breath.
It was not lost on me that Shy liked my dad, he respected him, and I loved that because that was how I felt about my dad. Obviously more, since he was my dad, but I still loved it that Shy felt the same.
Yes, I totally could love this guy.
“You’re done rantin’ and got nothin’ to do but sit there and stare at me,” Shy began, “haul your ass off that stool, come around and help me with the fries.”
I was done ranting and it would probably burn out my retinas if I stared at him too long, so I grinned at him, hauled my ass off the stool, rounded the bar, and helped him with the fries.
* * *
“Sugar, you awake?”
I opened my eyes and blinked at the blank TV.
I didn’t know what time it was but it felt late. What I did know was that I’d fallen asleep with my head on Shy’s chest, my legs curled behind me on the couch, my arm resting over his abs, his arm around me.
The last thing I remembered was being sucked into a marathon of
American Chopper.
I tipped my head back and looked up at him.
“Hey, is it late?” I asked.
“Yeah, you gotta work tomorrow?” he asked back.
“Yeah,” I answered.
He nodded, gave me a squeeze and shifted to move but my arm around him tightened and he stilled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?” he returned.
“Why did you ask if I have to work tomorrow?”
“Goin’ for a ride, thought, you didn’t have to work, you might want to come with me.”
He was going for a ride.
I wanted to go with him.
I wanted to go with him because I liked to ride. I wanted to go with him because he was Shy and I was me and that was what we did. It wasn’t rare, it wasn’t frequent, but he liked to be on his bike and he didn’t hesitate to offer to take me with him. I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
This, too, I was denying. How much I liked it that he asked. How much I liked to be behind him on the back of his bike.
I shifted, saying, “I’ll get some shoes.”
He gave me a squeeze and his fist came under my chin, gently tipping my head up to look at him again. “Tabby, baby, you gotta work. It’s cool. Another time.”
I held his eyes and replied quietly, “I’m alive. You’re alive. I gotta work to live so I do that and I’ll have to do that for a long time. But when I’m not workin’, I’m livin’. So let’s ride.”
His eyes moved over my face and then a slow, lazy, sexy as all hell, beautiful smile spread on his face about a millisecond before he pulled himself off the couch, taking me with him and setting me on my feet.
Then, looking down at me still smiling that unbelievable smile, he whispered, “Let’s ride.”
I smiled back, took off, grabbed my shoes. Shy held my hand all the way to his bike and we rode.
For a long time.
It.
Was.
Paradise.
Chapter Five
Apocalyptic
Two and a half months later…
“Are you insane?”
That came from my best friend Natalie, who not only asked the question but was also staring at me like I was insane.
I was back. Totally back.
I was me.
What I was not was insane.
Life had settled, grown into a pattern I liked with work and family, friends, and Shy.
I was going out again with Tyra, shopping, meeting friends for lunch, hanging with the boys, acting crazy, just like I used to.
I’d even found the time to reach out to Jason’s family, see if there were relationships there to salvage.
I couldn’t say I was tight with his mom and sisters, but I liked them in a way that I knew if we had the future we were supposed to have, I would have gotten tight with them. Though I didn’t like his dad too much. He was too straightlaced for me, and I didn’t like the way he sometimes barked at Jason, making Jason’s mouth go tight, and then later Jason would take that crap out on me. But his mom and sisters were cool.
We’d clung together after we lost Jason then naturally drifted apart, shrouded in our individual fogs of grief. But when we sat down, it was clear they didn’t want the tie to Jason that was me
It was not lost on me that Shy liked my dad, he respected him, and I loved that because that was how I felt about my dad. Obviously more, since he was my dad, but I still loved it that Shy felt the same.
Yes, I totally could love this guy.
“You’re done rantin’ and got nothin’ to do but sit there and stare at me,” Shy began, “haul your ass off that stool, come around and help me with the fries.”
I was done ranting and it would probably burn out my retinas if I stared at him too long, so I grinned at him, hauled my ass off the stool, rounded the bar, and helped him with the fries.
* * *
“Sugar, you awake?”
I opened my eyes and blinked at the blank TV.
I didn’t know what time it was but it felt late. What I did know was that I’d fallen asleep with my head on Shy’s chest, my legs curled behind me on the couch, my arm resting over his abs, his arm around me.
The last thing I remembered was being sucked into a marathon of
American Chopper.
I tipped my head back and looked up at him.
“Hey, is it late?” I asked.
“Yeah, you gotta work tomorrow?” he asked back.
“Yeah,” I answered.
He nodded, gave me a squeeze and shifted to move but my arm around him tightened and he stilled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?” he returned.
“Why did you ask if I have to work tomorrow?”
“Goin’ for a ride, thought, you didn’t have to work, you might want to come with me.”
He was going for a ride.
I wanted to go with him.
I wanted to go with him because I liked to ride. I wanted to go with him because he was Shy and I was me and that was what we did. It wasn’t rare, it wasn’t frequent, but he liked to be on his bike and he didn’t hesitate to offer to take me with him. I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
This, too, I was denying. How much I liked it that he asked. How much I liked to be behind him on the back of his bike.
I shifted, saying, “I’ll get some shoes.”
He gave me a squeeze and his fist came under my chin, gently tipping my head up to look at him again. “Tabby, baby, you gotta work. It’s cool. Another time.”
I held his eyes and replied quietly, “I’m alive. You’re alive. I gotta work to live so I do that and I’ll have to do that for a long time. But when I’m not workin’, I’m livin’. So let’s ride.”
His eyes moved over my face and then a slow, lazy, sexy as all hell, beautiful smile spread on his face about a millisecond before he pulled himself off the couch, taking me with him and setting me on my feet.
Then, looking down at me still smiling that unbelievable smile, he whispered, “Let’s ride.”
I smiled back, took off, grabbed my shoes. Shy held my hand all the way to his bike and we rode.
For a long time.
It.
Was.
Paradise.
Chapter Five
Apocalyptic
Two and a half months later…
“Are you insane?”
That came from my best friend Natalie, who not only asked the question but was also staring at me like I was insane.
I was back. Totally back.
I was me.
What I was not was insane.
Life had settled, grown into a pattern I liked with work and family, friends, and Shy.
I was going out again with Tyra, shopping, meeting friends for lunch, hanging with the boys, acting crazy, just like I used to.
I’d even found the time to reach out to Jason’s family, see if there were relationships there to salvage.
I couldn’t say I was tight with his mom and sisters, but I liked them in a way that I knew if we had the future we were supposed to have, I would have gotten tight with them. Though I didn’t like his dad too much. He was too straightlaced for me, and I didn’t like the way he sometimes barked at Jason, making Jason’s mouth go tight, and then later Jason would take that crap out on me. But his mom and sisters were cool.
We’d clung together after we lost Jason then naturally drifted apart, shrouded in our individual fogs of grief. But when we sat down, it was clear they didn’t want the tie to Jason that was me
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