Clutched (Wild Riders) (22 page)

“Look who decided to join us,” Brett teased as Hoyt pulled out a chair for me.

“If Georgia was modeling swimsuits for you, I guarantee you'd be late too,” Hoyt countered as he sat down next to me. His hand slipped onto my thigh and I felt my skin tingle in appreciation. We were able to hold hands in public. We could show each other the affection we'd been hiding for months. I was damn near giddy and I for once in my life I didn't care. My head had been filled with love songs and images of our future together. I tried to remind myself to take it one day at a time but when I was with him I couldn't stop my train of thought from veering straight into happily ever after.

We ordered grilled oysters and shrimp and spent the evening planning our next two weeks of freedom from motocross. The recording on my phone hadn't even crossed my mind until Hoyt brought it up.

“Chayse has something for you,” Hoyt told his brother and Brett. “Something I think you're going to want to hear.” My stomach was a knotted mess of dread knowing that this might put a damper on the mood. Hoyt gave me a nod.

“Let me preface this by saying I didn't mean anything I said on here,” I warned. I took out my phone and played the recording for them. Their smiles definitely faded as they all listened intently. When it was finished I waited for Reid to insist we go back to home to handle the problem.

“Son of a bitch,” Reid said through gritted teeth. Brett sat next to him with his fist clenched. I could see their gut reaction was anger and I wondered if playing this for them was even a good idea. We'd all been having such a good time. The six of us boarded the plane for Florida and hadn't stopped laughing since we'd taken off.

“What do we do with it?” Brett asked. “Send it to the police?”

“We can't,” Hoyt told him. “It's inadmissible.”

“But he confessed. It's right there,” Nora chimed in. “There has to be a way to use this.”

The six of us sat there in silence. All of us trying to come up with some way to utilize Beau's confession.

“You know who might be interested in knowing this,” Georgia spoke up. We all looked at her and waited for her to continue. “The insurance company. I'm sure they aren't too thrilled with having to pay for Brett's surgery and recovery. Not to mention replacing Reid's bike.”

“This is exactly why I love this girl,” Brett said leaning over to press his lips to Georgia's forehead.

“I'll put a call in tomorrow morning,” Reid said with an assured grin. “At the very least they might want to open an investigation. That's more than we've got now.”

“Especially if they can get a warrant to search his truck,” Nora added. “If they can find the original fuel lines then maybe he'll get what he has coming.”

“Cheers to that,” Brett said raising his glass. We all followed suit. “And cheers to McCade for her spot on performance. That had to be tough considering he's a complete tool.”

“It wasn't a big deal,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush. I hadn't been trying to win their affections. All I wanted to do was the right thing. People should have to pay for their crimes, especially when they hurt people in the process.

“And cheers to my brother for finally manning up,” Reid added. “We're glad you're here, Chayse.”

Hoyt squeezed my hand under the table as my heart thrummed a beat I'd never felt before. I felt complete and happy and like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I didn't care that Hoyt and I had a slippery slope ahead of us. All that mattered was that we were together and that we had the love and support of some fantastic people.

“Hey,” a woman said as she approached the table. Her thick dark hair was pulled back into a long ponytail showing off her exceptional cheekbones. Her skin was flawlessly sun kissed and her dark eyes were smiling. “Aren't you Reid Travers?”

In that moment, I couldn't have been happier that Hoyt wasn't in the spotlight like his brother. I was safe from female fans throwing themselves at him. Nora smiled as she watched Reid greet the beauty standing in front of him. Her security and confidence in their relationship was astounding. She didn't seem the least bit phased that some Spanish goddess was shaking hands with her husband.

“I am,” Reid told her.

“And, you're Brett Sallinger,” she acknowledged. “My ex was huge motocross fan.”

“And you're not?” Brett teased, pretending to be wounded. I was thankful that she didn't recognize me. I wasn't as ready for the spotlight as my teammates were. Not to mention, I didn't want anything to get in the way of my time with Hoyt.

“I am,” she said quickly “I'm a fan,” she said again. Poor girl was tripping over her tongue with embarrassment. “We used to watch all the time. Before he left...” As she was explaining her absence from fandom, I saw something in her eyes shift. I recognized it. It was the same look I had on my face when I thought about Hoyt. Whoever her ex was still held some weight in that head of hers.

“Want us to sign something for him?” Brett offered.

“Thanks, but we don't really see each other anymore.”

“His loss,” Brett said, waving off her ex the same way she was trying to do.

“Exactly,” she said with nod. “I'm so sorry for interrupting,” she finally said. “I just recognized you and had to say something.”

“It was nice to meet you...” Reid said.

“Oh, Dani,” She replied. “I'll let you get back to your dinner.”

“Sure you don't want to join us,” Nora offered. “We don't mind.”

“Thank you,” Dani replied. “I've already taken up enough of your time.” She reached into the back pocked of the denim shorts she was wearing over her swimsuit and pulled out a business card. She handed it to Reid. “If you're all looking for something to do, I'm a diver. I work for a small excursion company. I'd love to take you all out snorkeling. Show you the underwater side of  Islamorada.”

“That sounds fun,” Nora told her.

“Any treasure to find?” Brett spoke up. “I'm down for diving a shipwreck.”

“There is,” Dani replied with a chuckle. “I know all the secret spots. Just text or call and we'll set something up,” she added with a smile before walking away.

Everyone thanked Dani and told her good bye. I felt a nervous clump begin to form in my stomach. The idea of being underwater was terrifying. All that space and no oxygen. Hard pass. I'd be keeping my feet firmly in the sand.

“What the matter?” Hoyt leaned over. “You look a little green.”

“I don't know if I'm down with snorkeling,” I admitted. “I'm not much for the water. Not many beaches in Reno.”

“You'll be fine,” he assured me. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Um... drowning. Sharks. Riptides.” The shiver that ran down my back worked its way through my tense muscles.

“I'll be your dive buddy,” he said. “I'll fight a shark for you.” He grinned.

“I'm sure you would, but I'm still not going.”

“Me either,” Georgia spoke up. “I'll stay on the beach with you, Chayse.”

“But babe, you have to—” Brett started to argue that she needed to go with them, but suddenly stop talking when Georgia nudged him under the table.

“Oh come on,” Nora said. “How often do we get to go look for treasure?” She had a point, but I still wasn't sure I wanted to go. I had a solid argument with the sharks and all, but I didn't get a chance to voice my concern.

“I can't,” Georgia said. “Or at least I shouldn't...” She was clearly conflicted as she looked at her boyfriend. The two of them sat there talking with their eyes for a good ten seconds until she gave him a grin and soft nod.

“We're having a baby,” Brett blurted out. The smile on his face like he couldn't wait to announce his pending paternity to the world was plastered on his face.

“What?!” Reid and Nora's synchronization was on point, while Hoyt sat there and let it sink in. I was just glad to be able to put a face to a pregnancy test. I'd been watching both Nora and Georgia all evening for a clue. Turns out I didn't need one.

“Surprise,” Georgia lilted.

“How? When?” Nora reached over and pulled her sister into a hug.

“Oh you know the how,” Brett said, lifting his hand up in the air for Reid to smack with his. The self-congratulatory smirk on his face had Hoyt and I both laughing.

“Turns out you have to take birth control every day for it to work. I missed a few days,” Georgia said with a shrug. “All that nursing school...” she shook her head.

“Wouldn't have mattered anyway,” Brett said, giving her a reassuring glance. “I'm just too much of a man. My guys were like 'nope, we're making a baby.'” Despite the fact that this was obviously unplanned, the two of them seemed to be thrilled with the news.

“Why didn't you tell me?” Nora asked.

“You were getting married,” she said. “I was not about stealing your spotlight.” That explained why the test was buried.

“When are you due?” I spoke up. I was a part of this moment whether I wanted to be or not. And, I was excited about the new addition to the family, even if they weren't my real family. There, at that table, I felt like I was. I wanted to revel in it.

“In the fall,” Georgia answered. “Right in the middle of race season.”

“I'll miss an event for you, babe.” Brett winked at her and it was cuteness overload.

“This is crazy,” Hoyt said. “My brother is married. Brett is going to be a dad. I'm not sure what to do with all this information.” I could see Hoyt's wheels turning. This announcement was unplanned. And he hated unplanned. I took his hand in mine and pulled it onto my lap.

“You can smile,” Brett told him. “Everything is working out exactly how it was supposed to.”

Hoyt nodded as he looked over at me. Brett was right. I knew it and judging from the look on Hoyt's face, he knew it too.

“And get ready for more,” Georgia added. “We're getting married. Here. In three days. So if you could all avoid drowning on your snorkeling trip that would be fantastic.”

T
he sunset was long gone by the time we finished up at the bar. My head was still spinning over the information I'd just received. Brett and Georgia were having a baby. And getting married. Talk about all of the life changes.

I'm not sure why it was causing me such anxiety. I knew it had nothing to do with them. They were happy. Thrilled even. My brother and Nora were married, Brett and Georgia were on their way down the aisle and expecting a child, and me... well I was currently in a relationship with the one person I shouldn't be in a relationship with. Not that I could have stopped it. I'd tried, but the pull between us was too damn strong. Things were changing all right. All of the predictability and simplicity were gone from my life. It would never just be me, Reid, and Brett again.

“We can talk about it,” Chayse said, as we walked back to our cottage. I'd draped my arm over her shoulder as we walked. Feeling her tight little body tucked up against mine was almost enough to stop me from stewing too much on everything that had been happening.

“I'm good,” I told her. She looked up at me with a skeptical smirk. “Really,” I promised. “I'm on board with all of this.”

“Good.” She smiled as she kissed my cheek. “I'm really happy for Brett and Georgia,” she told me. “I think they are going to be great parents.” Oddly enough, I thought so too. Georgia, sure... she'd always had that motherly vibe. She was a caretaker and very rational. Brett was the one I was the most surprised about. Ever since I'd met the guy he'd been a wild card. He lived as dangerously as he rode his dirt bike, but being with Georgia had calmed him down. At least off the track. If he doted on his kid the way he did on Georgia, there was no doubt in my mind that he'd be a great dad. “Nora and Reid seem really happy too,” she added.

“I think so,” I replied. “I think they’re all happy.”

“Are you?” she asked. Her hair—a soft mess of curls from the humidity—hung around her face. Her teeth tugged at her bottom lip as she waited for my answer. “Happy?”

“Of course.” I opened the door to our cottage and ushered her inside. “I'm happier that I've ever been,” I assured her. “Did you think I wasn't?”

“I don't know,” she confessed with a shrug. “With everything that happened at dinner, I was worried that you were rethinking this,” she said, referring to us. It was true. As we sat there with two of the sweetest, most in love couples I knew, I did think about my relationship with Chayse.

“Come here,” I said as I wrapped my arms around her waist. “I know this is a bad idea,” I teased, laying my lips on her neck. “Terrible even.” She giggled as I continued to tease her skin with my mouth. When I pulled back to look at her, I knew without a doubt that being with her was the best decision I'd made in a long time. The soft, sweet look in her eyes was a far cry from the heat that was usually there. I loved being able to see different sides of her. I loved that she was willing to show them to me. “I'm glad that you came with me.”

“Me too.”

“I mean it.” I took her hands in mine and led her over to the sofa that sat in the middle of the room. We sat and I continued. “I used to look at my brother and Nora, and think I don't know if I'll ever have that,” I paused. “Or if I really even wanted it.”

“Oh,” she replied as if I'd caught her off guard.

“Let me finish,” I said with a smile. “I've never really been a relationship kind of guy. The only future I really ever thought about was work.” She nodded as I continued. “I could never picture myself getting married or having kids. Ever.” I laced my fingers between hers and brought her hand to my mouth. “I do now,” I said, really wanting to add that I'd thought about a future with her, but I didn't. It wouldn't be fair to put those thoughts in her head when we only had a few days together. When we got back from this trip, we were going to have to put whatever this was between us on hold. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. If she was waiting for me to tell her that I didn't want to be with her, she could forget it. I drew my hands up and cradled her face. I let the silence surround us as I pressed a kiss on her forehead.

What I really wanted to tell her was that I thought I was falling in love with her, but the words just sat on the tip of my tongue refusing to move. We'd only officially been together for less than forty-eight hours, it would have been completely irrational to tell her I loved her this soon into our relationship. Not to mention, once we left this island we were going to have to act like nothing had changed. Like I was her coach and she was my rider.