“Of course, if it wasn’t for investing smartly, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing. As it stands now, I can live off my investments for a long time. Maybe even forever, if I play my cards right.”
That was fucking impressive. Whip couldn’t imagine just being able to hop on his bike and take off whenever and go wherever he wanted. No responsibilities, nothing.
He didn’t have a lot, but he had family. Not only his Fury family but his mother, too. He wanted to be close by in case she needed him since Whip was her only child.
He was content with the way his life was, he didn’t want for anything and he had no desire to be rich, but he did have that bike bucket list. Of course, that would take some scratch.
He began working at Dutch’s right out of high school and he figured he’d be working until he couldn’t work any longer. He certainly didn’t have Fallon’s financial knowledge to do anything differently.
“After I rage quit, it took me a while to break out of that rat race habit. My life had always been work, eat, sleep, repeat. A vicious cycle. Then a few days after I quit, it hit me, I no longer had to go anywhere. I didn’t have to answer to anyone except myself. I decided to travel around Europe and Asia for a while, then afterward reevaluate my future.”
Manning Grove, Pennsylvania, was far from Europe or Asia. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I bought Agnes.”
What the fuck? That answer was too simple. He needed more than that. “You grow up ridin’ with your dad or somethin’? Why’d you decide to travel the States on a sled? Are they in your blood?”
“No.”
She swallowed another mouthful of her drink and he watched her long, delicate throat roll. Wanted to put his mouth there, feel her pulse under his lips, taste her skin, feel a moan vibrate against his fingers.
“How it all came about was crazy, really. A couple of days after deciding to go abroad, I pulled up to a stoplight and happened to look to my right where someone was teaching a motorcycle safety class in a parking lot.”
“That’s all it took? Seein’ someone teachin’ people to ride?”
“No, that wasn’t it at all. It was the three women I saw standing with their bikes. All three had huge, carefree smiles on their faces. It made me think. When I looked into my rearview mirror and saw my own face, I realized that’s what I wanted. I wanted to wear a real smile just like those women, not one that was forced only to make nice with coworkers or clients. I wanted to be truly happy. Of course, I didn’t know if riding a motorcycle would put that smile on my face, but I figured it was worth a shot. And I just happened to have time to kill since I no longer had that nine-to-five.”
“Damn. So, you learned to ride, got rid of all your shit and hit the road.”
She smiled. He wondered if that smile was as big as the smiles of those three ladies.
She tapped her finger on the table in the same spot he had. “And that’s the not-so-short version of how I got here. You know the rest.”
That he did.
Chapter Eight
Fate.
Fallon chalked it up to fate.
There had to be no other reason.
Sitting at the traffic light, she felt a pull to look to her right. To that parking lot. To those women.
The universe was telling her the way to find happiness.
It seemed so damn cheesy, but it was also true.
She could tour Europe and Asia at any time, but since she was only thirty-six she wanted to do something now that was a little more daring. Traveling the country by herself on a motorcycle of all things.
She wanted to do something different and so unlike her. She wanted to push her own boundaries. This time not for upper management but for herself.
The bar got quiet when the band finished their set. The lead singer stepped off the stage and stopped at their table. She was gorgeous with her dark brown hair and matching eyes, but way too young to have a daughter Maya’s age.
Far too young.
Fallon had no doubt there was a story behind that.
However, the two looked so much alike it was uncanny, so Fallon had no doubt they were mother and child.
“Hey, Whip.” Not only was her eye makeup smoky, but so was her voice. It did not fit her petite body.
“Syn, this is Fallon.”
“Hi, Syn,” Fallon greeted.
“Hey. First time I’ve seen you around here.”
“First time I’ve been around here,” Fallon countered with a smile. “I was actually passing through but my… sled broke down.” While in Rome…
Whip snorted and Syn actually smiled at her attempt to fit in. “You have a sled?”