WildMother's Day"Dad." Addie rolls her eyes as she grins over at me. "You told me you had this when I asked, and I asked you more than once. You swore you knew how to do this. Do you want to make blueberry pancakes, or do you want to make pancakes with blueberry topping? There is a difference and I need to know what your plan is."This has got to be one of the funniest conversations I've ever heard. The great Tyler Blackfoot asking his daughter how to make pancakes on Mother's Day. Real talk though, this is the first Mother's Day I've celebrated in a very long time. I wasn't sure what do when I was given the invitation to spend it with the Blackfoot family, but I can honestly say, it's going to be nice to be a part of something like this."Do you want me to come over? I'm at Wild's. I can be there in a few minutes. This needs to be good for Mom, you know she does shit for us all year, and puts up with Caelin. She deserves to have a great breakfast."I groan loudly. Did she
Addie"Thanks for making sure the Mother's Day stuff got taken care of," Caelin tells me as we have a seat on the couch in the living room. Wild and Dad are taking care of putting the dishes in the dishwasher and Mom has disappeared upstairs. "No problem. It's my job as the older, more mature one of us," we laugh as we look at each other. "So," he plays with his phone as he's slides a glance over at me. "You and Wild are moving in together?""Yeah, that okay with you, little brother?"I've never asked his permission for anything in my life, but we've always been close, even if we haven't had time to hang out lately. I do appreciate his seal of approval and his opinion on most matters. "He seems like a really cool guy, I haven't hung out with him much, but he looks at you like dad looks at mom, so I can't complain."Most people would say Caelin doesn't pay attention to anything, that he's too wrapped up in himself and his own world to even understand what's going on out
AddieJune"What do you mean it fell on him?" I hear Mom saying as she walks down the stairs of CRISIS, her cell phone to her ear. Her voice is tempered with a measure of fear and anxiousness. "Is he okay?"I want badly to ask what the hell is going on. If it's someone I know who has been hurt. All the pertinent information. Immediately I'm worried for my dad, Wilder, and Caelin. For some reason my heart is in my throat as I wait for her to get finished. When she does, she sets the phone down on the desk and takes a deep breath."I gotta go, there's been an accident at Walker's Wheels and someone needs to go sit with Jessica." She's already grabbing all her stuff up, putting it in a bag as she puts her purse over her arm.I'm almost ashamed that the fear leaves my body as I hear it's not someone I'm close to. Then I feel guilty because even though I'm not close to them, they're hurt, and I know immediately it must be her husband."What happened to Layne?"She shakes her h
Wild"I need you to go help Charity and Mandy move their new office furniture in. Dalton and I would go, but Tyler's asked to speak with us today and then we want to go check on Layne."This isn't the first job I've been given since I started to prospect for the club, but it's the first one I've been given that deals with these two important women. After talking with Addie, I know Tyler is going to bring his concerns to the club. While I wish I were able to sit in on that meeting, I know I don't have the seniority or clout to do so. What I can do is hope that some shit gets resolved."Got it." I'm already leaving the job I was doing to go out to my bike and make the short drive into downtown. I pass CRISIS on the way, waving to Meredith as she checks the mail. The day is hotter than it has been, but I'm enjoying it after the long winter we had. Summer is upon us, and it can be felt by the heat and humidity already starting to clog up the days. I have a feeling this is going to
WildJune"It's definitely okay for me to take a week off at the beginning of July? I know it's a holiday," I question Drew as I make sure it's okay for me to take Addie on a little bit of a road trip."No, you're good. You haven't asked for anything since you showed up, and I know my sister kinda fucked Addie over. I think it's sweet you want to do that for her." He gives me a wink. "That's the type of shit I would have done to win Charity over, so I get it.""Cool, we should be back on the eighth," I tell him as I look at my phone. "The second through the eighth.""We got you covered, no problems here. Just go, have a good time, and make sure she has a good time. If there's anyone who deserves it, it's her."My plan is solid and my days are confirmed. The only thing we have to do now is wait a week and then we can be on our way. Except I have one more thing to do. Now that I've confirmed it with Drew, I need to make sure it's okay with Tyler, because that's the right thin
Addie"I'm really sorry I had to bail on our trip," Tate says as she helps me pack the night before Wild and I leave.He's doing some last-minute stuff at the shop, making sure his bike is in good condition, and I'm debating on which clothes I should take with me. "It's okay," I start to tell her, but then think better of it. "Actually, you know, when it first happened, it wasn't okay. You really hurt my feelings. You've been hurting my feelings for a while. Since you and Remy hooked up, I don't feel like your best friend anymore. I feel a little bit like an afterthought to most everything in your life. There was a time when I was the first person you called or texted when something happened with you. Now it's like I'm hearing it from others. I'm not gonna lie, Tate. That hurts, but I get it. I'm in that same stage as you right now, but I hope to hell I'm better at balancing friendships with relationships than you are," I breathe heavily as I let all of that out. "But to answer you
AddieThis beach is like nothing I've ever seen before. The sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, the smooth lines of the sand. We got here too late last night to actually look at it, but this morning, this is the first stop we've made."Tomorrow night, as the sun's going down, when there aren't so many people here, we'll ride the bike down to the water. Maybe take a little ride in the shallows? How's that sound?" Wild asks as he wraps his arm around my shoulder."Sounds amazing." I kiss him hard against the lips, wanting him to know how much this means to me. "Thank you for bringing me here.""Thank you for coming. I know I wasn't your first choice, you wanted this to be a girl's trip, but I'm glad to be here with you."Stopping to look at him, I'm hit with the realization that maybe he's been going through the same thing I've been going through with Tatum, maybe we're all feeling second-best. "No, don't think that. You're first for me." I give him a smile. "Always. It took
WildTonight we've come down to the beach a few hours before sunset because there's something I want to do. Shortcake stands beside me, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "I know I promised you a ride through the shallows," I kiss her on the forehead. "But there's something I have to do first."Letting go of her, I take off the backpack I'm wearing, crouch down and pull out a container. When I stand, I hold it up to her. "When I left Mississippi, this was really the only thing that mattered.""What is that?" "My grandfather's ashes. They were the only thing I cared to keep with me. I've debated off and on about what to do with them. Where are they going to go? Am I going to hang onto them forever? Do I want them to be spread in Kentucky, and for a while I kinda though that. But I'm coming to realize something. Kentucky is my home, not his.""You think of Kentucky as home now?" She puts her arms back around me, standing on tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. "Wherever you ar