do her rehab outpatient and it will save her money.”
“That’s nice, right?”
“Yeah, actually, they’ve been really fuckin’ cool,” Aero said. “But it means I have to stay.”
“Yeah.” I bit back tears. “For how long?”
He dragged his hand over his beard. “A few weeks, maybe a month.”
I sniffed, wiping the tears from the corner of my eyes.
“Baby, it’s not forever.”
“It is forever. A month is forever,” I whispered.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I was hopin’ it wouldn’t sound so bad when I said it out loud.”
“You were wrong.”
“I was so fuckin’ wrong.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do. I’m going to go home and finish out finals, then I’m coming back and staying with you until your mom is well.”
“What about your job?”
“You’re more important.”
“Baby, you can’t just tell your job to fuck off. We also need to find a place to live. I can crash at the club or with Mom, but—”
“Dad said he’d set us up.”
“What the fuck?” he whispered.
“Dad said—”
“No, I heard you, Violet,” he growled. “But there is no way in hell another man’s takin’ care of my business.”
“Don’t get mad at me,” I snapped. “I’m just the messenger.”
He dragged his hands down his face again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I know this is a shit sandwich.”
“I need you to go home, Letti. If you blow up your life because of this, I’ll be pissed.” He reached for my hand. “And if you even entertain the thought that I don’t want you here, I’ll be doubly pissed.”
“I don’t want you here alone.”
“I know, baby. It’s the last thing I want as well, but you need to pass your finals and make sure you secure your place at the zoo.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But what if your mom never gets better?”
“Let’s cross that bridge if it happens.”
“I’d rather plan for the worst-case scenario,” I countered.
“I’ll move her to Colorado.”
“Seriously?” I rasped.
“Yeah, baby. I’m not givin’ up my life out there. I should have brought her with me from the get,” he said.
“She does have her own life, though, honey, she might not have come.”
“Shoulda still asked.”
“You can ask now.”
He nodded, his expression pained.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the server asked, as she stepped to our table.
“Just the check,” Aero said.
She nodded and set a plastic folder in front of him, then walked away. He slid cash into the slit, called for a car, then we headed out of the restaurant. Aero wrapped his arms around me and held me close while we waited for our ride and I squeezed him tight, needing his warmth.
Arriving back at the hospital, Aero’s mom was still in radiology, so we sat in her room while we waited for her to come back. It wasn’t long before a nurse wheeled her back in, helping her back into bed.
Since she didn’t know me, I stepped outside while she got settled, not sure if she’d want some stranger seeing her in such a vulnerable position. I wasn’t sure how long I was pacing the hallway, but Aero didn’t come out for a while, and then it was to tell me his mom was tired and wanted to rest.
“I’ll text Razor,” I said.
“Already done,” he said.
“Will I see you tonight?”
“Don’t know, baby.”
I nodded, dropping my head to his chest. “Okay.”
We stood in the hallway, his hands stroking my hair, while we waited for Razor to pick me up. He arrived way too soon for my liking and I held Aero a little tighter as Razor approached.
“I’ll text you,” Aero promised.
“Give me a second,” I ordered when he tried to pull away.
He held me tighter and kissed the top of my head and I gave him one more squeeze before kissing him and walking away before I changed my mind.
Aero
ONE WEEK LATER, I was heading back to the Dogs of Fire compound after spending the afternoon with my mom. The doctor had ended up keeping her longer than anticipated, due to the MRI results being a concern, but she was home now and rocking her rehab. Her memory was coming back faster than expected, which the doctors loved, but it still wasn’t fast enough for me. I wanted to go home.
I missed my woman and my brothers.
In that order.
Today was an unusually clear day, so I’d borrowed a bike and ridden from the club to my mom’s place in Beaverton. Hatch had called a meeting, and even though the Dogs weren’t my club, when the prez of a friendly club requests