Page 4 of Filthy Savage

Another reason why I knew that Spencer not only needed better but deserved it as well.

Even if her driving away meant that my heart was ripped out of my chest and lost forever. So that’s why I’ll never have an old lady. Because there was only one for me. In the last decade, she’s never stepped foot back in Pineville. I’m glad. I wouldn’t want her to come back here.

CHAPTER

TWO

SPENCER

The drivefrom Austin to Pineville would take me six hours if I didn’t have to stop to recharge my car. And if I didn’t have to map out the route so I could recharge it. I make the stop around Waco and charge there as I get something to eat for lunch and use the bathroom.

I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to charge my car when I get to Pineville. I might be completely out of luck. I’m so used to Austin, where there is always somewhere to get a full charge, and I can even do it at my apartment complex.

Once my lunch is eaten and my car fully charged, I get back on the road. As soon as I reach East Texas, the scenery begins to change. The pine trees appear tall and grandiose as they guide me to my hometown.

It feels like home, too. The smells, the sights, the curves of the roads, all of it. I hate that. I don’t want this to feel likehome. I want it to feel foreign and wrong, not perfect and right. It pisses me off.

Pressing my lips together, I try to keep from crying because of how that makes me feel, but a few tears leak out, regardless of what I want. This place holds a million memories—good, bad, and ugly.

Once my car passes the Pineville sign, I dry my tears, but mainly because my anger takes over. These assholes let my brother get thrown in jail. He’s going to prison over this shit because I know he won’t rat his men out.

Instead of driving straight to the clubhouse, I decide to take a cruise down Main Street. I can’t imagine much has changed. Color me absolutely shocked at the state of the shops along the street.

It’s actually cute.

When I was last here, it was a bunch of seedy bars, but that’s not the case anymore. I let out an audible gasp at the sight of a bakery. I pull into a parking spot that happens to be right in front and open the car door. Shifting my legs to the side, I place my feet on the asphalt road.

Slowly, I straighten from the car, then close the door behind me. I make my way toward the glass door, reaching for the handle and tugging it open. I’m not sure what I expect, but when I step into the bakery, I’m surprised all over again.

Instantly, I’m hit with the sweet scent of bakery treats.

My God.

It smells heavenly.

Before I can even look at the case, a cheerful voice greets me. When I shift my gaze from the bakery case to hers, my eyes widen. She’s stunning, like, beyond beautiful. She’s smiling at me with a little baby strapped to her front, just sleeping away.

She looks like she’s out of a movie.

“Have you tried any of our bakery items before?” she asks.

I’m taken aback by everything about her. She’s stunning in so many ways that she’s taken my breath away. I’ve never seenanything like her here in Pineville. Things sure have changed in a decade.

Swallowing hard, I shake my head a couple of times before I answer her. “I haven’t been here before. I was just driving by and noticed the bakery.”

Her eyes light up, and then she starts to tell me all about her products. It’s the most Austinite bakery I’ve ever encountered. It’s an all non-GMO, Paleo, vegan, gluten-free place. I would have never imagined that Pineville could ever have something like this, let alone sustain it.

“I don’t even know what to order,” I say once she’s finished going over all of the items in the case.

She lets out a giggle, then she turns and grabs a box. “How about a six-pack? It’ll be a mix of different things—cupcakes, brownies, and cookies. Is there anything you’re allergic to?”

“No, nothing,” I say. “That sounds amazing.”

She gives me a wink, then fills up the box. She asks me little chatty questions, like where I’m from and what brings me here.

“I’m actually from here,” I say after I tell her that I live in Austin now.

She lifts her eyes, her lips still curved up into a big smile. “Welcome home.”

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