Page 9 of Frosty the Biker

Nohow ya been, nohaven’t seen you in ages, noyou look fucking amazing Ryian—just a question full of accusation.

“He’s three,” I quietly confirmed as I boldly met his direct stare.

“When. Is. His. Birthday?” he asked through clenched teeth.

My chest seemed to cave in, though I hadn’t kept Anson a secret from him on purpose. I’d tried to contact him after I found out I was pregnant. He was the one who had moved and changed his number.

Yeah, initially I ignored his calls. A couple months after moving, I found out I was pregnant. I tried calling him. His number was disconnected. I’d even tried calling the grocery storeandI’d left a message. He never reached out. Not once in over four years. Surely, he had to have heard I was looking for him.

“You’re sitting here acting likeyou’rethe injured party?” I asked incredulously.

“How could you not tell me?”

At that, I was pissed. I bolted to my feet, glaring down at him. He quickly stood up too.

“How could Inot tell you? Are you kidding right now? I tried to call you, but your number was disconnected. I sent you a letter, it came back to me as no forwarding address. I fucking emailed you! Guess what? That came back as undeliverable too! I called thegrocery store! My mom physicallywentto the grocery store. What else was I supposed to do, Dalton?” I was fuming and he simply stood there with his mouth hanging open.

He was a real piece of work.

“Get out of my store. I need to calm down and I can’t do it looking at you. My number is the same as it’s always been. If you really want to see your son and get to know him, I’ll work something out with you, but I don’t ever want to see you again. Goodbye.” I spun on my heel and stormed past a gawking Corky and the guy with the list.

Dalton called out to me, but I ignored him.

As I stepped into the office, I closed the door softly behind me with shaking hands. Anson was watching his show, blissfully unaware of the drama that had just unfolded between his parents.

His parents… damn, I wasn’t used to that. It had been the two of us since before he was born. Though I was angry, I was also reeling. This was the last thing I expected today. After not being able to find him after months of searching, then I move back years later, and he pops up—in my family’s store. What the hell kind of coincidence is that?

My chest was tight, and chills raced down my arms. With a soft sigh, I rested my head against the door and closed my eyes. If I was honest with myself, I was shocked at the effect he still had on me. It wasn’t fair. After everything he’d done, I shouldn’t still be attracted to him. I shouldn’t care.

It shouldn’t still hurt.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I pulled it out and my shoulders fell. Of course, I couldn’t be lucky enough that he forgot my number.

Unknown Number: You said you don’t ever want to see me again, but I think we both know that’s not going to be possible. I definitely want to get to know my son. We need to talk like the mature adults we are. When you’ve had time to think, please let me know.

Fuck.

“DrownedInEmotion”—Caskets

“Dude… what the fuck was that all about?” Dallas asked as he started the truck again.

I’d gone outside to sit on the tailgate. My mind was blown, and I didn’t trust myself not to go after Ryian and demand to see my son. I’d been trying to make sense of it all and was still sitting there when Dallas had come out of the store. Then we backed up to the loading door.

When I saw Ralph coming out to load the supplies up, I grabbed my brother’s beanie off the dash and tugged it down low over my brow. He’d worked there for years, so I kept my head down and hoped he didn’t recognize me.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, I do, but I can’t believe it.” In disbelief, I shook my head. “That little boy I’ve been having visions of? It’s not you.”

“Well, I kind of wondered. None of the things you saw seemed familiar.”

“He’s my kid.”

The truck jerked and swerved slightly. I immediately looked at my brother in shock.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he ran a hand through his hair. “Did I hear that correctly?”

“You sure as shit did,” I replied before scrubbing my face. “I was not happy about going there today, but not in a million years did I expect to see Ryian or find out I had a son. Am I in some alternate universe or something?”

“Damn, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say other than that. Why didn’t she tell you? Are you gonna get to see him and get to know him?”

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