Page 131 of Patching Over

“That’s usually the way of it, Brother,” he says. “Now, let’s get this done so you can take off for Cleveland.”

I grin, my heart already with my ol’ lady. The calls and texts haven’t been enough, and even though I had wanted to run toCleveland sooner, the jobs coming in prevented me from doing so. She said she understood, but I know she was probably as disappointed as I was that I wasn’t able to go.

At least we’ll be together for Thanksgiving, and if all goes as I hope it will, she’ll be with me for good at Christmas.

That’s the hope, anyhow.

“That’s my ol’ lady!” I loudly exclaim as Belle’s name is announced over the loudspeaker and she walks across the stage to receive the diploma for her degree.

I see her looking over where her brother and the rest of the club are sitting and watch her eyes widen when she spies me. Smiling widely, she shakes the Dean’s hand and takes the cardboard holder before she moves to walk down the other side of the stage.

She didn’t know I was coming, and it was the hardest thing to keep from her, but Sleeper and I agreed to the plan a few weeks back. Once she makes it to her seat, she keeps stealing glances in my direction, leaving me with a shit-eating grin on my face.

“She hasn’t told you yet, but she has all her shit packed up and boxed so she can go back with you after Thanksgiving,” Sleeper leans in and whispers. “Figured I’d give y’all a few weeks, if that, then come down for Christmas if that’s okay.”

I smile knowing that she’s coming home with me. “Not a problem, Brother. At this point, I think Brick’s about to turn the clubhouse into one of those AirBnB places.”

Sleeper chuckles, since he knows the Roanoke chapter gets its fair share of visitors, especially from Ankeny and Tonopah.

Once the graduates are dismissed, I stand waiting for Belle to make her way to us, then wait a little longer as each brotherhugs her and slips her a card. Finally, after she’s thanked Sleeper for helping her achieve this goal, she turns to me, and I open my arms wide. She launches herself into them and I hug her hard while she sobs into my neck.

“I didn’t think you were going to be able to come,” she wails. “Tony said y’all had a huge project come in and Brick wouldn’t let you take the time off.”

“Tonyfibbed a little bit,” I reply, kissing her. “Proud of you, babe. You should be proud of yourself, as well. A lot of people wouldn’t have finished after all you went through, but you did it.”

“Not without a lot of sleepless nights,” she admits. “I mean, I don’t have nightmares any longer, but I’m still so worried about them showing up that I’m terrified to let my guard down and be vulnerable, I sleep a little here and a little there.”

“I’m here, Belle, and I’ll keep you safe.”

Normally, I would stay at the clubhouse, but this time, I rented a hotel room, since I wanted to have some time alone with her and not have to worry about the brothers saying or doing anything that would embarrass her.

“I know you will, Jingles. So, are y’all taking me to eat or what?” she asks me and Sleeper, causing us both to chuckle.

“Yeah, babe, we’re going out to eat,” I reply, taking her hand in mine.

Dinner with a group of bikers is anything but quiet, and because we can be assholes, poor Belle was the focus point as they’d point her out and say she was a college graduate. The manager finally comped the whole meal, probably to get us the fuck out of there, but I’m perfectly fine with his decision because now my womanis sitting astride behind me, breasts pressed into my upper back, and her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. Thankfully, Sleeper brought her a change of clothes because it’s much cooler here than at home and she was wearing a pretty dress that wouldn’t have done much to keep her warm.

I decelerate as I pull into the hotel parking lot and feel her arms tighten around me. Taking my hand from the handlebars, I pat her thigh, then pull in front of the main door and shut my bike off. “C’mon, Belle,” I say, holding out my hand to assist her so she can get off. Once we’re both solidly on our feet, I take our helmets, lock them into my saddlebags, and lock my bike down.

Taking her hand and lacing our fingers together, we walk through the sliding door and over to the bank of elevators, with her not saying a word. “Jingles?” she finally asks once we’re inside and I’ve pushed the button for the floor my room’s on.

“Nothing’s gonna happen that you don’t want to happen,” I reply. “But I wanted to spend some alone time with you, it’s getting cold as fuck up here for riding, and I didn’t think you’d want to stay with me at your brother’s clubhouse.”

She wrinkles her nose making me chuckle. “Yeah, y’all sometimes have a warped sense of humor, and I know my brother. He’d kill all of them and ask questions later if they so much as said one off thing to me.”

“I’d be by his side,” I admit as the elevator dings and the doors open. “C’mon, we’re over here.”

Once we’re inside my room, I try to look at it from her eyes and perspective. There’s a king-size bed along one wall, with a television mounted to the opposite wall. In the corner is a door that leads to the bathroom, and there’s a small desk and chair on the other corner.

“This is nice,” she says, swiveling her head and looking around. “Whenever Mo and I would go on a road trip, we’d stay at places that were little better than dives.”

“I usually do that too when it’s just me, but you deserve a safe place,” I say, shrugging off my cut and hanging it over the chair. “Let me take your coat, babe.”

She slips out of her coat, and I place it in the seat of the chair, then kicks off her boots. “Ah, I feel like I’ve been liberated!” she exclaims, giggling. “Every spare minute of time since I left Roanoke has either been working at the local vet’s office to get practical hours completed, or doing online assignments. I’m not sure I always remembered to eat or drink.”

“Explains how you were able to put away that steak tonight, then,” I tease. “Do you want something to drink? I picked some sodas, water, and beer up earlier from the convenience store, and they’re chilling in the mini fridge.”

“Oh! You got my Fanta Strawberry! Thank you, Jingles,” she says, grabbing one from the fridge. “What do you want?”

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