Page 11 of The Biker's Second Chance
I was stupid. I was naive.
The memory chills me and I stand up abruptly, brushing sand off my jeans.
“I need to get back.”
I can't go down this memory lane. Not now.
I leave Sean staring after me as I stride back to the road.
6
SEAN
Every time I feel like I'm making progress with Gina, I say something stupid and it pushes her away even further.
I thought bringing her back here to the place where we were so happy might help us reconnect, but it’s only made her more distant.
I find her leaning against the bike, her arms folded and her mouth drawn in a thin line. She looks cross, and I don’t really understand why.
“What’s the matter, love?”
“It’s dragging up these old memories, Sean. There's no point to it. I've moved on.”
Her words cut like a knife to the chest. Because I haven't moved on. I've spent seven years on the run and hiding, and the only thing that kept me going was the thought of coming back here and claiming my woman. Although now that I’m here, I'm not doing a very good job of it.
“We've both moved on,” she says.
She throws her arms up in frustration, and I have a realization: There’s something I’m missing. Something happened that I don’t know about.
“There's something else, isn't there?”
She looks away, and I know him right.
“What happened, Gina? Tell me. Maybe I can help fix it.”
Gina stares out to sea for a long time, and I think she's going to talk. Instead she just shakes her head slightly.
“Take me back to the clubhouse, please.”
I don't know what it is that's wrong with her, but it’s eating me up inside. I know there’s no point pushing, so reluctantly I drive her back, brooding the whole way.
As soon as I pull up outside the clubhouse, Gina’s off the bike and crossing the pavement to get inside.
She passes Gage who holds a little bundle up to her, a wide grin on his face.
“Olive, meet Auntie Gina.”
Gina gives the new baby a quick look but continues inside. Gage looks put out, but only for an instant. As soon as he sees me, he holds up the squirming bundle.
“This is my little girl,” he says proudly.
I take the baby from his arms. Her pink skin is baggy like she hasn’t grown into it yet, and her face is screwed up in a toothless wail. She’s a shriveled up little thing, but the way Gage is looking at his newborn, you’d think she was the most beautiful creature alive.
I make cooing noises at the baby, but I’m distracted by Gina.
Gage has been around the club for a long time, and he and Gina went to school together. He knows her better than anyone.
“Do you know what happened, man? Do you know why Gina hates me so much?”
