“It’s really crowded here tonight,” I say to him. He turns to face me, nodding as I speak. “I don’t want you to get hurt or lost, but I do want you to have fun. We’re going to spend time doing all that you want to do, but we have to do it at old man speed, okay?”
He nods with a grin. “Okay.”
I nod; he nods. We understand each other. Lucy chuckles.
“Wait for me,” I tell her, turning off the truck and climbing out.
I circle the vehicle and offer my hand to help her down. Doing this is two-fold. One, I want to help her, and two, once I have her hand, I don’t plan to let her go. She said she doesn’t date, but that’s exactly what this is. I keep my hand in hers as I open the door for Harley, offering my other to him.
He releases mine once his feet are on the ground, but I drop my fingers to his shoulder, stopping him before he can bound away.
“Mine or your momma’s.”
He takes Lucy’s hand before we head toward the center of town.
Christmas music plays, and despite the lack of snow on the ground, the air is cold enough to put everyone in a festive mood. Kids run about, not being as disciplined as Harley. People smile and laugh as the scent of fried foods and coffee fill the air.
Lucy watches the delight in Harley’s eyes, and I watch her. She is so damned beautiful, just absolutely gorgeous.
We walk around, and I follow her lead. If Harley wants something, I wait for her response. If she looks like she’s going to reach for her purse, I buy it. If she shakes her head, I don’t offer. I’m not going to go against her wishes. I want to make things easier for her, but at the same time, I’m not trying to buy either of their affection. It’s a fine line because I want to give both of them the world. Dropping a couple hundred dollars tonight isn’t a big deal, but it can be just what will make her tell me to stay away forever when I drop her off tonight.
Harley ends up with an elf hat, huge ears included, and a hot chocolate with too many marshmallows. I opt for a black coffee. Lucy sips on a peppermint tea while we wait for the lighting ceremony to begin, and in true Farmington fashion, the switch is flipped, and the entire town goes black.
I hold Lucy closer, making sure her arms are around Harley, and I wait, ears wide open and assessing the night for danger before the kinks are worked out and everything is relit.
Everyone gasps at the pretty lights, and it takes several long moments before my heart rate returns to normal. I’m not a stranger to adrenaline rushes. I get them every time we take on a new job, but I’ve never felt like I had so much to lose before.
“That was exciting and dramatic,” Lucy says, a wide smile on her face.
“Very.” I look down at her. She has no clue that the blackout wasn’t intentional. All I can think is that there’s a good chance bad people used it to their advantage, and I pray we don’t wake up in the morning to reports of someone getting hurt or a child getting abducted during that two-minute period of blackness. Criminals use shit like that to their advantage, always looking for other people to slip up and make mistakes so they can benefit. “Do you want to walk around some more?”
Lucy looks from me down to Harley. He’s rubbing his eyes, a tiny yawn escaping his lips.
“I think he’s about ready to go. He was so excited all day, I think he wore himself out before you arrived.”
Reluctant to back away and only touch her hand when so much of her is pulled against my body, I wait just a few seconds longer before nodding.
“How about a ride?” I ask Harley.
He looks up at me confused.
“Up here?” I ask, pointing to my shoulders.
His eyes widen as if he’s never done it before, then I realize he probably hasn’t. If his father has been in prison all of his life, and Lucy hasn’t dated, then he’s never had a male role model in his life. Lucy hasn’t mentioned her parents, so there’s a good chance he doesn’t have a grandfather around much either.
“Is that okay?” I ask Lucy. “I should’ve asked before I offered.”
She smiles before looking down at Harley. “Only if you’re careful and don’t bump your head on the moon.”
Harley scoffs. “Mom, that’s not possible. The moon is too far away.”
He holds his arms up to me, and I don’t waste a second lifting him to my shoulders. He grips my hair like he’s terrified he’s going to fall off. His squeals of happiness draw several eyes in our direction, but to those around us, we’re just another happy family enjoying our evening. I’m not wearing my Cerberus cut because I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable. She already has this preconceived notion about bikers as it is. Ace and Skid are around here somewhere because according to them, the tree lighting ceremony is a better place to pick up women than the grocery store. If I needed them tonight, they would be around.