Page 97 of Truck Stop Titan

The barn door sat open, and Dane’s voice carried from the far corner. “No, that’s a socket wrench. I need the torque wrench. Remember which one that is?” Metal clanged. “Yeah. That’s it.” A deep chuckle warmed my belly. “Now come here. You gotta crank it this way, nice and tight.” A grunt. “There ya go. That’s my girl.”

I peeked around the side of a beat-up Ford to find Dane perched on a short stool, Mim standing at his side. Both staring at a motorcycle. Not your average motorcycle, though. A kid-sized bike that stood no taller than a few feet.

My heart leapt to my throat. “What’s going on out here?”

Dane looked up, shit-eating grin on his face. Behind him, sat another dirt bike I hadn’t seen before.

Mim rubbed a dirty hand across her face, leaving a black streak. I’d never seen her smile so wide.

“She’s a natural, gorgeous.” He patted Mim’s shoulder. “We picked these babies up at an estate sale last week. They run okay. But Mim is learning how to make them run better.”

My sweet, little, dirty angel waved a wrench at me.

“You let her ride that?”

He reached behind him and retrieved a small helmet, black and shiny. “Like I said. She’s a natural. Never seen anything quite like it.” He shimmied the helmet onto her head, fiddled for a minute, then said, “Show your aunt. Stay off the grass, though. We don’t want Lettie coming after us for messing up her lawn.”

Mim threw a leg over the little bike like a pro. Only then did I notice the tall boots she wore.

“This can’t be safe.”

“She’s fine.” Dane pushed her out of the barn and onto the driveway behind the house.

Reluctantly, I followed.

He stood, the back of the bike balanced between his thighs. Mim held the handlebars, then kicked twice on a small lever. The engine buzzed to life. Then, off she went, with a slight wobble, before straightening and tearing down the driveway.

“See?” Hands to hips, he watched, and I swear, he stood ten feet taller.

“She can’t… We can’t let her… Oh no, this is terrifying.”

A heavy arm wrapped around my shoulder. “She’s so happy right now. Just let her have this.”

“Dane. It’s dangerous. How could you do this?”

“I know it seems scary, babe. But when I sat her on my bike the first time, she turned into another kid. Her face came alive. After I took her for her first ride, I couldn’t tear her off the seat. She sat there for hours, watching me work. I figured the only way to get my Harley back was to give her a bike of her own. And look at her. That little firecracker was born to ride.”

“I don’t like this.”

Dane grunted. Crossing his arms, he settled into a wide stance. “She feels powerful right now. She’s in control. What better gift can we give her than that?”

And shit. How could I argue? Dane was right. And whether he knew it or not, he was parenting. He was fathering.

“Who are you?” I mumbled under my breath, so deeply in love with the man at my side.

“I get off on making that kid smile. She’s my crack.”

Mim made her way up and down the dirt driveway twice before Dane called her back, helped her off the bike and out of her helmet. My little angel ran to my side and threw her arms around my legs, her eyes wet with happy tears.

“You were so good on the bike, Mim. So good. That was fun, huh?”

She nodded, resting her chin on my hip, starry gaze on me.

“Okay. Okay. So, you’re a biker chick. We can work with that.” I pointed to Dane. “We’ll have to lay down some rules, of course.” What rules? I had no clue. But eventually they’d come to me. Good thing Rossi Enterprises offered top-notch health insurance.

“Mim. Go inside. Clean up. Dinner’s almost ready.”

She tore away from me and sprinted toward the house.

---