Page 68 of Vex

Realtor chick doesn’t think biker boy can afford a nice place. Interesting. I listen to Trigger snort, and I know she’s on his bad side now. I speak quickly before Trigger’s temper flares.

“What’s his name? I’ll contact him and see if we can get a walk-through.”

“That’s not how things are done,” Theresa says while giving Trigger the side-eye.

“Alright then. We’re done here. Have a great day, Theresa, and thank you for your time,” I tell her with my best smile in place.

Trigger and I exit her business and park our asses in my truck.

“Rex can get you the info you need. He can also pull up the property, so you can get a view of the house,” Trigger says.

“Let’s go put Rex to work.”

“I want it. How do I go about buying it without the realtor twit getting a commission?” I ask Rex.

Rex had quickly pulled up all the specs on the house and property. He even showed me the pictures the realtor had neglected to mention. The home’s stunning, inside and out, and perfect for what I think Taja, Tessie, me, and our baby need. Definitely what Taja and Tessie deserve.

“Let me do some digging around and find out what I can. He can’t sell it outright if he’s still under contract to the realtor, but I’ll find out when that ends,” Rex says.

“Owe you a steak dinner, my brother,” I tell him with a slap on the back before I walk away.

-*- -*- -*- -*-

“That’s the brake. That’s the gas pedal. Neither need to be stomped on, Tessie. Let’s try this again but no…”

The Jeep bolts forward, and I’m trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m going to die a fiery death. I don’t get why this is so hard for Tessie. The girl has no coordination and no sense of speed whatsoever. As we fly past the clubhouse, I see most of the guys outside laughing their dumb asses off at my predicament. Again. This is our third attempt and I’m ready to toss in the towel. I get a tiny glimpse of Pooh, phone out, probably getting ready to call 911 when Tessie takes a corner way faster than I would’ve thought possible.

“Stop!” I scream while bracing for what I know is coming.

Tessie immediately stands on the brake pedal and brings us to a quick stop, dust cloud billowing everywhere. We’re feet away from broadsiding Reeve’s truck.

“Too fast?” she asks.

I don’t answer, but I do climb out of the Jeep, squat down and place my palms on the ground. I need to feel grounded for a moment. I look upward when I see Tessie’s Chucks in front of me. She’s got her hands on her hips, one hip cocked outward and a frown marring her face.

“Am I just too stupid to learn something as simple as driving a vehicle?” Tessie asks in a small voice.

Fuck, now I feel bad for making her feel that way. I’ve got to fix this in a way that she’s safe on the road but also so there’s no hit to her confidence in herself.

I stand and wrap my arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle hug. No way do I ever want her to feel bad about herself.

“Don’t ever say your stupid. That’ll piss me off. Nobody’s good at everything, and you’re good at a lot of other stuff. Trigger and Petey say you’re the best apprentice they’ve ever had, and that’s saying a lot. You’re the best sister I know. You’re going to be the best aunt ever. You work and are a straight A student. Bella adores you because you’re a great friend. We’ll figure this out, honey, I promise. No matter how many vehicles we crash together, I’m not giving up on you. Ever. For anything. Got that?”

“Yeah, Vex. Got it. Thank you,” she replies.

“I’ve got an idea. Come on.”

I make a few calls, and it’s not long before Craig and Bella have joined us outside the clubhouse. When I explain what I want to try, most of the men agree it can’t hurt, and everyone loads up into vehicles. We drive to the nearest go-cart track. I speak privately with the manager. A short wait and everyone’s getting into their go-carts, helmets on. The track is ringed in stacks of tires. It’s as safe as it’s going to get for Tessie to practice her skills. Even Craig gets a cart of his own, and his smile couldn’t be bigger. Off we go.

I keep my go-cart close to Tessie, shouting instructions. She bounces off the tires more times than I can count, and everyone quickly learns to keep their distance. Eventually, I can see improvement in her driving. She’s staying between the tires more and using her brake better. I give her a thumbs up, and her smile says it all.

It’s a great afternoon, and Tessie’s learning while having fun. She’s safe from harm, and her confidence has been restored. She’s grinning and then laughing out loud when Craig goes sailing past us shouting, “Go Tessie! Go Tessie!”

Chubs is following Craig with a hotdog in one hand, big smile on his face. I chuckle when Axel bumps Tessie from behind with his go-cart and she flips him off. Axel speeds past shooting her a pout and then bounces off the tires because he wasn’t looking where he was going. That, in itself, made the outing worth it to me.

-*- -*- -*- -*-

“You made Tessie’s day. Thank you,” Taja says while sitting astride my thighs on a couch in the main room.

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