Chapter Nine

Coyote

Tonight, everything had to be perfect. I had invited Bethany to my home for the evening. Over the last couple of weeks, we had been having lunch quite regularly and we'd had a picnic at the park, but tonight was the first opportunity we'd had to become reacquainted romantically. Bethany ran off and left me years and a world of heartache ago. Now, it seemed she was open to getting close to me again and it looked like we were both on the same page. Since our time together had been the best of my life, it made sense to do everything in my power to lure her back to my side, but I'd wanted to take it slow to show her I could be a good protector for her and her kid.

I put on some background music and walked around tidying up my house. A tan face with a graying muzzle and huge ears peered around the corner from the hallway then skittered away, her claws click-clacking on the floorboards. I still wasn't sure what I was gonna do with my new houseguest. I'd done a job with my friend Manny earlier on in the week, his abuela had just passed and he needed help clearing out her house. He also needed someone to find a home for her dog because his youngest kid was allergic—so that's how I was now dog sitting Ruby until I could find her a home. The elderly chihuahua kept herself to herself, on my way home today I'd picked up some fancy top-of-the-range dog food and gotten her some chew toys, and a fluffy blanket for her bed hoping to coax her out.

"Dinner's ready," I called out, but from the lack of response it looked like she'd gone back to the spot she'd picked in the corner of my guest room. Seemed I had my work cut out persuading two females to give me a chance.

After giving my house a once over, I decided that it was as clean as it was gonna get. My mind drifted back to when I'd invited Bethany to have dinner at my home, I'd asked her if she wanted to spend the night afterwards. She said she would think it over, which was fair enough. We'd kissed some, since we'd reconnected and it was clear that she was as into me as I was her, but I didn't want a one-night stand, I wanted this woman back in my life for good. Rather than pestering her with questions, I decided to just wait and see if she showed up with an overnight bag.

Back when we were first together, I used to order in from her favorite local restaurant and Bethany had loved that. Since I couldn't cook, ordering in had been the obvious choice. I puttered around setting my table, trying to match up flatware, which is something I never cared about before. I needed to make a good impression on Bethany, and I wanted tonight to be special. When the last glass was in place, I walked around the living room and dining room, switching on the multitude of flameless candles I'd bought with the hope of creating a romantic atmosphere.

A thrill snaked up my spine when the doorbell rang. I hurried to open the door, finding Bethany standing on my porch. She was stunning with all her dark hair pulled up on her head and wearing a pretty red dress that clung in all the right places. It also had a deep V-neck that gave me a tantalizing glimpse of what lay hidden. She usually dressed conservatively when at work, so maybe the outfit choice showed we were both thinking about romance.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Her softly spoken words made me realize that I was standing in the doorway like a fool staring at her rather than being hospitable.

Immediately stepping back, I murmured, "I'm sorry, please come in."

She handed me a bottle of vodka cleverly hidden in a wine gift bag. I could tell from looking at the top of the cap it was my favorite brand and she'd remembered. "Gray Goose? Thanks sweetheart, but you didn't have to bring a gift. You're enough."

Damnit, how cheesy did that sound? Luckily, I didn't think she noticed as she was busy gazing at my hallway. I'd made every effort to tidy the house, but there was no hiding the V-twin panhead engine that was propped up on a crate with newspapers underneath to catch any oil drips.

"Bringing work home?" she asked with a smile, as she delicately stepped around it.

"Something like that," I muttered, hoping she didn't think I was a total neanderthal. When we'd dated before I was living at the clubhouse, and yeah, it was like a frat house. I normally did bike repairs in my carport, but last night when I was working on the engine, I could hear Ruby yipping inside, she must have gotten lonely. As she's not yet used to the neighborhood, I didn't want to let her out to sit with me at night, so I did the next best thing and brought my work indoors.

As Bethany maneuvered herself around the engine and my toolbox, I caught sight of the duffle bag she'd brought, and I did my best to keep a knowing grin from eating up my face. So, she planned on spending the night…

"Come in and make yourself comfortable," I picked up the bag and gestured towards the living room.

As she walked down my hallway, I locked the front door and set my security system then followed her. I didn't protect her before and I'm not going to make that mistake again. Speaking of protecting her, I asked, "Have you seen Rufus lately?"

She tilted her head up to look into my eyes and replied thoughtfully, "He's not been back into the party supply store. I did see him outside the sandwich shop last weekend. I don't know what you told him, but the second he saw me, he practically ran in the other direction.

I'm not gonna lie, that was gratifying to hear. Rufus was predator who clearly saw Bethany as an easy target because she was working on her own the week her boss took vacation. "Can't imagine why he'd run from you that way." I tried to keep my voice casual and conversational.

"I'll bet you don't, Lucas. Sorry, Coyote. I'm still getting used to you going by your club name. Congratulations on being patched into the Dark Slayers MC. I remember how hard you worked to earn your patch. I'm really happy for you."

I sat down on my sofa, and she dropped down into a nearby armchair. "Yeah, Prospecting was going through the school of hard knocks for me. It was all worth it in the end. I needed the direction and guidance of the brotherhood. It saved me when everything else in my life was going sideways."

"I remember how dedicated you were, and how supportive the brothers were for you. You were lucky to find your niche, somewhere you fit in and just be yourself. I don't think I ever truly found that."

"I thought your boss was there for you. Was I mistaken about that?"

She shook her head. "No, he's been real nice to me and my daughter. Like you, he stepped up when things were really bleak for me and Nessa. He's just a genuinely good person. His whole family are good people. His two college-aged nieces babysit Nessa. They've bonded a lot, in a big sister kind of way for her."

"That's nice. I'd love to meet your daughter again, she's a sweet kid."

Bethany seemed pleased by my request. "I was thinking of bringing her to the grand opening. She's well behaved, and all I really need to do is supervise the staff we hired on the day. The president of the antique automobile club has volunteered to meet and greet visitors, which is wonderful because I don't really know anything about antique cars."

"I know enough to hold my own in a conversation, but not much more. So I'm glad he's stepping up—now vintage motorcycles are a whole different ball game, I'd be happy to chew someone's ear off over the merits of a vintage Enfield versus a Triumph any day. I'll have to remember to give a free voucher for a car repair or something to thank him."

"I already figured out the perfect way to thank him. I arranged for the Griffinsford Chronicle to come out and interview him. I'm sure he'll be delighted to talk about his club. The more visibility their club gets, the more people join up and come to their events."

Truly impressed, I said, "That's a great idea, Bethany."

Before she could respond, the doorbell rang. "That's probably the prospects delivering our food."

She protested, "You didn't have to order out. I could have whipped us up something, like old times."

"Nonsense, I got all your old favorites from Bennigan's. This way, we can spend all our time visiting, rather than cooking and cleaning dishes."

I deactivated the door alarm and opened the door. Sure enough, it was Mace and Cooper with a huge bag of food for us. I talked to them, paid for our food and was careful to reset my security alarm. There was no such thing as being too careful when it came to this woman.

Turning, I gestured for her to join me in the dining room.

"Oh wow, everything looks so nice, Coyote. Seriously, you didn't have to go to all this trouble just for me."

"Yes, I did. You deserve nice things, Bethany. I could have taken you to a fancy restaurant tonight, but I was too selfish to share your company with anyone else." That wasn't entirely true, after her run-in with Rufus, and the fact that she always seemed so jumpy when we'd met for lunch, I wanted us to have a relaxed evening with no distractions. Being alone together in my home was a bonus.

She slid into the chair I'd pulled out for her and smiled up at me. "What, other people like the waiter?"

Catching her humor, I teased her back, "The hostess would have to seat us, other customers might cause a distraction, and in addition to the waiter, the manager might come around to ask how our meal was. I decided it would be better not to risk it."

"Idiot," she joked. "You always were a joker. You're so easygoing and try to find the humor in every situation. It was one of the things that first attracted me to you."

"I never would have guessed that, I thought it was my pretty face," I said with a grin. Arranging all the food onto a couple of large platters, I tossed the containers and sat down in my seat. As we helped ourselves to the food, I told her, "I was really messed up back when we first met. Our club had just dealt with a crazy cult and my father had fallen off the deep end. I came very close to losing my shit. Prospecting for the Slayers kept me sane, and then meeting you added an extra dimension to my life."

"I'm glad you found me back then. Remember, I was basically homeless. Grit gave me a job at the gym and a roof over my head. I guess after my mom died, I didn't have anyone to fall back on. I was lost in my grief and easy prey living on the streets."

"I knew you were something special when we first met. You were so kind and considerate. Remember, you shared information on that asshole the club was tracking."

"Yeah, I remember. Things were so chaotic back then. I recall thinking how lucky I was that you took an interest in me. I was vulnerable and you protected me when I needed it most."

Something dark squirmed in my gut because I knew that if I had truly been the protector she needed, she wouldn't have run out on me. "I did my best. I really wish you'd come to me instead of running off the way you did. I feel like you suffered more hardship than was necessary. I never wanted that for you."

"I admit that I was in a panic when I left. Clearly, I wasn't thinking straight at the time. By the time I realized that I should have done something different, I'd made my choice, and it was too late."

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."

"That sounds like my idea of heaven. You're lucky to have your daughter. Kids are precious and having one forces you to step up your game in a serious way. I used to think differently, but seeing how Breaker has changed since the kids came along, made me start to think differently. I guess I grew up. Dedicating yourself to something bigger than yourself is a character-building experience."

"Is that another Storm saying?"

I laughed, "Nope. That is a Coyote special. I occasionally do have an independent thought of my own."

"Of that I have no doubt. Your business ideas are outstanding. I have a feeling your grand opening is going to have a huge turnout."

"I hope so. I like to keep busy. It would be a shame if I opened, and just sat there looking stupid all day."

"That's not going to happen. Everyone I've talked to is eager to try a new place."

"Griffinsford, only has two or three commercial vehicle repair shops. People are tired of waiting to get their car in to be seen. Out of all the business endeavors I could think of, opening my own shop made the most sense."

Since we had finished eating by this point, I cleared off the table and made us some coffee. We piled up on my sofa and got comfortable for a long talk. I don't know if it was the smell of dinner or hearing a female voice that did it, but I heard a familiar tippy-tap of claws. Before I had a chance to say anything, Bethany let out a shriek as a cold nose touched her foot.

"What was that?"

I bent down, picked Ruby up and sat her on the sofa between us. "This is Ruby, she's just visiting for a few days until I find her a home."

Bethany watched me run my hand over Ruby's head and down her back. The little chihuahua had been standoffish with me since I brought her home, but now she was squirming and wagging her tail. She turned to look at me over her shoulder and made a noise that seemed to express happiness or contentment.

"Mi peque?o cari?o," I said as I scrubbed the back of her neck, remembering how Manny said that his abuela mainly spoke to her in Spanish. Despite being Puerto Rican, I was ashamed to admit my Spanish was no better than a third graders.

"Why does she need a home?" Bethany murmured.

"I was doing a job for my friend a few days ago, helping him clear out his grandmother's house—she passed last week. He'd been looking after her dog, but his youngest is allergic so I said I'd take her and try and find a home. This is the friendliest I've seen her, maybe she prefers women?"

Bethany reached her hand over for Ruby to smell. She sniffed at her hand, clearly thinking it was petting time and shoved her head into her palm. Bethany laughed, tickled at being accepted so readily.

"Don't you want to keep her? It looks to me like she's found a new home already."

"About that," I answered as I stroked the dog's head. "I don't know if it's fair on her, I'm out all day and Ruby's used to having constant company."

The chihuahua wiggled with pleasure.

"She's absolutely adorable, I think you've found a friend there. Nessa would love her, she's always on at me to get a pet dog."

I perked up at that, "Well, if you're looking, I know a super sweet, middle-aged chihuahua who's house broken and looking for a forever home."

"I'd hate to break up a happy family, I think she's fallen in love with you," Bethany said, and I had to admit the little dog seemed at home snuggled in the crook of my arm. Maybe I could take her as a ride along partner and keep a bed in my shop for her.

We spent the rest of the evening curled on the sofa, just me, Bethany, and Ruby and it seemed so homey. It was like we had never been apart, and the conversation just flowed.