Chapter 7 #2
As Daisy dried her face, she explained the whole story.
“I got into this terrible fight with my sister. My dad was drunk again, and the kids were with Mace’s mom.
I just couldn’t take it anymore. I got in my car and left.
I got on 45, and I just kept driving. I took a random exit and kept driving until I ran over something in the road.
Metal. A piece of wood. I don’t know.” She shook her head.
“My tire started to go flat so I pulled into a parking lot of a bar.”
She wiped her face again as more tears continued to spill.
“I wasn’t looking for help. I can change my own tire, and I was.
I was fine.” She shook her head. “But then he pulled up on that bike, and he got off and he looked like...like...” She gulped.
“Dark hair and hazel eyes and stubble and the jeans.” She closed her eyes.
“God, he looked so good in those jeans and the leather vest and the boots.”
“A biker?” I asked, trying to piece her disjointed story together.
“He was so nice. Kind,” she clarified. “Compassionate. Gentle.” She swallowed hard.
“He helped me finish the tire and asked me if I wanted a drink. I should have refused. I never drink. You know that.” She searched our faces for confirmation, and we both nodded.
“But I thought one drink couldn’t hurt.”
“Did you get drunk?” Nataly asked carefully.
Daisy shook her head. “No, I didn’t even finish the beer he bought me. We were talking, and it was so nice, so easy. He was traveling across the country on his bike. It was a trip he tried to take every couple of years, and I thought it sounded so wild and free.”
As much time as I had spent on the back of Shane’s bike in the last few weeks, I thought it sounded awful. I loved riding with him, loved the wind rushing over my skin and the powerful engine rumbling beneath me, but I couldn’t imagine doing it for thousands of miles. My ass would never recover.
She grew quiet and picked at the wet paper towel she clenched.
“Then some of the guys behind us started getting loud. He must have seen the way I got nervous. He moved us away from the bar and over to a table. He was so sweet about it.” Her expression turned wistful.
“He was telling me about his mom when it happened.”
“What happened?”
“A fight.” She winced. “A really bad one. Chairs flying. Bottles breaking. Men shouting. Women screaming. Blood all over the place.” She shuddered.
“He got involved. He helped break it up, but he got cut up.” She touched her hand and her cheek.
“I wanted to help him so I took him into the bathroom to patch him up...”
Her voice trailed off, and Nataly impatiently prompted, “And then what happened?”
Daisy shot her a look. “What do you think?”
Nataly wrinkled her nose. “In the bathroom of a bar!”
Daisy’s face turned bright red, and I kicked my cousin’s foot while mouthing, “Bitch!” at her.
“Sorry,” Nataly quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean—okay, so I did, but—.” She grimaced. “I’m going to stop talking now.”
“Please do,” I said stiffly. I loved Nataly, but she could be abrasive at the worst times.
“He got a phone call right when we were finished. It sounded serious. He said he would come back. He asked me to wait,” Daisy continued her story. “So I did. For two hours.”
“And he never came back?” Nataly asked.
“No, and I finally realized that he wasn’t coming back. He didn’t even ask for my number before he left. It was obvious that I was just a quick you know. Once he was done with me, he left me there like an idiot.”
“Daisy,” Nataly said sadly.
“I’m so embarrassed.” Daisy started crying again. “I knew better. I’m not that girl. I’m not like that! Sex in a bar bathroom! With a stranger?” She vehemently shook her head. “It’s not me. I’m better than that. I’m not my mom. I’m not my sister. I’m not.”
“No, you’re not,” I assured her, moving closer and wrapping my arms around her petite frame. “Oh, Daisy, honey. It’s okay.”
“It’s not,” she wailed in my ear. “It’s not okay. I’m pregnant, Melissa! Pregnant! By a man I can’t find. A man who probably doesn’t even remember I exist!”
“We’ll find him,” Nataly promised. I frowned at her over Daisy’s shoulder, and she shrugged her shoulders. “We have to try, right? What about the bar? We could go back there and ask around?”
Daisy moved out of my embrace. Sheepishly, she admitted, “That’s why Becky picked that bar for the book club social.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “Wait. Becky knows about...?” I gestured to her belly. “And the biker guy?”
Daisy nodded. “She saw me buying a pregnancy test at a convenience store. She checked in on me, and I had to tell her the truth. She offered to help find him. I told her about the bar, and she decided we could all go there together, just in case I found him and needed the backup.”
I had to give it to Becky. She had played it smooth. I never would have suspected there were ulterior motives at play when she chose Margie’s.
“But he wasn’t there?” Nataly asked.
Daisy shook her head. “And when I went to the bar and asked the bartender if she knew his name, she shook her head. She told me he was a nomad and not to count on ever seeing him again.”
That sounded exactly like something Margie would say. She wasn’t the friendliest of women. She still hadn’t forgiven me for giving my opinion about the bar bathroom renovation. She tolerated me because she loved Shane, but I knew better than to overstay my welcome when we visited.
“Do you remember anything about him?” I wasn’t ready to give up yet. “Maybe his bike? If I showed you different types of bikes, could you narrow it down? Was he wearing a vest? Did he have patches?”
Daisy nodded and dabbed at her face. “Everyone called him Leo. That’s what his patch said.” She touched her chest. “And there was something over here that looked like an Italian flag maybe.”
“A diamond shaped patch anywhere?” I had learned enough about Shane’s life and the world of bikers to know that was going to be a problem.
She shook her head. “Nothing like that. I didn’t get the vibe he was a one-percenter.”
“Good.” Shane had managed to get out of the club he had served, but very few men were that lucky. “Anything else?”
“He was from New York, but I don’t know if he still lives there. He had the accent,” she said, her voice going a little dreamy at the memory.
“Did he talk about having a job? How old is he?” Nataly wondered. “Do you remember his mom’s name?”
“He didn’t mention his mom’s name. He said he owned a gym.” Daisy hesitated before she admitted, “I think he’s probably forty or maybe a little older.”
I bit my tongue at the revelation of that age gap. Yes, sure, okay, Shane was older than me by eleven years, but I was nearly forty years old myself. I was mature and had lived a whole life of experience. Daisy was a baby compared to me—and that biker had no business messing around with her.
Judging by the pissed off look on Nataly’s face, she had the same feelings.
If this biker baby daddy was lucky, we wouldn’t find him.
Nataly was an absolute beast when she was mad.
I had seen her pick up and throw a full half-barrel keg at a party once—and hit her mark.
If this Leo got within grabbing distance, she was going to beat the shit out of him.
“So,” Nataly said with an unimpressed sigh, “we’re looking for a dark-haired Italian gym bro from New York? Yeah. That should be easy enough to find.”
“Nataly!” I snapped in frustration.
“Sorry.” She held up both hands, but I could tell she was anything but sorry.
“No, she’s right. It’s hopeless!” Daisy started crying again, and I glared at my cousin.
“It’s not hopeless,” Nataly insisted. She crouched down in front of Daisy the same way she did when she was giving her players a pep talk.
“Listen, even if we can’t find him, you’re not alone.
Okay? You’ve got me. You’ve got Melissa.
You’ve got friends and people who love you.
” Nataly put both hands on Daisy’s shoulders.
“We’ll take care of you. We won’t let you do this alone. ”
Daisy sobbed. “Thank you.”
“Come here.” Nataly tugged her into a sisterly hug. “You’re all right.” She rubbed Daisy’s back. “You’re okay.” She patted Daisy’s head. “Listen, you need to eat. Come on. My mom cooked. It will make you feel better.”
Daisy didn’t argue. She let Nataly help her stand and lead her back to the lunch waiting for us.
While my cousin got her situated, I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen to open the message chain I had with Shane.
He wanted to take me on a bike ride down the coast to one of his beach houses for the night. I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
I need your help with something.
Uh-oh.
Need me now?
I need you always.
But this can wait.
We’re still on for the ride to the beach?
Definitely.
Good. See you after work?
Yes.
He replied with a heart emoji. I smiled at that. We hadn’t said the words yet, but they were coming. It was insane to be this in love with someone so quickly after meeting, but I wasn’t going to question it. Life had led me to that bar for a reason—and his name was Shane.