Chapter 6 Kane
CHAPTER SIX
Kane
Still straddling my bike, I retrieve my phone from my pocket. I have one text from the babysitter saying that Oliver didn’t wake up at all when I left.
I let out a relieved breath. I type out a quick response, thanking her for agreeing to come over so late.
With everything Oliver has gone through, I try not to leave him with people he doesn’t know very often. If there’s something Wyatt, Linc, and I all need to do together, we try to do it after he’s already sleeping to make it easier with a babysitter.
I quickly drop off my stuff on my desk before walking to the bar. Linc comes into view first. He’s staring blankly at the door.
Taking another step, I see Wyatt standing at his side in the same position. While Linc looks deep in thought, Wyatt looks like a kid who was told he could have cake and ice cream before bed.
Honestly, their expressions match their personalities perfectly. As to why they are both staring at the door, I don’t have the faintest clue.
Neither of them moves until I slap a hand on each of their shoulders.
“What are we staring at, boys?” They both jerk in surprise, and I chuckle. “The fuck has both of you so dialed in?”
“The most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Wyatt says with his beaming smile. I turn to look at Linc, who surprisingly also has a small smile on his lips.
“She really must be pretty if she had you smiling, too.” I nod in Linc’s direction.
“Fuck you,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes at me. The fucker has been quiet for as long as I have known him, which has been practically our entire lives.
“I can’t even blame him for being smitten,” Wyatt says. “She was… wow.”
“As much as I love that for the two of you, can we wrap things up for the night? We have a club meeting in a few minutes.” Whoever this beautiful woman is must have been the last one in the bar because the place is empty now.
I walk over and flip the sign on the door from open to closed, leaving it open so everyone can come in for the meeting.
We’ve only had a few meetings since starting up, but it’s been nice connecting with other people who like to ride.
There are only ten of us so far, but I’m hoping it will grow. I genuinely enjoy being around everyone who’s joined.
We all love motorcycles, but more than that, they’re good people. They care about this community.
That’s exactly why Wyatt, Linc, and I decided to start this club in the first place. We wanted to bring together people with common interests who could work together to do some good.
The group is new, but I already have a good feeling about it.
I look over to the bar where both of them are cleaning up with a far-off look in their eyes. Who the hell is this woman? She fucked them up good. Both of them.
I know the two of them have shared women before. There isn’t really anything the three of us don’t know about each other. I have never judged them for it, but I also never participated.
That doesn’t mean the opportunities never presented themselves. It just never felt right. Maybe I wasn’t into the women who were offering, or maybe sharing really isn’t my vibe.
“What’s her name?” I ask.
Both of their heads snap in my direction. Linc opens his mouth, but the front door bursts open before he can respond.
Becks saunters in like she owns the place. “Hello to all of you, but I need a drink.” She marches straight for the bar.
Wyatt huffs out a laugh. “What can I get you, Becks?”
“Coke… the sugar kind. None of that fake stuff. I need the real stuff tonight.”
“Calm down. Don’t want to go too hard over there,” Wyatt says.
She doesn’t even bother responding to his smart-ass comment. She focuses her attention on Linc. “Hello there, broody one.”
He lets out a small laugh, laced with an exhale. “Broody… grumpy… cranky… Take your pick.”
She takes a sip of her Coke. “I think I’ll stick with broody.”
The front door opens, and more members file in. Soon, we’re all gathered around one of the tables beyond the pool tables.
Benny plops down beside me, bumping his shoulder against mine. “How you doing, kid?”
Rex is telling a story on the far side of the circle, so I keep my voice down. “I’m doing alright, just putting those pieces back together little by little.”
“You’ll get there.”
“Yeah, we will.” As soon as I say the words, I realize how true they feel.
Before moving here, I would have said the same thing, but I doubt I would have really believed it. Coming to Aspen Springs was a breath of fresh air not only for Oliver but for me as well.
We decide on a date and time to go on another group ride around one of the lakes outside of town. You never really know when winter will hit in the high country, so we decide to do it soon before it’s too cold and slick to do so.
This high in the mountains is probably not the best place to be operating a motorcycle club, but I don’t give a shit. I know no one else here cares, either.
Everyone’s reason for riding is different. For me, it has always been my kind of therapy.
It probably isn’t the healthiest solution, but as far as coping mechanisms go, it could be way worse. There’s just something about the peace I find riding along a quiet road with the wind whipping around me.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m thinking about riding my motorcycle as an escape or because I’m sitting in the very place where I met her three years ago, but my mind wanders to Abby.
I turn to look at the bar and the two seats we sat on three years ago. So much has changed since then.
What is she doing now? Is she happy?
Does she still think about me the way I think about her? Probably not…
With a quiet sigh, I bring my attention back to the people here with me now. I need to actually listen to everything that’s being said.
I didn’t think it was necessary, but a few weeks ago, they all decided I was going to be the president of our little group.
My eyes lock with Linc from across the circle. “You okay?” he mouths.
I give him a small nod. He eyes me for another minute before diverting his attention elsewhere.
Things might not be perfect, but they are getting better every day. That’s what I have to hold onto right now.