Chapter Eight
Kath
It’s just a ride. Two people on a bike. You did it yesterday, and no one died. It’s no big deal.
Except it felt like a big deal. She hadn’t let herself look forward to spending time with a guy in...God, she couldn’t even remember how long. Not since she’d promised herself she’d never chase sparks the way her mother had.
She spotted Chase’s truck already parked nearby. He was leaning against the tailgate, hands in his pockets, looking calm and steady in the afternoon light. When he saw her looking, that small, genuine smile crossed his face again—the one that made something warm unfurl low in her stomach.
Kath swung off the bike and pulled her helmet off, shaking out her hair. “You’re early.”
“So are you,” he replied, pushing off the truck. “Couldn’t wait?”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Don’t get cocky, Mason.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly at the last name, but he didn’t correct her. Instead, he walked over, leaving a respectful distance between them, and looked at the bike with open appreciation.
“You ready?” he asked.
He took the spare helmet from her hands. “I’m ready if you are.”
“Born ready.”
She climbed on first. Chase settled in behind her, his hands resting lightly on her waist. Not gripping, not pushing boundaries—just there. Solid. Respectful. She could feel the warmth of his body through her jacket, and it sent a traitorous little shiver down her spine.
“You good?” she asked over her shoulder.
“Perfect,” he said, voice low and close. “Wherever you want to go.”
Kath twisted the throttle and pulled out of the lot.
The familiar roar of the engine wrapped around them, and for the first few miles, she let herself just ride—pushing the speed a little, leaning into the curves, feeling the wind whip past. Chase moved with her effortlessly, like he trusted her completely.
They left town behind and took the long river road, the one with the big sweeping turns and open fields. Every time she accelerated, she felt his hands tighten just slightly on her waist—not controlling, just holding on. It felt safe. Which terrified her.
Don’t do this, she thought. Don’t let a guy on the back of your bike make you stupid.
But when she pulled off at the same overlook from the day before and killed the engine, the quiet that settled between them didn’t feel dangerous. It felt peaceful.
Chase took his helmet off and handed it to her. “You ride like the bike’s part of you.”
Kath swung her leg over and leaned against the seat, trying to ignore how warm her cheeks felt. “It kind of is. First big thing I ever bought just for me. No one else’s name on it. No one else’s expectations.”
Chase nodded like he understood. He came to stand beside her, looking out over the river. “I get that. My truck’s the same way. Club helped me build it, over on the mechanical side of things, but it’s mine. First thing that ever felt like it belonged to me and no one else.”
They stood in silence for a while, the sun warm on their skin. Kath found herself stealing glances at him. He wasn’t pushing to fill the quiet. He wasn’t trying to impress her with stories or jokes. He was just...there.
It made her want to tell him things.
“I don’t usually do this,” she said suddenly.
Chase looked over. “Do what?”
“Let guys on the back of my bike. Let them get close enough to...matter.” She swallowed. “My mom chased every spark she felt. Left us with nothing but debt and disappointment. I swore I’d never be like her. Never let a guy make me forget who I am.”
Chase was quiet for a long moment. Then he said softly, “I’m not asking you to forget anything. I just like being around you. Talking to you. Riding with you. Whatever this ends up being, I’m not in a hurry. We can go as slow as you want.”
Kath turned to face him fully. He met her eyes without flinching—steady, honest, a little vulnerable himself.
She believed him.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Slow works for me.”
Chase’s smile was small and real. He didn’t try to kiss her. Didn’t even step closer. He just stood there with her, watching the river, letting the quiet settle comfortably between them again.
For the first time in years, Kath let herself imagine what it might feel like to trust someone without anticipating the next blow.
And as they climbed back on the bike to head home with Chase’s hands warm and respectful on her waist, she thought maybe, just maybe, she could let herself find out.
***
Chase
Parked in his normal spot, Chase sat on the tailgate of his truck in Bear’s driveway, the sun long gone, the only light coming from the garage floodlight and the soft glow of his phone screen. His legs dangled over the edge as he replayed the entire afternoon in his head for the hundredth time.
The ride with Kath.
The way she handled the bike like it was an extension of herself. The quiet strength in her posture. The way she’d opened up just enough at the overlook to let him see the walls she kept so carefully in place. And how she hadn’t pulled away when he told her they could go slow.
He still felt the ghost of her waist under his hands. The warmth of her body in front of him. The trust she’d given him by letting him ride behind her on her bike.
It meant more than she probably realized.
His phone buzzed. A text from Benny:
*How was the ride?*
Chase smiled despite himself and typed back:
*Better than I expected. She’s...different. In a good way.*
Benny replied almost immediately:
*Don’t overthink it, kid. Just let it be what it is.*
Chase set the phone down and stared out into the dark yard.
He was overthinking it. He knew that. But everything in his life felt like it was accelerating at once—the band gaining real traction with Iron Indian Records, the pressure of living up to the Mason name, the complicated tangle of feelings about his dad, and now Kath.
Maybe especially Kath.
He thought back to the night he’d told Mason he wanted to prospect.
Barely sixteen years old, heart hammering, convinced that wearing a patch was the only way to finally earn his father’s respect.
Mason’s laugh still echoed sometimes—not cruel, but dismissive.
“Come see me when you’re eighteen, boy.”
Then OY had pulled him in. Benny. Vic. The music. Not the Rebels. Not his father’s legacy. Just him and his newfound love of creating magic out of nothing more than six strings and his fingers.
And now there was Kath.
Chase rubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t want to choose. He wanted the band. He wanted to figure out what kind of relationship he could have with Mason. And—if he was being honest—he wanted to keep seeing where things went with the sharp-tongued girl on the blue-and-white bike.
The garage door creaked open. Bear stepped out, wiping his hands on a rag, and spotted him.
“Still out here mooning over that girl?” Bear asked, a teasing rumble in his voice.
Chase laughed softly. “That obvious?”
Bear leaned against the truck beside him. “You’ve got that same stupid look Vic had when he first started falling for Bonnie. So yeah. Pretty obvious.”
Chase was quiet for a moment, then said, “I told her we could go slow. That I wasn’t in a hurry.
And I meant it. But I really like her, Bear.
She’s got her own shit going on. Family stuff.
Walls higher than the sky to keep people away.
I don’t want to push her. But I also don’t want to pretend I’m not already thinking about the next time I get to see her. ”
Bear nodded slowly. “Sounds like you’re doing it right, then. Girl like that, one who’s been burned before, she needs to see you mean what you say. Actions, not just words.”
“Yeah.” Chase looked down at his hands. “I keep wondering what Mason would think. Not that I need his permission...but part of me still wants it. Wants him to see I’m not just running away from the club. That I’m really focusing on choosing my own thing for once.”
Bear clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Mason’s a hard man to read sometimes. But he loves you, Chase.
He’s proud of what you’re doing with OY.
He’ll come around on the rest. Just keep being the man you’re becoming.
The rest will sort itself out. Trust me, he’d tell you straight up if he was pissed about it.
Take his words, or lack of them, at face value. ”
Chase felt some of the tension in his chest ease. “Thanks, Bear.”
“Anytime.” Bear pushed off the truck. “Now get out of here. Go touch grass or something.”
Chase grinned. “Yes, sir, in a bit.”
Bear turned and headed into the house while Chase stayed on the tailgate a little longer, staring up at the stars.
For years he’d felt like he was standing in the shadow of a giant—his father’s name, his father’s club, his father’s reputation. But lately, especially when he was with Kath, he felt like he was finally stepping into his own light.
He pulled out his phone and opened a new text to Kath.
*Made it home. Thanks again for yesterday and today. Best rides I’ve had in a long time. Looking forward to the next one whenever you’re free.*
He hit Send before he could overthink it.
A minute later his phone buzzed with her reply:
*Me too. Tomorrow sounds good to me.*
Chase smiled at the screen, a warm, steady feeling settling in his chest. *Now that’s a plan.*
*Night, Chase.*
Whatever came next, whether it was with the band, with his dad, or with Kath—he was ready to face it.
Not as Mason’s son.
Just as himself.
***
They ended up back at Bear’s house later the next evening, after the sun had gone down and the sky had turned that deep indigo blue.
Chase had suggested grabbing food, but Kath had shaken her head and said she wasn’t ready to go home yet.
They’d first ridden back out to their overlook on her bike, talking for more than an hour.
They’d only left when she mentioned how the air was cooler now, the stars starting to prick through the dark.