Page 26 of My Three S**y Bikers

I nodded and smiled, finding myself speechless at his suggestion because Dwayne was always with Bridget’s son before. However, since we got here, it was true there were no other kids for him to interact with, but I hadn’t worry about it.

I’d been too worried about money, the job I never had, and then thinking we were homeless until I bumped into Drake, who turned out to be completely different from the man I once knew.

Playboy had lent me a stroller, so I could take Dwayne out for walks in it. I had never owned one. I used to borrow Bridget’s when he started getting heavier, and little things like going out for walks had been the farthest thing from my mind.

Instead of heading to the house, I decided I would head to the store since I didn’t have to work. I would get Dwayne out in his new stroller. After I pulled Grace into the parking lot, I went to the back. The stroller was as easy as Playboy had showed me to pull it out. I shut the trunk and went to get Dwayne.

When I placed him in the stroller, his eyes lit up and he looked around, probably happy about not being strapped to my chest so he could move freely.

My heart raced as I felt someone watching me. I lifted my head away from Dwayne and glanced around. I thought I saw Steel, but then a car swerved, and he disappeared before I could blink. It wasn’t difficult to recognize him; there weren’t many guys in town with hairstyles like his.

I retrieved my bag from the back. It no longer containing just ten dollars. It had a lot more now, and the thought put a smile on my face. Pushing Dwayne in the stroller, I could see his little legs and arms kicking around with excitement.

As I entered the store, the feeling of being watched persisted. So, I decided to go down another aisle and to no surprise, it was Steel. It gave me an eerie feeling, creeping me out.

I pulled out my phone and texted Lucky while I started to break out into a sweat.

Why was Steel following us?

I should have run to Drake or even Playboy, but I remembered Playboy saying he would be on the school run this afternoon. Lucky was my only choice. I noticed Steel by the counter, most likely waiting for me, and I hoped Lucky would arrive here sooner rather than later.

I was rattled, going down the aisles and pretending I hadn’t noticed Steel. It was pretty hard to do that when the man spent most of his time checking his reflection.

I was scared.

Until I saw Lucky on the other side of the store, and I began to relax. He got here quick, though he hadn’t responded to my text. I knew he’d read it. He smiled as he saw me and waved. I did the same to him, no longer worrying about Steel being on the other side of the store. Then I noticed he’d gone. He must have seen Lucky and run.

Good!

I’d made a good call then.

“I’m sorry. I saw him. I swear I did. He was there. He must have seen you and left,” I said out of breath, hoping Lucky wouldn’t think I was wasting his time. He was still wearing his overalls, and he must have rushed out of his garage to come to the rescue. “You were busy and I called you for nothing.”

“Can I speak?” He put his hands on me but then moved them away. “They still got grease on them.” He tried to wipe them on his overalls, and then his smiled graced Dwayne, who beamed back.

“Nice stroller. And I’m happy to see you out and about. You got everything you need, which looks pretty much like nothing.”

It was silly. I’d worked myself up into such a state I’d even forgotten what I came here for.

“Yeah. So. I. Don’t. What?”

Lucky put his hands on my shoulders again, this time not worrying about getting grease on me, and somehow, he managed to lift my spirits. He was a good guy, unlike his son. I’d let my emotions get the better of me by thinking too much about Steel and not the present moment.

“I’ll go to the cashier and push the little fellow with me. You get what you need and I’ll meet you there. Sounds good?”

I nodded, thinking I really needed to get myself together because I felt as if I was all over the place at the moment.

I went back to the produce section, remembering the list I had in head while picking them up in the store. I ignored that I’d seen Steel and decided to even pick up a couple of bars of chocolate as a treat for myself, something I hadn’t done in forever.

Erin was always going on about me needing to put on weight, so she would be glad to see I had something to help me in that direction. “You need fattening up. Men like something to hold on to!”

I didn’t know why her saying that bothered me, mainly because I’d spent most of my childhood being told by Mom that men don’t like fat girls. She was completely wrong, men didn’t care about women’s size as much as their confidence. This was what I was learning by being part of the MC.

I arrived at the counter, and Lucky shifted to the side. He was playing with Dwayne, and I should have been happy seeing them together, because that was his Grandad, but they were a perfect match. Dwayne reacted to Lucky’s funny faces.

As soon as I finished bagging, the lady closed up the bill and she handed the receipt to Lucky.

“What are you doing? I’ll pay for that.”

---