Page 46 of Trusting Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #8)

Chapter Forty-Four

Lexie

I panic when I hear his truck pull in. “Oh my god! He’s early,” I tell Elizabeth.

“Calm down. I’ll tell Jacob to keep him entertained for a few minutes.”

She leaves but returns moments later. “He said they’ll be outside. No hurry, hun.”

“I just can’t get it right.” I pull the pin from my hair, tears of frustration stinging my eyes.

Elizabeth places her hands on my shoulders, looking at me in the mirror. “Take a deep breath. What are you nervous about?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe you’re just excited. It’s the same feeling, you know. It’s just how you perceive it. So, let me rephrase my question. What are you excited about?” She gathers my hair in her hands and twists it perfectly.

“I’m excited to see him, but I’m nervous, too.” I hand her the pin Ash made me.

“You’re here at home. There’s nothing to worry about, and if you feel overwhelmed, just let him know. Ash will understand.” She leans over and kisses the top of my head. “Remember, Jacob and I will be close by.”

Elizabeth is everything I’ve ever wanted in a mother. “Your daughter was lucky to have you as a mom, even if she doesn’t know it.”

“She’s missing,” she says quietly, shaking her head as if she can’t believe what she’s saying.

“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”

“She was supposed to meet up with a friend of mine, but she never showed. They contacted her family because they were concerned … no one knows where she’s at.”

How awful. “So you’ve met her?”

“No. That is why my friend was meeting with her. She contacted her because she somehow found out who her father was. She knew her mother was a student of his.”

“She thinks your friend is her mother?”

Elizabeth nods. “God, I’d always hoped I’d made the right decision, but now I don’t know. What if she …” Her face contorts with thoughts of what may have become of her daughter.

“If you protected her from a bad man, then I can assure you, you did the right thing.”

She hugs me around the neck. “I’m sorry no one protected you, Lexie. I promise I will always be here for you. Come on. This is a happy day. I don’t know why I brought it up.” She holds out her hand and helps me to my feet.

“Because you’re concerned. You’ve helped me so much, the least I can do is listen to your worries.”

She gives me one final squeeze. “You look beautiful.”

Ash sent me a text telling me to dress comfortably. I was planning on it anyway, because we’re not going any farther than the couch, but I’m glad he eased my mind on what to wear.

I know I’ll have to go into town eventually, but I’m not quite ready. Lily stopped by and talked to me about my fears this morning. She had a similar situation where she had to deal with the press and everyone knowing intimate details about her life.

Elizabeth helps me out to the living room. “I’ll tell Ash you’re ready,” she says.

The three of them walk in together. Ash heads straight for me with a bundle of bright wildflowers in his hand. “For you.”

His smile puts me at ease, and I relax a little. “They’re beautiful.” I stick my nose in them, and the tears I managed to keep at bay earlier don’t take no for an answer this time. No one has ever given me flowers.

“I’ll put them in some water for you,” Elizabeth says, taking them from me.

“Are you ready for our date?” Ash says, holding his hands out for me to take.

My stomach falls. “I thought we were staying here.”

“We are,” he assures me, and it’s like a parachute that lowers me safely to the ground. Ash would never put me in a situation I’m not ready for.

I take his hands and then let him help me to the door.

“Have her home by midnight,” JD jokes.

Elizabeth rolls her eyes. “Have fun you two.”

I’m literally so confused. Where are we going?

Ash guides us toward his truck.

I stop halfway there. Are we in two different dimensions? I just told him I didn’t want to leave.

His face softens. “Just look at it, Lexie.”

When my gaze roams over his truck, I gasp.

He laughs and bows before me. “Welcome to the Junkyard Drive-In.”

Ash clicks a button, and little lights turn on over the back of his truck. He has cushions laid in the bed, and a movie screen set up on the tailgate.

“Oh my god.” My mouth falls open. “But how will I get in?”

The way he grabs his chest in fake hurt makes me smile. Oh yeah. I suppose he’s capable of lifting me.

I squeal when he sweeps me off my feet, my crutches falling to the ground.

He sets me carefully in the back before jumping in beside me. “So, we have a complete snack bar over here, and …” He holds up a finger. “I’ve ordered pizza. It should be here in a few minutes.”

When he hands me a box of my favorite candy, I lose it.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay, Lexie.” He wraps an arm around me and hands me a tissue that he must have pulled out of thin air. “Boy, if a box of mints makes you this upset, you’re really going to lose your shit when you find out what movie we’re watching,” he teases, rocking us side to side.

I let out a little half laugh, half sob. “You’re going to spoil me,” I say, blowing my nose at the same time.

He laughs. “That’s the plan.”

A few minutes later, Jesse and Dirk pull up on his bike.

She hops off and hands Ash a pizza box. “Warning, there are jalapenos in the bread sticks. I’m trying a new recipe.

” She winks at him and then turns her attention to me.

“Glad to see you’re home.” She reaches out and gives my knee a gentle squeeze.

JD peeks his head out the door. “Where the fuck is mine?”

She flips him off.

JD just laughs and shuts the door. I don’t think there’s anyone he likes to tease more than Jesse.

“You kids have fun,” she says as she gets back on the bike.

Dirk tips his head to us, and then they’re off.

“Fuck, this smells so good,” Ash says as he sets the box on his lap. He hands me two paper plates, and he fills them both before setting the box aside. He hits a button, and a bunch of old drive-in short videos begin to play. This man is too much.

We laugh at them as we eat. By the time the movie starts, darkness has settled around us. He lies back and snuggles in, opening his arms. I scoot down and rest my head on his bicep.

“I have a confession before we get too far into this movie,” he says.

The seriousness in his tone makes me turn to look at him, but the ornery smirk I’m met with tells me he’s about to feed me a load of shit.

“It scares me,” he says, hugging me close and burying his nose in my neck.

I laugh as he pecks at my skin. “What exactly are you scared of?” I ask, half-heartedly pushing him away.

He leans over me. “You’ve seen this movie, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Have you not seen those flying monkeys?”

I lay my hand over his cheek. “I’ll cover your eyes when they’re on. I promise.”

He snuggles us into the blankets. “Thank you.”

When I turn my focus back to the screen, he whispers in my ear, “I’m not kidding. I really don’t like those things.”