Page 65 of Love is Blind

It wasn’t my intention to embarrass Birdie, but I needed to put that bitch in her place. I was able to calm myself down some, but I still managed to make things weird by reading the menu to her. You want insight into a disabled person’s daily struggles, date one. Not only will you grow some compassion, but you’ll realize there are more scumbags than there are good people in this world, and you’ll want to tear them all to shreds.

By the time our appetizer came, things were comfortable enough for Birdie to share the truth about Oreo with me. I could understand her reasoning for lying but I didn’t want that to become a regular occurrence between us.

Yes, I know tragedy, but Birdie knows loss. Not only did she lose her guide dog, she lost her sight too. That’s a lot to suffer through and she shouldn’t feel inferior to my grief.

After that, I got quiet again. It’s like my tongue got tied, or something. There was so much I wanted to say, so many questions I wanted to ask her. If I found an opening, I could’ve maybe found out why she was arrested too. But any time I opened my mouth, I froze.

Then Cathy walked over to the table. I saw her by the bar when we first walked in, but I paid her no mind. When a man has someone like Birdie on his arm, his eyes don’t wander. That being said, I should’ve kept one eye on Cathy. When she stretched out her hand to Birdie, I wanted to fucking kill her. Add another Casper to the ribcage.

If I thought I embarrassed Birdie with the hostess, it’s safe to say I fucking humiliated her when I smashed my fist against the table.

I was three for three.

Birdie called me out on it, and I made it known it was nothing she did, that it was all me. Things got a little better when we went to Jack’s Boots and Apparel.

The idea to buy her a pair of moto boots came to me when we were at a light and I glanced down at those ridiculous rainboots of hers. I’m not the shopping type, been rotating the same three pairs of Levi’s for years and I buy the five pack of tees whenever I go to Walmart for razors. It clearly wasn’t Birdie’s niche either. She didn’t know the difference between a moto boot and a cowboy boot. To say we turned things upside down in that store is putting it mildly, but Birdie’s chatting it up with Leftie and Emmy at the other end of the bar and she’s doing it in a new pair of kickass leather boots.

I thought for sure Em would be gone by the time we got back to the clubhouse, but Holly had other ideas and decided the Satan’s Knights were long overdue for an impromptu party. I guess she wanted to celebrate her new hire just as much as I did, the difference being she succeeded, and I fucking flopped.

Maybe I’m trying too hard to be something I’m not.

The second Maverick and Shady dumped that shit on me about Bianca and King, I buried it. I didn’t want it dragging me down. All I wanted was to feel like I did the morning I woke up with Birdie in my bed. I wanted it so bad I could taste it.

Honey.

Sweet, sweet, honey.

I just didn’t know how to take it. Still don’t. It’s like I can’t allow myself to have something good, something other than misery. Maybe it’s because I know I lose everything good in my life and I can’t bear to wear any more blood on my hands, especially if it’s the blood of someone I care about.

“Why the hell are you over here when your girl is clear across the other side of the room?”

I turn my head and find Ink standing next to me, holding a beer out to me. Glancing at Birdie, I take the beer and shake my head. Instead of telling him I’m an asshole, I say, “Could say the same about you.”

Ink’s eyes cut to where the girls are, and a smug expression fills his face.

“She stayed here the whole time we were gone?”

“Sure did,” he says, as he lifts the beer to his lips. “And with any luck she’ll stay the night too.”

I tip the neck of my bottle to him and take a long pull.Cheers to that.

Lowering his beer, he claps me on the back and makes his way back to Emmy. I drain the rest of my bottle and set it on the bar. Reaching into my kutte, I pull out my phone and call Wiz. The man should’ve been back by now or at the very least he should’ve checked in. Getting his voicemail, I leave a message instructing him to call me back. I pocket the phone and steal another glance at Birdie.

I may have fucked up our first date, but it would be a shame to make the entire night go to waste. I start to make my way toward her. As I draw close, Lucy perks up. Her tail starts to wag, brushing against Birdie’s legs. She leans over to pet the dog, but pauses midway and swirls around, giving me a full view of her face.

Of those gorgeous blue-green eyes.

Knock a man right on his ass.

Clearing my throat, I step forward.

“Having fun?” I ask huskily.

She straightens up and smiles.

“I am actually. Leftie, here, is a great storyteller.”

My gaze cuts to the old man and he smirks at me. I shake my head and bring my attention back to Birdie. Leftie getting her ear is even more of a reason to drag her back to my room.

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