Chapter 6 Gracie Mae
Gracie Mae
Ihaven’t heard from Oak and this time I was expecting it.
It had taken everything in me not to follow him and console him. The only reason I hadn’t was because Snake advised that it wouldn’t be wise. I wanted to argue with him but from the grave expression on his face I decided against it.
Snake, out of all of us, including Vipers MC, knows Oak the best.
Though it didn’t stop me that night texting Oak and making sure he was okay. Or leaving him a voicemail saying that if he ever wanted to talk I would be there for him.
That was four days ago.
Having it be finals week hadn’t helped me in the slightest.
I was concerned about Oak and I was balancing the stress of taking my exams.
With finals week over that stress is done but my concern surrounding Oak remains.
If he had given one reply maybe I wouldn’t have been as worried.
Except I know that’s a lie. I would’ve wanted to hear his voice to tell the truth. To see his face and see if that faraway gaze was still in his eyes.
The truth is my concern over him will not be put to rest until I see him.
And I’m hoping that he isn’t “too busy” today.
Connor and I take a weekend trip over to Stonesville, Pennsylvania where the Vipers MC are located every weekend since we had to stay there for one week back when Alice’s life was in danger.
Connor fell in love with the place and even more so with the people. And I would be lying if I didn’t say the same for myself.
In such a short amount of time they welcomed us into their family.
Sometimes it’s the family that you choose that loves you more than the one you are born into.
“You ready, champ?” I ask him as he buckles in his seat. He turns to me with a wide smile on his face. His eyes shinning brightly.
“Yeah!” He replies excitedly. His excitement is infectious. “Do you think Oak will be there?” There’s hope in his voice that I don’t have the heart to kill.
I throw on a fake smile. “I’m sure he’ll find the time.” He fucking better or I’ll hunt him down myself.
He nods his head. “I want to show him that I aced my test.”
I let one hand go on the steering wheel for a second to ruffle his hair. His squeal of laughter fills the car. “I’m so proud of you, champ.”
“You’re always proud of me.”
“True,” I laugh softly.
“I’m proud of you, too,” he says ever so quietly. I swear my heart stops beating.
“You are?” My voice is unnaturally high.
I see him nod his head through my peripheral vision. “I’m the proudest brother in the world. There’s no one like you, sis.”
Now my heart clenches. Tears press at the back of my eyes as I try to swallow pass the lump in my throat. It shouldn’t make me this emotional. Hearing my brother, my much younger yet wise brother say he’s proud of me shouldn’t have me wanting to cry.
“Any reason for trying to make me cry?” I joke to cover up how emotional I am.
He smiles softly. “I don’t say it enough.”
“It’s okay.”
“But I should more often. When you say you’re proud of me it makes me happy,” he pauses before adding, “I want to make you happy, too.”
There it is, my heart being squeezed to death by emotions. The lump in my throat grows tenfold and this time I can’t press back the tears.
I sniffle, wiping my nose with the back of my hand after I wipe away the few tears. “I am happy, Connor,” I tell him. “You make me the happiest sister in the world.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“Because I’m so very happy.”
“That’s weird,” he comments and I can’t help but laugh at that.
“No, it’s not,” I playfully disagree with him.
“Are you going to cry every time I tell you I’m proud of you?”
“Maybe.”
“Then I’ll make sure to have tissues with me.”
I laugh, the sound coming from my belly. “You do that.”
The rest of the ride happens to go by quick after he falls asleep. We run into no traffic which prompts me to say, hallelujah a couple of times to myself.
As we pull up to the Vipers MC , Connor stirs awake. Perfect timing.
Pulling around the back I park my car there. As soon as the car is in park Connor goes flying out. I pop the trunk and in the rear view mirror I see him lifting it up to get his bag.
After he gets his bag he comes running over to my side of the car. “I would have gotten your bag, too but it’s heavier than mine.”
“Thanks for trying but you know you don’t have to do that.”
He shrugs. “I know but you taught me otherwise.”
While raising him I taught him to be respectful and kind towards others. He’s the most chivalrous young man I know.
I ruffle his hair again before going to the trunk and getting my bag.
It’s then that I feel a very large presence behind me. The one that makes me go weak in the knees and the damn butterflies to swarm in my stomach. One that can’t be mistaken.
“Oak!” Connor shouts excitedly before I hear him crashing into him with a hug.
Before I turn to face him I try to calm my heart. But I should know that it doesn’t matter if I do because one look at him and it will be skyrocketing again.
And I’m proven right when I look up at him.
The sun hits behind him creating a glow. His cut is on paired with a simple black shirt. He then pairs it with a pair of black jeans that have seen better days yet he wears them so deliciously well.
Connor is swallowed in his big arms as he gives the little guy a hug. But in Connor’s defense everyone is little compared to Oak.
Oak’s eyes meet mine and I see the flash of regret before it disappears. His eyes drift back to Connor as he holds him.
“Hey, champ. It’s been a little bit since I’ve seen you,” Oak says to him.
Connor tips his head back with a wide smile. “That’s okay,” he assures him. “Grace said you’ve been busy.”
Oak’s eyes bounce back to mine and I only narrow mine at his. He blinks and then focuses his attention back on Connor.
But not fully because his eyes keep wandering back to me. And his gaze is making me hotter than the sun we are under.
He clears his throat. “Sorry about that. I got you a new game, though.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah. It’s all set up in your room for you. Star Wars is your favorite, right?”
“It’s only the best ever!” Connor then turns to me and asks, “Sis, can I go play?”
Not being able to say no to him especially when he’s this excited I agree. “Yes but only for one hour because you have to eat dinner.”
He fists pump the air in victory as he shouts, “Yes!” Then he gives me a hug and before I can return it he’s off running to the compound.
My eyes don’t leave him until he’s safely inside. When he is I look up at the man who has taken up residence in my mind.
His eyes are already on me. I catch him looking over my body before his eyes land on mine. I arch my brow at him with a smirk on my face. He doesn’t hide the fact that he was openly checking me out. He’s not even ashamed. And that only makes him hotter.
“So,” I begin and his eyes fall to my mouth, “what do I get for you being busy?” I know I’m playing with a man who keeps his cards close to the chest but for once I just want him to fold.
His lips purse. “You make it sound like I wasn’t.”
“Because you weren’t. We both know you were avoiding us, mainly me but I didn’t have the heart to tell Connor that.”
He glances away from me. A sign I’ve noticed when he’s become uncomfortable. Too bad I’m about to make that worse for him. “I get that you didn’t text me back but did you even listen to my voicemail?”
His fingers drum against his outer thigh. Only another sign that his stoic facial expression will never show. “I listened to it,” he gruffly says.
“And you still chose to ignore me.” I shouldn’t sound so hurt. But I do. And I almost hate myself for it. Except I never could because I can’t hate myself for caring about him.
Glacier eyes flash to mine. “It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like? Help me understand.”
“It’s hard to explain, Grace.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s still Gracie Mae to you.”
“How long am I not going to be able to call you Grace?”
“Until you admit that you were avoiding me.”
He stares at me intensely but I don’t wither under his gaze. Because even though Oak is the most intimidating person I have ever met, in size and appearance, I never feel intimidated by him.
He takes a step closer to me and I feel the air thinning. My body is already hyper aware as goosebumps appear on my skin. There’s a magnetic pull that makes me want to draw closer to him but I stand firm.
His fingers graze my shoulder and electric zaps beneath my skin. Then he lifts the strap to my luggage bag and places it on the ground besides us.
Before I can question him he lifts me up like I weigh nothing but a pound from under my armpits and sits me on the hood of my car. Because he’s incredibly tall, almost near seven foot, I still have to look up at him.
A mere mortal admiring a god.
“I listened to every one of your voicemails,” he begins.
Then he leans in closer to me and cages me in with his arms on either side of my hips.
I can smell the clean scent mixed with motor oil.
My heart lurches in my throat as I try to stay calm.
“Read every one of your texts,” he continues in that husky voice that sounds like sex.
“You’re right, I was avoiding you. I’m sorry. ”
I blink up at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Having him this close is affecting all my senses. And apparently my brain cells because I can’t formulate a single thought.
Then he surprises me when he takes my hand, the very same hand he was holding onto like a lifeline four days ago.
Holding my hand gently between us he says, “And I’m sorry for this.” Keeping his eyes on mine he presses the most tender kiss to the back of my hand.
All the blood rushes to my cheeks. I feel the electric currents going off like sparks inside my body. My heart thumps wildly as the butterflies attack my stomach.
“Know that it was never my intention to hurt you, Grace. I’ve caused enough people pain and I’m sorry that you’re now a part of that.”