She hung up the phone. “It’ll be 45 minutes.”
“What ever will we do with the time?” Tyler leaned against the counter. He looked so funny in her small apartment, like he was in a doll house.
“I can think of a few things,” Mary winked.
“None of those things are happening. We need to pick a movie.”
Mary sighed. “Okay. Well, the world is your oyster. What do you want to watch?”
She picked her laptop up off the couch, and plugged in the cord that connected it to her television. “Something action-y?” Tyler asked.
“Sounds good.” She scrolled through the movie listings until she landed on something that they both wanted to see and then she hit play. They curled up on the couch together. It seemed like neither of them quite knew how to position themselves.
They were saved from some of the awkwardness by the pizza guy.
Mary set the pizzas on the counter and grabbed two plates. She handed him one and helped herself to a few slices.
They curled back up on the couch. This time, Tyler put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him. They polished off the pizzas and finished the movie. Mary put the two plates in the dish washer and then rubbed her arms. “Bed time?” she asked tentatively. She hadn’t figured out how to bring up sleeping arrangements, even though she had thought about it almost constantly since she invited Tyler over.
“Where do you want me to sleep? I’m happy to take the couch if that makes you more comfortable,” Tyler said, kindly.
“You can sleep in bed with me,” Mary said. “You just have to deal with me kicking you all night.”
“I think I can handle that.” She took his hand and led him to the bedroom. He went to the bathroom to change while she changed in her room. They climbed into bed, laying stiffly next to each other. Tyler turned over, pulled Mary into his arms and nuzzled his nose against her neck.
“Your nose is cold,” she whispered. She could feel the rumble of his chuckle.
“Sorry,” he whispered back. She let herself relax into his arms and she fell asleep.
“Did April invite you to dinner too?” Mary asked the second Tyler picked up his phone. It was two weeks after they had spent the weekend together and Tyler had driven up to see Mary every weekend since.
“Hello to you too. Yeah, she did. I was thinking about saying no.”
“No! Say yes. Because if I have to sit and listen to them go goo goo over cars then you have to too.”
“I don’t mind talking about cars,” Tyler reminded her. “I do belong to an MC.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Whatever, at least if you’re there I’ll have something to look at while you guys talk.”
“Are you calling me eye candy?” Tyler asked, amused.
“Yes. Yes I am.”
A few days later Mary pulled into her brother’s driveway. She had a bag packed so she could stay the weekend. Otherwise it would be a bit pointless to drive five hours for dinner only to drive five hours back. April was thrilled that Mary was staying the weekend, it gave her time to get to know Brett’s sister. Mary was excited as well. She hadn’t been able to spend much time with April and she was excited to add another girl to the family.
Mary got out of her car and went to the door. Just as she rang the doorbell, Tyler pulled in. He got off his bike and jogged to the door. He grabbed Mary’s hand and squeezed it just as the door was opening. April stood there, grinning widely. Her eyes darted to their hands parting and then she looked back up at them.
“Welcome!” She pulled them both into a hug and ushered them inside. She sat them down at the small table in the breakfast nook, and Mary offered to help with dinner.
“Where’s Brett?” Mary asked.
“He got stuck at the shop late. He texted me just as you arrived saying he was on his way. Mary, could you help me set the table?”
“Sure thing.” April grabbed some plates and headed into the dining room, and Mary was about to follow with the utensils when Tyler grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He kissed her lightly on the lips and she smiled up at him.
As she turned to head into the dining room, she realized April was in the doorway. Mary wasn’t sure how much she saw, but her brother’s fiancée didn’t say anything. Mary exited the kitchen to put the utensils on the table.
By the time Mary and April had finished cooking, and Tyler brought all the pots out to the table, Brett had arrived. They all sat down and began to chat as they served food. Tyler asked Brett about the shop, and Brett and April discussed the car they were restoring. The night was going exactly as Mary had thought it would go until April turned to Mary.
“Are you two dating?” April asked kindly, looking between Tyler and Mary. There was a long silence and then Brett spoke.
Brett snapped. “Of course they’re not.” Mary looked away from Brett and at April. She wasn’t sure what to say. Lying to her family seemed like an awful way to start out her relationship with Tyler.
Tyler looked down, away from Brett and April raised an eyebrow. “You guys just seemed cozy, sorry. I didn’t—“ April started.
Brett cut her off. “Tyler? Dude?”
Tyler was looking guiltier than Mary had ever seen him.
“You’ve been fucking my sister?” Brett screamed. His face was turning red.
“No!” Tyler yelled. “We haven’t—“
“But you’re not denying that you’ve been seeing her!” Brett stood up. Mary had never seen him so angry in her life.
“What is wrong with me dating Tyler?” Mary said, calmly. She wasn’t going to play into Brett’s hysteria.
“Because you’re my little sister and he’s my friend, so you’re off limits.”
“Brett, you can’t tell me who I can and can’t date. I’m not a child, and you’re not my mother.” Mary stood. “April, thanks for dinner. It was delicious. Brett, fuck off.” Mary stormed out of the dining room, and grabbed the keys to Brett’s motorcycle off of the table by the front door. She hopped on the bike and peeled out of the driveway.
She wanted Brett to sweat it out a bit when he discovered that his beloved bike was gone. It would be clear she took it, her car was in the driveway, but she was pissed and it seemed like a good way of getting back at him.
She turned onto a busier street and stopped at the traffic light. She heard the rumble of other bike engines and she looked around. Her heart sank as three bikers pulled up behind her. They were wearing the Tribe cuts.
“Marty! Isn’t that the Clan bitch who knocked over Lou’s bike the other day?”
Mary kept her head down, hoping that her hair obscured her face.
“It sure is,” one of the other men growled.
“Shit,” Mary muttered. The light turned and she gunned it down the street. Her heart pounded in her chest, sending fear through her. She wasn’t sure what crazy, pissed bikers would do but she had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be anything good.
Two of them sped up so they were neck in neck with her. She slammed on the brakes and made a fast turn onto another street, but the third biker pulled away from the other two and managed to follow her. Soon the other two were on her tail as well.
One biker pulled directly behind her, and the other two moved to her side, trying to edge her off the road. She sped up and so did they. There was no way that she could get away from them. One of them moved in closer, and Mary’s wheels skidded on the grass that bordered the road. She felt her grip slip away from her and the front of the bike turned, pitching her off of it. She turned herself and hit the ground shoulder first. She heard a crack and fire burned through her arm. The bike came behind her, and rolled over her right leg before falling over onto her leg. She screamed as pain shot through her. She had never experienced anything like it.
She heard the jeers of the Tribe bikers. They stopped, turned, and rode back to where she was laying in the grass. “That’s what you get bitch. Tell the Clan not to fuck with us. If you ma
ke it.”
The sound of their wheels on the road signaled their exit. With the arm that wasn’t injured, Mary tried to reach down to her pocket to grab her phone, but it wasn’t there. She turned her head and she saw it.
Her phone was a few feet away from her. It light up and began to buzz, Tyler’s name was displayed on the caller ID. She crawled forward. Everything hurt. She was pretty sure her right leg was broken. Brett’s bike was trashed. She reached for it, and she managed to swipe the take button. “Tyler,” she said, hoping he could hear her. “I crashed. The Tribe. Ran me off road. Help.”
She heard Tyler’s panicked voice, garbled from how far away the phone was, and then she knew no more.
She woke up in the hospital, and the first thing she felt was pain. She groaned. Her whole body ached. She turned her head to see Brett sleeping in the chair next to her hospital bed. “Brett,” she whispered. Her throat was dry.
He blinked and opened his eyes. He leapt up from his chair and leaned over her bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m in pain,” she muttered. “How long was I out?”
“About twelve hours. You’re healing quickly, all things considered. Two fractures in your right leg and a broken arm. They thought your clavicle was broken too, but you healed by the time they got you to the hospital. Hopefully we can get you discharged soon so we can go home and saw off your cast.” Mary had never been so thankful that being a shifter made her heal faster than the average person.
“Do you want to go tell a nurse or something that I’m awake so I can get out of here?”
“Can do, little sis.” Brett walked towards the door but before he left, Mary called his name.
“Just so you know,” she said. “I’m still pissed at you.”
“You can be pissed.”
“Where’s Tyler?”
“He’s home. He got you here, I took the next shift. We’re not talking.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Go find a nurse.”
It took a few hours to get her discharge paperwork together. The doctors wanted to keep her longer but they couldn’t deny that she was healing rapidly and seemed to be doing very well. Brett drove her to his house and helped her into the guest room.
“Did someone pick up my phone?” Mary asked as she crawled into bed.
Brett reached into his pocket and handed it to her. “Here it is.” The glass on the front was cracked but overall, it didn’t look too damaged. She put it on the bedside table, turned over, and fell asleep.
April kept an eye on Mary for the next few days. Whenever Brett would go to work, Tyler would usually come by for a little bit. He always brought her small gifts. A teddy bear that said ‘get well’ or chocolate, or soup. He always left before Brett got back and neither April nor Mary ever said anything about Tyler’s visits.
Mary felt bad about the situation between Brett and Tyler. They were basically brothers and now they were fighting because of her. She tried to talk to Brett a few times about it but he would get up and walk away, and she was still a little too weak to chase him around.
A few days after she left the hospital, Mary’s phone rang. She reached over and grabbed it. “Hey, you,” she said, smiling.
“Hey, darling. What would you say if I asked you to take a little mini vacation with me?”
“I would say yes.” Her heart fluttered in her chest.
“Great. I’m going to head over there now. Pack a tiny bag. Just essentials.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Brett is going to have a heart attack when you get here. He’s been sulking about this whole thing for the last few days. You think getting attacked by a rival biker gang would make him say yes to everything I wanted, but nope. He’s still pissed at us.”
“I’m planning on resolving that tonight,” Tyler’s voice was steel.
“Okie dokie. I’m trusting you on that one. You know how to handle Brett best.” She wasn’t sure how he was going to fix everything, but she sure hoped he did. She wasn’t thrilled about the animosity between her and her brother.
His voice changed as he said, “I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
She made a kissing noise. “See you soon.”
“Bye, darling.”
Mary threw a few things into a small bag and went out into the living room. Brett was sitting on the couch with April. Mary tossed her bag by the door and went to sit in the kitchen. She heard a knock on the door a few minutes later and jumped up, hoping to get to it before Brett did. But she wasn’t so lucky.
She made it just in time to watch Tyler push his way into the room. She picked up her bag and scurried to follow the two huge men.
“Get the fuck out of my house, Ty,” Brett spat.
Tyler stood next to Mary and took her free hand. “No. You’re going to listen to me. And we’re going to resolve this you hard headed fuck.”
“Get your hands off my sister!” Brett moved forward, as if he was going to physically separate them but Tyler stood his ground.
“You know what Brett, you’re like a brother to me. But I’m with Mary. And I don’t give a fuck if you like it or not because she’s an adult and she can do whatever the fuck she wants,” he said venomously.
“You betrayed—“
Mary interrupted him. “Shut the hell up, Brett. Get over yourself and your protective big brother crap. I’ve been taking care of myself for years. If the two people you love most want to be in a relationship, why the hell are you so against it?” Mary spat. She was so done dealing with this. She had been beaten. She didn’t want to deal with her over-protective asshole of a brother.
Brett had the decency to look abashed. “If you guys break up then I’m going to have to take sides and I lose one of you.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Brett, that’s not going to happen. I’m certainly not going anywhere, and if Mary decides she doesn’t want to be with me then that’s her decision and it won’t make me care about her any less. But honestly, I see this lasting for a very long time.” Mary reached out and squeezed Tyler’s hand. She hadn’t known exactly how he felt about her. Hearing it out loud made everything feel so much more real.
“So now I’m going to take your sister out of town so she can recover and get her feet back under her and if you feel the need to call and bitch at us any more, refrain.”
Tyler turned and pulled Mary along with him. He opened the front door and he practically frog marched her to his bike.
Brett stood at the door. “Fuck you both. I approve,” he called out.
Tyler laughed and Mary flipped him the bird. “See you in a few days, bro.”
“Take good care of her!” Brett yelled as Tyler revved the bike’s engine.
“I always will!” Tyler called back.
They arrived at a fancy hotel an hour away and Tyler helped Mary off the bike. It had been a little awkward to ride in a dress but she managed. “Do you want dinner?”
“I’m not all that hungry,” she said. She rubbed her bare arms and Tyler pulled her close to him.
“Then we’ll just go up to the room.” Tyler took her bag and grabbed his own and they walked into the hotel. The front desk people looked a little shocked to see a tattooed guy in a motorcycle cut walk in but they quickly hid it.
“Hello!” The woman at the front desk said enthusiastically. “How can I help you?”
“I have a room booked.” Tyler fished out his wallet and handed her a card. The woman swiped it and her eyes widened as his information came up on the screen.
“Oh, Mr. Lance. Of course. We have it all set up for you. Do you need two key cards?”
“That’d be great.” Tyler flashed her a bright smile. The woman slid the two key cards and his credit card back across the table to him.
“If you need anything just give us a call. I’ll be here all evening. Room service, questions about the spa, just give the front desk a ring and we’ll handle it. You’re in room 1001.”
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“Thanks so much.”
“Do you need someone to get your bags?” The woman gestured to the tiny bags on Tyler’s shoulder.
He laughed. “No, I think I can manage.”
“Have a great night, Mr. Lance. Mrs. Lance,” the woman nodded to Mary. Mary opened her mouth to correct the woman but Tyler was pulling her away before she could get the words out of her mouth.
Matthew (BBW Country Music Bear Shifter Romance) (Bearly Saints Book 1) Page 10
