Page 32 of Holley Jolly Biker
“Cause I’m always the first line of defense when it comes to you and your girl. Car loses control; rather, it hit me than you.”
It was at that moment that she stopped dead. Froze was more like it.
Looking into her eyes, she whispered, Never have I ever heard a man say that to a woman, and never have I ever been on the receiving end of something like that.”
I winked down at her and said, “Get used to it.” Then I leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
Once we reached the end of Main Street, we went up the other side.
***
I watched as my woman because she was that, struggled to heft Soraya up in her arms.
We had just walked into the Robbins house to pick up Soraya.
I narrowed my eyes, and then, with my tone lowered, I said, “No. Not no. But fuck no.”
She looked at me, then looked at Soraya, and smiled, “Saint.”
I winked, then moved and lifted Soraya up in my arms as I whispered, “I’m here now, baby. And she’s almost half your weight. I got her.”
How was it possible for everything to feel so right?
I had no answer for that.
And as I carried Soraya into their house after Ophelia unlocked the door, I looked down and up, and then... I only had one thought on my mind as I saw that black spot on the ceiling in the hallway.
That’s goddamned black mold.
I stopped dead and locked my eyes with Ophelia’s, “The two of you are not staying here. No fuckin’ way.”
She lifted her brow, “What?”
I looked back up at the ceiling, “That’s black fuckin’ mold, baby.”
She gasped, “What?”
I nodded, “Yeah, get y’all’s things. Y’all are coming home with me.”
“Saint, we can stay with Harold and Lilly,” she said as she moved to Soraya’s room.
I followed her, and when I reached her, I growled, “Baby. The moment you said yes to a date with me, you gave me part of you. And that part I plan to protect. Same goes for Soraya. I won’t be able to rest easy unless I know y’all are safe and in a place that isn’t dangerous. No knocks to Harold or Lilly. But I’ve got a shitton more room, which you know. And it just so happens that I got a bedroom already painted almost the same color as Soraya’s room.”
As I was talking, I was also pulling out my phone and sending a text.
The brothers would be here to help move them and all their stuff to my place.
She looked at me and said, “I can’t have a repeat, Saint. I just can’t.”
My heart broke for this woman. Even though she told me about some of the things that he did or said, I knew there was a lot more baggage there to unpack and put away in a box, never to be opened again because I would make it so.
I also knew that underneath that baggage was pain from her deadbeat father.
That was why I said without hesitation, “Okay. First thing in the mornin’, I’ll get your name added to the deed.”
She stopped and stared, then she said, “Saint. Don’t say things like that. We’ve only known each other for like five minutes.”
I moved then, placed my free hand on the side of her neck, and rejoiced when she didn’t even flinch away from my touch, “Baby, don’t give a shit if I’ve known you for a fuckin’ minute. Everything with us is right. Please. Just trust me. I’ll never give you a reason not to. I’m goin’ to go lay Soraya down on the couch. You have until the brothers get here to decide.”