Chapter 18
Frankie
Idon’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to go with Roman on a memorial ride with his brothers.
I’ll admit I was tempted to turn him down.
I’d never even been on a motorcycle before, and on top of that, I’d only met a couple of his brothers.
While they seemed okay, I was a little terrified of making a complete fool of myself in front of all the Sinners and their ol’ ladies.
However, hearing the pain in his voice when he talked about his fallen brother and how the ride was their way of paying tribute to his life made it impossible for me to refuse.
He came to the house a little early so he could run through some of the basics of riding.
I was still feeling a little out of my comfort zone after we made the short ride over to his clubhouse and eased in behind a large group of bikers.
Even with all the side glances and snickers from his brothers, Roman was all business as he made his way to the middle of the pack.
I didn’t say a word. I simply smiled and held on to Roman’s sides for dear life, trying not to act like I was totally freaking out—which I was.
There were just so many of them, and they were all wearing their club jackets and dark sunglasses which made each of them look ominous.
It was overwhelming, but at the same time, it was so very cool.
We were surrounded by all these big motorcycles, each with their own style and colors, and I could feel the thunderous roar of their engines vibrating through my chest. Every time we passed a car or someone walking on the street, they’d all stop and stare at us with a look of fear and intrigue.
When we came up to a red light, Roman glanced back over his shoulder and asked, “You doing okay back there?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I ran my hand across his back. “What about you? You doing okay?”
“Doing just fine.” He reached down and gave my thigh a gentle squeeze. “Like having you on the back of my bike.”
“I like being on the back of your bike.”
“Well, aren’t you two just the cutest fucking thing,” the guy next to us teased.
“Mind ya business, Country!”
“Now, we both know that shit ain’t gonna happen.” Country chuckled as he said, “Not when my boy Widow is over there acting all sweet.”
Before Roman could respond, the light turned green, and we took off.
I thought that would be the end of it, but Country wasn’t ready to give it up.
He eased up beside us and slid his glasses down his nose, pretending to check me out.
When we slowed at the next light, Roman inched his bike closer to Country, then said, “I know you’re still on the mend, but that doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass. ”
“Alright, alright,” Country threw up his hands in surrender with a chuckle. “You win.”
I wasn’t exactly sure where we were going until the group started towards the State Park at Oak Hill.
I’d been there many times. I loved hiking the trails at Radnor Lake.
With its scenic route around the lake and all the different picnic areas, it was the perfect place for a last ride.
When we got up by the lake, the guys pulled in to one of the rest stops.
Everyone was somber and quiet as they got off their bikes.
Without saying a word, Roman took hold of my hand and we followed the others to the water.
Once we were all gathered around, one of the older men stepped out in front of the group.
He was tall and muscular with a fierce expression, and like many of the others, he was covered in various tattoos.
As he held up the urn of ashes, he said, “Badger. We wanted to take this moment to thank you for your dedication to the club. You would’ve made a hell of a brother.”
He stepped over to the water and as he started to release the ashes, he recite the Irish Blessing:
“May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”
Once the urn was empty, they all shouted, “United we stand. Divided we fall. Hoo-Rah.”
With that, they all turned and started back towards the parking lot. As we were walking, I leaned over to Roman and whispered, “That was really sweet. I’m sure it would’ve meant a lot to your friend Badger.”
“Yeah, it would have. He was a good kid.”
He didn’t say anything more. I didn’t really expect him to.
He’d been pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing.
He hadn’t even told me how Badger had died.
I didn’t push then, and I certainly wasn’t going to push now with all his brothers around.
When we got back to the parking lot, I was pleased to see that the brothers’ moods had lifted, and they were all starting to talk and cut up with one another.
I was standing there taking it all in when Widow gave my hand a squeeze and said, “I’ll be right back. ”
“Okay.”
I watched as he stepped over to Menace and started talking.
I was feeling a little out of sorts standing there alone, but that feeling quickly faded when a group of three women came over to me, each of them young and beautiful and, thankfully, smiling.
The pretty redhead was the first to extend her hand and say, “Hey, I’m Delilah, and this is Marlowe and Remington.
We just wanted to come over and welcome you to the club. ”
“Thank you.” I shook her hand as I said, “I’m Frankie. Roman...I mean Widow has told me a lot about you. It’s really nice to finally put faces with all of your names.”
“So, he’s told you about us?” Remington asked.
“He’s shared a story or two,” I answered with a smile.
“Well, he hasn’t told us much about you, so you’ll have to fill us all in.” Marlowe giggled as she said, “Sometimes it’s like prying teeth to get these men to tell us anything.”
“I’ve noticed that.” I glanced over at Roman and smiled before saying, “I’ll be glad to fill you in on anything you want to know.”
“Are you going to be able to make it to the cookout tonight?”
“I wanted to, but I’ve got to get back home to meet the boys. They were at their dad’s this weekend, and I need to be there when he drops them off.”
“Well, if that’s the case, we should plan a day to get together for lunch or maybe a girls night out.”
“That would be great.”
One of the brothers came up behind Delilah and asked, “You girls behaving yourselves over here?”
“As best we can. We were just getting to know Frankie.” Delilah slipped her arm around the man’s waist as she said, “This is Hawk, by the way. He’s the club’s Sergeant at Arms.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Hawk.”
“Right back at ya.” He gave me a wink as he said, “Good to see that Widow’s finally found someone who can put up with him.”
I giggled as I told him, “I think it’s him who’s having to put up with me.”
“Either way, you’ve got yourself a good one.”
“I certainly think so.”
When Widow and his brother Menace walked up, Hawk gave Widow a nudge with his elbow. “I was just telling your girl what a pain in the ass you are.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, I tried to tell her she needed to get while the getting was good, but she wouldn’t listen.” He chuckled as he teased, “Don’t know what we’re going to do with her.”
“Better watch it,” Country warned from a few feet away. “Widow gets testy when you mess with his woman.”
“Ah, he knows I’m just fuckin’ around.”
“Yeah, I do. I also know it’s time for us to be gettin’ back on the road.” I looked over in Viper’s direction. “Prez is already gearin’ up to go.”
“Alrighty, then. I guess we best be going.” Hawk looked back over to me as he said, “It really was nice to meet ya. Hope we’ll be seeing you around.”
“It was nice meeting all of you, too.”
Marlowe stepped over to me as she said, “I’ll get with you about lunch sometime this week.”
“Great. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Our little group dispersed, and after we all got back on our motorcycles, Viper led us through the rest of the park.
We followed him back into Nashville but veered off when we hit downtown.
I hated that I couldn’t join them for the cookout, especially after meeting the girls, but at the same time, I was looking forward to seeing the boys.
I always missed them when they were at their dad’s and planned to have a nice dinner for them when they got home.
When I’d invited Roman to join us, I’d assumed he’d want to go back to join the others for the cookout but was pleasantly surprised when he took me up on my offer.
As soon as we got back to the house, he followed me inside and asked, “You want a hand with dinner?”
“Sure. That would be great.” After I took off my jacket, I went over to the fridge. As I pulled out the hamburger meat, I told him, “How about burgers?”
“Oh, okay. You planning on frying them in that skillet of yours, or do you want me to put them on the grill?”
“I figured I’d just do them in the skillet.”
“You sure? You remember what happened the last time you used the skillet.”
I’d found it very endearing that he’d volunteered to help me cook—right up until the moment I realized why he’d actually offered. Feeling mildly offended, I placed my hand on my hip as I asked, “Oh, so you’re worried I’ll burn them?”
“I’m just thinking the grill might be a better way to go.”
“Um-hmm. Sure.”
A playful smirk crossed his face as he said, “I’m just thinking of the boys here. I know how they feel about their burgers being burned, and I wouldn’t want them to be disappointed.”
“Ah!” I gasped. “You’re such an ass!”
“You know I’m just messing with ya.”
“Oh no, mister. I know how this thing goes.” I laughed as I told him, “There’s a grain of truth in every joke.”
He came over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. He looked down at me with a soulful expression, leaving no doubt there was something on his mind. “Let’s move in together.”
“What?”
“Let’s move in together,” he repeated.