Wild Ride (Wind Dragons MC #4.5)(23)

“Future Wind Dragon,” Anna says, then cringes. “Or will he be a future Wild Man? Clover and Cara will be with the Wind Dragons, so you can’t let him join the Wild Men MC.” She pauses. “I see some Romeo-and-Juliet shit in their future.”

“He’s not joining any MC,” I say, my lips pursing. “And I’ll let future me worry about that.”

“Good plan,” Anna agrees, standing up. “Now, what did you say you made for lunch?”

I grin and lead them into the kitchen.



My palms are sweaty, and for some reason, I’m being awkward as hell. Why? I don’t know. This is my son, and he’s a kid—my kid—so I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Maybe because he’s the most important person in my life, and if he doesn’t like Talon, that’s a deal breaker for me. I wonder if Talon is feeling the pressure right now. He and Rhett both sit down at the dinner table while I set out a roast chicken with potatoes, corn, and garlic bread. It’s one of Rhett’s favorite meals. I’ve noticed that Talon always orders steak medium rare, fries he dips in mayonnaise, and salad with no dressing. Next time I’ll make that for him.

“So,” Talon says, clearing his throat. “How was school, Rhett?”

“Good,” my son replies, shoving a piece of garlic bread in his mouth. “Some kid tried to push Cara, so I told him off. I told him that boys who hit girls are losers, and if he wants to push someone, he should try to push me next time.” He grins. “I could take him.”

Talon nods his head in approval. “Good work.”

“Thanks,” Rhett replies, looking to me. “Sorry, Mom, I know you don’t like me getting into trouble, but I’m not going to let Cara get bullied.”

Everything in me softens as I look at him. I might have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but Rhett is my greatest achievement. He’s just amazing, and I’m so proud of him every day. “You did the right thing. Don’t go looking for fights, but standing up for Cara isn’t wrong.”

Rhett beams, then adds, “I didn’t end up having to do anything though, because Clover walked up to him and kicked him in the balls.”

Talon bursts out laughing, and I can’t help but join him. Clover is such a spirited child, and from what I’ve heard has turned out just like her mother.

“I saw your motorcycle,” Rhett tells Talon. “I want one just like it when I’m older. Mom says no, but when I’m an adult, then I get to do what I want.”

I purse my lips and mutter, “We’ll see.”

“I can give you a ride on it, if your mom says it’s okay,” Talon tells him, grinning. “You have good taste in bikes, kid.”

Rhett snaps his head to me, hope in his blue eyes. “Can I? Please?”

“I’ll go slowly,” Talon mouths, giving me a look that says You can trust me.

“Yeah, okay,” I say, looking between the two. I guess this is going to be their bonding moment, and I can’t exactly take that away from them. I can’t date a biker, then expect my son not to become interested in things he’s now going to be around.

“Wooo!” he cheers, grinning at Talon. “Can we go after dinner?”

“How about tomorrow after school?” Talon suggests, smart enough to know I wouldn’t want Rhett riding around on his bike when it is late and dark.

“Yeah, okay.”

We all fill our plates and eat dinner together, like a normal family would. When Rhett asks Talon a few questions, I think it’s a good thing, like he’s interested. I breathe easily when I realize that everything is going to be okay, that my son isn’t reacting negatively to me having a man in my life . . . in our lives. We have salted caramel cheesecake for dessert—store-bought, not homemade, because I do not have the time for that—and then Talon suggests that since I cooked, he and Rhett should clean up while I relax in front of the TV. I watch the two of them standing side by side, Talon washing the dishes and Rhett drying them, and I feel hope.

Maybe everything will work out for me after all.





CHAPTER THIRTEEN




Talon

YOU say shit like that to my woman again, Rake, and we’re going to have a motherf*ckin’ problem,” I growl, letting him know that I’m dead f*ckin’ serious.

Yes, I feel guilty over how our lives played out, but not enough to let him embarrass Tia like that again. More important, I don’t want her second-guessing what we have, so Rake needs to shut his f*ckin’ mouth so that she doesn’t run scared, thinking that our being together is going to be too hard just because Rake is being a selfish * who can’t look past his dislike for me. I finally have something to lose, and he isn’t going to take her from me with his petty shit.

“She deserves better” is all he says, making me want to punch him in the face.

“Rake,” Sin warns, standing between the two of us here in the back room at Rift. “Tia isn’t your sister; she’s just a friend of your woman’s. She can make her own decisions.”

“I care about her and her kid,” Rake says in a gruff tone. “You think that anything that happens to her doesn’t impact Bailey? Because it does. The two of them are like sisters, so don’t give me that shit.”