Page 22 of Coyote
I gazed at her, looking her in the eyes, and stated slowly, “It’s never too late, when it comes to you and me. You can always come to me anytime. I’ll never try to trap you or guilt trip you into staying with me. And I’ll never turn you away when you need something.”
She glanced away before responding softly, “You’re too good for me, Coyote. In fact, you’re too good for this world full stop.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re the very first person who’s ever told me that. Most people in my life are trying to give me a swift kick in the backside to get me moving in the right direction.”
Her eyes jumped to mine. I saw warmth, gratitude, and some heated interest. It was enough to make me feel if not actually wanted, then at least accepted. Her words left an ache in my chest and the desire to have her in my arms again. I sliced off a bite of my steak and put it in my mouth, while reminding myself that she brought her bag. That meant she’d decided to stay overnight.
It occurred to me to ask, “Who looks after your daughter when you have overnighters?”
“I don’t have overnighters, usually,” she says, and my heart jumped a little at that confession. She continued, “Reggie’s nieces are having a pajama party with Nessa tonight. Ness adores the two of them. When I left, they were all piled up in sleeping bags on the floor watching Disney movies.”
“Your daughter sounds like a pretty easy-going kid.”
Bethany swallowed her mouthful before speaking. “She is hands down the sweetest kid I’ve ever known, though maybe I’m biased. The only time she gets cranky is when she’s sick or hungry.”
“My sister’s kids are hellions,” I told her. “All they do is run through the house, scatter toys everywhere and pick their food apart on their plates. You think the terrible twos are bad? Wait until you get the tyrannical threes and the ferocious fours.”
She laughed, “Who knows, maybe that’s what I’ve got to look forward to as well.”
I shot her a mock worried expression. “God, I hope not. I wouldn’t wish their behavior on an enemy, much less a friend. I just love ‘em because I’m their uncle—trust me, those kids are wild!”
She just shook her head. “I think you might be exaggerating slightly. Anyway, why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to the last couple of years?”
My head snapped up. “What? Me? Nothing. Not a thing. I swear.”
She chuckled at my playful response. Taking a sip of her iced drink, she commented, “Guys that are up to nothing can still usually find something about their lives to talk about with a friend they haven’t see for a while.”
Oh, that was my cue to fill her in on what she’d missed. I took a moment to think before I started doing my best to explain the trajectory my life had taken. “Well after you left, I wallowed in self-pity, drank too much, and ended up getting injured in a fight with some mafia thugs.”
“Whatever happened with them? Are they still trying to weasel protection money out of the businesses in town?”
I shook my head. “No, we kicked their asses out of Griffinsford a while back. To be honest there’s not been much in the way of action recently, which is why I’ve been able to concentrate on setting up my new business. Our club made a temporary truce with Twisted Metal MC, so things with them have been quiet on that front too. I hear Steel is trying to steer them out of the darker shit they used to do to earn.”
“Back when I left, things were still really up in the air. Being here spooked me a little back then, especially with the mafia guys around.”
“Things were a little rough at that time. Storm always said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That means if we don’t fight off the criminals trying to take over our town, it won’t be a town worth having.”
“I heard that saying before. Your club president sounds pretty smart. So, after you stopped wallowing what happened?”
“Storm and Breaker thought it would be a good idea for me to work in their automobile repair shop. They told me that I needed to learn a skill so I could support myself. I jumped at the opportunity because the pay was decent and learning to be an auto mechanic kept my mind occupied at a point in my life where if I didn’t get a grip, I might spiral out of control.”
“I’m sorry you had a bad time of it after I left. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t owe me anything at all.” When she opened her mouth to talk, I jumped back into my story. “I enjoyed learning to fix cars, and it turned out I was really good at it. I was able to save most of what I earned because I lived at the clubhouse, and the grill was always going so I never even had to worry about feeding myself.”
“I remember how much you loved living at the clubhouse. And don’t forget all the club girls.”
I’d be lying if I said I never hooked up with any of them. But truthfully, after Bethany left, it was infrequent and never the same one twice. Sleeping with club girls made me feel more isolated and lonelier than ever. I moved the conversation past that part of my life, “Anyway, I spent some of my savings on an old tow truck and was able to set up a little towing business on the side. That went so well that I thought I could make a go of owning my own business. That’s when you stepped back into the picture.”
She smiled at me, and her eyes were glowing, “Sounds like you’ve been a busy guy over the past few years. No time for love?”
I glanced away, I didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling her about the emotionless fucks with the club whores and how I hated myself and had wished they were her. I just shrugged and ignored the question, “I didn’t feel busy until I started planning my business. There are just so many details to worry about.”
“I’ll bet,” she responded.
“Why don’t you tell me about what you’ve done with the last three and a half years of your life?” I asked, wanting to move the conversation from myself. She still hadn’t told me about Nessa’s father. While I had no right to be jealous, and it was clear that he wasn’t in the picture anymore, I was still curious as to what she’d had with him.
“I already pretty much laid it out on the line for you, things got on top of me, and I ran. I had a hard time finding work, bumped into the wrong kind of people, ended up pregnant, and after the motel closed, I was destitute with no job skills to fall back on. Reggie gave me a hand up. He’s been really good to me and Nessa. His boyfriend is always polite, and his family is sweet. I’m just trying to learn as much as possible about the event planning business. I work during the day, then come home and wrangle my kid all evening.”