by Wilder, L.
“That sucks.”
“Yeah, but it shouldn’t take long for me to throw something together. What about you? How was that big English test you were talking about?”
“It was easier than I thought, but Misty Turner got a better grade and made a point to rub it in my face.”
“Screw Misty Turner. She’s just jealous.”
“Jealous of what? She’s smart, really pretty, and already has boobs.” She glanced down at her chest as she muttered, “She’s got no reason to be jealous of me.”
“You’re wrong. That girl doesn’t hold a candle to you.”
“Hmph.” A light blush crept over her face as she said, “You’re just saying that ’cause we’re friends.”
“I’d never lie to you, Lauren. You know that.”
Her blue eyes locked on mine, but it didn’t take long for her to look away. Moments like these made me wonder if there was a chance we could end up being more than just friends. I had a feeling Lauren was thinking the same, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she changed the subject. “You know, you never told me what happened to your parents.”
“Nothing ‘happened’ to them. They just aren’t around anymore.” I gave her a nonchalant shrug. “Never really knew my dad. He’s been locked up for as long as I can remember, and my mom ran off with her boyfriend a few years ago.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“I wasn’t given the option, but even if I was, I wouldn’t have wanted to go.” Pretending she hadn’t just asked the question of all questions, I casually bumped my toe against one of the tree’s roots as I confessed, “To be honest, I’m actually kind of glad Mom left me.”
“I know what you mean.” She glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one could hear her as she said, “Cotton and Cass are both great, really great, and the guys are too. I’m really lucky they’ve been willing to help me, but I get a little overwhelmed at times. Things are just so different here.”
“Different good or different bad?”
“It’s definitely better than where I came from, but ... I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.” She glanced over her shoulder again, then announced, “It’s getting kind of late. I better get back or they’ll wonder where I am.”
I nodded, then watched as she turned and ran back across the street. I stood there for several moments, pondering over what she’d said. I didn’t know much about Cotton and his brothers, only the things I’d heard, but it was enough to make me wonder if she was in danger living there with them. I planned to ask her the following day, but she didn’t show. She didn’t show the day after, or the day after that. It went on for days, and I grew more and more concerned. After two weeks of not seeing any sign of her, I had to do something. With every ounce of determination I could muster, I crossed the street and was making my way over to Cotton’s when I heard, “Flynn!”
I whipped around, and to my surprise, I spotted Lauren proudly perched on one of Cotton’s mares heading in my direction. “Hey, where ya been?”
“I’ve been getting some riding lessons from Cass.” As she got closer, I could see how happy she looked, “She finally let me ride by myself.”
“So, everything’s okay?”
“Yeah.” Her brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know. It’s just … the last time we talked, you mentioned things being different, and—”
“Oh, that.” Relief washed over me as she announced, “I was just overthinking things, but don’t worry, everything is good. Really, really good. Cotton and Cass have decided to adopt me.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe it.” She rubbed the horse between the ears as she smiled and said, “Someone out there must be looking out for me because Cotton and Cass are great. I never dreamed I’d end up with people like them.”
“What about the brothers? Are they cool?”
“Very cool.” She was practically beaming as she said, “At first, I thought they were kind of scary, but they’re really amazing guys. They treat me like I’m their little sister or something. It’s kind of neat to have them looking out for me.”
“I bet.”
“I think I’m going to like it here.”
“I’m really glad to hear that.”
“I’m really glad, too.” Her eyes skirted over to Cotton’s place, and when she saw Cass standing at the edge of the drive, she turned back to me and said, “I better get back. I’m sure Cass is wondering where I am.”
“Okay, I’ll catch up with you later.”
My heart sank as I watched her turn the horse around and start back to Cotton’s place. I didn’t want her to go. It had been days since I’d talked to her, and I needed more time. It was at that moment I’d realized just how much our meetings at the fence had meant to me. Those brief moments in time would grow more and more important over the years to come. Lauren had helped me get through those long nights working at the bar, the countless breakups with girls I had no business getting involved with, and most of all, losing my Gran. I was just nineteen when she’d died, and it was hard to lose the only real family I’d ever known. I wouldn’t have gotten through it if it wasn’t for Lauren and the members of Satan’s Fury. Lauren had told them about my grandmother’s passing, and because of them, my Gran had gotten a proper church service and burial just like she would’ve wanted.
The years without my grandmother had been tough. It was even more so after Lauren had left for college. At first, she’d stop by for a quick hello whenever she came home to visit, but it just wasn’t the same. We were on two different paths, and we both knew it. I wasn’t surprised when she stopped coming around altogether, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about her. Hell, there were days when I missed her so much it fucking hurt.
Lauren never knew she’d had such an effect on me.
But that was about to change.
I’d given my heart to the girl by the fence, and I was going to do everything in my power to make her mine—even if it meant risking it all just to have her.
Chapter 2
Lauren
The time had come. I needed to get my own place. I’d been talking about it for over a year, but every time I brought it up to Mom or Dad, they would find some way to talk me out of it. From the day I’d moved in, they’d always been very protective of me. They were both fully aware of my traumatic past—how my biological parents were drug addicts who’d neglected me for years, and then sold me into a sex-trafficking ring when I was just twelve years old. I had been terrified, surrounded by strangers and forced to be scrutinized by depraved men looking to steal my innocence. Thankfully, Tristan had been there right along with me. She had ties to Satan’s Fury, so it was no surprise when Big and Nitro had come to her rescue. To my relief, they’d decided to save me right along with her. While Tristan had gone back to Nitro’s place, Big brought me to Fury’s clubhouse.
As soon as Dad learned what had happened to me, he had Big look into my parents, and it hadn’t taken him long to see I was telling them the truth. My folks really were awful people. I was so happy having Mom, Dad, and the brothers in my life. I had no desire to ever see or talk to my biological parents again, so I couldn’t have been more elated when they’d offered to adopt me. Cass and Cotton had given me a life I never could have dreamed of, and to be completely honest, neither of them had to work very hard in persuading me to stay with them.
Dad’s house had been the only home I’d ever really known, and it was absolutely amazing. I had my own bedroom and even had my own bathroom. The place was huge. Not only was there a playroom for the kids, but a full basement for the adults. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. With everyone under one roof, I had absolutely no privacy. Darby and Susana, my twin sisters, were constantly barging into my room, pleading to wear some outfit or wanting me to put an end to one of their endless disputes. If that wasn’t enough, Malcomb, our younger brother, had just gotten a new PlayStation, and for a se
ven-year-old, he had quite a set of lungs on him. It wouldn’t have been so bad if his room wasn’t right next to mine. Maybe then, I wouldn’t have had to keep pounding on my wall, telling him to quit shouting and jumping up and down every two seconds.
In all honesty, I should’ve moved out when I’d first come back from college. The time away had done me wonders. I’d met a lot of great people, experienced new things, and even had a couple of brief but memorable romances. When I came back, I felt like a completely different person. I even cut my hair short and dyed it blonde to celebrate the change in myself. I was feeling better than ever when I got my teaching position at the local elementary school. It would’ve been the perfect time to branch out and find a place of my own. I was twenty-three, had my degree, and a great job. I was more than capable of being on my own—now, I just needed to prove it.
Before I could do that, I’d have to convince Mom and Dad it was time for me to find an apartment, so I gathered up every ounce of determination I could and went downstairs to talk to them. I entered the living room and found them both on the sofa watching TV. As usual, Mom was nestled in the crook of his arm, and they both looked utterly content. I loved seeing them like that. Dad was this all-powerful MC president, but when it came to Mom, he was a complete teddy bear.
Neither of them budged as I sat down on the coffee table in front of them. I kept my voice strong and steady, as I said, “We need to talk.”
“About?”
“Me finding my own place.” Dad’s brows immediately furrowed. I knew he was about to throw in his two cents, so I quickly added, “I really appreciate everything you both have done for me. I can’t begin to thank you, but it’s time for me to stand on my own two feet.”
“You can stand on your own two feet right here,” Dad replied. “Don’t have to move to do that.”
“Yes, I do,” I argued. “I can’t keep leaning on you for everything. I need to know what it’s truly like to live without you as a safety net. I need to pay my own rent and bills. Things like that.”
“No matter where you live, you’ll always have a safety net with us.” Dad’s expression softened. “There’s nothing we wouldn’t do for you.”
“If that’s true, then you’ll let me find an apartment.”
“Come on, sweetheart,” Mom interjected. “We’ll find a nice place for her. Somewhere close where you and the brothers can keep an eye on her.”
“But not too close of an eye.” I knew in a matter of seconds, Big could have security cameras in place, and he and the guys would be watching my every move. That was something I didn’t want to happen. As much as I loved Dad and the brothers, they were a “tad” protective, and everyone knew it, especially the guys in town. I hadn’t been on a real date in months, and even when I did go out with a guy, it didn’t take long for the romance factor to fade. Either I felt no connection whatsoever, or the guy couldn’t get past the fact that my father was the president of Satan’s Fury. I hoped having a little distance from the club might help in that department, but only if the guys would give me a little space. “I’ll find a safe place, so you won’t have to worry about me.”
“I’ll always worry.” Dad’s tone became stern as he said, “That’s what fathers do.”
“Okay, how about this?” I inhaled a deep breath. “I’ll look at some apartments tomorrow. If I find one I like, I’ll have you and Mom come check it out.”
“Sounds fair enough.”
“Great!”
“You know, we could always look to see if they have anything posted online,” Mom offered.
I could hear Malcomb jumping overhead. Knowing it would only get worse, I nodded and exclaimed, “That sounds great! Let me grab my laptop.”
I stepped over and pulled it out of my teacher bag, then carried it over to the sofa and sat down next to Mom. We pulled up the website for apartments, and I felt a rush of excitement when I saw there were several amazing options. I opened up the first page, and when Mom immediately started to suggest all the different decorating possibilities, I was thrilled with her ideas. Unfortunately, my joy was quickly dashed when Dad started to point out all the various issues with safety and security. I wasn’t surprised by their different reactions. Where Dad had always been the all-mighty father figure, Mom had always been more like my best friend. Maybe it was the fact that she was younger, but from the moment they adopted me, she’d done everything possible to make me feel at home—like I was a part of their family. I adored her for it.
Once Mom and I had several places picked out, I closed my laptop and headed upstairs. I slipped on my pajamas, then banged on the wall to quiet down Malcomb. I was about to crawl into bed when I found myself drawn to the window. I eased back the curtain and felt the slight flutter of butterflies in my stomach when I saw the light was on at Flynn’s place. I wasn’t surprised by my reaction. Even when we were younger, and he was just a tall, goofy kid with acne, he’d always brought the same flutter to my stomach.
Flynn was the only guy I’d ever known who didn’t seem to mind that my life was intertwined with the MC, and I loved that about him. There was just one problem. Back in the day, we were friends, good friends, but he’d never shown any interest in furthering our friendship—at least not as far as I could tell. And I was always too worried about losing him to push for anything more. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I’d once tried to show him that I could be more than just the girl next door, but things hadn’t exactly gone as planned.
It was the day before my sixteenth birthday, and we were at our usual spot at the fence when he asked, “What’s it like over there?”
“What? The clubhouse?”
“Yeah,” he answered, sounding intrigued. “You know, being there with all the Fury guys.”
“You can’t believe everything you hear, Flynn.” I crossed my arms with a scornful look. “They’re really good guys.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they are.”
“They are,” I pushed. “You should see for yourself. They’re having a big party for my sixteenth birthday tomorrow. Why don’t you come by?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, come by around six.” As I said the words, I started to imagine how great it would be if he showed up. I wanted Flynn to see there was more to me than our brief conversations at the fence, and I hoped the party would give me that chance. It would also give him the opportunity to see that he had nothing to worry about where the Fury men were concerned—or so I hoped. “They’re gonna have food and a bonfire. It’ll be fun.”
“Okay, I’ll be there.”
“Great.”
I left there not really knowing if he’d come or not. We’d never really talked anywhere except right there at that fence, but as luck would have it, he showed. All the guys and their families were there, along with my friends from school. I thought the party would be a great chance for me to show Flynn that I’d grown up, that I wasn’t the same shy girl he’d met three years prior, but Flynn had done some growing of his own. At eighteen, the lanky boy with acne was all but gone. Now, he was tall and muscular with a sexy, brooding bad-boy look that made my heart race whenever I saw him.
Alas, I wasn’t the only girl who thought he was unbelievably hot. It seemed every one of my girlfriends were itching to get his attention, and they weren’t exactly shy about it. They were practically pawing all over him as he stood by the bonfire, drinking his soda and pretending he was unaffected by their advances. I was trying to work up the courage to go over and talk to him when Gavin, one of the boys from school, came up to me. “Cool party.”
“Thanks, Gavin. I’m glad you were able to come.”
“I was thinking...” he stammered, then cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out sometime?”
His question caught me off guard. Gavin was a sweet guy, smart and well-liked by everyone at school, but I’d never really considered him as boyfriend material. At the same time, I’d never been on a real date before. With doubts circling my
mind, I glanced back over at Flynn and found him talking to Misty. She was a gorgeous blonde who looked much older than sixteen. Her makeup was always perfect, and she had the kind of curvy figure all the guys chased after. When he looked down at Misty with one of his smiles, I knew she’d caught him under her spell. Flynn was so wrapped up in her that he didn’t even seem to notice I was watching them, making it clear there was no way I’d be able to draw his attention. It was a revelation that stung a bit, so much so, I decided to take up Gavin on his offer. I looked back at Gavin with a smile and said, “Sure, I’d like that.”
“Great. How ’bout this Friday? We could go to the football game and grab something to eat afterward?”
“Sounds good.”
“It’s a date then.”
“Um-hmm.”
I let out a deflated sigh as I looked in Flynn’s direction one last time. Unlike times before, he was staring right at me, and there was an odd expression on his face. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought he was upset with me, but I had no idea why. Moments later, he disappeared—leaving me and my party without so much as a goodbye.
The following day, I walked out to the fence to talk to Flynn. I wanted to know why he’d run off like he did, but he was nowhere to be found. I went back the next day and the day after that, but it was more of the same. No Flynn. The following weekend, I’d gone on my date with Gavin. Not only was it my first true date, but it was also the night I’d discovered Flynn had been talking to Misty, and they were officially dating. It’d broken my heart, but after a few days of sulking, I figured it was all for the best. Flynn and I were better off remaining friends, so I let go of my hopes of us as anything more.
It took a little time, but Flynn and I finally started meeting up at the fence again. There was no mention of the party or our dates with Gavin and Misty. We just shared our day like we always had, but nothing more. That didn’t mean I stopped thinking about what could’ve been with Flynn, because I did. I thought about him all the time.
