Thirty minutes pass before Spider calls and updates us on Cowboy. He had broken his arm and is sedated. Once the swelling goes down and he wakes up, they’ll know more. He’ll likely have a concussion. My heart beats furiously in my chest the whole time Spider gives us the update. Jazzy and I both deflate—Cowboy is okay.
Cowboy
My head pounds like a thousand lightning strikes are going off. The pain that shoots through my body is like nothing I have ever felt in my life. Can you throb from your head to your toes? Through my eyelids, I can tell it’s daytime with the red hue coming through. I don’t dare try to move or even talk. My mind is here, but it’s swimming in a fog of pain medication.
Even my throat is raw and that doesn’t make sense at all. It feels like I ate hot coal. I start to cough and my ribs protest. “Shit,” I croak out between coughs.
“Shit is right.” My mom threatens, “If you hadn’t just been in a car accident . . . well, you can imagine what I was going to say.” Her hand touches my cheek, and I crack my eyes open slowly to look into her exhausted, worried face.
“Hey, Momma, you sure are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Boy,” my dad starts, “don’t be talkn’ to your momma like that. You left town and didn’t even come by to see her and then drive your truck into a ditch. You got a lot to explain when you’re feeling better.”
“Yes, sir.”
There wasn’t a chance to say more before a nurse comes in and checks me over. She explains, “Hi Colton. I’m Jessica, your nurse. We lowered your pain medication so we could evaluate your injuries better.” She asks me several more questions and takes notes right before the doctor comes in to explain the rest.
“You have several fractured ribs and a fractured right forearm. Your concussion is minor, if your symptoms don’t worsen. I believe that when you went limp after I assume hitting your head, and it worked in your favor. Usually, trauma victims tense up and it worsens the injuries. In all, after rest and time to heal, you should be back to normal. Do you have any questions for me?”
“When can I leave?”
“I don’t see any reason to keep you here as long as you have someone to watch you at home?”
Between my mom and Vegas, they both agree there will be someone to watch over me. And . . . that’s when I look around. Prez, Axl, Dana, Tank, and Kat are standing and listening intently. The doctor excuses himself, and I want to beg Dad to take my mom home.
Kat watches my face, and her grin says she read my thoughts clearly. Jessica starts to go over my discharge papers and meds. I hand it all over to my mom and toss back whatever pills she gives me. I remember every moment after the dog ran in front of me and when I came to, I called the ambulance myself.
I was lucky and Care Flight got me to Reno. I didn’t think of calling anyone after the meds they gave me in my IV on the ride here. By the look on Blade’s face, he’ll be waiting for an explanation also, one I’m not ready to face it myself. I fell asleep and either the black dog in the road tried to wake me up or I was already dreaming it. Either way, I wrecked because I fell asleep behind the wheel, and I was a bit drunk.
10
Cowboy
Mom yells at me from across my small apartment. “Now I know why I was never invited here. This is not a home, Colton. It’s a bachelor’s crash pad. I guess your dad and I are going to have to buy a mattress because there’s not one in that tiny spare bedroom.”
I was released hours ago and the entire time she has not stopped complaining about my life choices. “I’m never here, Ma. Sometimes I just need a quiet place to rest and this is it. I never once called it my home.” She has a large spread with a house and animals. It won’t take her long to get me packed up and in the car, because she’s suffocating here. To give her credit, she is trying her best. I’m plotting how I’m going to convince her to let me stay here.
Dad is planted in front of the TV with his boots on the coffee table, watching football, with a beer in his hand. He’s mastered the art of blocking out her fits. He lets it ride and then acts like it didn’t even happen.
If I could get away with it, I would be downing a nice cold one myself. That won’t happen anytime soon, so I just count down the minutes to my next pain pill. A knock at the door has the three of us turning our heads and my dad gets up to answer it.
On the other side is all the Battle Born women. They flood the entryway. The smirk my dad gives me is comical. I go to correct him before my mom makes the same assumption, but when my eyes land on Angie, it changes the game for me.
“Hey there, lovely ladies, come on in.” Dad gestures his arm wide in an arch. One by one, they file in.
“Oh, so nice.” Mom holds up her hands to her chest. Vegas, Dana, Jenn, Kat, Tami, Jazz, and Angie have food in hand, either dishes made or groceries to fill my bare kitchen. My momma, being a very Christian woman, finds the gesture just right. “Thank you. I didn’t know how I was going to feed this boy with nothing in here. Now, this will save us a trip to the store. Please come in, I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself or Colton’s father at the hospital.”
Dana holds her hand out. “Nice to meet you. I’m married to Axl.”
Mom pulls her in for a hug and Dana takes it in stride. They all do, and Dad gives them a tilt of his head. “Hello, I’m Teri and this man is my John.” My momma hesitates when she gets to Angie. She has no poker face and is biting her lip. Momma is as good at reading people as she is at baking pies. “And you are, dear?”
“Angie, I’m a—” Interesting, she froze and it’s my cue to take advantage.
“Angie is my girlfriend. We’ve been seeing each other. I just moved her up here from Sacramento, but she refused to move in with me.” The megawatt smile on Mom’s face says she’s happy we aren’t living together. Angie’s glare tells a different story.
“Now, son,” my dad stops me, “I don’t believe it’s polite to put the little lady on the spot like that.” He allows the rest to die down, being I’ve never brought it up before. He can read the scene unfolding and is trying his best to help me, but I’m in for it, all of it. When I open my mouth, he does a short head shake and backs up, letting me dig my own grave.
“I was waiting for the right time to bring her home.” The girls have frozen and their eyes ping-pong between the three of us. With some effort, I walk over to Angie. She stands motionless and doesn’t breathe a word. I need a moment with my counterpart. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a minute with her alone. It seems she may be a bit upset. Excuse us.” I wrap my good arm around her and pray she doesn’t fight. I’m certain she could kick my ass with no effort.
She allows me to take the lead and we find ourselves behind the closed door to my room. She twists away from my side, points toward the main room, and whispers, “What in the fuck, Cowboy, was that?”
“That . . . was my plea for your help. My mom wants to stay and get me back to health. Or, she’s going to make me go back home and stay with her, which is worse and is coming. I need your help, Angie. Please, just go along with it. I’ll owe you one.”
“Your arm is broken.” Angie points out the obvious with my cast and my arm in a sling at my chest. “You need someone to help take care of you, like bathe you, feed you.”
Many thoughts sprout at that and none of them are taking care of me per se. “Then you can do it, and we’ll work out the details.”
“Oh my god, this is really happening right now?”
I stalk a little closer, and with each step, she backs up against the door until I’m centimeters from her. “Babe, there is no joking about this. We can make this work for a bit. Don’t say no. I know I don’t want you to refuse.” My fingers trace her neckline, why I’m not sure, but being this close to her sets my blood on fire.
She captures my hand and her chest heaves with a long breath. “I’ll do it, on one condition. I need a place to stay. I’ll pay half the rent if you let me room with you until I figure out what I’m doing next.”
/>
“Done. Let’s seal the deal with a kiss.” I’m not letting her pay for shit, but I’ll say just about anything to touch her. Her sultry voice and soft curves call to me.
Angie runs her hands up my cheeks. “Honey, we may have a fake arrangement, but you’re not getting everything you want. Now, get rid of your mom, or I’m out.” She drops her hands and nods her head expectantly toward the door, holding it open. I take her hand in mine. The living room quiets down where half of the group is and the other half is in the kitchen. Mom set the dishes in the fridge and looks up at us. “We want you all to stay for dinner, but Angie is going to stay with me here. While I’m recuperating, she’s going to take care of me. I hope that’s okay with you, Ma?”
Mom’s mouth opens to plead her case to stay, but Jazz butts in first. “That sounds like a great idea actually. Angie is a nurse. She’s working on getting her RN. I can’t think of anyone better.” Angie’s grip tightens and I want to laugh. My girlfriend could have mentioned this, it is absolutely perfect.
“Teri, I don’t think we should impose on the couple. Let the kids do what they need to. We’ll stay for dinner and then get a room.” My dad uses his voice that begs my mom not to argue with him, and she snaps her mouth shut.
“I suppose that would be a good idea. I’ll just help get this food heated and get the group fed.”
Kat makes a clearing noise in her throat. “Thank you for the invite, however, we just wanted to check on Cowboy and bring him food. We have kids to feed at home and I’m sure everyone needs a little room to breathe. It was very nice to meet you both, but I believe the rest of us will be leaving now. Please reach out to us, should you need anything at all.”
Who in the fuck is this woman? I have never heard words leave her mouth like that in the last four years I’ve known her. But I’ll take it.
Vegas pulls out her phone and gets my mom’s number. She mentions she’s keeping Lucky for a few more days. Before she leaves, she offers a recommendation for a place to stay close by. I could kiss them all, especially Angie, which I plan on doing soon. But the pinch in my side from her says otherwise.
11
Angie
“Thank god.” I deflate after Cowboy’s dad convinced his mom not to stay for dinner and took her to the motel. “Don’t get me wrong, your parents seem nice, but I need a minute.”
“Hmm” is his non-committal reply. There’s clearly a lot going on, and my instant partner and I need to get on the same page.
The bomb is coming, so I’m just going to detonate it and get this over with. “Before this goes any further, we need to find out more about what our expectations are. And about each other, because I don’t believe for a second your dad was convinced.”
“You’re right, he wasn’t. He just played along to get my mom and himself out of here,” he agrees.
I nod and make my way to the kitchen for a beer. Cracking one open, I’m temporarily distracted thumbing through the papers the hospital discharged Cowboy with. I ask a few questions about his care and then I sit opposite him on the couch.
“First, tell me about your accident.”
“Give me a beer and I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” he taunts, eyeing my cold can. I want to taste the beer on his lips and so much more. Cowboy has the classic boy charm, dirty blond hair, muscles, and a pretty face. I could get lost in him for a few hours, but we can’t.
“No. Alcohol is a blood thinner, so no, not with meds. Why were you there and why did you drive home so late?” And I can’t, but I don’t say it out loud. Before I take an actual sip, I stop myself. My mind is so scattered with everything that just happened, I almost downed this beer and I’m pregnant. Guilt sinks deep inside and I push it aside.
“For not being a girlfriend, you sure are bossy.” He gives me some bullshit story about an accident and leaves the rest out. I cock an eyebrow, knowing he’s trying to avoid the hard shit.
Taking my time, I think over the limited-edition story he tried to feed me. Life is complicated and messy. “For this to work, you got to tell me more. Cowboy, we all have demons, lay yours to rest with me so I can back you up. Why did you leave Angus, and what were you doing before you wrecked? It doesn’t add up and not a soul is going to believe your bullshit. Your mom was all too happy to hear you had a girlfriend, you used me, and I want to know why?”
“Shit.” His head falls back on the couch. “I’m going to tell you a story. You don’t repeat the story ever.” He groans and the bob of his Adam’s apple does things to my lady parts. His scruff begs for me to touch it again. I want to trail my tongue up his throat and bite his strong jaw.
I fidget in my seat, trying to get my brain back on track. “Got it. What’s the story?”
“Years back, I was friends with Dylan. We grew up together, riding, ranching, drinking, you name it, we did it. His dad is the Prez of a small MC there. Of course, we prospected together, he goes by Bull, not only because his dad is Angus, but also, he’s known for being stubborn and going after everything and anything he wants.
“We rode the circuit together. I thought I met the girl of my dreams, Sadie. She was a barrel racer on the circuit too. We would hook up on the weekends until eventually, she moved in. Along the way, I turned blind and didn’t see she fell in love with Bull and he wanted her just the same. Who knows, she could have settled for me until Bull noticed her. I haven’t talked to either of them since I found out she was pregnant with his kid.
“I needed a new start and ended up here where the trucking was good and there was a spot to patch over to Battle Born. I took it and never looked back. Recently, Angus got ahold of me and wanted me to come back. He’s dying and wanted me to see him. While I was there, he brought up the past and I left. Angus wanted me and Bull to bury the hatchet. I left pissed off, had a few drinks alone, and decided to come home. I fell asleep behind the wheel.”
“So, you had a bad past and went home, got spooked, and wrecked your gorgeous truck. Do you still love this woman, Cowboy?” I don’t know why I want to know this. Maybe because I need to tell him the truth about me.
“No. I don’t think I ever loved her. At the time, I thought I did, but after I left, I saw it for what it was and I was happy I split. My friend, that stung even worse. He was my brother in every sense of the word to me. I was more pissed about what he did, than her.” He moves uncomfortably, trying to settle his weight to his other side.
Cowboy needs sleep and his pain medication. From the bottle, I shake out a couple of pills and hand him his water. The oven dings, and I jump up and get us each a plate of lasagna. I come back with our food and set his plate on a tray in front of him.
After a few bites, I add, “So, your mom wants to see you happy, and I mend two problems for you. She can stop worrying that you won’t settle down, and she won’t drag you home to nurse you back to health?”
“Exactly,” he says around a mouthful.
“There’s just one problem with this whole story I need to tell you.” He drops his fork on his plate and looks up at me. “Cowboy, when you and I met, I was in a wild phase. You were one of many guys I had been with—”
Cowboy lets a roaring laugh escape. “I’m not telling my mom that. I hate to break it to you, but I won’t be taking this thing between us too seriously.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, but it is.
“I get that, but I have a reason why I’m explaining this. I’m pregnant and I have no idea who the father is. Sure, I could hunt a couple of them down and let them know, but you are the only one I planned on telling. It’s up to you what you want to do. I won’t make you take a paternity test. Or even find out if you’re the father. I won’t mention it could be you to anyone else. Only Jazz knows. I don’t want any drama. I’m happy to raise this kid on my own. But you needed to know, because I’m three months pregnant and I’m going to start showing soon.”
He stares at me, not even moving. If his eyes didn’t blink, I wouldn’t even know he was breathing. Different em
otions run across his face so quickly, I couldn’t pick up on just one to focus on. Was he mad, sad, does he hate me now? “Cowboy, I know that was a huge bomb to drop. I’m not the type to sit on any bullshit, I lay it out there. You have all the right to process what I just said. When you’re ready or want to, talk to me about it. As for right now, I’ll pretend to be your girlfriend while your mom is here, okay?”
Cowboy
I’ve been the party guy, the man with a woman on his arm when I wanted. I stayed away from any real attachments because life was easier when it wasn’t real. A baby is very real. Angie grabs the remote and changes the game to some series. I’m not even watching—my head is just turning her words around and around.
Eating my dinner is better than exchanging any conversation, which seems impossible for me. By the time she’s cleaned the kitchen, exhaustion has swept me up and I’m thankful for it. “Come on, big guy, it’s time for bed.” Angie helps to pull me up with my good arm, but my ribs protest. Instead, she grips my belt, tugs me to her, and wraps an arm around my waist. Her petite body molds to mine perfectly.
When she has me in my room, I think she’s going to leave me to it. That’s not what happens at all. In the bathroom, she finds a new toothbrush and places toothpaste on both hers and mine. She hands me mine and starts to brush hers. I’ve lived with a woman and it was never like this, easy and comfortable.
“You’ll sleep a little better if you relax your muscles, I’m going to get you in the bath, and we’ll get you washed before bed.” Angie bends over the tub and my cock wants her all over again. She traces her way back to me and helps me out of the button-up t-shirt my mom bought for me and dives for my pants. My cock was getting hard, but now it bobs in front of her face when she removes my pants and boxers. “Sorry, big guy, you’ve got a lot to deal with. You need rest, Cowboy.” Angie shakes her head at me and points to the bathtub.
Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition Page 64
