“Jessica, is everything okay?” my mother asks as I roll the window down.
“Get in,” I demand, eyeing my frazzled mother. You can tell she jumped in her car and drove straight here. She has on sweat pants and jacket. No big poufy hair or gigantic hat you could see from afar.
She nods and walks around my Jeep.
“What is going on? Is Addie okay?” she questions before she even climbs into my Jeep.
“Yeah, she is fine,” I reply, turning in my seat to face her.
“Have you heard anything from Travis’s family?” I ask, resting my hands on my steering wheel.
“No, they don’t talk to us since they backed out of the board of the hospital,” she informs, shaking her head. I close my eyes and swallow. My tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth like sand paper. I’m not sure how much detail I should give her about what happened with Grant, but I need to disclose some information if I’m going to get any help.
“Grant came to see me,” I finally spill, making her gasp in reaction.
“He suggested I had something to do with Travis’s disappearance and wanted the money from the will I was to receive,” I start. My mother turns in her seat, clutching her chest.
“He kidnapped me and threatened to kill me if I didn’t give him the money,” I pause, deliberating if I should tell her I killed him. Will she ever look at me the same if she knew I had another’s soul staining my hands? “I did what I had to do,” I whisper, not giving her the gritty details. She tilts her head to the side, clearly wanting me to explain, but I choose to ignore it. “Because of that, someone I care about is taking the wrap for me. He is looking at a long time in jail if I don’t do something, Mom.” My eyes fill with tears.
“He?” my mother asks, taking her hand down from her chest, and reaching over to grasp mine in comfort. I nod, wiping the tears that have escaped and splashed on my cheeks.
“Who is he, this sudden hero of yours?” my mother asks, her tone heartfelt. I laugh, thinking of Bobby as a hero. But when I think about it, he has been my hero since I met him.
“He has been there for me and Addie since day one. I have done everything in my power to keep him away though. Not ready for the idea of falling in love, depending on another and getting hurt more than I could possibly bear.” I close my eyes just thinking of the wasted years, and I shake my head as I fiddle with my fingers nervously. “The way he lives his life, I’m not sure I can be what he needs me to be,” I admit.
“You’re not making any sense, Jessica. What do you mean his way of life?” my mother asks, her face twisted in confusion.
I laugh nervously. “He’s a part of a motorcycle club,” I meekly respond.
My mother starts to laugh uncontrollably, her hand resting on her mouth as she tries to restrain her fit of giggles.
I raise an eyebrow at her. Her reaction disturbingly different to what I was expecting.
After she contains herself, she looks away from the window and looks at me, her face bright and cheery. “You poor thing. You take after your momma more than I thought,” she mutters, smiling big.
“What do you mean?” I question with a shrug.
“Before I met your daddy, I was in love something bad with another man. A love you only see in the movies, and he happened to be a biker,” my mother emphasizes the word biker. “He did some illegal things, and I would ride on the back of that sexy bike of his while he did it. His dad was a biker too, but didn’t think Leo was quipped to be a biker, so Leo went out of his way to prove his dad that he was the man for the job.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head like she’s remembering it in vivid detail in her mind. “He had tattoos and long hair. He was almost too much to look at. Man we were wild,” she laughs, opening her eyes.
“What happened?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. Where is this mysterious biker guy?
“My dad, much like yours, didn’t approve. Forbid me to see Leo again. When I didn’t abide by his rules, we moved in the middle of the night and I never saw my love again,” my mother says, her words grave as she remembers.
Mom whips her head in my direction, as if the thought of missing the man she fell in love with fluttered away. “I love your father. I do, but I loved Leo, too.” She turns her head, her cheeks turning red. “Leo made me fall in love with him. He was relentless. Always chasing me, saying the most outrageous things,” she continues, laughing. I smirk. He sounds just like Bobby.
She reaches over and grasps my hand, her bright eyes staring at me. “Don’t fight it, Jessica. Don’t fight your feelings if you truly care for this man of yours.” She gives my hand a firm squeeze. I take a sudden breath and nod.
“Me and daddy will take care of this,” she continues, letting go of my sweating hand.
“But dad…” I begin, knowing my dad will not want anything to do with Bobby if he saw the tattooed outlaw he is.