Page 6 of Saint (Soulless Outlaws Motorcycle Club #1)

Ophelia

It was four weeks before Christmas.

I was thankful that Mr. Wilson was closed on the major holidays and the not-so-major ones, being Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.

And Mr. Wilson, being a family man, if you have kids, you are off on Mother’s Day. And if you are a single parent, you are off on Father’s Day as well.

I adored my boss.

But now was now.

And I said I was going to avoid the general store.

However, after talking to some of the townsfolk, they told me that Sallie’s was the only place in town that sold glass ornaments for a decent price.

And seeing as I planned to pass down the ornaments to Soraya when she was old enough and living in her own place, I wanted them to last.

We were walking up and down the aisles; I had already found the ornaments.

Thankfully, they were priced just right, so I could get them and still be able to order Soraya’s big Christmas gift tonight when we got home.

We had just entered the toy section when I said, “Okay, honey, go look at the toys, and let me know which ones you like. I’ll do my best to get them for you for Christmas. Okay?”

I felt a pang in my chest when I saw a few toys they sold that Soraya used to have.

Used to have because the rat bastard I was stupid enough to stay with for so long told me I couldn’t take them with me.

And only because it had been his money that had bought them.

Jerk face.

I was looking at the ones that caught her eye, and then I saw it, and I groaned.

Of course, they would have it here, of all places.

There were three things she wanted for presents this year.

One was a Bratz doll, and I had found one that matched Soraya’s wild spirit. And it was the present I was ordering when we got home.

The second one... well... that was going to be impossible, but I would do what I could to make it happen.

She wanted to have a big family Christmas.

I had no family left.

My mother was in parts unknown.

My father had finally kicked the bucket after being an alcoholic, damaging his liver, and refusing medical care for it.

My great aunt had passed away shortly after she told me about this small town.

My grandparents, I couldn’t tell you who they were.

But I knew that Mr. and Mrs. Robbins saw themselves as pseudo-grandparents.

So that would just have to do.

Now, back to the third thing she wanted.

It was the Barbie in Swan Lake Doll.

See, before we had moved and everything had blown up, Kyle, aka rat bastard, the company he worked for, had taken everyone to the ballet.

And Soraya had fallen in love with the costumes and everything about it.

Hence, the Barbie in Swan Lake doll.

When Soraya moved to grab it, I peeked at the price tag and felt my eyes widen in my eye sockets.

When she showed it to me, I sighed, “Honey, I’m sorry. I won’t be able to get you that for Christmas.”

And I wouldn’t.

Because she was growing like a weed, and I had to buy her new clothes. And a new pair of shoes because in her classroom yesterday, she had spilled red paint all over them.

And by the time I got the once-white shoes into the wash, there was no saving them.

My little girl sighed, looked at the doll in a somewhat dreamy state, lowered her shoulders, and said, “Okay, Monnie.”

I sighed as I watched my whole world slowly walk back to the shelf and place the toy back where she had picked it up from.

I bent at the knees when she made it to me.

Then I opened my arms.

Gone was the sad smile on her face, and in its place was a small smile.

I would take that.

The moment she was in my arms, I hugged her tightly.

Then, when I released her, I said, “I’ll do my best to get it for you for your birthday. Okay?”

She nodded, “Okay, Monnie.”

However, what neither of us saw was the big man in a leather kutte with his fist rubbing circles over his heart.

“Okay, pumpkin-head. Let’s go pay for all this, then get home and see if Mr. Robbins found us a tree. Okay?”

She nodded, then took one last look at the Barbie Doll, and then we went and paid.

We were headed to our car when suddenly, a deep, gravelly voice said from behind us, “Scuse me.”

Clutching Soraya’s hand even tighter, we kept on walking.

That was when I heard that same deep, gravelly voice say, “Lady, stop for a minute, yeah?”

I had every intention of not stopping, that was, until Soraya looked over her shoulder and stopped.

Which caused my arm to jerk back. My face winced at the pain, but we stopped.

That was when we both turned, and I caught sight of what the big man had in his hand.

It was the Barbie in Swan Lake doll.

I shook my head, knowing what he obviously had done.

But he opened his mouth before I could and made sure with each word he spoke that he was looking directly into my eyes.

“Seen you at the diner. We always sit in a different section. You work hard as fu... fudge. Saw some punk who didn’t tip you.

Didn’t like that. So, this is my way of givin’ you your tip.

Figured you wouldn’t mind spendin’ it on this for your daughter.

” Well, if this man were a creeper, he had just earned himself a brownie point for curbing that f-bomb.

Something I had trained myself to do.

“What’s your name?” Soraya asked.

And that caused me to close my eyes and sigh.

She knew that she couldn’t accept anything from a stranger.

And she was doing what I taught her to do.

I opened my eyes in time to see the big man lower himself, so he was closer to her height, and then he said, “Name’s Saint. What’s your’s?”

Soraya looked at him and said, “I’m Soraya, and this is Monnie.”

He chuckled, “Monnie? That’s cute.”

He looked up at me, then said, “And you are?”

I bit my bottom lip, hesitating to answer him.

However, as I looked into his eyes, eyes that I saw were like the color of the deepest, richest chocolate money could buy, I saw something.

Something I couldn’t put my finger on... and I still hadn’t been able to figure it out when my mouth opened before my brain told it to close, “Ophelia.”

He lifted his chin as he said, “Honor to meet ya.”

He looked from the top of my head down to my toes, and at that moment, I wished I had on something better than what I was wearing.

My long blonde hair was up in a top knot.

I had no makeup on.

I was in an old, ratty sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Nothing compared to this man.

As they talked, I listened intently, all the while taking in this man’s features.

He had those rich chocolate eyes that I could see under a fitted black ball cap that was turned backward on his head. His nose was slightly crooked, which clued me in that it had been broken before. His lips... man, but it would be wonderful to feel those against my own.

Firm and soft. Just the right amount of pressure...

Ophelia Anne Cartwright, get a hold of yourself. I chastised my inner self.

My eyes didn’t stray to his left hand to see if it held a ring.

No, they absolutely did not.

You swore off men.

You didn’t just get a giddy feeling in the pit of your stomach when you saw it was bare.

Nope. You definitely didn’t.

A deep red long-sleeve t-shirt underneath a leather vest. Dark blue jeans and black motorcycle boots.

That was when my brain clued in.

The leather vest.

The. Leather. Vest.

I gasped, “Wait, you said your name was Saint, right?”

He looked up at me, then slowly nodded.

That Barbie doll was still clutched in his other hand.

I looked down at my own hands.

One was still holding Soraya’s, and the other held the bags.

I lowered the bags to the ground and held out my hand, “Saint, it’s an honor to meet you. My name is Ophelia, and this is my daughter, Soraya.”

He slowly stood up and lifted a brow, but he placed his hand in mine, and I didn’t miss those tiny electric sparks that flew up my arm, and neither did he.

Which was proved true by the slight flare of his eyes.

After we shook hands, he said, “Thought we already made the introductions.”

I smiled, “We did, but that was when I thought you were a creeper. Now that I know somewhat who you are, I felt that it was proper to really introduce us.”

He let go of my hand and placed it in his jeans pocket. “And how do you somewhat know who I am?”

I smiled up at him and then looked down at Soraya and said, “Monkey earmuffs.”

She rolled her eyes at me but did as I asked and cupped her ears tightly.

I lowered my voice, “Our neighbors are Mr. and Mrs. Robbins. Told me about the little girl you had seen being assaulted. And you beat the shit out of him. Any man who defends a child is okay in my book.”

As I explained myself, his eyes widened, and then he nodded, “Appreciate you sayin’ that.”

I nodded, and then I looked down at Soraya and tapped her on her little shoulder.

She lowered her hands and asked Saint, “How tall are you?”

He chuckled as he looked down at her, “I’m six foot two.”

Her eyes widened at that, and she asked, “So you don’t need a step stool to reach the high things?”

He shook his head, “Nah. Usually, I gotta bend my neck so my head doesn’t bump into things.”

That caused my little girl to giggle.

And that was when I checked the time, and I gasped, “Oh, fudge sticks. We’re running late.”

Soraya gasped, “If you’re late, you’re in big trouble.”

I sighed, then nodded, then looked up at Saint, “I’m sorry, but we have to go.”

“Mr. Robbins is bringing us a Christmas tree,” Soraya said with that smile on her face that showcased the lone dimple on the right side of her cheek.

As she did that, had I not been watching Saint out of the corner of my eye, I would have missed it.

But man... that man could fucking smile.

It was gone by the time I looked back up at him as he said, “Since you’ve got important cargo holding on to your hand, I’ll help with the bags.”

And before I could tell him that I had them, he leaned down and picked them up, then he jerked up his chin, “After you.”

Tears immediately hit my eyes at his thoughtfulness.

But I inhaled them back in.

I wasn’t a pretty crier.

No.

I was an ugly crier.

And the last thing I needed after all of the shit that has taken place in my life was for this gorgeous man to see that side of me.

And definitely not while I was in an old pair of raggedy sweats and an old sweatshirt, no less.

Thankfully, by the time we made it to my car, I had managed to beat them back.

After I got Soraya in the car and buckled up, he looked down at me, winked, and then handed the Barbie in Swan Lake doll to Soraya.

She smiled. Huge. Then said, “Thank you, Mr. Saint.”

He chuckled, “Just Saint, princess.”

And with that, he placed my bags in my trunk after I popped it open, and then he closed it and looked at me.

I smiled and said, “Thank you.”

He looked at me one last time, jerked up his chin, and then, just like that, he walked down the street and climbed on a big black motorcycle.

Yes, I watched him walk away.

Same as a few women who were walking by as well.

And that was when a woman in a long black dress stepped out of the door of Sallie’s General Store.

My eyes had been on the man who was climbing on that big black motorcycle.

Therefore, I missed it.

However, the woman in the long black dress had a smile on her face as she disappeared.