Page 41 of Odin
I don’t want to call Tarynn and bother her, so I set my phone on the small island. The kitchen isn’t anything fancy. The building is on the older side, probably put up in the nineties. With its low pile carpet, white panelboard on the walls, ceiling tiles, and oak cabinets and trims, it’s pretty telling. Not that it looks bad. It’s all very clean and homey. I forced Tarynn to take some money for my staying here until I find another place, even though Crow wouldn’t, but it wasn’t nearly enough. An apartment like this would cost a fortune in LA. I left cash on the chair at her salon and ran out the door before she noticed.
I work through the dishes, scrubbing hard at all the dirty pots. I forgot to soak them and they’re a pain, but I don’t mind the extra effort tonight.
I’m just finishing up, rinsing the suds out of the sink, when my phone rings.
I scramble for it, drying my hand on the front of my dress frantically before I pick it up.
“Hello?”
“Hey! It’s Tarynn.”
I close my eyes, my heart plummeting and my stomach spinning sickly. Straight to the worst. Yup. That’s exactly where my mind goes. “H-hey.” My voice wavers and nearly collapses, just like my legs. I grasp the counter so hard my fingers nearly crack.
“Don’t freak out, but Odin had a small accident on his bike. It was nothing major. He just hit a tar snake and dumped it on its side. He has some nasty scrapes, and he’ll be sore for a few days, but he’s okay. The guys took him straight to their clinic. He’s asked us repeatedly to call you, but no one wanted to do that until we were sure what we could tell you. Calling without answers would only have made you worry, and you don’t need to be stressed like that right now.”
I still just about throw up anyway. Thank goodness I didn’t eat any of that dinner.
“His phone was mangled so badly from the crash that it’s down and out. I’m sorry we didn’t call sooner. He said you were expecting him and that you’d be hurt and angry that he didn’t show.”
“No. Just horribly worried.”
“We were going to insist that Odin go to the clubhouse to rest, but do you want me to see if the guys will drive him over there?”
“No. That’s okay. We’ll talk when he’s feeling better.”
“What?” Tarynn shouts into the distance, her voice muffled. “Forget it! You’re not going to walk there, you crazy man.” She’s back a second later. “God. Sorry. He’s arguing with the guys, telling them that if they take him to the clubhouse, he’ll walk straight to the apartment.”
“Oh my god.”
“Do you want to come to him? I can come pick you up.”
“It’s okay. I can drive myself there.”
“You’re not too stressed out? Are you sure you’re okay to drive? I’d never forgive myself if something happened.”
“I’ll give myself a few minutes, but I’ll be fine. Now I know everything is okay. If he’s making threats, then I’m sure he’s banged up, but he’ll survive.”
“For sure. He’s in rowdy spirits, if not good ones. Odin’s as tough as they come.”
Even the toughest man is mortal, though. I know how much can change in a single moment. I’m not going to allow myself to start imagining how things could have been worse. They weren’t, thank goodness.
“I’ll wait half an hour to be sure I’m calm, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“Sounds good. We’ll be back there by then too, so that should work out perfect. The guys will watch for you and let you in.”
“Is it okay to stay overnight in the spare room there? Should I pack a bag?”
“I’ll talk to Tyrant, but I’m one hundred percent sure he’s not going to say no.”
“Okay. Thank you so much for calling and for everything.” A long breath of relief unspools from my lungs. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, even though we’ve just met. Is that weird?” I wince, even though she can’t see it. “I’m sorry if it’s too much.”
Tarynn’s soft laugh echoes like she’s in a big room, but it could just be the phone. “You’re not too much. I’m so happy that you’re going to be a part of our family, and around here, we take care of our own. And not our own too, butespeciallyour own. Love you. See you soon.”
I echo a goodbye back and hang up. My hands are shaking, not just from worry and all the relief mingled up with it, but because it’s been a long time since anyone said they love me.
Preston. My mom.
God, it hits me hard. I don’t want to get weepy, but I don’t really have a choice about it. The emotions are going to be felt whether I’d like to block them out for just a minute or not. It’s all there, writhing in my gut, churning in my mind. Losing my dad, all those hard years, convincing myself over and over again that my relationship with Preston wasn’t lacking anything, it was all just me not knowing how to love because I knew so much loss in my formative years, my mom’s betrayal after I spent years trying to look after us and parenting her for more than half that time.
