Ride It Out
Page 9
After a while, we settle down and move to the floor with a worn old Monopoly game she pulls out of a cupboard. It passes the time and gives us a chance to talk more. Besides, watching her kiss the dice before she rolls became a serious turn-on. She beats me, hands-down, of course.
With the game back in its faded and worn box, I sit back and hold her against my chest. Lost in my thoughts, I need to figure out a way to help her understand the club, and everything that it entails. If she’s going to be my ol' lady, she’ll have certain obligations with me being a full member, even if I just work on the support side of things now.
“What’s the matter Blake?” She notices my mood change, I suspect.
“Anne, we need to talk about a few things. And since we’re kind of stuck here, now’s as good of time as any.”
She turns to face me. “Okay. Is something wrong?”
“No, at least I hope there won’t be. I like you Anne. But my lifestyle isn’t like yours. It’s rougher, not innocent. It’s not the white picket fence and house with a dog and a handful of children type of lifestyle. Some things are dangerous I have to get into, and you’ll have trust me and the guys to protect you.”
“I kind of figured some of that out when your friends were here. I don’t care that what you do may be different from me, or that your so-called lifestyle isn’t the same as mine. It’s you I care about. It’s you I want to be with. All of that is part of you, makes you who you are. And… I love all of you.”
Love all of me. From her expression she’s being completely honest as always. I love her, but am I ready to admit it out loud? Hell yeah I am.
“I love you, Anne. More than you’ll ever know.” I kiss her like my life depended on it, because it does. She’s brought me back to life. Allowed me to come to peace with everything that happened. To know, that I’m still the man I was before, still capable.
“So, what does all this mean, Blake? What happens now?”.
“This means you’re mine Anne. If you’ll have me, that is, you’ll come with me back to my place, in Tennessee.” I wait, unsure now, if she’ll actually agree to come with me. She’s probably never been far from her parents, other than this little getaway. I could try to work around the club and stay with her for a while, but she’ll have to decide soon.
Epilogue: Twelve months after Hurricane Alexis…
I sit in my wheelchair under a bower covered with some kind of smelly flowers. Jelly's at my side and fidgeting like a racehorse in a glue factory. The wind coming in off the ocean is cool, thankfully, or we'd all burn up. Whoever thought tuxes were a good idea for weddings should be fucking shot. And the Hell Raiders cut over the jacket doesn't help much.
But it's all good. I'm waiting for my sweet Anne to roll out to me. It's pretty quiet, just her parents and Adam and a couple of friends, and some of the Raiders. I'd have gone all out for her, but this is all she wants.
The music changes over and there she is, her dad walking beside her as she rolls down the makeshift aisle toward me. Fuck. She's beautiful. I haven't seen her dress until now, and it blows me away, hugging every one of those curves I love so much.
My eyes start to water. Fucking wind blew some sand in there or some shit. Fuck, might as well admit it. Tears. My sweet beautiful Anne brings me to tears. Her dad puts her hand in mine and steps back. She smiles and wipes the tears from my cheek.
The minister does his part, and we have a scary moment when Jelly can't find the rings, but finally, I'm married to my sweet Anne. I pull her out of her chair and into my lap for a proper kiss, much to the delight of the Raiders.
The boys have set up a bonfire and some tables nearby, and one of Adam's buddies provides music. Over by the fire, I keep Anne on my lap and twirl her a little, dancing with her to an old Patsy Cline song. When the song ends, I have to give her up to her dad, and then Adam claims her for a dance.
Afterward, she's talking to Jelly's ol' lady, laughing about some secret girl thing. I just sit and watch her, ready to spend the rest of my life doing exactly that.
"Hey, Blake." Adam interrupts my thoughts. He extends his hand. "Congratulations man. I have to say, you're as close to good enough for my baby sis as it gets."
He and I have made peace over the last few months, but that's the last thing I expect to hear from him. "Thanks, man. I'll take good care of her."
"I know you will."
Anne chooses that moment to roll up, looking like some kind of angel. "Blake, could you help me with something inside?"
"Of course."
She gives me that little secret smile of hers and heads for the ramp, while I follow like a lost puppy. Inside, she leads the way to her room.
"Are you okay, babe?" I can't keep the worry out of my tone.
"No. I need out of this dress and I need you inside me right now."
The END
We hope you enjoyed Ride It Out and that you'll leave an honest review on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com
You can read other books by Aden Lowe:
Big Game: Hunted Love #1
Bounty: Hunted Love #2
Captured: Hunted Love #3
Hunted Love Box Set
Kellen's Redemption, Hell Raiders MC 1