6. Meadow
Meadow
I lean over the railings of the second floor outside my room, smoke is rolling off my lips and covering Blakely’s bouncing ass. I shove away the smoke from my line of sight as my eyes navigate up and down the soft curves of her body, recording every tattoo, freckle, and goose bump that rises.
I push my shades farther up the slope of my nose and take another deep pull of my cigarette.
Tattoos scatter all over her petite frame as she crouches to pet my dogs downstairs.
She’s pretending not to see me nor sensing my laser gaze boring into her but I know she knows I’m here.
She’s not bumping into me on purpose but yesterday after she gave me a tattoo that’s all she’s been doing; smashing into me on the track, stepping on my foot in the parking lot, opening the door of the store straight into my face, twice.
Well… My helmet.
It cracks me up to see the moments of pure exhilaration on her continence when I play with the strap of my helmet and witness that angry pout when she doesn’t get what she wants. She has expressive eyes and eyebrows, it’s like they portray the image she’s describing with her mouth. What thrills me more is the fact she’s unaware of that.
I want to bite those lips and watch her reaction then.
Still not interested? My tongue swipes across my lip ring.
Bullshit.
“I don’t know if you’re trying to impress me or assassinate me, but I’m kind of intrigued either way,” I say loud enough for her to hear. Probably, turned on too if I’m being honest.
She doesn’t glance my way and continues to pet my dogs as they both smear themselves across the asphalt for her.
I can’t help but grin at that image.
“Girls,” she dramatically calls them, “Did you hear a bee… buzz… buzz.” Her hands rub and scratch their bellies while their ears perk up.
“At least I sting.”
“But you die right after.”
“Tragic. Así es la vida.” I comment, making a dramatic voice. “You woke up salty today.”
“You woke up without your helmet. Are you going for the full-face look?” Her mischievous smirk makes an appearance.
She’s good.
I take the last pull before I stab it out and discard it into my finished pack of cigarettes. “Wishful thinking.” I crack my knuckles. “You’re dying to know if I look like those men you read in your books.”
The corner of her mouth tugs up higher as her eyelids slowly blink up at me and reveal those brown wishful eyes and the thick eyelashes that are fanning them. “Which ones?” That little crinkle she makes with her nose when she is proving a point is kind of adorable. “You have to be more specific.”
Damn, this is going to be a challenging summer. I laugh to myself.
“Those erotic ones you read while you’re using your toys,” I remember every word she says.
Not denying my words, she stands back up, making her way to The Garage on the other side of the road. It is lunchtime and the delicious smell of barbecue wafts in the air and waters my mouth. Blakely stops in her tracks, turning an inch but regrets it as she shakes her head and strides away.
My attention goes back to my dogs when they sit squarely and bark at me.
I arch a brow at them, “You smell that too,” I cross my hands over my chest and they bark again.
My phone pings with a message as I extract it out of my jeans.
Dean
Get your pretty ass down here!
Meadow
Coming.
I send him a person-running emoji.
I watch my cousin and his wife park their van and exit cheerfully like the perfect little family while their black cat, Scar, skips toward my dogs and rubs himself against them.
“Look at the fucker,” Dean says with a smile as he waves his hand in their direction and walks toward me.
Briskly, I descend the stairs. “Dean Walker, the man of the hour.” My dogs run to Lennon and jump on her, soaked in excitement. “Girls, behave.”
Lennon doesn’t seem to mind at all since she’s crazy about them too. “I missed you too.” She pets their heads.
“Mama needed some fresh air. She was getting bored at home.” Dean’s six-foot-three levels mine. Our palms clap once before we embrace each other in a hug. “Lenny wanted to come here since we can’t do much traveling with the baby coming out soon.”
I love these two so much. Dean has always been like an older brother to me. “Congratulations to both of you. I still can’t believe you’re going to be a dad.”
“Me neither.” His glossy, bright blue eyes reflect his emotions. “But I can’t wait to meet our baby girl and spend my time teaching her everything.” His candid grin crosses his entire face.
Ever since he met Lennon everything aligned for him like it was meant to be and I couldn’t be happier for him.
“It’s your forty-second birthday maybe you’d celebrate it with your daughter,” It might be the best summer yet, meeting our new family member.
“Looks like we’re going to deliver our daughter in Nevada,” Lenny comments nonchalantly, knowing her, it doesn’t bother this woman one bit .
“Was that your plan?” Dean wraps his palms around her belly, “Baby-Jamey wants to meet the family.” He kisses her big bump and gives her a peck on the lips.
I want that.
I don’t know if I’m ready for it though.
What if I’d push her away and treat her like crap? What if I let the pain rule me when I’m with her and break her too?
Whoever she may be.
“Another biker to the family,” I suggest with a small grin.
“Slow down, champ.” Already afraid she’ll turn heads which I’m sure she would with gorgeous parents such as them.
I motion to the loud bikes and the groups that pass us by near the road, “You’re missing out on the fun.”
“I have a different kind of fun.” He sneaks a mischievous look at his wife. “Besides, this is what these meetups are for. Family.” He gives me that annoyed look, “Will you throw a shirt on yourself, we get it you’ve got a nice tan.”
I laugh and quickly climb two stairs at a time to my room, the last cigarette I saved is hanging at the corner of my mouth while I grab a tank top and shove my limbs inside. I tie a bandana to the waistband loop, flick my ball cap backward on my way out, lock my room, and shove the key into my jeans.
I move past Dean who trails behind me and says, “You should come to Cali and catch some waves with us. It’s been a while since you visited.”
“A little piece of paradise,” Lennon remarks.
“I would love to,” I reply, putting the cigarette behind my ear for later. “Are you hungry, Lenny?”
“Starving!” she exclaims, giving my girls a final pet. “This smell is killing me.”
“Let’s get you something to eat.”
“Lead the way.” She extends her hand forward and uses her enthusiastic voice.
Dean gives me a curious gaze. “Still hiding?”
“Yeah, but I’m also fucking with someone.”
“Aww, like cats in heat.” Lenny’s making hilarious noises next to Dean, attempting to sound like a cat or lioness consummating their love.
I hear Dean whispering to her, “I think Scar is getting to you.”
I cross the road and enter The Garage, tables spread out everywhere with different goods. “It’s not like that,” I comment.
“It’s always like that,” Dean states as a matter of fact. “But on another note, I brought some fun Easter eggs loaded with candies and carrots for the kids. You still have your bunny cover?” it’s always been our thing to make it unforgettable for the kids too. Even the grownups love the costumes and the energy.
Reaching farther inside the big parking lot, I round a few tables, “Yeah.”
“I’m borrowing Russ’s bike for a ride,” Dean says.
“Sucks, I can’t join the party.” Lenny rubs her belly.
“You are my bunny twenty-four-seven.” He interlaces their hands as I avert my gaze and spot Blakely getting frustrated by a cooler box with a child-proof lock.
A few bikers laugh and chat with her as they check her out with no ounce of respect, making dirty hand gestures behind her back.
My Jaw clenches tight.
Dean and Lennon choose a shaded picnic table in the corner. They already have food on their plates and smiles on their faces. Scar, Chaos, and Arrow are keeping them company on the asphalt.
My dad rearranges everything with other families who bring more equipment to accommodate everyone and it seems like everyone enjoying it so far.
I slowly stroll closer to Blakely and halt by the line of cooler boxes. Each filled with different juices and some with water. She is trying to open the tap to fill her red cup with an angry pout. “Stupid cooler. How do you open up for everyone else but me.” She murmurs to herself, although the commotion encasing us is loud, I’m still able to hear her tiny, seductive voice.
Her small hand is wrapped around the push pad, trying to figure out the mechanism of it before she loses her balance and flies backward straight into my arms.
Convenient.
Out of nowhere, her fist collides with my clean-shaven jaw. “Ouch! What was that for?”
“Sorry, reflex…?” she shrugs, making a small grin.
I feel like that was a pun-intended blow.
“Wilder.” I sigh silently. My hands planted on each side of her waist to steady her. “You’re a hazard, do you know that?”
“I try hard, every day, but it seems like you’re a mosquito that wouldn’t leave me be.” Her facial expressions are endless.
“Maybe I’m a leech,” I suggest.
“Maybe,” she nods hard in confirmation. “Grinch,” her expression turns to a glower when she reads the text on my shirt. “I think it’s missing something,” she pauses, “Grinch bitch.” She nods as her words sink in, entirely amused by herself. “Sounds so much better.”
“Whatever you say, Wilder.” I try to contain my laughter as I lick my lips and bite them. I didn’t even notice that this was the shirt I picked up before I left my room.
“Are you going to have a shirt for every nickname that you’re giving me?” she taunts me, “Because I can’t wait!” that crinkled nose again.
“I’ll think about it,” I make a contemplating face.
“I need a break from you.”
She pushes against my arms to get away from my hold but instead of letting go, I inch closer to whisper in her ear. “You keep turning a few shades of pink every time I’m near you.”
I pull back to look into her doe eyes that curse me in ten different languages, and most definitely bash my head with an imaginary bat all at once.
“Get off your mighty bike.” She grits furiously, shoving my chest hard and storming away. Not far enough though. Settling beside my friends on the table, she grabs a plate I assume she made a few moments previously .
Eating her anger to pieces, the dam of tears welling in her eyes makes me feel like a complete asshole who wants to stick his head into an exhaust and fire away.
Shit.
I didn’t intend to make her cry.
I grab a plate myself and sit my ass down close to her but still far enough. I don’t want to intrude on her personal space if that’s the case.
Finally, Lenny’s lips start moving—out of everyone that sits at the table she addresses the tiny ball of emotions sitting by the corner. “Blakely, your green hair is fire! I had to say something because I can’t look away.”
Pretending to cover up my fuckup, she grins widely. “Thank you, I needed a change.”
“I totally get it.” Lenny hands her my water cup, the least I can do. She gives me her ‘you can get another one’ look. “It’s untouched. Drink some. It’s really hot today.” She ties her pink hair into a bun atop her head.
Taking the cup, Blakely replies, “Thank you.” The small gulps help her gain her resolve back.
I’m such an idiot.
My head shoots in all directions, what could be the reason she reacted that way? When I asked her why she came here, she dodged it, explaining it was for her which I believe. But there was a guy before and maybe something he had done in the past is triggering her right now.
“If you are in Las Vegas you should drop by my Dad’s shop, he would love to see you two,” Blakely suggests. Her Dad and Dean go way back and ever since Lennon met him, they always visit us and her Dad when they come here.
“We will, I want to see the rest of the family back there so we’ll go for a week during the summer to visit them and come back here afterward.” Dean assures, “I can’t wait to see your old man. He has always been like a father to me.”
I lean backward, tipping my head back too. The bench around the table has no backrest from this side and I catch Chaos and Arrow rounding the table to get behind Blakely as they sit on either side of her like they are protecting her from someone.
Who? This is a strange behavior for them.
As if they could hear my thoughts, they both slowly slant their heads to me and give me that condescending look they often make when they are saucy.
My eyebrows hike up. So it’s like that, huh?
They found a new girl to add to their squad and I’m tossed away.
Dean points to his left sleeve, “Jim tattooed me when I was nineteen and offered me the apprentice position at his shop. He was the best mentor.”
I love it when they tell stories about one another even though we heard them a million times.
“He is. I couldn’t ask for a better one.” Blakely takes a small bite, “He always said you were a promising artist.”
“Because of his will to teach me and guide me. I was a mess when I came here but he helped me navigate through things and gave me a few different perspectives on life.” He arches a brow at me, “His favorite sport was to hide Jim’s ink bottles until he taught him a lesson. Let’s say taunting grownups can bite you in the ass.”
She scoots closer to the table, elbow propped on the wooden surface and her face rests on her knuckles. “What did he do?” she asks, obviously enjoying the situation.
“Meadow was sixteen at the time, super stoked about his new bike and his new gear. Jim spotted a girl in the crowd and asked her to make conversation and tape a sign to his back. We didn’t think she’d actually manage to do it because the kid was damn sharp, but I guess when there’s a pretty girl in front of you, not so much.” He eyes me.
That was the worst day for a sixteen-year-old who wanted to impress a girl and got pranked by her along with his Dad and the mastermind Jim Wilder. The embarrassment I endured lasted that entire summer. They told me I needed to have some fun because I’m always serious. Back then, I was. But damn, I grew out of it quickly.
The number one lesson I learned that day is to never mess with Jim Wilder ever again. And start a friendship with him to learn all his tricks.
“Michael,” I clap my hand in his. “Did you see Jim’s new bike?”
He jumps in place, already pumped about this summer—the first with our new bikes.
“That man is so cool.” He speaks with his hands. “I’m going to pull a prank on him. It’d be fun.”
“You better not mess with him.” I lecture the prick because he always gets us in trouble and then I pay the price. “He wouldn’t let you get away with it easily.”
“Nah,” He shakes his head, “He’s a good sport.”
That afternoon is cauterized to my soul.
“Hurry up, Meadow. Bring me the ink bottles.”
I open the caravan doors, and everything is organized neatly on the table. Everyone is eating lunch in The Garage and this is now or never. “Dude this is such a bad idea,” I comment. “I don’t know why I always let you drag me into this.”
“Come on, we’ll laugh about it in the future.” Michael takes the bottles I give him and runs away with them.
Everyone remembers me as the one who initiated the prank, yet it wasn’t me who started it. It was Michael. He was the prankster who loved to make strangers laugh. I was the one who needed a friend like him. Another person to call family. A brother.
“On that piece of paper, Jim wrote—call Jim Wilder to book your next tattoo session, his number was at the bottom.” He laughs hysterically. “Jim booked over fifty sessions that summer. That man knew how to hustle.”
“The story isn’t over,” I intervene. “After I went for a ride in the morning, I couldn’t take my gloves off. He stated that now I would never lose my equipment and that I’m lucky he didn’t glue the helmet to my head.”
Dean loses his shit along with Lenny. “Your Dad is a genius.”
Blakely laughs and her wide smile stays intact as they continue to reminisce about her Dad until she turns to me with an accusing face. “At least my Dad taught you a lesson. ”
“He sure did,” I reply.
“Meadow, I want you to succeed but don’t miss out on being a kid. We all have a little kid inside us and we need to let them out sometimes,“ Jim taps on my shoulder and winks.
I brush off the memory and focus on the food.
“So you know each other from these meetups?” she asks, nodding her chin.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. “Dean is my cousin.” I fish it out, my eyes still tracing her features while she assesses mine.
“No way!” She moves her head from Dean to me in question.
“My Dad was Donna’s older brother,” Dean explains to her, “You already know he passed away a long time ago.”
She nods in understanding. “How come you never tattooed him because he said my Dad did all of them?” she looks between me and Dean.
Lenny’s gaze encounters mine. “Well, that’s a great question.”
“Yeah, Meadow.” Dean’s voice is teasing, “How come?”
“You’re never around and now it’s too late. I gave myself to another Wilder.” After what Jim did to me that was about respect. I showed him the respect he deserved and kept putting my trust in him because he is a hell of a tattoo artist.
“Oh, did you?” he subtly leans back, wrapping his arm around Lenny’s shoulder, “I can’t say I’m disappointed. You’re in great hands.” He kisses her forehead. “Besides, he must be one of those annoying clients who always think they know better.”
Blakely giggles and it lifts the corner of my mouth.
“Shut up.” I retort and quickly browse through my text messages.
Dad
I need you to work in the store for a few hours.
Mom is out with her biker friends and I’m supposed to have a session with Blakely.
I hired a new guy but he will come later this week.
Meadow
I’ll be right there.
“Rest my case.” Dean takes a bow.
I rise to my height, “Gotta go.” I round the table, peeking at Blakely as she eats her food quietly while she listens to Dean’s stories. “See you later?”
Dean turns his head to me, “You bet.”
“You didn’t eat,” Lenny exclaims.
I give Dean a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. “I’ll take it to go.” I grab the plate from Dean. “Come on, girls, let’s go.”
Their legs don’t budge, and they don’t spare me a glance.
Little traitors .
“Come on.” I tap on my thigh.
Swallowing down my defeat, I look around.
This is awkward.
“Seems like they are yours today, Wilder.”
She pets both of their head. “I’ll keep them safe, don’t worry.”
Oddly, I don’t, when the only people I trust to supervise them are my parents, or Dean and Lennon when they visit.
“I’ll be at the store if you need me.” I give her a small grin and turn to leave but a firm hand stops me by pulling my wrist.
“Are you fucking with Wilder’s daughter?” Dean whispers into my ear, “Do you have a death wish?”
“Relax I’m not doing anything just keeping an eye on her,” I reply calmly, seeing that Lenny keeps her busy from the corner of my eye.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Like what?” I give him a stone-cold look.
“Don’t hurt her because you’re hurting.”
My jaw clenches tight for the second time today as I gulp down my saliva hard. “I won’t.”