Page 4 of Phoenix

“Um, will you really see me later?” she asked.

“I’m pretty sure that I will,” he said. “I only live right there.” Riggs pointed to his house across the yard. “We are bound to run into each other at some point since you’re living here now.”

“Oh, I see,” she said. She felt like a complete fool for asking such a silly question. Phoenix was hoping that he actually wanted to see her, not that he’d run into her because they were now neighbors, and he’d have no choice.

“Good night, Phoenix,” he said as he walked over to his truck.

“Night,” she whispered as she watched him drive to the next house and park his truck in the driveway. Phoenix didn’t wait to watch him walk into his house. She knew that he’d think she was some crazy stalker or something, and that wasn’t what she needed right now. Moving back in with Aggie was her fresh start and no matter what, she needed to make it work. Following Riggs around like a puppy wasn’t a good look and would only end with heartache. Guys like him always brought heartache along with them, no matter how hot they were.

Aggie walked into Phoenix’s old bedroom and sat down on her bed. “How are you not tired?” she asked her grandmother.

“Oh, I’m exhausted, but I’m so excited that you and Lydia are here.” Aggie patted the mattress, and Phoenix crossed the room to sit down next to her. “You’ll stay this time, right?” her grandmother asked. Phoenix didn’t know how to answer that question since she didn’t have plans for tomorrow, let alone forever.

“Aggie, I can’t give you an answer to your question. I have a lot to figure out first.” She needed to figure out how she was going to take care of her daughter and then, she wanted to find a little place of their own—not that she had anything needed to fill that place. She had to sell off most of her belongings to get back to her grandmothers, and she rolled into town with nothing—no money in her pocket and no gas in her tank. Phoenix was exhausted from life and the last few years that she had to live it on her own while taking care of Lydia.

“Well, you can stay here as long as you need to, sweetheart,” Aggie said, patting her leg.

“Thank you,” Phoenix said. “I promise that Lydia and I won’t be a burden. I’ll help out with the cooking and cleaning around here. Plus, I’m going to get a job, if you wouldn’t mind watching Lydia until I can find a babysitter, so I will be able to pay you rent.”

“I’d love to watch Lydia. It will give me a chance to get to know her. And you will not pay me a dime. You save your money for your and Lydia’s future.” Phoenix tried to tell her that she wanted to pay her and Lydia’s way, but before she could get the words out, her grandmother put her hand over Phoenix’s mouth.

“Hush, I won’t hear you tell me no. If you want to stay here, it’s one of my conditions. I’ll take your help around the house and with cooking, but you will keep your money,” Aggie insisted. “Besides, you know that my second husband was very well off and my divorce lawyer worked his magic, and I’m set up for life, so I don’t need your money.” When her grandmother got this way, she knew that there was no arguing with her. Aggie was a force when she dug her heels in.

“I’ll agree to your terms under one condition,” Phoenix said.

“What’s that?” her grandmother asked.

“That you let me go to sleep because I feel about ready to drop,” Phoenix said.

“Oh, my goodness, where is my head?” Aggie asked. “Of course, I’ll let you get some sleep. And don’t worry about getting up with Lydia in the morning, I’ll get her up and feed her breakfast. What does she like to eat?”

Phoenix smiled at her grandmother. “Like me, that girl eats everything.”

Aggie giggled, “I remember you just about ate me out of house and home, but I loved feeding you.” Phoenix knew that was true. Her grandmother’s love language was feeding people.

“Well, I appreciate you taking care of Lydia for me. But if she wakes up and is scared, please wake me. Remember, she doesn’t know you yet,” Phoenix reminded.

“This is not my first go around with a two-year-old,” Aggie insisted. “I raised you and Raven.” Hearing her mother’s name again, after not thinking about her for so many years, made her sad. Her mother was only sixteen when she had Phoenix, and she knew that there would be no way that she’d be able to take care of a newborn. She was a drug addict and decided that it would be best to dump Phoenix off at Aggie’s house. Honestly, it probably saved Phoenix’s life. Aggie had given her a warm, safe, loving home to grow up in and she’d forever be thankful to her grandmother.

“Either way, if Lydia needs me, just wake me up,” Phoenix insisted. She was the only person her daughter saw every day and every night—the one constant in her life since she was born.

Aggie patted her hand and smiled, “Don’t worry honey,” her grandmother said. “Everything will work out the way that it should.” Aggie used to tell her that every day when she was a teenager. They fought like cats and dogs, and at the end of the fight, when they had both calmed down, Aggie would tell her that saying.

“Thanks for your help with getting Lydia and me here,” Phoenix said, hugging her grandmother.

“You are welcome,” Aggie said. “I’m so happy that you both are here.” She stood from Phoenix’s bed and turned back. “I’ll check on Lydia before I go to bed, sweetheart. You just get some rest,” her grandmother insisted.

“Thank you,” Phoenix said around a yawn. She didn’t even bother to change. She didn’t own pajamas anymore and usually slept in her clothes. Phoenix watched her grandmother leave the room and shut the door before she slipped out of her jeans and climbed under the covers. As she snuggled into the mattress, she noted how every smell, and every touch, she was feeling more and more at home. Her old bedroom held so many memories that she wondered why she had left in the first place. One thing was for sure, she didn’t plan on leaving again for a long, long time.

Riggs

Riggs had been at work all day and there was really no end in sight. He had two more bikes to check out for his brothers down at Savage Hell, but they’d have to wait until tomorrow because he planned on showering and sleeping for the rest of the night. He loved doing side work for the guys down at the club. It helped him stick some cash in the bank for a rainy day—even though he didn’t really have any of those. Things were going well at work, and owning his towing company came with some challenges, but he loved being his own boss.

As soon as he got out of the shower, his cell phone chimed with a text, and he picked it up, noticing that he still had some grease on his fingers. That shit was hard to scrub off and it seemed to get everywhere. It was a hazard of his profession and one that he really didn’t mind. He quickly read a message that had come through from Phoenix. She wanted him to go to Savage Hell with him and have a few drinks. That wasn’t something that he could do. Phoenix was still twenty and he wouldn’t betray Mrs. Aggie’s trust in that way.

He quickly fired off a response to her. It was a simple, “No,” and he knew that it was going to get him some shit from her, the next time he saw her, he couldn’t give her any other answer. Even if she was twenty-one, he still wouldn’t make a move on Mrs. Aggie’s granddaughter.

He watched his phone screen, almost afraid of what she was about to text next. The little dots appeared on his screen, telling him that she was typing, and then they just stopped. They started again and quickly stopped. Riggs felt as though he was holding his damn breath waiting for her to send him something—anything.

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