Page 2 of Ours

My stomach tightened, shock filled my system. I blinked, staring, as the crowd erupted, shouting congratulations and the happy couple were quickly embraced by the bikers and their women.

I looked at the bottle of water in front of me. She’s engaged. My Gabriella. My Ellie. My reason. Is marrying someone else.

She’s mine. Always would be. Always had been. Even though I had no claim. Even though I walked out the door. She’s still fucking mine.

My shock turned to rage.

I looked back up, and the crowd parted, just slightly and out of complete dumb luck —my eyes land on her seafoam green eyes.

Knew right then. How the fuck did I let her move on? How the fuck did I let so much time pass? It was meant to be six months, not five years. But the club just always got in the way. As I stared in her eyes, she’d better be praying to God for help, because I’d done everything so far for her, and lord knows what I’d do to get her back. Because I was always coming back, in my head, she knew that. Clearly I was wrong. And she was fucking wrong too if she thought I was letting her go.

Gabriella

“Babe you okay?”

I turned in the kitchen, my heart racing at a speed that wasn’t possible. God. What the fuck was happening. It wasn’t happening, was it? No. He wasn’t here. He can’t be here. I gritted my teeth. He can’t be here, he wasn’t here.

“Babe!”

I jumped, turning to see Maddox. His eyes locked on me, and panic in his eyes. “Is this about us? Are you freaking out about us?” He takes two steps towards me. “It’s about the proposal isn’t it? It wasn’t good enough?” He said that like he hadn’t done over the top. “Fuck I’ll redo it babe, just let me…”

The thing most people didn’t know about Maddox was he had a good heart, and right now, he was panicking thinking I was regretting saying yes to marrying him. I quickly shake my head, and take two steps into him, grabbing his arms and wrapping them around me.

I breathe easy in his arms. I always did. And his firm muscular arms around me, calm me down. I hadn’t seen Hudson here. He wasn’t here.

I feel Maddox kiss the top of my head. One of his hands running down my back. “Calm down sweetie I can feel your shaking. What has you this upset?”

I didn’t have secrets with Maddox. Never had. It was one of the reasons we worked. So I pulled back out of his arms. “I saw Hudson.” And he frowned immediately.

“Come on darling, you know I wouldn’t let him into this town, let alone our clubhouse. He might be National President, but he knows not to come here, unless he has to.” His hand goes to my cheek. “I’m not some grunt member babe. I’m the mother chapter vice president and when I tell someone to stay the fuck out of town. They listen.”

Hudson never came into town, even though he was National President, he basically reigned over the south and east charters, never coming to the north. I’d like to think it is because my father had a good control over the chapters here, being mother chapter president. But the truth was, and I knew it deep down, was that Maddox kept Hudson informed—thus stopping any need for Hudson to come here.

I took a deep breath. “But I swear…” And Maddox arched his eyebrows at me. I quickly shook my head. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t doubt you.”

His lips twitched up. “You want to come back to the party? Fuck you had me panicking when you bolted after I announced it. Most of the boys probably think I lied.”

My small smile dropped. “I’m so sorry Maddox. I should have thought it through. I just panicked…”

“Stop.” He cuts me off. “I don’t give a fuck what people think Ellie. All I care about is that we are okay, and we are okay right?” I could hear his nerves, and even see the nerves in his eyes.

“We are more than okay,” I go up on my toes. “We’re engaged.” And I kissed his lips, which are still till he grins and then kisses me back with dominance. Claiming my mouth like he claimed my soul.

But the image of Hudson, staring into my eyes, was still burnt in my mind. But he wasn’t here, was he? No. Maddox wouldn’t let it happen.

2

Hudson

Rolling up a hundred-dollar bill, then started cutting up the cocaine. It was morning, and I had crashed with some club girl for the night. Then rolled out of bed, got a beer, swallowed most of that and woke the fuck up—then saw the boys taking their morning wake up dose, aka cocaine so I thought why the fuck not. Had a shit ride here, and had another long ass ride ahead of me, once I tell the Chief it’s done.

Couldn’t tell him last night, he was passed out in his study. As for Gabriella, didn’t see her again.

“What the fuck you doing here?”

It was the growl that he used, that made me look up, his eyes on me. Fucking Maddox Steel. Never had a problem with the bastard in fact at some stage could have called him a friend.

I once rode for the mother charter, till Gabriella. Then I left, and rode for the south, worked my way up from there going for the National President Patch. Not nomad, not a table member, I fucking didn’t belong anywhere and that sort of how my life has always been.

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