Page 30 of Skid
“I not sleepy.”
“Well, how about a story then?”
“Story about what?”
“How ‘bout I tell ya why the brothers call me Skid?” She nodded, and I sat down on the edge of the bed. “There’s just one catch. I’m gonna need your hand to tell the story the right way.”
Baylor hesitated for a moment, then inched over a little and reached out her hand. I took it in mine, and I started softly massaging her palm as I told her, “I started riding around the time I could walk. Four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Whatever I could get my hands on. I was careful. Dad always made sure I wore a helmet, and I always stayed close to the house.”
I moved from her palm to her thumb, gently rubbing her knuckles, and she didn’t move. She just lay there and listened as I told her, “I loved riding. It was like flying for a kid. I saw my ol’ man riding his motorcycle, and I wanted to be just like him.”
“Gim?”
“That’s right. Grim’s my ol’ man. He taught me everything I know about riding, and he was the one who gave me my first motorcycle.” I glanced over at Laken standing at the doorway, and she gave me a warm smile as she watched me tell Baylor, “I’d just turned thirteen. I was too young for a bike that size, but Dad thought I could handle it.”
I moved on to the next knuckle, and with each little rub, her eyelids got heavier and heavier. “I thought I could, too. I startedout slow. Took the back roads out behind our house, and I gotta tell ya. Being out on that bike for the first time was the best feeling in the world. Wind in my face. Sun on my back. It was like nothing could touch me.”
Baylor’s breathing became slow and steady. I knew she was on the verge of dozing off, so I lowered my voice and kept tracing circles over her knuckles as I said, “I came up on this curve I’d taken a million times before, only this time, there was a patch of gravel I didn’t see. Back tire hit it, and before I could blink, I was skidding across the road like a rock on water.”
Baylor’s eyes were closed when she muttered, “Did it hurt?”
“Yeah, it hurt something awful. Tore up my arm and the back of my thigh. Bruised a couple of ribs, too. But Pop heard it and came running. He grabbed me up and got me to Doc, and I got all patched up.”
She didn’t respond. She lay there all still and quiet like a little angel. I lowered my voice even more as I said, “After that, the brothers started calling me Skid. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but I didn’t say anything. I just kept riding. I had another tumble or two, and I figured the name suited me after all.”
I gave her hand one last squeeze and laid it on the bed next to her as I whispered, “Night, sleepyhead.”
I was careful not to wake her as I stood and made my way over to Laken. She gave me a soft smile as she said, “You’re good with her.”
“She makes it easy.” I leaned in and kissed her before adding, “Her momma does, too.”
She stepped closer and whispered, “I’m not ready for the night to end. You want to watch a movie or something?”
“Yeah, a movie sounds good.”
I followed her into the living room, and we both settled on the sofa. Laken grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She started flipping through the channels, and I used theopportunity to take another good look around her apartment. It was warm, in that lived-in way, and the little touches of Laken went a long way.
But it was small. Too small, and it wasn’t exactly safe. The deadbolt was loose, and the lighting outside was dismal at best. I held no judgment against Laken for the state of the place. She’d gone above and beyond to make sure she kept a roof over their heads and food on the table, and she’d done it all on her own.
There aren’t many who could pull it off, but she had. And she’d managed to raise a hell of a kid in the process. That thought had me leaning over and kissing her, soft and slow. When I pulled back, she gave me a look and asked, “What brought that on?”
“Just thinking about how incredible you are.”
“Well, you’re pretty incredible, too.”
She curled into my side and rested her head on my shoulder, and we both turned our attention to the television. It was an older movie I’d seen a few years back, but I didn’t give two-shits about the movie. My focus was solely on Laken. She felt so damn good in my arms, and I hated the thought of the night coming to an end.
I didn’t want to leave her.
I didn’t want to leave either of them.
It had only been a few weeks, but she and Baylor had come to mean a lot to me. More than I’d ever thought possible. I wanted more than a few random nights here or there. But I knew what she would say. I knew what everyone would say. It was too soon. I didn’t need to rush things, but in my gut, I knew this was what I wanted.
And I was a man who had never been afraid to go after what I wanted.
I glanced down at Laken, and my chest tightened when I realized she’d dozed off on me. Her eyes were closed, herbreathing was shallow, and her body was completely limp against mine. I might’ve taken offense if I hadn’t known what that really meant.
She trusted me, and that meant more than any damn movie.
