Page 48

Maddie

“You’re crazy,” I said and laughed softly as Diamond handed me the tiny figurine of a mama elephant and her baby.

“Maybe,” she shrugged, “but I saw this a couple weeks ago and thought of you and Tucker. I’m sure your mom took care of getting you something from him, but just in case she didn’t, this is from Tucker, too.”

I looked down at the little carved elephants. My chest squeezed. It was adorable.

“You’re too nice to me, Diamond.”

She laughed. “No, if I were nice, I would’ve figured out how to get your biker and put a big ol’ bow on him for you.”

Yeah, that would’ve been nice. But I’d told her more than once to stay out of it. Tank hadn’t been by since she came back to work. I told myself that was fine. I didn’t want to chase a man down. I wasn’t going to beg someone to stay. Especially not someone who’d made it clear he never did.

And today? Today was Mother’s Day. I’d worked the night shift and was ready to go home to the one person who made today matter—Tucker.

“That ship has sailed, Diamond.” I smiled down at the figurine. “And that’s okay. I’ve got Tucker, you, and my mom.”

Diamond pulled me into a hug. “You’ve got a whole village, Maddie. Even if one really tall, gruff piece of it seems to be MIA.”

We left the office together, waved at Bonnie and Drew as we made our way out the front door. I was still holding the figurine when Diamond gasped behind me.

“Oh. My. God.”

I turned with my brows furrowed. “What?”

Then I saw him.

Tank next to my car.

He looked exactly the same. Huge. Tall. Broad shoulders under a plain tee and worn leather jacket. His jeans were dusty and his boots scuffed. And in his hand—

A bouquet of flowers.

“I, uh, I think I forgot something…” Diamond stammered. She reached out and grabbed the elephant figurine from my hand. “I’ll give this back to you after you and biker boy figure out your shit.”

And then she spun around and disappeared back into the station.

Leaving me alone. With him. And the gas pumps.

I took a breath and started walking toward him. I stopped a few feet from where he stood.

“Hey, mama,” he said.

God. Those two words. My undoing.

“Hello, Tank.”

He nodded toward the station. “I see your friend’s back to work.”

I nodded.

“Uh, it’s good to see you.”

I nodded again. Not because I didn’t have anything to say, but because it was all stuck in my throat.

“Are you gonna make me grovel, mama? Because I can. I just need to know where your head’s at.”

I smiled despite myself. “My head is at… I haven’t seen you for a week. After we, you know… had sex.”

He nodded. Like he felt every bit of that distance, too.

“So my head is wondering what you’re doing here now.”

He let out a breath. “I should’ve come sooner. I just… had to get my head straight. I told you about me, Maddie. I’ve never stayed in one place long enough to put down roots. I’m always on the move.”

I crossed my arms. “Which is why I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you moved on. After you got what you wanted.”

He winced. “I did get what I wanted. But it took me a week to admit that I want more.” He stepped closer. His voice lowered. “A whole hell of a lot more.”

My heart flipped in my chest. “More what?”

“You,” he said simply. Then he gestured toward the station. “That. Your life. And anything that comes with it.”

“My son,” I said.

He nodded. “If you want to let me in on that part of your life… I like you a whole hell of a lot, so I figure I’m about to be best friends with your son.”

“What if Tucker doesn’t like you?” I countered.

Tank shrugged. “Then I’ll wait him out. I’m not going anywhere.”

I blinked. “Really? You told me you’ve never had anything make you want to stick around.”

“That was until you, mama.” He stepped in and wrapped an arm gently around my waist. “I can’t explain it. But the second I saw you that night when the pump wasn’t working, it changed. I wanted you. And you were meant to be mine.”

I looked up at him. Really looked. Into his eyes. And saw it all written there. Truth. Emotion. Certainty.

“So you weren’t lying when you told that drunk guy I belonged to you?”

He shook his head. “That was the damn truth, mama.”

I glanced at the flowers. “And those? Are those backup?”

He held them up and shook his head. “Nope. These are for you. For Mother’s Day.”

My heart melted.

“Happy Mother’s Day, mama.”

Tucker and my mom always did something for me on Mother’s Day. Diamond, too. But I’d never gotten something from a man. From someone who saw me as a mother and still thought that was something worth celebrating.

My throat went tight. My eyes teared.

“Uh, thank you,” I whispered and reached for the bouquet. They weren’t anything special—wildflowers and grocery store blooms—but they meant everything.

“So,” he said, watching me carefully, “you okay with me staying?”

Was I okay with Tank staying?

I was more than okay. Hell, I could chain him to the bed like Diamond had suggested.

“I mean, yeah. But… what happens when you feel the need to roam? Wander?”

Tank gave me a crooked smile. “I’ll just take you and Tucker with me. Vacations. Road trips when school’s out.”

“You think that’s—”

He stepped in again and cradled my face with his big hands.

“I think that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for. You.”

“Tank,” I whispered.

He kissed me, gentle and sure. No rush. No heat. Just deep and honest and real.

When he pulled back, his eyes searched mine. “What do you say, mama?”