Page 12 of The Biker & the Baker

With that thought in mind, Lawrence turned the light off and climbed on the bed, sliding under the thin blanket. Sleep came quickly, bringing with it tranquility and peace of mind. In his dreams, the biker was holding Albert’s hand, and the man’s face was lit by the smile the ex-soldier came to love so much. They were surrounded by Tracy, Terry, and the baker’s children—the big, happy family he always dreamed of.

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“Hello, my friend!” Lawrence greeted with a grin as he walked on into the library, a few days later. “What a lovely Monday morning,” he continued with an exaggerated British accent, making the librarian and Bart, who was also there, laugh loudly. “How come you’re not at work?” He turned to his best friend’s husband.

“The Base’s anniversary, remember?” Bart facepalmed himself, shaking his head. “Man, you’re either old as dirt or very in love. I personally incline to the second variant.”

Brian cleared his throat. “Me, too, especially since last night someone discreetly asked if you were seeing anyone. Are you? We haven't talked about this in quite a while.”

Lawrence shrugged. “Still single. Like your husband here said, I’m old as time, and no chance for me to get any younger.” He lowered his gaze. “Besides, who would want to date a guy with a crippled leg?”

Brian shook his head. “Digger, you could kick my young butt any day of the week. Plus, you saved me more times than I could count.” He gave his friend an affectionate smile. “Any man would be lucky to have you.” The librarian fell silent for a moment, then continued in a confidential tone “You didn't hear it from me, but I'm positive Albert is interested in you.”

Lawrence gasped in shock, disbelief written all over his face. “Your friend? That handsome, blond guy with kind, sad eyes?” He swallowed hard. “It’s not that I don’t know who you are talking about, I just want to make sure I got it right.”

“Yes, that's him,” Brian confirmed with a nod. “You've probably heard me call him Light,” he added, then stopped talking for a short while. “I think he's dealing with the same issues I was.” The librarian stared ahead, his voice barely a whisper. “He's scared, Digger.”

Lawrence leaned over the counter, put both his hands on the librarian’s shoulders and bore his eyes into the ones of his friend. “I'll take good care of him, I swear. I'll make him forget all the tears and pain.” The biker’s voice was passionate, warm, and sincere. “And I'll give him a house full of kids, if this is what he wants,” he added with a smile.

Brian patted his friend on the shoulder and gave him a gratitude-filled look. “Thank you very much, I knew I could count on you.” A frown creased his forehead. “Please, tell the other guards to be on the lookout, I think this Rick guy is after him. I'm not positive, it’s just a feeling, but I don't think the bastard will give up this easily on his prey, just like Cole did.”

Lawrence nodded slowly. “I'll talk to Serge and the brothers.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “You can count on me and all the others. Albert will never be alone. If that pile of shit comes here and wants trouble…” He cleared his throat and continued in a low, dark tone. “I killed a lot of motherfuckers barehanded back in the army, eliminating this one for good won’t be a problem.”

A smile of satisfaction tugged at Brian’s lips when he heard the biker’s words. “T-Ball searched for pictures and has them ready.He and I agreed it's not wise to ask Albert, because we were afraid of his reaction.” The librarian swallowed hard. “He is like I was, and thinks that Rick will hurt everyone around him, because no one can beat him.”

“No one, my big, fat ass!” Lawrence tilted his head backwards, huffing a laugh. “I bet even Serge and Mr. Parker, not to mention Leon, can send him crying to his mamma, and they are a lot older than the rest of us. Well, not Leon, but you get the idea.”

“I do.” Brian showed all his teeth in a big grin, then continued on an almost pleading tone. “Thank you and be patient with Light, he is worth it. He's my best friend, I want him to be happy and live his life to the fullest instead of looking over his shoulder, like I did.”

“I'll split my spare time between the children and Albert.” Lawrence smiled reassuringly. “I know you are a professional worrier, but I promise you this time there will be no reasons for you to worry. I will protect and take care of him in every possible way, erasing all the bad memories from his mind.”

Meanwhile, the subject of the conversation between the librarian and the biker was heading to his sister-in-law’s house, behind the wheel of a van he borrowed from Leon earlier, when he had a brief meeting with the handyman, at his workshop. To his huge, pleasant surprise, part of the furniture for the bakery was ready to be installed.

This man is something else, Albert said to himself, shaking his head with a mix of admiration and respect, wondering if Leon ever sleeps. He must be one of those people who don’t need as much rest as us, mere mortals, the man continued his internal monologue, envying the handyman for that ability.

While he was in the workshop, Albert was called by The Base’s boss, Elias, who asked him to come to his office when the meeting with Leon was over. It won’t be long, the man assured him, apologizing for the change in baker’s plans the unexpected call may cause. He shouldn’t worry, on the contrary, the voice at the other end of the line added, without offering other details.

Indeed, to Albert’s very pleasant surprise, the man in charge of running the rescue center gave him an envelope containing the key of the house and the rent contract. Accompanied by Xavier Mills, another member of the SteelRaiders MC, he went to see the place, it was everything he wanted and more.

Three bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, where Albert could do all the baking he wanted, a large living-room, two bathrooms, and a wide, long entrance hall. Whoever designed and built that house seemed to have done that with the needs of a family of four in mind, the baker thought as he inspected the rooms.

To make things even better, the house had a small garden in the front, where Monica could sow seeds from her favorite flowers. Even though she was five, the young girl loved to water, weed out, and fertilize different decorative plants that grew in pots or directly into the soil. Watching them budding and blooming was the greatest reward for her, and when it happened, she went from Albert to Clayton, and, barely containing her excitement, showed them the fruits of her hard work.

The small garden in front of the house was a good sign, Albert smiled at the thought. The children will love to live here.

CHAPTER 10

“Where are the kids? Aren’t they back from school yet?” Albert slightly panicked when Monica and Chad didn’t greet him as they always did when he came to see them. “Are they busy with homework? Are they angry with me? Not that I don’t deserve it, for being such a terrible father.” His voice became heavy with sadness when he spoke the last part.

“Will you stop?” Brei-Ayn shook her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “They’re at Carson’s, they will be back in about half an hour.” She gently took the man’s wrist and guided him inside. “To be honest, I’m glad they are not here, because I want us to have a small chat.”

“Chat? About what?” Albert asked, swallowing hard a few times, while his heart rate spiked. His sister-in-law’s words sounded ominous, and a few dark scenarios ran through his mind as he followed her into the kitchen. “Did you change your mind about the kids living with me?” He plopped down on a chair.

Brei-Ayn shook her head again. “That fucker really messed with your mind, didn’t he? It’s like you are running and looking over your shoulder all the time.” She paused a bit, staring straight ahead, then started to talk again, carefully choosing her words. “When you told me about your intention to open a bakery at The Base, you got me seriously thinking about the future.”

“Oh, my, I poked the sleeping dragon!” Albert tried a joke to hide his nervousness. “Will you please go more into details? I’m all ears.”

“Well, things at work aren’t so great lately; too many new faces, a new boss, new mentality, which is not compatible with my work ethic… long story short, the fire, the passion I had for this job has almost vanished.” Brei-Ayn let out a long, heavy sigh before continuing. “The only reason I didn’t quit was the lack of options, but now… I think you could use some help with the bakery.”

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