Shifting Life (Skull Shifters MC Book 1)

by Tricia Wagner

  I start kicking and hitting and realize that my phone is in my hand. I stop the hitting and pull up Erick’s number. I hit send and bring it to my ear. “Erick. I need you to pick me up at Brantley’s house please. The address will be in the car’s navigational system. ASAP.” To this I hang up and pray that he gets here soon. I let Brantley take me wherever he is taking me. Once he puts me down I will get away again. Of course we’re heading back into the house, but this time he takes me into the office. What the hell. He sits me down in his chair and blocks me in with his body. “You’re going to sit there and you’re going to listen to what I have to say.” Ha! “Why, you don’t listen to me when I talk, so why should I give you the same courtesy.” He shakes his head at me. “I fucked up.” “Ya think?” “Listen!” Yep, back to yelling. Lovely. Although it did shut me up so I guess it worked. I don’t look at him though. If I’m forced to listen, I don’t have to do it looking into his eyes. “I didn’t think about how all of that looked to you. Damn if you aren’t right. I was acting like my Dad and I didn’t even realize it. I didn’t mean to slam a door in your face by telling you that you couldn’t pay my bills. I get how you feel now, but seriously? You went behind my back and paid off my house, my land, my clubhouse. What did you think I was going to do?” I cynically laugh, “Oh, I expected you to do just what you did. I just didn’t expect it to be done while I was having a nice time with our family. I should’ve had another week before you got the letter. Of course, your treasurer probably gets notified of these things and I should’ve thought about that. That changes nothing though Brantley. Everything you said was nice, but it doesn’t change the way you just reacted, and it certainly doesn’t change the things you said to me. The way you spoke to me. I can’t even describe to you how that just made me feel. On top of that you didn’t just do it in front of me, you did it in front of everyone. I still had the courtesy to walk away from everyone before I started to backtalk. You couldn’t even do that for me. You had to treat me like a child and demean me so I know where my place is here. Well, I read you loud and clear. I am so done. That’s really all there is to it. Erick will be here if he’s not already. I need to go. Please tell everyone I’m sorry for the scene.” I go to stand up but he stays blocking me. “Brantley, move. Please.” He shakes his head, “Not a chance. You’re not leaving. We discussed this remember? No more running.” I scoff, “I’m not running. I’m walking, very calmly I might add. I just know when something isn’t worth the fight. Right now, the way you just were? I don’t even know who that was, but it’s not someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.” He sighs, “You don’t mean that. You can’t mean that. There is no way I have ruined us before we even had a chance to start. Just give me another chance. Please.” I shake my head, “I don’t think I can this time Brantley. Your dad is right. You need someone who is going to be at your beckon call. Someone who will have dinner on the table for you when you get home every night. I can’t be that for you as much as it kills me. I have worked too damn hard to get where I am. I will not let someone take that away from me.” He nods, “I don’t want that. I don’t want to take anything away from you. I want to support you like you said I do every morning. I want to wake up with you and remind you of how great you are. Your success means a lot to me. I didn’t realize what I was doing until you pointed it out. I messed up baby. Please. I’ll do anything.” “Like accepting the money?” I see him look at me in shock. “Mel, I have worked hard too for everything I have.” That is true, “I know. So let someone else take care of you for a minute. Then you can put that time and effort into something else. I know this won’t shock you, because you’ve been on my plane, but paying those things barely touched my money. Why should I let it sit there and not use it when you’re still working your ass off to pay for a mortgage on a house that I am sharing with you? If I can help I want to help. It just means I love you. You can’t even let me do that, can you?” He pulls me into his lap, “I can try. If that’s what you need. I can try.” I shake my head as I move into the chair again. I seriously don’t even know what to do. “I need some time away from you. I need some time to process all of this.” He squeezes my sides, “I’ll give you anything but that. No time apart.” This wasn’t getting us anywhere. “Ok, well what if you don’t really have a say?” He sighs. Huge. “Mel, please anything but that. We’re supposed to be planning a wedding for a little less than two months from now. That isn’t changing.” Sigh. “I never said it was. I just need you to give me some space.” He points at me, “Ok, but you stay here. I will stay away from you. Enjoy your picnic Mel, please stay?” I close my eyes and open them again saying, “I’ll think about it. Let me go see if Erick is here.” He steps aside and pulls me up out of the chair. He pulls me close as he dips and takes my mouth in a hard kiss. “Tequila.” I look at him and shake my head. “Shots.” He smirks at me and I walk away. He has to know that everything isn’t just all of a sudden going to be ok. That’s not how this works.

  I head outside and see Erick at the curb waiting for me. I go up to the driver’s window. “Erick, I’m really sorry. I am going to stay. Brantley, insisted.” He smiles, “That’s ok Miss Melanie. I’ll head back then if that’s all right.” I give him a nod and he heads out the driveway. I go back over to the fire and sit down next to Sophie and Jason. Jason looks over at me, and I shake my head at him to let him know that I don’t want to talk about it. Sophie gives my arm a squeeze and I look up to her giving her a smile. Yeah, she knows it’s not a legit smile, but she doesn’t call me on it. I look across the way and see Trance with Kris. Trance gives me a head nod and I just look at him unsure of what to do. In all of that, no one even stood up for me. I thought they were all of my friends too. What the hell am I even still doing here? What was I thinking? I should’ve just gotten in my car and left. That’s when I hear Brantley from across the way. “Shifters, I need to meet with you for a minute.” All of the guys jump up and head toward the clubhouse. Brantley looks right at me and I turn my head from him. I’ll be damned if I make this whole thing easy on him. He didn’t make it easy on me. I see all of the women sitting around looking at me waiting for some kind of explanation. “It’s a long story. I really don’t feel like getting into it right now. If I do I will probably end up pissed off even more and then I’ll leave. Which means that I will have one seriously pissed off badass motherfucker on my hands, and he’s already almost there now.” Sophie’s eyes get big, “That is him almost being there?” “Yep, and I’m not gonna let y’all see it worse because you would be the ones dealing with it not me. I’d be gone.” They all nod their agreement and I hear “Melanie.” I whip my head around to see Brantley standing at the door. “What?” Yep, I snapped. He’s supposed to be leaving me alone. “The guys are coming back out. I need you when they do.” I turn back around without a response. He isn’t the boss of me. “Melanie, I mean it.” I throw up my hand in a “whatever” gesture. The girls all give me a look that tells me they are confused as hell. “He can wait. I’m not going to be at his beckon call.” Sophie gives me a little snicker under her breath and I hold back a laugh. Kris just smirks at me and I shake my head. They both know we will be talking about this later. I just can’t talk about it in front of the other women.

  I see the guys all come back and Trance and Jason retake their seats next to Kris and Sophie. I almost laugh at this, but I hear Trance start to talk. “Mel, he wants to see you.” I look up to him, “Yeah, well I want a lot of things that I can’t have.” He shakes his head at me. “Isn’t it just easier to go with it at this point?” “Go with what? You know the situation; I am not being unreasonable here.” He nods, “I didn’t say you were. I’m saying, wouldn’t it be easier to just go in there and hear him out?” Ugh. “I already heard everything I needed to.” Jason jumps in with, “I don’t think you did.” That is when I hear Kris say “Don’t gang up on her here. It doesn’t even sound like this is on her. If y’all know the situation; why aren’t you standing up for her?
You’re supposed to be her friends too.” Well, thank you best friend Kristina. Ding, ding, ding we have a winner! The exact question I was wondering. "It's not their place.” I snap my head up not even realizing that Brantley had snuck up on us. Seriously? Not their place? I glare at him. “Melanie, please?” I shake my head and said “No, and don’t carry me either. I’m done with this for now. I can’t do anymore. Please.” “You need to hear this.” He just doesn’t get it. “Fine, if you would like to completely break me today then please by all means. Is that what you’re looking to do here today Brantley? Just completely shatter me? Because it’s working.” I say this as I stand and start to walk toward the house. I seriously cannot believe that this is happening. He grabs my hand and pulls me into the clubhouse. “What you think a new atmosphere is going to help the dynamic here Brantley? Just get this over with. What do you want?” He pulls me to the bar and pours a shot of tequila. He hands me one and pours one for himself. “I’m really not in the mood to drink.” “Just take the shot Melanie.” Geeze. What the hell? I take the shot and he hands me a lime. I suck on the lime and hand it back to him. He takes it and grabs my hand, pulling me into the conference room that I’m not supposed to be in. “We just agreed as a club that we will be paying you back for what you gave us.” Ok, now I’m not just hurt I’m insulted. He can’t be serious. “Until then, we’re giving you the deed to the clubhouse and I will have papers drawn up to put your name on my house.” To put my name on “his” house. It’s like I didn’t even speak at all. I just stand there looking at him unsure of what to do. “Is that all you had to say?” He looks confused, “You’re not happy?” “Why the fuck would I be happy? That isn’t what I wanted. I wanted to do something nice for you. I wanted to be a part of something you said we were growing together. I don’t want my name on the deed to “your” house. I don’t want the money paid back from the club either. I can honestly say that at this point you have not only hurt my heart you have completely insulted me as a person. You just made my decision a whole hell of a lot easier. I can seriously say I can’t believe that you did this Brantley.” His eyes go down to the empty shot glass, “It’s not just me though. We needed to make a decision as a club. That’s what the guys came up with.” I laugh, “Oh, so they also decide whose name goes on the deed to your house then?” He shakes his head, “Well, no. I thought that would make you happy.” “Do you know anything about me at all Brantley? At all? I did that selflessly. I never wanted anything in return. Guess what? You can keep your house and your club. You can also keep the money that I put into it too because I don’t want any of it. Not if it means you feel like I am giving too much in a “give and take” relationship or at least I thought that’s what you called it. You’ve stepped over a line here Brantley and I don’t think you can go back over to the other side at this point. Maybe earlier, but not now.” With that I was out the door I walk back over to the fire and sit down. I pull out my phone and selfishly text Erick to come and get me even though he was probably already at home. Oh well, he gets paid well to do what he’s doing. It won’t be the first time he needs to do something like this. I make sure he knows not to come to the top of the driveway so Brantley can’t try and stop me. Sophie and Kris both look at me skeptically, but neither of them say anything. I refuse to look at any of the guys because I know where their loyalties lie. Definitely not with me. I wait about ten minutes and stand up from the fire. It’s just getting dark so I know that it would be hard to notice me missing. Everyone is starting to drink so I know that it will be even easier for me to leave. I head into the house to grab a few of my things since my house is completely empty. Sigh. How did we really get to this point?

  I pass the office and start down the hall to get to the bedroom when I see Brantley sitting in his chair. What’s he doing in here? I stop at the doorway of the office. “Why aren’t you outside?” “This is supposed to be a celebration. I have nothing to celebrate.” Oh. That. I give him a nod and say “I’ll leave you to it then.” I walk down to the bedroom and grab a tote bag off the floor of the closet. I grab a few necessities and turn to leave the closet when I run into Brantley standing in the doorway. “Where are you going?” Seriously? “To my house. I just needed a few things since it’s empty.” “Please, don’t go.” This was a whisper and I almost missed it. “Brantley, what am I supposed to do here?” “Just, don’t give up on me. Please, stay.” I shake my head, “I don’t think I can. Look at everything that we have said to each other today.” He steps toward me, “I can forgive you for anything you said. Especially since it’s my fault. I can prove to you that I’m worth the fight. I was wrong abo- about all of it.” I swear I’ve never seen him so worked up. “Brantley there’s too much to fix. I don’t think I can fight for it.” One step closer, “Please, let me fight for it. I’ll fight for us. Please I won’t make it through if you leave.” I swear he is tearing up. I had no idea that I meant this much to him. I mean I know that he said he loved me, but he’s kind of losing it here. “Brant, please. You’re making this extremely hard.” He looks dead in my eyes, “I know; I need you to give me another chance. Give me a chance to fix this. I swear I can fix it. Just let me.” I think I just heard his breath hitch. Is he crying? “Are you crying?” He shakes his head, “I don’t know how to fix it. I’m going to do everything I can to do it though. Just please come and give me a hug. Please. I need to feel you close. I need to know that you trust me to fix this.” Did I trust him to fix this? Could I go back to the way things were? “If I do, what happens with the deed to the club? What happens with the deed to your house?” “The club will keep the clubhouse the way it is. We won’t pay you back for the money you put into it. For my house though, I want your name on the deed with mine. I want to tell you that I love you. I appreciate the gesture that you made when you did what you did. We will take everything we have and push it into the charities that we support. I’ll talk to the guys again and make sure they are on the same page with that. You should know, Trance and Jason both told me I was wrong. They tried to stand up for you, but I was being stubborn. I guess more of my dad rubbed off on me than I ever realized. I am so sorry Melanie. Please, give me another chance. I can’t lose you I don’t know what I would do. I’m just so used to taking care of things ya know? I should have had a normal conversation with you. Instead, I freaked out and yelled at you in front of everyone when I shouldn’t have. I don’t blame you for wanting to leave I really don’t. I just hope to God that you still love me some in there that you will give me the chance to fix all of this.” I try to explain, “I do still love you, Brantley. That’s why all of this hurts so much. I just don’t know how you can fix it.” “Me either, but I will figure it out I swear.” I remember when Trance told me that when I put on that cut I took on a responsibility not only to him, but to my family too. Could I leave them all behind without even trying? I already know the answer to that. I give a slight nod. “I have to go tell Erick that I won’t be needing that ride. Again.” I sigh and Brantley jumps toward me. He pulls me in for a huge hug and lays a big kiss on my lips. I instantly melt into him and kiss him back furiously. I can’t let this go too far. I pull away saying, “Brant, Erick is outside waiting.” “I’ll take care of it. I’ll be right back.” I give him a nod and set my bag down in the closet. I head out to the great room and I see that the house is empty. Everyone probably knows that we were in here. Great more questions to answer. More questions I don’t have the answer to. I see the door open and Brantley comes walking in. “Erick’s all good. He was fine with leaving. No biggy, baby.” I nod and start to walk back outside. “Hey, will you sit with me at the fire?” I give him another nod and keep walking. He grabs my hand and we walk out to the fire. I sit down where I was next to Sophie. She gives me a look and then looks to Brantley. “Hey you two.” Brant looks to her, “Hey Sophie, havin fun?” “Uh, yeah Brantley. Fun.” She gives a slight look to her side where Jason is sitting and I can’t tell if she is saying it like that because of Brantley
or Jason. Lovely. We would have plenty to catch up on at our girl’s night tomorrow. “What about you Kris?” She rolls her eyes, “Oh, just wonderful.” Now that was directed toward Brantley. I really need to fight not to laugh at that one. She is so pissed off and I can see her looking at my hand that is still in Brantley’s. I pull my hand back and Brantley looks at me like he is shocked. I need to keep a level head here for myself. To respond to this Brantley puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him. I am pretty sure I just heard Kris growl while I glare at Brantley. I hear Trance mutter a “stay out of it” that is when I see Kris jump up. “Ok, I think it’s time for me to head home.” What? “I thought you were staying?” “No, not tonight. Sophie are you staying or are you coming with me?” Sophie responds with, “Girl, you’ve had quite a few shots…” “You aren’t leaving. And you aren’t fuckin driving.” This came from Trance. Geeze. “Hey, watch how you talk to her.” Yep, that was me. Trance gives me a glare and Brantley stands up beside me. Woops, probably not the best time to do all of this. “I think everyone is a bit on edge. Kris, Soph can I talk to you two please?” They both nod and go to walk away. I feel Brantley tug at my hand before I can get too far. “I’ll be back. We just need to get some things straightened out.” He gives me a nod and kisses my forehead.