14.
Z ANE
I’d been talking back and forth via text with Courtney since she left the garage earlier this afternoon, and she seemed upbeat and normal - even after realizing that her mother had done exactly what she thought she had.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around a parent stealing from their own child, and I knew that was because my own parents had always been so wonderful.
They weren’t conventional, that’s for sure.
Mom had one helluva temper and had been known to fly into a full-on rage when something happened with her husband or one of her children, but she had also occasionally aimed that anger at us when we deserved it.
Dad came off as gruff most of the time, but he was always available to talk to any of us when we needed him, and he truly gave the best advice.
My mom and dad made a great team. They’d been through some shit when they were younger, especially my mom, but they’d gotten through it together and come out stronger in the end. I knew without a doubt that’s why my siblings and I turned out to be the kind of people we were.
It amazed me that Courtney had become such a kind and generous person since she hadn’t had that influence from her own mother.
I understood that she had a great relationship with her grandmother and wondered if that was where she got such wonderful attributes along with the drive and ambition to be a better person.
I pulled up next to my brother Paxton at the next red light and then looked to my left and watched Jonas and Lawson pull up next to me. My phone had been buzzing in my pocket while we rode, so I took the opportunity to check my messages while we were stopped.
The kids and I are debuting a new song for the neighbors this evening if you’d like to come by.
I smiled to myself as I replied that I couldn’t wait and then told Paxton, Jonas, and Lawson where we needed to go before I put my hand up and signaled for our friends and family behind us to follow me.
Whenever I was able to go for a ride, I took the opportunity, as did my club brothers and friends.
Booker had started a private group on Facebook a few years ago that included the men and women from the Knights, Kings, and later, the Texas Queens to make it easy for us to plan events and even just rides around town when we had the time.
Tonight, I was joined by both of my brothers, along with my sister and her boyfriend, Garvey.
Lawson and Jonas Dean, two of our friends who belonged to the Texas Kings, showed up with Loyal, Harley, and Phoenix Forrester.
We’d been riding for quite a while, and the group had grown even more as other friends had found us out on the road.
I had a moment of doubt about taking such a large group over to Courtney’s.
That doubt didn’t last long, though. I had a gut feeling that Courtney would welcome my friends. At least, I hoped she would because they were a huge part of my life. If things went the way I planned with her, they’d become part of hers too.
When the light turned green, I rode through the intersection so that everyone could follow me. I knew it would cause quite a stir to have so many motorcycles in Courtney’s neighborhood, one of the older sections of Rojo that was usually quiet and calm.
I pulled up in front of her place and angled my bike so that the back wheel rested against the curb and then shut it off as I waited for everyone else to park.
I was already off my bike as the last engine turned off and smiled when I saw Courtney’s youngest three kids pressed against the glass door as they watched all the commotion.
I had just stepped onto the sidewalk when the front door opened and the kids spilled out ahead of Courtney, who appeared holding the speaker that she used every evening to put on their show.
She was clearly shocked to see so many people with me, but then she grinned as she glanced toward the corner where she knew the cranky neighbor would appear any second.
Dawson and Dayton rushed out behind her, and I could tell they were excited to see so many motorcycles lined up.
I knew that they’d have a million questions just like the younger kids, but that would have to wait until the song was over.
Courtney fiddled with her phone, and the familiar beat of a Run DMC song started.
Alana stood on the top step of the porch, and Dawson and Dayton took their places beside her.
Just like before, Beau and Leo ran out onto the grass to jump around and dance, and Courtney stayed on the porch behind the other kids, waiting to wave at the cranky neighbor.
When the lyrics started, Dawson and Dayton hit every word, their voices even louder than the speaker as they did a perfect imitation of the rappers.
I looked around and found everyone smiling and cheering with occasional whistles piercing the air.
Many people had their phones out, and I knew they’d be sharing this with other friends and family just like I had after that first performance I’d witnessed.
They really hit their stride when Steven Tyler’s part of the song came on and Alana burst into action.
She hit every move perfectly as she belted out the lyrics, and the three of them were in perfect sync as they danced at the top of the stairs.
By the time the song was over, she was just as out of breath as her brothers.
Courtney was doing her homecoming queen wave, so we all turned to see who she was waving at.
When we saw the grumpy neighbor lady flipping her off, we all lifted our hands in sync and flipped her the bird right back.
Courtney’s neighbors started howling with laughter.
Once the kids had taken their bows, they made their way toward the gate with Courtney. I was happily surprised when she greeted me with a kiss, and then I smiled down at Alana and the boys when we bumped fists.
Dawson and Dayton stayed on the porch, pointing at the motorcycles as they discussed them, so I yelled, “Guys, do you wanna come have a look?” I kept my arm over Courtney's shoulders as her brothers got closer and then introduced everyone to each other.
My brothers looked shocked when they realized this woman was Courtney. I knew that Mom had already grilled them about the new woman in my life.
“Pax. Xav,” I said to catch their attention. When they looked at me, I put a finger in front of my lips and said, “Shhh.”
“That’s just wrong, Zane. So fucking wrong,” Xavier said with a grin.
Paxton was shaking his head as he walked toward Zoey and Garvey, who were next to their bikes talking to Dawson and Dayton.
“What’s that about?”
“It’s an inside family joke, and I want them to roll with it.”
“About me?”
“Including you. Believe me. It’s all gonna be fine in the end, but this is what we do.”
“I’m not sure I’m okay being the butt of the joke,” Courtney said cautiously.
“You’re not. Trust me.”
“I guess I’m going to have to,” Courtney said with narrowed eyes. “I’m not very good at that, by the way.”
“I’m trustworthy,” I promised before I gave her a quick kiss.
Beau and Leo had stayed on the curb like she’d instructed, looking at all the motorcycles in awe rather than running around and touching them, which could be dangerous considering that the pipes were hot and could horribly injure someone.
“Let’s take these boys around and show them the shiny bikes before they bounce themselves into some sort of injury. ”
Once Beau, Leo, and even Alana had inspected every motorcycle and sat on the majority of them, Dawson and Dayton helped Courtney herd them into the house with a promise of ice cream before their baths and bedtime.
I was about to kiss Courtney goodbye when Dawson asked, “Why don’t you take off with them, Court?”
“Can she do that?” I asked. I looked at Courtney and smiled before I said, “I think he just offered to keep the kids while you have some time away.”
“I believe he did. Do you mind if I . . .”
“Hurry up and put some pants and shoes on before he changes his mind!” I urged as I nudged her toward the door. “Go!”
Dawson was laughing with me as Courtney rushed into the house and looked way too old for his years when he said, “Take her out and let her have some fun. And, um, just so you know, we’ll be fine here alone tonight.”
I smiled at the young man, happy to know that he approved of our relationship, before I said, “I play it by ear and see how Courtney feels about that.”
“Just be safe, okay? She’s precious to all of us.”
“Believe me, Dawson, I understand that. She’s becoming very precious to me too.”
Courtney bounded out of the house with her hair pulled back in a braid and her bag hanging from her shoulder.
She was wearing an old concert tee, a pair of faded jeans, and a well-worn pair of Doc Martens.
Of all the times I’d seen her in the last week or so, she looked sexier right this minute than she ever had.
“I’m ready for my first motorcycle ride!” she said excitedly. She turned to Dawson and said, “I won’t be gone long, okay? Just get the kids into the shower and . . .”
“I know the drill, and I’ve already informed Zane that you don’t need to come back until tomorrow. It’s Friday night, so I’m gonna let them fall asleep in front of the television with the hope that they’ll sleep in tomorrow morning.”
“Oh! I won’t be gone all night, Daw. I’ll just . . .”
Dawson interrupted her when he put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Do not come home, Court. Take some time for yourself, okay?”
“Well, I . . .”
Dawson looked over Courtney’s shoulder at me and shook his head as he sighed loudly. “You know what to do, Zane.”
“Got it!”
I grabbed Courtney’s hand and pulled her behind me down the stairs toward my motorcycle. Once we were there, I opened my saddlebag and reached for the purse hanging from her shoulder. As she shrugged it off and gave me the full weight of it, I was so shocked that I almost dropped the damn thing.
“What the hell are you carrying in this thing? Bowling balls?”
“Motherhood.”
I burst out laughing and put the heavy bag into the compartment and then closed it up before I said, “It’s so heavy that it’s going to throw off the weight distribution. I’m going to have to be extra cautious when I take a turn.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“I’m not sure how you carry that around all the time,” I admitted as I got on my bike. I flipped the foot pegs down and helped her get on as she rattled off all the reasons that she couldn’t stay out too long.
Finally, I turned around and shook my head before I said, “Dawson ordered me to take you out and let you have fun tonight, Courtney, and if I have my way, I won’t be bringing you home until sunrise tomorrow.”
“I’ve never really been one to take off on a whim.”
“It’s always good to expand your horizons.”
“I have a feeling that being with you will make me do that a lot more than I ever have.”
◆◆◆
COURTNEY
I had never even considered riding a motorcycle before I met Zane, and even then, I only gave it a passing thought.
However, I knew that I’d take every opportunity I could get from now on.
It was so exciting to have the wind blowing on my face and reminded me of when I was a kid and would lean my head out of the window of the car as we were driving down the highway.
It was almost mesmerizing, watching the riders around us shift gears seamlessly, as if the motorcycle was an extension of their body, and I could feel Zane doing the same thing in front of me.
Just like it was second nature for me to put my SUV in gear and take off, they managed to work the controls with both hands and use both feet at the same time.
I had no idea how any of it worked or what any of the pedals and hand grips did, but I spent quite a bit of time watching how easily they managed to work with them.
It was also very interesting to watch how they communicated with hand signals as we flew down the road.
Eventually, we left the highway and stopped at a red light on the feeder road, where everyone started talking, trying to decide where we were going to stop.
They decided to go to a bar called Spokes, a place I’d never been to before but had driven by many times over the years.
Once we arrived, the bikes filed into the parking lot and lined up next to the building just like they had against the curb in front of my house.
Jonas, one of the men who had been with Zane the night they stopped me from killing my mother, walked over and put his hand out to steady me as I got off.
I laughed when I found my legs were wobbly after our not-so-long ride.
“You’ll get used to it after a while,” he assured me.
“How did you like it?” Zane asked as he bent over to get my purse out.
“I loved it!” I exclaimed as I threw my arms around him. “I want to do that all the time!”
“I’ll take you out anytime you want to go,” he assured me. He gave me a kiss and held me tight for a second before he said, “I’m really glad you enjoyed it. That means a lot to me.”
“Would I lose some of my appeal if I didn’t like riding with you?” I asked.
“Probably not, but it would mean we’d have to spend a lot more time apart because I could never give up riding.”
“And I’d never ask you to,” I said honestly.
“Are y’all coming in, or are you gonna stand out here and yap all night?
” a woman I didn’t recognize yelled from the side door.
I realized that we were all alone now and wondered how long we’d been outside until the woman said, “I’ve been waiting forever to meet this woman, Zaney Waney. Bring her inside!”
I heard Zane growl at the nickname, and I laughed before I asked, “Let me guess - she’s family?”
“Almost, but not quite. That’s Lark Forrester.”
“She seems fun.”
“She’s certifiable, just like all of her friends.”
“Who are her friends?”
“Well, my sister is one of them, so that should tell you everything you need to know.”
“I think your sister is sweet.”
“Only because you barely know her.”
“Spoken like a true brother.”