Page 28 of Biker's Baby

I didn’t know if Abe agreed with me, but I wasn’t going to argue the point with him any further. I was happy to be back in the little restaurant that I’d worked for for so long, and seeing Wilma and Jacob made me smile, too.

Wilma eyed Abe as though she’d never seen anyone so tall in her entire life, and Jacob merely shook his head at the sight of the other man. I introduced both of them when I had the chance, but it was hard for me to read how they felt about me being with Abe.

I never told them that we weren’t dating, but I made sure they both knew to tell Joel if they saw him again that I was with a huge man – someone who clearly wasn’t going to put up with any of the bullshit he might be throwing my way.

“So good to see you!” Wilma said after we’d eaten and were getting ready to leave. “I hope you come by again soon. I would love to hear from you and what you find to do with yourself!”

“I’ll let you know some way,” I promised. “I’m not sure when, but I’m looking for both a place and a job, so if you get a call asking about the kind of worker I am, please put in a good word for me!”

“We will,” she promised. She gave me a warm hug, and we were back on the road.

Abe still didn’t talk much as we headed all the way into town. He didn’t seem very impressed with the town itself, and I wasn’t going to try to make any excuses for it. I knew that the place was small and shabby. That was part of the reason why I’d come here.

I felt that it was a quiet little place where I could find myself building a home for Tristan. He might not like it forever, but it was a nice place for him when he was little. And since I hadn’t had any support when I was in town, hell, I hadn’t even known I was pregnant when I first moved, I decided that it would be a good place for me to disappear.

We pulled up in front of my little apartment complex, and I texted Maria to let her know we were outside. She was out front in a flash, waving to me and calling out for Tristan.

I pulled him out of his car seat and handed him over to her, both of us talking at the same time.

“I’m so glad you’ve come back to get your things!” she said. “I thought for sure I was going to have to throw them all away, and that’s the last thing I wanted to do!”

“Of course, I came back. When I knew you had gone through all that effort to get the stuff out of my apartment, I knew I had to come back and get them myself,” I told her.

“Have you heard from Joel?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I’m hoping that he sees me here with Abe and gets the message. I’m not fooling around anymore, and if he dares to come near me, he’s got another thing coming.”

“Good, very good.” Maria nodded. “I’m glad to see that you have some help.”

“Well, it’s only going to be while I figure out my next step, but I can tell you that it’s been a relief being with someone who knows how to take care of himself – and us for that matter,” I said.

“Si, si.” She nodded. “That is good. I’m happy for you, and I hope that you are able to find something soon. I don’t like thinking of the two of you out there without a place to call your own, even if you are staying with your friend for now.”

“It’s going to be alright,” I promised. “I’m going to get myself a storage unit to put these things in while I look for a place, and that way when I do finally sign another lease, I can move right in without having to spend a lot of money trying to furnish the place. You really are a lifesaver with this, Maria.”

“I do what I can to help those I love,” she said.

We talked for a while longer, then I helped Abe put the rest of the things in the back of his truck. He wasn’t very talkative with Maria, but that was understandable. I could see that he didn’t want to talk much to anyone on this trip. He wasn’t happy being in this town, and I wasn’t going to push him to be more outgoing, either.

It was his business, and I had mine. I was here to get my things, and I was happy to leave it at that.

After we’d finished packing the truck, I gave Maria one final hug, and she cried as she kissed Tristan goodbye.

“You take care of yourself and that little man, you hear!” she said in my ear.

“Yes, ma’am,” I promised. “I’ll be in touch. Don’t you worry.”

“I look forward to it,” she said. “Take care!”

“Love you and thank you!” I called out the window as we pulled out of the driveway.

I wiped a tear away from the corner of my own eye as we pulled onto the road and started out of town. I didn’t want to leave Maria behind, but this was her home, and I was starting fresh somewhere else.

It wasn’t easy, but I had to do the right thing for both of us, and that meant that we had to get out of town.

I might even end up on the east coast. I wasn’t sure yet.

Wherever I went, I knew Tristan was my first priority. And right now, with him sleeping in his car seat in the back of the cab, I knew that I had done the right thing.

I was taking this one step at a time, and I knew everything would work out okay.

Abe hadn’t said much, but I knew he was on my side.

This would all work out.

I could do this.

---