’s hers.
“Marry me, Tammy.”
I hear her breath catch in her throat as her eyes widen. “Saxon…”
“No more running.” I smile, letting the last of my walls down. This is my forever girl. “No more doubting. Just me and you. Forever.”
She stares back at me, her jaw practically agape. It’s like she’s stunned. Frozen. But then, something inside her shifts, and a spark ignites that blazes all across her face.
“Yes.”
Joy rushes through me, crashing into me like a wave. I tug her out of her seat and into my arms, kissing her hard as the rain pours down on us, sealing the promise of my love and my commitment to her. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I lift her up, pressing my tongue into her mouth and devouring her mouth until we’re both absolutely soaked.
Love. This is love.
The two of us are meant to be together.
Tammy is mine. And nothing is going to change that.