Chapter Fourteen #2
Measuring the ingredients she knew by heart from her mother’s recipe for pancakes, she made them first. Once that was done, she allowed them to sit and rest while she got onto cooking the next ingredients.
The bacon was on and slowly rendering. She loved her bacon crispy, and the only way to do that was to cook it slowly to render out the fat.
Yum. The eggs were going in the poacher.
With everything ready, she had just finished as Pat returned.
In between the pancakes, bacon, and eggs, she had gotten Bernice’s food ready, and she placed it on the floor for her dog to come and eat.
Pat came in, and then he kissed her.
“I’ll be right back,” he said.
This felt so good. She wondered if he felt it too, and realized quickly she had to get her feelings under wraps.
With the pancakes done, she quickly poured the syrup into a saucepan and placed it on high heat to get it nice and warm. The bacon was done, as were the eggs.
She served them both a good-sized breakfast. She poured the syrup into a jug and carried it to the table as Pat came out. He was dressed in his jeans, shirt, and he held his leather cut, which he placed over one of the chairs.
“Breakfast is served,” Ava said.
He kissed her again and took the seat at the head of her tiny table. Again, all of this felt right.
She waited until he had cut into one of the pancakes, and then took a bite. He groaned, and that was a good sound.
“Beautiful,” he said.
This made her smile.
“What do you intend to do today?” Ava asked.
“Club stuff.”
Ava nodded. “What will happen with the garage? I know there is nowhere else I want to go to get my car fixed. There’s this garage about an hour’s drive from here, but his prices are extreme, and he’s got grabby hands as well.”
Pat frowned. “What?”
“You know, Michael’s or Mikey’s, or M-Mechanics, I think it is.
A couple of years ago, I don’t know why but you guys closed for a short time and I needed to get my car looked at.
The engine warning light had come on, and it didn’t matter if I turned off the engine, or tried to reset it, or anything.
That thing was flashing. I had no choice but to take it to this other place.
I cannot remember the name. Anyway, he quoted me a price, and throughout the work, that price went up.
Also, he was a little too ... familiar.” She gave a shudder.
“I know there is no way I want to put business his way.”
“The garage will be open within a couple of days. Dylan is doing his investigation.”
“I can’t believe they shot at you. I’m so pleased you’re not hurt. I feel bad for Rusty, but you’re ... you know, I’m glad.” She was stumbling over her words.
Pat let out a little laugh. “I know what you mean.”
They finished their coffee, and Ava recalled what she had missed, so she rushed back into the kitchen to pour them both a large mug of coffee.
She remembered how Pat liked his, and got it done exactly like that, or as good as could be expected with instant coffee out of a jar.
Unlike Lauren, she didn’t have a special blend or brew that would make this better.
Returning to the table, Ava felt this buzz. Pat reached out and took her hand, and it seemed to make the moment complete.
“You’re my girl. Ava, you know that, right?”
“I do, and that makes you mine?” she asked.
“Yes. I don’t belong to anyone else. I’m all yours.”
She smiled.
“I know this is going to sound like a strange request, but ... would you put my jacket on?” Pat asked.
Ava frowned. “If you want me to, I will, but it’s your jacket.”
“I know, but I also want to see what you look like in it.”
She was not going to argue with him. Letting go of his hand, she went to his jacket and was careful as she put it on.
“There, how does it look?” she asked, putting her arms inside.
She had expected it to be tight, but Pat was bigger than her. His shoulders were much wider.
“Will you give me a twirl?” he asked.
For him, she would do anything. She wondered when he was going to realize that. Giving him a little twirl, she turned to face him.
Pat got to his feet and came toward her. He gripped the lapel of the jacket, and he was so close, his breath fanned her face.
“One day, you’re going to wear the cut that declares you as mine. You’ll belong to me, and the club will take care of you as well.”
She felt like it was a declaration.
“Do you want me to wear this today?” she asked.
“No, not yet. You can’t, not yet.”
She didn’t ask why, but she had a feeling it was to do with the shoot-out, as well as the burning of the animal shelter.
He kissed her, and it made her toes curl for all the right reasons. “All I want to do is stay here, but I’ve got to get some errands done. I’m taking you to your mom’s fabric shop, and then I’ll be back to take you to work.”
“Okay.”
She removed his leather cut, grabbed her sweater, picked up Bernice, and followed him out to the elevator. She locked her door, paying close attention that every single lock was bolted into place.
Ava noticed he was tense as they left the building, and she didn’t say anything. Once inside his car, he pulled out and reached for her hand, holding it as he drove her to the fabric store.
It was official. She was one hundred percent in love with this man, and there was no one else she wanted to be with.
From the moment she had met Pat, served him coffee and cake, she had been infatuated with him. As she was getting to know him, the more she liked him, and she didn’t want to stop.
She also knew declaring her love was a dangerous thing to do. Pat was part of a club, not exactly known for long-term relationships. At least, not in the past. Bull and Grant were defying those odds.
Pat pulled into the fabric store parking lot and kissed her before allowing her to leave. He didn’t leave until she had stepped inside the fabric store.
It still wasn’t opening time yet, and her mother and sister were getting the store ready. The door had been open, and she leaned against it.
“Okay, that looks scary,” Violet said.
“I love him,” Ava said.
She looked at her sister, and then toward her mother.
“Are you angry?”
“No, I know that feeling. I had it after the first date with your father, and it was a feeling that never went away.”
“His dad’s awesome,” Violet said.
“Yes, I have heard all about Doc. He is a good man. A nice man,” Hazel said.
“You knew him?” Violet asked.
“Yes, of course. There was a time he was always around town with his wife.” Hazel looked between them.
“They were the couple everyone aspired to be part of.” Hazel sighed.
“So sad to hear about her passing. Doc ... after her funeral, I rarely saw him. I still do from time to time, at the grocery store, but he doesn’t talk to anyone, and he always looks so sad. ”
“Yeah, he is,” Violet said.
The phone rang, and that distracted Hazel. Ava took Bernice through the store, and without a word, she watched as her dog grabbed her favorite toy and got settled into her bed. Ava crouched down and placed the blanket over her. Pat must have taken her for a run or something this morning.
“You’re a good girl, you know that, and I am so pleased you wanted to be with me.” She kissed the top of the dog’s head. “I love you.”
With that, she got to her feet and headed out to find Violet at the main cutting table. There was a stack of online orders.
“Did we have another sale?” Ava asked.
“No. Trust me, this is good for business. A couple of months ago, we had a slow month but it is picking up again.”
“This is good.”
“Yeah.”
Ava took the first order from the pile, grabbed a cart, and started to make her way around the store, collecting everything she was going to need, ticking it off the order as she did so.
Even though it took longer to do an order at a time, she would rather do this than risk mixing up orders.
She hated when she received an order in the mail and there was something missing, or something wrong. This was what she tried to avoid.
Returning to the table, she glanced over at Violet. “So, are you and Doc, like, a thing?”
Violet laughed. “Has Pat asked you to ask that?”
“Nope, nope, not at all. I am asking for myself.”
“He’s a nice man. I like him,” Violet said. “I know he’s a lot older than me, but he’s nice. He didn’t treat me like a piece of meat, and he was just ...different. You get it, that’s why you’re with Pat.”
Ava did get it, but with the age difference, she didn’t want her sister to get hurt.
“Don’t, Ava,” Violet said. “Don’t go advising me right now. Nothing is going on with me and Doc, and nothing will. He’s a good man. Can’t a woman just enjoy a man’s company without it having to mean anything?”
And she knew her sister was right, and also in that moment, she realized something she never had for the past eleven years.
Her sister was hurting. Ryan, her one and only boyfriend, had cheated on her with her best friend, and since then, Violet had never been with anyone else.
Her sister liked to go out dancing, but there was never a guy at the end of the night.
She never got too close to anyone. Her sister had loved Ryan, and he had broken her heart.
Ava hated that it had taken her eleven years to realize it.
****
L idia stepped toward the bedroom, and then stopped herself. This was crazy.
She was not nervous, and there was nothing wrong with checking to see if he was okay. Aria had told her Rusty was fine, that he was okay and was healing. He was grumpy, which Rusty never was.
No one had seen her enter the main clubhouse, and even if they had, they would all assume she was coming back here to see Aria. No one would question her.
She clenched her hands into fists.
“Just come in,” Rusty said.
Lidia froze and she frowned, then decided not to be the coward and opened the door. Only, the door wasn’t exactly closed. He might not have been able to see her, but he’d have heard her.
“Hey,” she said.
Rusty was reading a book. She couldn’t quite see the title, but it surprised her to find him reading.
Part of her expected him to have female company.
This is why she had no choice but to sneak away the day after Halloween.
Rusty was known for sleeping with every single woman available.
Halloween had been a mistake. She hadn’t even set out to lose her virginity, and the fact she had slept with Rusty, had sex with him, lost her virginity to him, had been awful.
The whole experience had been a nightmare, and one she tried not to relive. Rusty had been shocked by her virginity, and afterward, he attempted to make it up to her. They had sex twice. Both times memorable for all the wrong reasons.
“Hey,” Rusty said, closing the book and placing it on his bedside table.
Lidia didn’t step foot into the room. “How are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected seeing as I was fucking shot in the stomach.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” Lidia said.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I know, but, I ... I am still sorry to hear you got shot, and I hope you heal fast and feel better soon.” There. She had said what she needed to say, and now she could leave. She went to turn on her heel and make her escape.
“Why did you sneak out?” Rusty asked.
This is what she was trying to avoid, and why she hadn’t been by the club. No one but Ava. She had done the walk of shame, and Ava didn’t even know who she was sneaking away from. She also hadn’t told Aria what had happened either.
Rusty was that kind of guy who had stories of STDs and STIs. He screwed every piece of pussy that sniffed around the club. He was not the guy a girl wanted to settle down with.
“I don’t think we should get into this,” she said.
“Why not?”
“Look, what happened was a mistake. I don’t know what happened that night—”
“Don’t even try to claim you were intoxicated. I’m many things, Lidia, but I don’t take advantage of women.”
“I know. I’m not saying you did. I think we should both agree that the other night was a mistake and we should just forget about it.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Lidia said. “You and I both know the moment you’re healed, you’re going to find another woman, and you’ll be fine, and I’m not going to do something like that. I am not going to attempt to change who you are, and what you do.”
“What if I change?” Rusty asked.
Lidia looked at him. “Be real, Rusty, you don’t believe in settling down, starting a family, or falling in love, and I don’t want to be just a little fun.”
Neither of them spoke, and then Lidia took a step back and closed his door the way it was, and left.
****
R usty got to his feet and opened the door, seeing Lidia disappear out of sight.
Never in all his life had he felt this way. He was pissed off, in pain, and now he felt agitated. Lidia was right and she was wrong.
Yes, he was a guy that got the STI as well as an STD, and the club never let him live it down. The club didn’t know how he actually got it in the first place, but he wasn’t going to say anything. The club could keep thinking what they wanted, and he played the role he had been dealt.
Lidia was different. She didn’t know this, but he had noticed her around town. Long before Grant started to date Aria, he had spotted her.
Where Aria had long, blonde hair, Lidia had dark, almost raven hair.
Rusty had been unable to look away. He watched her walk around town, hang out with Aria.
When the last lockdown happened, Lidia hadn’t been at the clubhouse, but that didn’t seem to stop her from making friends with fucking Pat. Lidia was a force to be reckoned with.
It was a miracle Lidia hadn’t fallen in love with Pat. He was the more dependable of the two of them. Pat didn’t have the sex stories, nor did he have the reputation. In fact, Pat had once told him he would one day live to regret the choices he had made in bagging as much pussy as he could.
One touch of Lidia, one taste, and Rusty knew there was no going back. The only problem was, she didn’t want to fucking know him.
How did he get a girl to like him, when she was too hung up on who he used to be?