“I’m not saying you can’t,” Indigo said. “I just need to make sure it’s okay before you do. Jekyll will be back from the shop any minute.”
“Look, I love you, you know that. But it’s my day. It’s myoneday. I’m not missing it,” I said. “So, unless you’re going to hold me here against my will, I’m outie.”
“Bell, be reasonable.”
“Yoube reasonable,” I snapped back. “You still have your dad.”
Indigo’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re right, I’m so sorry, honey.”
“No,I’msorry,” I rushed out, pulling her in for a hug. “That was a low blow, and I knew it when I said it. I just really need to go, you know?”
“Yeah, I totally get it. And you’re right, it’s probably fine.” Indigo wiped her tears. “You should go. It’s your day. Go.”
I didn’t wait for her to change her mind. I grabbed my keys, made a run for my car, and took off.
I parked near my father’s grave and made my way to the little bench I’d had installed just in front of his tombstone. “Hi, Daddy.”
I took a minute to dust off his stone, then sat on the bench and info dumped everything that had happened over the last year.
This was my catharsis. My time with my dad. My buddy. The human I missed more than anything in the world. I’d lost him four years ago. Heart attack. It was quick and it was sudden, and it was too fucking soon. If I hadn’t had Indigo and her dad, I might have crawled right into the grave with him, the pain had been so bad, but they wouldn’t let me wallow for long and in time I started to see a way out of the darkness.
But…
One day a year, on my dad’s birthday, I came to his grave to cry. I came other days, sure, but on his birthday, it was sob time. Time to spill the tea, the sadness, the anger, the funny, everything. I allowed myself this time to get things out. Really force myself to grieve, because I had a tendency to stew in my anger and when I did that, I was dangerous. I could be nasty to the people around me, and I just didn’t want to be that person anymore.
I was about twenty minutes into my time when I heard the undeniable sound of a motorcycle and glanced up to see a very familiar one approaching. In fact, the rider wore a Primal Howler’s patch.
I frowned. If Indigo sent a watch dog, I was going to be irked.
I rose to my feet and decided to head him off at the pass. I wasnotgoing to have my day interrupted by some grease monkey on an overgrown scooter.
“No!” I bellowed, rushing toward him as he turned off the bike and threw his leg over the seat. “I donotneed a babysitter. Get your ass back on that bike and ride away.”
He unsnapped his helmet, then pulled down his bandanna, and I nearly tripped as I jogged down the little hill.
Well, shit.
Tango.
Goddammit.
Why the hell was Tango here?
He set his helmet on his seat and ran a hand through his hair. “I won’t bug you.”
“You’re already bugging me.”
In the form of my panties being soaked and my vagina needing your dick inside of it.
I shook my head, trying to ward off my thoughts.
“Do your thing, Bellamy. I’ll just make sure you’re safe.”
“Why?” I squeaked, then cleared my throat. God, I needed to get a grip. “No one’s after me.”
“Just gonna hang here.”
“I can’t do what I need to do if you ‘hang here,’” I snapped.