“You give me a chance… a chance to prove to you I know what a mistake I made, and I will do everything I can to make it up to you. All I’m asking for is a chance.”
Her eyes dropped to the ground, and then she said, “I’m not sure I have it in me to give you that chance.” I felt like I’d been punched in the gut as I watched her turn and head back down the hall. I had to fight the urge to go after her, but I knew pushing her wouldn’t resolve anything. I’d give her time, but I wasn’t giving up. She would be mine again.
I stepped into my room and locked the door behind me. I took off my cut and jeans, and dropped to the bed, closing my eyes as I mulled over everything that had happened in the past thirty-six hours. Cass, Derek, my recovery… it was all just too much. Eventually, everything just became a blur, and I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the next afternoon. I got up and took a hot shower, then headed outside to have a smoke. When I stepped through the back door, several of the brothers were in the back parking lot, working on Maverick’s bike. They were swapping out the passenger seat, so Dusty would have an easier time riding at the run.
Doc spotted me, came over to me, and laughed as he said, “Wondering when you were gonna come out of the cave.”
“Ah… missing me, Doc?” I laughed.
“Yeah, like a corn on my big toe,” he pestered. When he saw Dallas pull through the main gate, he smiled and said, “Oh… I guess you should know, the guys planned a welcome back dinner for you tonight, so the girls are all coming to help out.”
“Looking forward to it.”
It was Saturday, so Dallas brought Dusty along with her. He was staring out the window, and when he spotted us, he immediately started waving. As soon as she parked the car, he hopped out and ran over to me. With a big grin on his face, he said, “Hey Cot-en. You feeling bedder?”
“Yeah, Dusty. I’m feeling much better. It’s good to see you, little man.”
He smiled and said, “Did you know I get to ride wit’ Mav’rick on his bike?”
“He told me you were going to ride with him. I think that’s pretty cool,” I chuckled.
He looked down at my cane then asked, “You gonna get to ride wit’ us?”
“Not this time. But I’ll be there, front and center, to see you off,” I assured him.
“Okay. I’ll ride wit’ you next time,” he told me, then turned and ran over to Maverick. As usual, he slammed into him, giving him one of his big hugs. We all laughed as Maverick tried his best not to fall backwards.
“Yo, Dusty. I’ve missed you, little brother,” Maverick laughed.
Still clinging to Maverick’s waist, Dusty said, “You’ve been gone too long, Mav’rick. That was longer than a couple of days. I asked Mom, and she said couple means two.”
“Sorry about that, buddy. Took a little longer than I thought,” Maverick explained.
Dusty finally released him, and after he gave him a quick smile, he shot off for the clubhouse and shouted, “I gotta find Wy-it.”
Once he’d gone inside, Doc walked over to me and said, “It’s good to have you back, Cotton. We’ve missed you around here.”
“It’s good to be back, brother.”
We all headed into the bar, and once everyone had started drinking and talking among themselves, Guardrail turned to me and said, “Hope you don’t mind, but the brothers and I did some work over at your place,” Guardrail told me.
“Yeah? What kind of work?”
“Maverick talked to your doctor and got a list of equipment you’d need for your rehab. We got what you’d need and set it up in your basement.”
“I appreciate that, brother. I wasn’t looking forward to going to a fucking gym,” I laughed. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to get on my bike again.”
He nodded and said, “It won’t be much longer. You’ve come a long way.”
I was about to take another drink of my beer when I noticed Cass standing at the end of the bar. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Even though she was talking to Henley and Maverick, her focus was completely on me. Her hair was pulled back, revealing her gorgeous face, and I couldn’t wait a minute more to have her in my arms. I stood up and made my way over to her. I could see by the look on her face that all of her doubts were raging inside of her. I wanted nothing more than to ease all of her uncertainties, but I knew it’d take time. Thankfully, time was on my side. I’d do whatever it took to make her mine, no matter how long I had to wait.