“We’re here. I got Jorge a room for the night. Now, I’ve got to go, do some business, but you all can come and hang with us later if you want to.” Hatchet lifted me off the back of his bike. He still treated me like I was a little girl, but I guess I would always be that to him. He and his wife Kat were my parents’ best friends and my godparents. Growing up, Kat and Jorge were always over, especially when Hatchet went off the rails. Hatchet was an enforcer and known for wielding his namesake when ‘the situation called for it’ as my father used to put it. My parents kept me out of it for the most part. Jorge, on the other hand, wasn’t as lucky. He still had nightmares from what he encountered with them.
“I’m not much up for partying,” I mumbled.
Hatchet studied me and folded his arms. “Yeah, I can see that. Whatever it was, it’s over now. You’re here with us.”
“We’ll call you later, dad. Thanks,” Jorge said on approach. He had my bag and backpack with him. The two of them standing together, they looked similar enough—both were handsome with thick dark curls, soft brown eyes, and full lips. But like most, I considered Hatchet an older, rougher version of his clean-cut son. Jorge was in a starched blue shirt and dark slacks. His square jaw still smooth from shaving while Hatchet had an uneven beard and wore leathers.
I took and fixed the backpack on my shoulder. “Thank you, Jorge. Thank you both.”
“No problem,” Hatchet said. “You need anything you just knock, but if I’m busy—”
“Yeah. We know,” Jorge interrupted. His tone clipped.
“Kat knows. Hell, she was fucking Fox while I was in jail,” Hatchet argued.
“Because you told him he could have sex with her,” Jorge pointed out.
“Your mom doesn’t care. She’s into it. She always was, but she likes riling you up because she enjoys her dramatics. What you need to do—”
“Don’t think you can tell me what to do,” Jorge spoke over him. That made Hatchet speak louder. “What you need to do is take whatever crawled up your ass, out. I did the right thing here so don’t take your anger at Piper out on me. If you want her—”
“Shut the hell up,” Jorge hissed.
Hatchet face went flat. “Son or not. You never speak to me like that. I. Will. Hurt. You.”
The blood drained from Jorge’s face, but he stood there facing him.
Fuck. Hatchet would stand by his threat, and I didn’t like the idea of Jorge getting his ass kicked after flying across the country for me. I needed to do something. “This is my fault. I’m sorry I was crying on the phone and scared you enough to call Jorge.”
Hatchet smirked. “I wasn’t scared.”
I then turned to Jorge. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. It was because I didn’t want to hear I told you so. Okay? You were right. I didn’t mean for you to miss your summer school courses.”
Hatchet’s shoulders dropped, and he nudged my arm. “You know him well, and you’re still friends with him.” He turned to Jorge and sighed heavily. “Fine. I won’t fuck anyone until you leave tomorrow.”
Jorge’s lip twitched. “I’ll take that.”
Hatchet slapped his back and grinned. “How the hell I ended up with such a straight-laced son I have no idea, but I’m glad you let me help you. You know I’d do anything for you.” That had Jorge and me smiling. Hatchet was scary as all hell, but one thing Jorge couldn’t deny was that his father loved him.
I swallowed. When Hatchet and Jorge were good, they were close, like I’d been with my father. I missed our talks. I missed him.
I stared at Hatchet. I knew what was coming, and I wasn’t ready to go back to my old life just yet. We were moving towards the stairs, and I wouldn’t have another chance to speak about the plan forming in my mind, so I tapped on his back. “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
His brows rose to my motioning for him to move with me a few steps away from Jorge, who was now eyeing me suspiciously.
“Where are you headed after here?” I asked him.
He scratched his beard. “After the bike fest, probably back to California. Why?”
“I was thinking that maybe I could come along?”
He laughed until he saw I was serious. Then his jaw clenched. “No fucking way. It would be like pissing on Wheeler. That I won’t do. I’d end up having to cut up my brothers to keep them off of you. I won’t be with you twenty-four-seven. Besides, you’ve got school like Jorge.”
I shrugged.
“Yeah, you do.”
“Fine,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, it will be fine,” His tone was rough. “Now, any more side conversations you need?”
I bit my lip. This might be my only chance to know what happened with my mother’s friendships with Kat. “I don’t know if I can ask you this, but.…”
“Spill it.”
“My mom had mentioned my dad had sexual relations with Kat?” My voice went up at the end.
He chuckled. “Now that wasn’t something I expected you to ask about. Star still bitching about them fucking? Kat’s a wildcat in bed. I didn’t blame Wheeler for wanting another taste; she shouldn’t either. She should’ve asked her for some tips.”
I blinked at his blunt assessment of my father and my godmother. My shoulders slumped as the disappointment in them hurting mom descended on me.
“Wheeler was a good man; that’s all you need to know. It was sex, nothing more.” I nodded. “Now about you and your desperate attempt to run away with me. Since Wheeler ain’t around; let me set you straight. No dick is worth throwing your life away over. Shake whatever happened off and move on. You’re better than that.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a weak smile. I was about to move away when he added. “I told Jorge he needs to stop playing friends with you.”
My lips parted. “What? We are friends.”
“I heard that. Will you give it a rest?” Jorge snarled.
“When you stop being a pussy, I will,” Hatchet replied. And on that note, I followed them up the stairs to the second level and watched Hatchet enter his room first. Jorge stopped a couple of doors down to the one we were sharing for the night. I walked in and eyed the king-sized bed that took up the center of the room. It was one of those beds with a group of various sized pillows and printed pattern sheet set. It sat between oval shaped lamps and mahogany side tables. The room had a couple of striped, upholstered chairs and a coffee table neatly arranged along the wall by the window and a large flat screen TV. The club had definitely moved up in the world. My face warmed, and my stomach flipped. How? I didn’t want to know and was sure Jorge didn’t either.
“Sorry. Dad had reserved it for us. We can change it—” He pushed back his dark brown hair in a way that had me thinking of the way Brody did the same thing.
I plopped down on the soft mattress. “It’s fine. I don’t want to be alone. I’m sorry, Jorge, for mixing you up in my mess and for calling Hatchet. I just didn’t know what to do.”
“I’m the one sorry for not being your friend first. I didn’t listen and wasn’t there for you while you were on your trip. I just didn’t want you to get hurt, and now you are,” he said in a gentle tone.
I moved the hair back from my face. “Yes, I am. Brody…you saw what happened.”
“I’m sorry, but he was right. He has a life, and so do you. You have college to go back to.”
“No, I don’t. I can’t go home. I can’t go to school….” I stammered.
He lowered his brows. “What are you talking about?”
“Mom told me she never wants to talk to me again. She chose Royce.”
“What. What happened?” he said. His voice elevated.
I wiped my sore eyes and remained silent.
“Damn it, Piper. Tell me right now. If you don’t, I’ll call her myself,” He reached inside the pocket of his pressed pants.
I grabbed his arm. “Don’t please. It will just make things worse.” He paused enough to reach for a box of tissues and handed them to m
e. “Tell me now.”
“Royce told her I had run off with Brody and that I tried to blackmail him into keeping quiet by sending pictures of myself to him in an attempt to break them up,” I babbled.
“What?! I don’t understand. Slow down and tell me everything.”
“If I do you must promise not to tell Hatchet.”
He scoffed. “As if I would tell him anything. You really have a low opinion of me. I want to know what in the hell did I end up doing to make you feel this way about me.”
I looked at his soft brown eyes, and I wiped my cheek. “God. I’m sorry. I don’t know. I just feel so lost right now.”
“Alright. Take your time. I care about you, even if I don’t agree with all the things you have done lately.” Jorge looked sincere, and he was right. He hadn’t done anything to earn the resentment I’d been feeling for him. If he had done the same thing as I did; I’d be questioning him. So I got myself together enough and told him everything from the moment we left Boston up to his place in the hospital.
Jorge stayed quiet and listened. When I finished, he said. “God. I think I’m speechless.” He laid back on the bed with his arms under his head.
“If you were speechless, you wouldn’t have been able to say that,” I mused.
He scrunched his face. “I mean orgies. You aren’t the group, kinky-sex kind of a woman.”
I groaned. “One orgy. Brody was the only one touching me, well, there was the guy that held my hands down on the ground while he—”
“How could you let him treat you like that?! I can’t believe it,” he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. It’s like you went on some reality show and lost your head, but I don’t blame you. He—”
“It was me. Okay. I knew about the orgy, and I didn’t have to participate. I wanted to, and I enjoyed it,” I said hotly. My face burned with shame, and that made me angry. Out of everything I shared with him, that was the thing that bothered him the most?!
We were quiet for a few minutes. I used the time to contemplate getting another room. To hell with my finances.
Jorge put away his disdain enough to apologize. “Sorry. You’ve been through a lot with Royce. What a disgusting bastard. I didn’t realize your mother was that desperate to keep him?”
“Yeah, I didn’t either.”
His lips curled up. “Fuck her.”
I grinned. Yeah. Now that response was what I needed to hear right now.
“I have to fly back tomorrow, and I want you to come with me. As for a place to stay, I’ll call Eric and bribe him for the rest of the summer.”
“Thank you. It would only be for a couple of weeks now. I’m still going to Aunt Luna’s and working on her Etsy blog and on the farm. I’ll need the money.”
“I’m afraid I’m on a budget too and will have to help my dad out for our tickets,” he replied.
“I’ll pay for mine. Royce gave me some money as a retainer.”
He frowned and protested, but listened when I explained.
He curled his lips upward. “What a filthy piece of shit.”
“Yeah, and I would have given him that money back, but now I need it until I get a job.”
“On a positive note, congratulations on getting into the program,” he slapped my outstretched hand.
“Thanks, but now I can’t afford it. I have to find a place to live and a job now.”
“You can stay in my dorm next semester. I’ll have a single,” he offered.
“Thanks for the offer, but that could get you in trouble and me kicked out on my ear. I need a more permanent plan. Besides, if you are with Nora….” I said lifting my brows questioningly.
He smirked. “I’m not “with” Nora. That was sex which is all I have time for. You know how it is.”
I did. It was something we both adapted to since relationships were something we didn’t want until after our careers. At least, I used to feel that way until I lost Brody. I hunched my shoulders; my hair dropped in my face, and I inhaled. I still smelled like him. A pang went through my chest. I hadn’t bathed since the one we had shared. Or taken my birth control pills! I frantically dug through my purse and when I found them, looked around for something to drink. Jorge silently handed me a bottled water. My embarrassment was without end this evening, apparently.
“Thank you…I’m going to take a shower.” I got up and pulled off my shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for the shower,” I undid the top of my jeans and had them half way down my leg before Jorge got my attention again by gripping my arm.
“I’m not your gay friend.”
“I know that. So?”
“So don’t flaunt your body in front of me.” The bass in his voice had me searching his face. His jaw was tense, but his eyes were dark with something I hadn’t seen before. At least not on him; with me.
“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. That’s all I say to you lately. Sorry,” I muttered.
He loosened his grip on my arm. “It’s alright. I understand, you’ve been through a lot.”
“You and me….” I didn’t even know where to start and couldn’t handle finishing it right now. Luckily, neither did Jorge.
“I’m not going there,” he whispered.
I started crying again and struggled to stop.
Jorge just pulled me into his arms and held me there. “Shhh. It’ll be fine. We’ll work it out,” he encouraged, rubbing my back. I didn’t cry often, or in front of anyone, but here I was, crying twice in one day. When I calmed down, I moved out of his arms, and he slowly let me go.
“You go and have a shower, and I’ll order dinner. What do you want?” he asked.
“The greasiest burger, fries, and shake you can find.”
“You got it, and you’re not alone. You’ll get through this.”
I went over to the bathroom and stopped in the doorjamb. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“You’re my best friend. I will always be there for you.”
“And me for you.”
I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. My trip had ended, and so had me and Brody. I had no choice but to let go. Stripping off my clothes, I walked over to the shower and turned on the spray high and climbed in. I washed over myself, then slid down the tile wall and cried some more.
Tonight I’d grieve. Tomorrow I’d fix my life.
Chapter Three
Piper
“WE SHOULD LEAVE for the airport to make our flights,” Jorge said to Hatchet over our farewell breakfast the next morning.
“I wish you two could stay a couple of days longer. The bike fest is the best it’s ever been this year. We are going to party with our chapter out this way,” he said.
“You’ve expanded?” I asked between bites of my eggs Benedict.
“Something like that,” Hatchet said eyeing Jorge, who was ignoring us.
“We have plenty of time. We printed out our eTickets already,” I pointed out. Jorge stared at me until I slumped down in my seat.
Two weeks I would have to spend in his dorm before I went to Aunt Luna’s. I instantly felt guilty for counting down the days. Jorge had come all this way for me, but last night hadn’t gotten any better though I’d had hoped it would after we talked. Consequently, I believed the talk was the crux of our problem. I’d shared (overshared) what I had done on my trip, and a weirdness had sprung up between us. It added to the hurt I was already going through because of Brody. Worse, because I didn’t know how to fix things. But no matter what, I wasn’t going to throw away our many years of friendship because we were experiencing a rough patch.
“You need to get back to California before your probation appointment,” Jorge told him.
“You said you’d be my excuse. My son was in distress, I had to help him out,” Hatchet said with a roguish grin.
“I think that will only go as far as missing your appointment. It won’t work for skipping states. So make sure you are back there
before they throw you in jail,” Jorge said.
Hatchet looked calm at the idea of more incarceration. He took a sip of his coffee. “You’re being more of a pain than usual. What’s really going on with you?”
Jorge didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “I just have a lot to do this year. The competition in my program. It’s intense.” He admitted.
I reached over and patted his leg. “You got this. You’re top in your class.”
“But can I remain there with everything I need to do?” he said pushing his eggs around his plate.
“We’ll go over your schedule and your plan when we get back to Boston. If you’re behind in any way, I’ll help you,” I assured.
That brought a smile to his face. “I’d like that,” he said.
“See? Problem solved,” Hatchet added. We finished eating our breakfast and got up to leave.
“Alright, son,” Hatchet said. I watched their embrace, then took my turn.
“When you come over to the West Coast, be sure to see Kat. She misses you,” Hatchet said.
“I will. Thanks for the help.” I hugged him.
“He needs you,” he said in my ear.
“I’ll be with him,” I promised. He gave me a squeeze before letting me go.
We got into the rental car and headed to O’Hare airport. Once we sat down in our seats, Jorge didn’t waste any time taking down his tray and loading it with his coursework. I took the time before takeoff to send a message to Aunt Luna. I also briefed her on what happened with my mother before turning off the phone. I stared out of the window at the grey clouds as the plane took flight. They reminded me of Brody and the way he pulled away from me during the final moments we shared. My heart ached at the thought of never seeing him again. A tear escaped the corner of my eye. Loving each other wasn’t enough he said. He loved me back, but he let me go. Jorge squeezed my hand and smiled when I took out my planner and started charting out plans. I was returning to my old life.
Piper Dreams: Make It Happen (Dream Series Book 2) Page 2
