Page 76 of Blade

“What made you join the club?” I asked.

Yes, I was delaying talking about that last day.

“I didn’t have the best family growing up. I had a great childhood because of the friends I had. When I turned eighteen, I left. I traveled around the country for a bit, looking for something I had lost. I found it but, it wasn’t mine anymore.”

He looked down at the grass between his legs, taking a heavy breath.

“Shortly after that, I met Jack in a bar one night. He talked me into prospecting for the Shadows, and it was the best decision I ever made. With them, I found a piece of what I had lost.”

“So you’ve been with the club for five years?” I asked, knowing they bought the land five years ago.

“Seven actually, we joined the Mother Chapter in Arkansas. Did a year of prospecting, then a year as a patched brother. When King wanted to open another chapter, he asked Jack and I and a few others to come along. He was looking for a spot and I suggested Diamond Creek.”

“Why here?”

“I had been through here when I was traveling and fell in love with the area. The vastness and how open it is called to me. I can hop on my bike and just ride for miles and not have to think about the turns or the other drivers. Sure, the riding season is shorter here than down south, but the lower population more than makes up for it.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine anyone making a choice to live here. I left with the intention of never coming back.”

That had been the plan until Grams called. I didn’t want to come back to Diamond Creek. I didn’t want to be surrounded by the memories of the boy I lost. I stayed as long as I could for Ryder and Rachel, but I had to run. I had to try to move on.

Not that it worked, but at least I tried.

Did you though?

Did you try?

Or did you just stick your head in another sandbox somewhere else?

“Did you leave because you wanted to get away from the town or the memories?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I wasn’t sure I was ready to answer that question yet.

“You are pretty good at deflecting. I’m not letting you off that easy, though. I still want to hear about that kiss,” he reiterated.

“It really wasn’t a big deal.”

Okay, it was a really big deal, but I’m not going to tell him that.

“Really? The boy you were hoping would notice you kisses you and it wasn’t a big deal? Bullshit,” he responded. “Tell me what happened. And help me understand why you are so afraid to talk about it.”

“It changed my life,” I admitted. “In more ways than one. I had stopped to talk to him after school to see if he was coming over to Grams’ house later. We joked about the girl he just broke up with. Then, just when I turned to leave, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back into his chest and kissed me. Like it was something he did all the time. Like it didn’t affect him at all.”

“Babe, I have kissed those lips. Trust me, it affected him.”

“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head, hiding the blush that was taking over. “It definitely affected me. I had fallen in love with him when I was seven. He was the only person who didn’t give me everything I wanted. Told me no, when no one else did.”

Smiling, I remembered how he never put up with crap from me.

“He argued with me. He encouraged me when I told him about my dream of being a journalist. But even if I hadn’t, that kiss would have sealed the deal. I was so sure he would tell me he felt the same way when he came over that night. Only, he never showed up.” I felt the sting of tears gather behind my eyes.

“What happened?”

I looked up at Blade as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

“He died.”

Blade held me while I cried.

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