Chapter 2
MELLIE
“Hey, pretty girl.”
I toss my suitcase into the back seat of the Jeep and then climb into the passenger seat, smiling at Rowdy. He’s always been like a father to me, especially after the passing of my own parents two years after high school graduation, and today, he’ll legally be tied to me.
“Hi, Pop,” I reply, tugging on my wedding dress so it doesn’t get shut in the door. “Sorry about this.”
“No need to apologize,” he tells me. “Lyric shoulda fixed that junker of yours by now. Or, hell, gotten you a new fuckin’ ride.”
“He’s been busy with the club,” I remind him and immediately want to call the words back when his face falls. “Besides, I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.”
“Says the big girl who needs a ride to her own wedding,” he counters.
“Touché.” I put my seatbelt on, grateful that Lyric and the brothers are meticulous about keeping their Harleys and other vehicles clean because the last thing I need is dirt or grease on my dress. “So, on a scale of one to ten, how mad is he that my car wouldn’t start?”
Rowdy pretends to think about it as he pulls out of the hotel parking lot, and even though this isn’t the first time I’ve been in a vehicle with him, I’m still amazed at how far he’s come since his accident.
“Negative five.”
I laugh. “Don’t bullshit me, Pop.”
“No bullshit here, pretty girl. I doubt there’s much you could do that would make my son mad.”
“Oh no?” I tap my chin. “What if I burn the toast in the morning?” He snorts in response. “Okay, how about if I gave him a wedgie?” Again, my future father-in-law snorts. “Oh, I know… Lyric would definitely be mad if I rode on the back of another—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence, Mellie Kensington,” he barks, but there’s no heat in his tone.
“Won’t be able to call me that much longer,” I remind him.
He grins. “I know. And I’m damn proud that I’ll be able to call you ‘daughter’.”
“You already treat me like one,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t know if I’ve ever thanked you for all you’ve done for me since my parents died in that fire, but I am so grateful.”
“Don’t mention it.”
And those three words are just one of the many reasons I love this man. He might be hard-headed, a cold bastard toward his enemies, and a cantankerous shit at times, but he’d do anything for those he loves. Rowdy is the epitome of a good man.
Don’t let him hear you say it, though, because he’ll argue until he’s blue in the face.
The hotel is on the opposite side of town from the clubhouse, where Lyric and I are getting married. Normally, Rowdy would go through town, but because that takes longer, he hops onto the interstate that circumvents local traffic.
We’re cruising along in silence, my thoughts focused on my upcoming nuptials.
I’ve known for years that Lyric is my soulmate.
He’s the only person who makes me feel like I’m important.
I didn’t have a bad childhood, but it wasn’t exactly rosy either.
My family moved a lot for work, and it never mattered to them that it was hard on me.
When they died, I think people expected me to be more heartbroken.
I was sad, sure, but Lyric and Rowdy, as well as everyone at KOAMC, stepped up in a big way, which made the grief less… soul-crushing.
I’m so lost in my own head that it takes a second to register that Rowdy’s arm is in front of me, and he’s slamming on the brakes. Suddenly, my surroundings come into focus, and terror like I’ve never felt washes over me.
There’s a semi-truck in front of us with its brake lights lit, and we’re coming up on it way too fast. I don’t even have time to glance behind us before the Jeep rams into the back of the truck, throwing me and Rowdy forward faster than a blink.
My last thought before the world goes dark is that I should’ve let Lyric fix my car sooner.