Leather & Love. A True Biker Romance.

Chapter 2.

Shannon’s POV.

I move on autopilot as I grab my keys and head to the door.

Need to get Chance.

Need to get Chance.

Need to get home.

Need to make sure this is all a f*****g lie.

I ride the elevator down to the lobby of the apartment building. The mantra on repeat in my head: Get Chance, get home, make sure it’s all a lie.

I step outside into the biting December air as my hands shake, and not from the cold, from the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I climb into my car and start it up. I drive down the street towards the day care and park. Parents are already collecting their little ones for Christmas break. I shut the engine off and climb out of the car and move on autopilot towards the reception doors and wait to be buzzed in. I pull the door open and step into the warmth but it doesn’t do anything to warm the ice encasing my heart.

Bear wouldn’t lie to me. He isn’t that sick to do that. Bear is like a brother to me.

“Mommy.” I snap out of it as my son, who looks so much like Chase with his wild curls but with my hair colour runs to me with his little Paw Patrol bag on his back and in his gloved hands he is clutching a Santa Claus picture and a bag of oats with glitter and sequins.

“Hey my little man. You all ready to go?” I try to be as normal as I can for him and he nod his little head and his white blonde curls fall into his hazel eyes and I brush the curls back removing the little hair tie and pull his hair back into the little man bun he wears.

Just like his daddy once did. Now, I have tried to get his hair cut but he would throw a fit, so I learnt to pick my battles, and having a screaming toddler in a barber’s chair is definitely a battle I don’t want.

“Yep, look it. I painted this for Santa, and this is food for his reindeers. Because they are magic.” He says with a whisper, holding the little organza bag up for me to see. I smile, looking at my little miracle.

“Oh wow, look at these! You are so very talented, baby. Shall we go home and put them on the tree and the picture on the fridge?” I say to him and he looks at me, really looks at me as I force the smile and he narrows his little hazel eyes at me, hazel eyes like Chase, and I know he knows something is wrong.

“Ok mommy.” He says and I lift him off the ground and he rests his head on my shoulder and we both say goodbye and wish the daycare staff a Merry Christmas but I know it won’t be merry for me. It never is. But I can make it happy and filled with love for Chance. He is my world and nothing will ever harm him.

“Mommy, where is Dan?” Chance asks, and I instilled in Chance that Dan was not his father because I think deep down I knew one day I would have to go home, and it didn’t seem right having Chance calling someone else daddy.

“Well, baby, he moved out.” I tell him and he lifts his head and looks at me and smiles and that has me stopping in my tracks.

“Really, so it’s just you and me?” He asks, and that guts me. What the f**k did Dan do to my son to make him this happy to learn that the man who was with us from when he was two years old is happy that he has gone?

“Does that make you happy?” I ask him, and he hums and nods his head.

“Yep, he was saying not nice things about you on the phone.” He says and I blink, not knowing what to say to that.

“Ok, well I guess we won’t be seeing him again then, baby. Come on, get in the car and we will go home.” I say as I try to keep my anger in check but right now I have bigger problems than Dan being a f*****g snake. I need to go home, home to the MC, and that will be hard this close to Christmas. Flights will be expensive and fully booked. Driving will take a few days. But I need to get home.

Once I have buckled Chance into his booster seat. I drive us home to the apartment and park the car. I climb out and unbuckle my baby and lift him and grab his things and lock the car before we enter the building and head to the elevators.

Once we arrive at the apartment, he squeals seeing the new sofa and takes his shoes off and leaves them in a heap by the door and runs before he climbs up on the sofa and drops on his butt pulling the throw blanket off the back and lays down rolling around and I chuckle at him.

“Chance, I take it you like it?” I ask him and he sighs as he lifts his head up and his blonde curls have come loose and are sticking up in a tangled mess and he nods his head.

“Ok little man, why don’t you watch your shows and I will start on dinner.” I say to him and he nods as I turn the TV on and he snuggles deeper into the new sofa and watches Paw Patrol.

I grab my laptop and open it, looking for flights back home and it is as if God is working with me and I find a flight leaving tomorrow afternoon a direct flight home.

I quickly buy the tickets and make a start on Chance’s dinner.

Once dinner is ready — turkey dinosaurs, hash brown bites and beans — I call him to come and eat and he does without argument. Chance is a great kid, and he never complains.

I help him up onto the chair and place his plastic Paw Patrol plate and cutlery in front of him and he tucks in. I sit watching him.

“Baby, how would you like to go away for Christmas?” I ask him and he hums, kicking his little legs as she chews a hash brown bite.

“Where to, mommy?” He asks, and I sigh, raking a hand down my face.

“Back to my hometown. Something happened baby, and mommy needs to go home.” I tell him and he places his cutlery down and jumps down off his seat and moves towards me and lifts his arms up. I bend down and lift him, placing him on my lap. Chance is also sensitive and can always tell when someone is upset.

“Is it grandpa?” He asks, and a choked sob threatens to leave my throat and I bite my bottom lip. Even though my family doesn’t know about Chance — or so I thought. Chance knows about them. He knows each and every one from the pictures and stories I tell him from when I was growing up in the MC.

“Yeah, baby, he and uncle Shane.” I tell him and he sobs, and I lift him and hold him tight as we both cry for the loss of family. This is my fault. If I hadn’t walked away, my boy would have had a relationship with his grandpa and uncle.

“Does that mean I get to meet daddy?” Oh, my heart, I gulp, not knowing what to say to him.

“Let’s just get home first, ok? We need to pack because tomorrow we are going on a plane.” I say, and just like that, Chance cheers and giggles and kisses me on the cheek and wiggles down.

“Erm, where do you think you are going, little man?” I ask him and he stops at the kitchen door.

“To pack.” He says it like, duh mommy you are so silly.

“Not until you have finished your dinner and had a bath, little man.” I say as I stand and move to him. I take his hand, and he grumbles about not being hungry.

So, I do what every mom does. I bribe him with dessert, and that does it. He finishes his dinner and ice cream, is bathed and ready for bed and helps me pack.

Tomorrow is going to be emotional and I know I’m not ready for the questions, the looks of disdain but f**k them I’m going home to say goodbye to my father and brother and for my son to meet his father, maybe I should pack my bat and gun?