Talia
It wasn’t my first time eating in a restaurant. I’d been a few times with a friend, or on my own when I’d had some extra money. Seeing the joy on Riley’s face, made this time different from the others. She’d eaten so much, I’d thought she was going to make herself sick. Ram might have asked me to stay and give things a chance, but it didn’t give me the right to tell his daughter what to do. I’d watched and waited for Riley to turn green and bolt from the room. Thankfully, the moment she started to feel queasy, she put the fork down.
Now she kept groaning as we walked the aisles of another store. Ram had a shopping cart and had asked me to push one as well. He kept placing the bathroom and bedroom linens into my cart, while shoving pots and pans into his, and anything else he thought we might need. Riley perked up a little when we reached the bedding.
“I’ll order you a new mattress soon,” Ram said. “But the bed will probably be the same size.”
“I think it’s a full,” I said.
“So I can pick from the ones that have a sticker on them saying they’re a full size?” Riley asked. “Any of them?”
“Find a set you really love, then one you at least like. It’s better to have two in case something happens and you need to change your bed at night.”
She glared at him. “I’m not small enough to wet the bed.”
His cheeks flushed and he cleared his throat before speaking a low tone. “I was thinking more along the lines if you, um…”
He couldn’t seem to stop, and I finally understood what he meant. I nearly snickered. Who knew the big, tough biker could be so endearing?
“Riley, have you started your period yet?” I asked. I knew stress could have prevented her from having one yet, even though most girls seemed to get theirs between the ages of nine and eleven.
“Oh! That’s what he meant?” She peeked at her dad, a smile on her lips. “Yeah, two sets would be a good idea.”
While she made her decision, I pulled Ram to the side. I whispered so Riley wouldn’t hear us, but I couldn’t help being concerned for her.
“Ram, I know you’re probably happy to have Riley in your life and that you can get to know your daughter, but something’s off. She’s far too happy and bubbly after what she went through.”
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “That’s she’s trying to suppress her real feelings?”
“Maybe.”
He grunted. “I’ve been watching her. Right now, she wants to be treated like a normal teenage girl. From what she’s said, I don’t think she’s ever had that before. I’ll find a therapist for her, someone who can help her through the trauma she suffered. If it makes her feel better to put on a show, smile, and act like nothing’s wrong, then I’ll let her for the moment. You know how you get prickly and sarcastic? Well, being bright and bubbly is her defense mechanism.”
I crossed my arms and stared at him. He’d killed those men without any hesitation. Helped all of us when he didn’t have to. Came from a club of bikers, who looked like they’d rather kill a person than help them across the street… unless it was straight into oncoming traffic. So why did he seem to know so much about trauma responses, defense mechanisms, and that sort of thing?
“Who the hell are you?” I asked. “I mean really. What average biker knows this sort of stuff?”
He ran a finger over one eyebrow. “My mom taught me a lot. She was a great mother. Loving. Supportive. And she studied psychology in college. Unfortunately, she met my dad, got pregnant, and had me before she could graduate. However, she used that knowledge every day, and taught me the importance of not only a person’s physical well-being, but their mental health as well.”
Wow. I hadn’t seen that one coming. I’d assumed he’d had a sucky childhood like me. Why else would he join a group of rough-looking bikers? Or go around killing people? It sounded like he had a normal, suburban upbringing. What happened?
“You, sir, are an enigma.”
He smiled faintly. “Good. Maybe the curiosity will keep you around long enough for me to convince you to stay forever.”
“Not sure I believe in forever,” I said. “Never had proof that sort of relationship exists. Clearly, you haven’t either, unless your dad took care of you and your mom? Maybe they got married and you had the perfect life.”
He snorted. “Not hardly. If it weren’t for Mom, I’m sure I’d have turned out much different. After she died, I felt lost. I decided to prospect for the Devil’s Fury at the age of seventeen. The club helped me finish high school, and when I turned nineteen, they patched me in. Of course, I had some anger issues back then. Still do.”
“Because of your mom dying?” I asked.
“That’s why I was so mad back then. Now, I mostly kick my own ass every day.”
Something told me not to pry into what he meant by that. He’d tell me if and when he wanted me to know. For now, he’d shared quite a bit. I felt like I owed him something. A piece of my past. And not in a let me dump all my shit on you type of way.
“I don’t remember my mom. She either died or left us when I was little. My dad always said she was dead, but sometimes I wondered if she couldn’t handle living with him and just got up and walked out one day.”
“And left her daughter behind?” he asked.
“I doubt she’d have been able to take care of me. I mean, if she couldn’t stand up to my dad and felt her only recourse was to run away, would she have really had the means to feed me and clothe me? Dad sucked at it, but for the most part I didn’t starve.” I didn’t want to go into the beatings when my dad lost big time. Or the times he’d rant I was too much like my mother. He wouldn’t have won father of the year, but at least I hadn’t been in the foster system. I’d met too many kids who’d been abused far worse than me, and by people who were paid to take care of them.
“If you want to find out whether she really died or if she’s alive, I know someone who could either locate her or her grave. Just let me know,” Ram said.
“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
Not once had I ever wanted to see my mother. I’d always felt like she hadn’t wanted me. No matter how many times my dad claimed she’d died, I’d never fully believed him. Why hadn’t there been a funeral? Wouldn’t the police have come by if she’d had an accident or something? Sure, I’d put on a brave face when telling Ram about her, but deep down, her leaving me behind had hurt. A lot. I wasn’t sure I’d ever really forgive her, even if she stood in front of me and told me the reason. Unless, of course, Dad hadn’t lied and she’d really died.
Riley finished making her selection. I’d noticed Ram put in two plain sets of bedding for his room. He’d asked me to stay, yet he didn’t seem to want my opinion when it came to the sheets that went on the bed we’d be sharing. I eyed the set, and he noticed, his eyes twinkling with laughter. Asshole.
“Put the fangs away,” he said. “Those are temporary. When I get us a new mattress, I’m ordering a larger bed frame too. They have a queen in there right now, and I think we’ll need a California king to be comfortable. I’m not exactly short.”
My cheeks warmed. I liked the playful side of him. He didn’t show it often, from what I’d seen so far. It made me feel special to have him tease me like that. Riley ignored us as she checked out the items on practically every shelf in the store. Ram let her get a new shower curtain, bathmat, and the matching items for the counter. There wasn’t anything wrong with the ones already at the house, but I could understand why he’d bought them for her. He wanted it to feel like her home, and this was a good place to start. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d paint her room and the hall bathroom if she asked him to.
He really was a good man, and an even better father. He’d only decided Riley was his daughter this morning, and already he’d done more for her than most dads did in their entire lives. Of course, most fathers didn’t have to kill their daughter’s abductors either.
“Did you do the paternity test?” I asked. I didn’t remember seeing them use the ones Badger had delivered to the house.
“Yeah. We took care of it while you were in the shower. We did Riley’s first, then I did mine while she got ready. Someone delivered it to the lab for us.”
We finally found everything we needed and made our way to the register. The poor clerk’s eyes went wide when she saw the two overflowing carts. I felt sorry for her, since she’d have to scan and bag everything.
“Did you buy a new house?” she asked, as she rang up the items.
“Just moved in yesterday,” Ram said.
Riley grabbed some candy off the shelf under the register. “Dad, can I have this?”
He took it from her and placed it on the counter. The clerk scanned it, then handed it back to Riley. I had no idea where she planned to put it. Surely, she wasn’t going to eat it right now? She’d just been moaning about how full she was.
“Riley, maybe you should save it for when we get home?” I suggested. “You don’t want to get sick in the truck, right?”
Crap. Did Ram even realize the truck was already full? Where was Riley going to sit? I didn’t see how all this would fit in the back seat with the other stuff we’d bought, and still leave room for the girl.
“You can ride up front between me and Talia,” he said. “The armrest lifts up. You won’t have a shoulder belt, though. I’ll make sure I drive carefully.”
“I think she should sit beside you, Dad,” Riley said. That little devil. She grinned at me. Not only was her dad trying to talk me into staying and moving in permanently, but for some reason Riley really wanted me there too. One big happy family.
The clerk gave him the total and Ram handed over his bank card. Once he’d paid, we pushed the items outside and loaded them into the back seat. And sure enough, there wasn’t a spot for Riley. Ram put up the armrest, which was wider than either me or Riley, and I found the lap belt underneath. I climbed in and buckled while Riley got into the passenger seat and Ram slid behind the steering wheel.
His thigh brushed against mine every time he pressed the pedal or shifted to the brake. By the time we got to the house, I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I’d never been so aware of a man before. My hand trembled as I unbuckled and got out of the vehicle, and my knees felt like jelly. Somehow, I managed to get inside, where I promptly went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face.
Get it together, Talia. You’re stronger than this.
I saw Ram standing behind me, and my gaze met his in the mirror. “You all right?”
I nodded. “Just felt a little hot. I’ll come help unload everything.”
“Stay inside where it’s cool. I’ll bring in the bags. Badger needs me for a little while, so I’ll let you and Riley sort everything into the correct rooms. We should probably wash the bedding and new towels before we use them. There’s a laundry closet off the kitchen.”
“Closet?” I asked.
“I can hardly call it a room when it’s only deep enough for the door to open without hitting the washer and dryer, and there’s no space on either side of the machines. Whoever designed this place clearly didn’t wash clothes often. It would have been nice to have some cabinets and maybe a counter for sorting.”
I pursed my lips and wondered why I found it so cute when he talked about things like laundry. It made him seem domesticated, while watching him ride his motorcycle had made him look wild and free. Which was the real Ram? Or were they both right, and he was just some odd mix that made him perfect husband material?
My cheeks flushed and I quickly looked away from him. Husband material? What the hell was I just thinking?
You’re in so much trouble, Talia.