Beautiful Outlaw by Emily Minton
Be Happy
Shay
Nina places a plate of muffins on the table and sits down. Lifting her coffee cup, she looks at me with a smile on her face. “He treats you differently, Shay.”
For the last twenty minutes, she has been going on and on about Bowie, grilling me about our ride to Moonlight Barbeque and teasing me about falling asleep in his lap. She also told me about him carrying me to bed and taking off my shoes. She enjoys the story so much that she went over every detail of it three times. Her favorite part is him covering me up. I’m not sure how to react to the information. It gives me a warm feeling, but it also fills me with fear.
I blow into my coffee, looking over the rim to her. “He’s a little too controlling for me.”
That’s actually a lie; he is a lot controlling. Last night, I was never more than a foot from him. Sitting beside him at dinner, he kept adding more to my plate, even though I told him I was full. When I tried to say no, he told me I was too skinny. I nearly laughed, knowing that I’ve gained twenty-three pounds since moving in with Nina. After the food hit my plate, I realized I would end up eating it all. This only made him laugh and me angry.
What was even worse was him forcing me to sit in his lap, even after I begged him to let me up. Honestly, I didn’t want to move. I was just afraid because I felt safe being within his arms. When I finally allowed myself to relax, I became more comfortable than I had ever been in my life. I have always been easy to wake. The fact that he carried me to bed, without waking me, shows just how secure I felt.
She grins at me sympathetically after taking a drink of her own coffee. “He isn’t controlling, sweetheart, he’s protective. It’s his nature. He had to look out for his sister since the day her mother dropped her in his lap. He also had to take care of Justin, since the men at the clubhouse didn’t appreciate his mixed blood. Alex made it his mission to make sure that none of their stupid comments ever made it to his brother’s ears.”
“Alex?” I ask, latching on to the unknown name.
“Alex Bailey is Bowie’s real name. I don’t use it very often, but sometimes it slips out. He doesn’t like it very much. His father gave him the name, so when the boys started calling him Bowie, he made sure that no one ever called him Alex again.”
I think about her words for a second, wondering what his father did to make Bowie hate him so much. Instead of asking that, I move on to something else. “Why do they call him Bowie?”
Nina takes another drink before answering. “Bowie’s grandfather was one of the original members of the Savage Outlaws. He died when Bowie was about ten. Until then, he was the one that raised him.”
She stands and walks to the coffee pot, filling her cup before topping mine. Sitting down, she goes back to her story. “His mom wasn’t around, and his dad wasn’t the best kind of role model, so Tobias took over his raising. He gave him that knife he’s always wearing on his hip.”
“I’ve seen it,” I say, remembering the leather sheath he wears.
“From the time Bowie was big enough to hold it in his hand, Tobias had him practicing. By the time his grandfather died, he could hit a target from fifty feet away. The boys at the clubhouse used to bet him he couldn’t hit this or that, but he did every time. After a while, they gave him the name Bowie.”
I take a moment to think about what all she told me. Bowie took care of his brother and sister. He didn’t have a mom or a dad to care for him, and the only person to love him as a child died when he was too young to care for himself. After that, he was raised by a bunch of bikers until he was lucky enough to find Nina. No wonder he turned out to be the way he is. “He had a hard time, didn’t he?”
“That’s his story to tell. I’m sure he’ll tell you when the time is right.”
With that, she stands up again, this time to rinse her cup and place it in the dishwasher. When she’s done, she grabs a dishtowel to wipe her hands and continues to talk. “He’s a good man, Shay. If you give him a chance, he’ll make you happy. I can’t guarantee that he will never hurt you, but I can promise you won’t regret taking a chance on my hijo.”
I nod, wondering if I am brave enough to take a chance on a man like Bowie. Not wanting to talk about it anymore, I stand up. “I’m going to get ready for work.”
She walks over to me and cups my jaw. “Think about what I said, hija. Don’t live your life in fear. That’s what you’ve been doing these past few months. You’ve been sad long enough. Grab a chance to be happy. ”