dad weren't getting any younger, and news of her living
with a man they didn't know was going to surprise them.
Without delay, she
pushed their number on her cell. Her dad picked up the call on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey,
Dad." She laid her head back on the cushion of the couch. "How are
you?"
"Good. Your
mom and I were putting on our sneakers to walk around the block," her dad
said. "The Kona's bought a new car and we thought we'd stroll by and take
a look. It's Ford's new model, the one with the great gas mileage."
"I won't keep
you. I just wanted to call and give you some good news." She smiled when
her dad yelled for her mother to pick up the other phone and listen.
"Hi,
Taylor," her mom yelled.
Her mom always
thought long distance meant she had to talk louder. She laughed. "Hi, Mom.
Can you both hear me okay?"
Once they stopped
talking, she plowed ahead. "I've been dating a man for the last year and
things are serious. He asked me to move in with him."
"Really?"
her mom asked.
"His name is
Slade Ramchett. He's a mechanic at a garage here in Pitnam. He also belongs to
the motorcycle club, the one I've told you about, that my boss, Rain, is the
president of." She paused. "Slade's got two boys from his first
marriage, Kurt and Lee. They're thirteen and nine years old. Mom and Dad…you'll
love the kids. They're wonderful and smart. I can't wait until you get a chance
to meet them."
"Oh,
sweetheart, that's terrific news," her dad said. "So, when's the
wedding? We can change our plane reservations for now instead of later this
year and be there in time to see our little girl tie the knot. Just say—"
"We're so
proud of you, Taylor. This is exciting news," her mom interrupted.
She bit her lip. Breaking
the news to them went better than she'd expected. Neither of them hesitated
over hearing Slade was married before and belonged to a motorcycle club. Not
that she expected them to question her decisions. They always supported her
under the belief that if she was happy, they were thrilled for her.
"Thanks. Right
now, you know, with both our schedules and the kids, we're taking it slow
and…well, we haven't had a chance to talk too much about the future. I'm just
excited, and wanted to share the news with the best set of parents in the world."
She pressed her fingers into her temple, wanting to change the subject. "How's
the weather?"
She listened to her
parents describe last week and next week's forecast, and how her dad's arthritic
knees were doing much better in the dry heat. Then she blew air kisses over the
phone, told them both she loved them, promised to pass on congratulations to
Slade, and hung up with an even heavier heart. She flopped over onto her side
and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hated keeping anything about her life
from her parents, but telling them the whole truth would only worry them.
She loved
Slade—even though she'd never said the words to him, and he hadn't volunteered
to say them to her. She wasn't even sure Slade was capable of communicating how
he was feeling in those terms—except with his kids. She'd heard him say the
words numerous times to Lee and Kurt.
Everything about
their relationship—the living together, the commitment announcement in front of
other Bantorus members, the chaos they were dealing with together—put love
lower down on their list of priorities. She had no idea how long their
arrangement would last.
She was still
paying on a mortgage and only had three days' worth of clothes with her at
Slade's house. Her life hadn't changed, except they'd switched houses to have
sex in and everyone knew they were romantically involved. Inside though, she
still felt like she was having a secret affair with a biker, while exciting and
titillating, she remained lonely, as if what she wanted had to wait or might
never come.
Chapter Nine
Every table at
Cactus Cove was full, and still people came inside the establishment and
gathered around the bar. Taylor lifted
with a man they didn't know was going to surprise them.
Without delay, she
pushed their number on her cell. Her dad picked up the call on the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey,
Dad." She laid her head back on the cushion of the couch. "How are
you?"
"Good. Your
mom and I were putting on our sneakers to walk around the block," her dad
said. "The Kona's bought a new car and we thought we'd stroll by and take
a look. It's Ford's new model, the one with the great gas mileage."
"I won't keep
you. I just wanted to call and give you some good news." She smiled when
her dad yelled for her mother to pick up the other phone and listen.
"Hi,
Taylor," her mom yelled.
Her mom always
thought long distance meant she had to talk louder. She laughed. "Hi, Mom.
Can you both hear me okay?"
Once they stopped
talking, she plowed ahead. "I've been dating a man for the last year and
things are serious. He asked me to move in with him."
"Really?"
her mom asked.
"His name is
Slade Ramchett. He's a mechanic at a garage here in Pitnam. He also belongs to
the motorcycle club, the one I've told you about, that my boss, Rain, is the
president of." She paused. "Slade's got two boys from his first
marriage, Kurt and Lee. They're thirteen and nine years old. Mom and Dad…you'll
love the kids. They're wonderful and smart. I can't wait until you get a chance
to meet them."
"Oh,
sweetheart, that's terrific news," her dad said. "So, when's the
wedding? We can change our plane reservations for now instead of later this
year and be there in time to see our little girl tie the knot. Just say—"
"We're so
proud of you, Taylor. This is exciting news," her mom interrupted.
She bit her lip. Breaking
the news to them went better than she'd expected. Neither of them hesitated
over hearing Slade was married before and belonged to a motorcycle club. Not
that she expected them to question her decisions. They always supported her
under the belief that if she was happy, they were thrilled for her.
"Thanks. Right
now, you know, with both our schedules and the kids, we're taking it slow
and…well, we haven't had a chance to talk too much about the future. I'm just
excited, and wanted to share the news with the best set of parents in the world."
She pressed her fingers into her temple, wanting to change the subject. "How's
the weather?"
She listened to her
parents describe last week and next week's forecast, and how her dad's arthritic
knees were doing much better in the dry heat. Then she blew air kisses over the
phone, told them both she loved them, promised to pass on congratulations to
Slade, and hung up with an even heavier heart. She flopped over onto her side
and pulled her knees up to her chest. She hated keeping anything about her life
from her parents, but telling them the whole truth would only worry them.
She loved
Slade—even though she'd never said the words to him, and he hadn't volunteered
to say them to her. She wasn't even sure Slade was capable of communicating how
he was feeling in those terms—except with his kids. She'd heard him say the
words numerous times to Lee and Kurt.
Everything about
their relationship—the living together, the commitment announcement in front of
other Bantorus members, the chaos they were dealing with together—put love
lower down on their list of priorities. She had no idea how long their
arrangement would last.
She was still
paying on a mortgage and only had three days' worth of clothes with her at
Slade's house. Her life hadn't changed, except they'd switched houses to have
sex in and everyone knew they were romantically involved. Inside though, she
still felt like she was having a secret affair with a biker, while exciting and
titillating, she remained lonely, as if what she wanted had to wait or might
never come.
Chapter Nine
Every table at
Cactus Cove was full, and still people came inside the establishment and
gathered around the bar. Taylor lifted
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