Page 2 of Wrath

“We’ll just stay for a couple of drinks,” I assure her while Harriet takes my hand and drags me onto the dance floor.

Somehow we manage far more than a couple and Laura seems to loosen up a little after a few shots, enough to take lessons from Dani on how to slut drop.

“You have to admit, this is way better than that English tea party crap your mother-in-law threw for allherfriends last week. This is a real bachelorette party.” Harriet knocks back one of the shots from the tray that the two guys at the bar sent over. I hold mine in the air to toast them a thank you, and Laura nearly makes me spill it when she quickly grabs my arm, forcing it back down.

“Katie, don’t encourage them!” she whisper-yells.

“I was just showing my gratitude,” I giggle because I’m starting to feel a little tipsy.

“And just for the record, my mom invited those friends so that Katie would feel more at ease with them all. She’s alwaystried her best to ensure Katie doesn’t feel out of place.” Laura looks across to Harriet and crosses her arms in defense.

“Why would Katie feel out of place?” Harriet gets a little defensive as she tilts her head and waits for Laura’s response.

“Hey, she didn’t mean anything by it.” I stand her down. I may not have known Harriet that long but she’s loyal and very protective.

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean anything by it.” Laura bites her lip, and I throw a look at Harriet who begs her not to turn this into an issue. Laura is a typical privileged princess, she may not think about what she says, but her heart is in the right place.

“Well, that brother of yours is one lucky guy, he’s got himself the best…” Harriet hiccups and gets back to sucking on the straw she put inside our cocktail pitcher.

“Speaking of my brother, he’s five minutes away, we should probably wait outside.” Laura turns her back on the others so they don’t hear her.

“You called Mark?” I stare back at her in shock.

“I had to, there were two people having sex in one of the cubicles when I went to the bathroom. It’s been a learning curve, but we should get home.” I can see by the look on her face that she’s reached her limit, so I agree and start saying my goodbyes.

I get a shit ton of grief for bailing early, but as soon as the guys from the bar finally make their move and head over, Harriet and Dani don’t seem to notice us slip out the door.

I take Laura's arm as we step out to the parking lot. Looking up at the neon sign over the door, I laugh to myself. I can’t imagine I’ll be seeing the inside of a place like this again, not when I’m Mrs Katie Collard.

“Why are you laughing?” Laura asks and just as I’m about to answer her, I hear that noise that never fails to make myheart stop. A deep rumble that gets louder and more powerful as it nears. The ground beneath me feels like it’s rattling and I brace myself for the disappointment that always always comes with it.

Still, after all these years I get the same yearning for him each time I hear the roar of an engine, but tonight is different. This sounds like something much bigger and when I look up the street and see the motorcycles that are heading toward us riding in formation, the warm, clammy air around me suddenly turns cold. Panic sets in when I realize it must be them. I should never have come here tonight, it’s far too close to Dirty Soul territory to have risked it. Time has passed and spending so much of it around the Collards has made me far too comfortable. Laura starts talking, but none of what she’s saying goes in, my palms turn clammy and I start to shake.

Closing my eyes, I remind myself to breathe, and when I open them back up, I see him riding that same Harley that he worked so hard on when he was younger. His long hair blows out behind him and there’s a determination in his eyes as he focuses them on the road ahead, like he’s heading toward danger. I do a double-take, wondering if my mind is playing tricks on me again. But this time he’s real. Aaron Adams is back in town, and he’s not a prospect anymore. He’s riding front and center.

“Wow.” Laura still looks mesmerized when they’ve passed us. “I’ve heard about them, but I’ve never actually seen one for myself, there must have been at least six, maybe seven.” Her mouth is still open as the noise of their engines fades into the distance. “I wonder where they were headed.

To trouble no doubt. And this is why we shouldn’t be in bars like this, Katie.” She loops her arm back into mine, this time clinging to me tighter. I slowly nod my head; now that I can feel my heart beating again, it seems to be thudding far too fast. Ifeel that painful twisting in my chest again, the same pain that took so long to be free from.

Maybe I’m drunk and seeing things, maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me because it can’t have been him who just rode past me. After all I’ve been through, life wouldn’t be that cruel.

I feel the heat creep up my neck, and suddenly the dress I’m wearing feels too constricting. Not a single minute, since Aaron rode past us that night, has gone without me thinking about him. It’s unhealthy for me to be looking back at that time of my life when I should be excited about my future.

Getting over him took everything out of me, I had to become a whole new person, a person who forgot what it felt like to love, and one who vowed never to do it again.

I’ve never claimed to love Mark. And luckily, I’ve never had to lie to him either. The people whose lives I’m part of now, expect it of me. I’m the poor, lonely girl who came from nothing. I should be honored that a guy like Mark would even look at someone like me, let alone fall in love enough to marry them. My love for him has never been something they would question.

I’mthe lucky one.

So why do I feel so broken?

Everything was ruined in that moment Aaron passed me because I remembered the girl I used to be. For a few split seconds, I remembered how it felt to be her again, how it felt to be free, and excited for my future. And I remembered how it felt to be so helplessly in love that you forgot to look out for danger…

The hammering in my head ain’t showing any signs of quitting, so I give in and open my eyes.

I’m at my houseboat, which I guess is a good start and when I go to move, my body doesn’t ache as bad as I’m expecting it to. I glance down at the floor and when I see the empty bottle of Jack, I try and piece together what happened as I sit myself up.

I remember taking a knock to the face, one that shocked more than it hurt, and I remember…

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