Page 92 of Motorycle Daddies

“Eh,” Grizzly says, shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “This old man appreciates the thought, darlin’.”

“Good,” Meredith says. Grizzly’s comment clearly warms her heart, because she smiles sweetly and takes the first gift off the top of the small pile. “We’ll make sure to save you for last, Grizzly, so you can enjoy the anticipation a bit longer.”

“Oh wow.” He chuckles to himself. “You’re right, what’s a little longer after a few decades?”

“Alright, first up.” Meredith takes a small box from the top of the pile. She takes a quick glance at the tag and hands the box to Dart. “I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will no matter what, sweetheart.”

Dart rips the wrapping paper off and throws the paper in the trash, lifting the lid off the small black box. He smiles, leaning in to give Meredith a kiss on the cheek before any of us know what it is. He moves to her ear, whispering a thank you before sitting down again in his chair. He pulls out a long silver chain, a wallet chain designed to resemble a bike chain.

“I feel awful about your bike,” Meredith explains. “I know how much you love it and I know it will be repaired. But I thought you might like something useful that reminds you of riding.”

“It’s beautiful.” It glimmers in the sunshine beaming through the window. “I’ll wear it every day.”

Meredith shares a sweet and sentimental smile with him before she directs her attention back to the pile of gifts. She looks at a tag and then directs a gift in my direction.

“We’ll do you next, Trap. We all know you can’t stand waiting for very long.”

She winks at me, and I take the gift from her and wink back. It’s a relatively small to medium box in blue wrapping paper and a shiny ribbon. I can’t remember the last time I received a gift. It might even have been as a kid, so opening a present to begin with is a foreign idea. I hate the fact that everyone is watching me open it, but I’m so grateful Meredith thinks of us the way she does.

I open the gift and see that it’s a beard kit, one that comes with every accessory, trimmer, cream, and way to maintain the mane you can imagine. I almost can’t stand how thoughtful this girl is. I want to be looking my best for her, and she can’t help but always make my hair a big deal.

“Thank you,” I say, rubbing my finger over the glossy box. “You didn’t have to go all out like this.”

“I wanted to.”

“I do hope you’re not saying you think my beard needs to go. I keep it tight for you, you know.”

“It’s to keep it sexy,” she says. “Maybe it’ll make your life a little bit easier.”

“Thank you, baby. I love it.”

“Okay, now for the one we’ve all been waiting for.” She takes another gift from the pile and hands it to Grizzly. He looks at the gift like it’s the best thing he’s ever seen in his life, and he hasn’t even opened it yet. It’s like the sentimental value of her thoughtfulness alone is pouring out of him and onto all of us in the room.

Grizzly lets out a soft sigh, enjoying the moment of just holding it before he begins to tear the wrapping paper off the gift. His eyes widen and brighten as the gift is fully revealed. I can tell from where I’m sitting that it’s some sort of record. Grizzly puts his hand on his chest, letting out a huff as if to say the gift is too much.

“What is it, man?” Dart asks.

Grizzly turns it around and shows us that it’s the album of his favorite band—and not only that, but it’s personally signed by the lead singer and all the band members.

“I don’t know how to say thank you enough,” he says, and Meredith holds her hand out for him to take. He grabs her hand, and they share a short exchange of intense eye contact. He mouths something to her, but I can’t quite make out what he says.

“What can I say? I enjoy spoiling the men in my life.”

“Those better not be for us too,” I say, nodding my head toward the rest of the wrapped items on the nightstand. They’re all the same size, so I’m suspicious about what that might mean.

“Yeah, about that. I’m not quite done with you all yet.”

I grumble, wondering how much more she could possibly do for us. I can’t get over how much I’ve fallen for this woman. No woman can be this perfect, showing an endless capacity for love.

Meredith takes the small gifts and passes one to each of us. We wait until we all have the gift in our hands before we rip at the paper to see what waits for us inside. We all take a collective sigh, the sight of the gift so sweet it’s hard not to break down, though I know we won’t let ourselves.

I hold the textured patch inside my hands, reading the label that says Proud Dad. It’s meant for our jackets, and I can’t wait to display it alongside my many other patches. This one will be the most meaningful by far.

“I love it,” I say, and I can’t tell if what I said even made it above a whisper.

“I’m glad,” Meredith says, sounding relieved. “I thought it might be kind of a lot. But it’s so good to hear that you appreciate it.”

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