Mess Me Up (Bear Bottom Guardians MC 1)

I felt my heart warm at that.

“You didn’t make a mess…but I’ll call her if you want me to. I’m sure she can just do a general cleaning.” I hesitated.

I was all for doing anything that made my boy smile, so if he wanted Isadora here, I’d find a way to make that happen.

“Are you going to work tomorrow?” he questioned.

I closed my eyes and thought about my job.

I’d taken a position at the prison as a guard. Not because I needed to work, but because I was fuckin’ bored.

I’d originally planned on hiring on at the police station, but with Matias being so sick, I needed something with more flexible hours.

“Not tomorrow,” I told him. “But I’m supposed to go back to work on Thursday. I’ll have to see about finding someone to cover that shift.”

Matias didn’t ask why.

And that feeling in my chest grew.

He knew that Tara wasn’t coming back. I didn’t know how he knew, but he did.

“Don’t quit.”

I looked down at my boy who still had the phone blasting away, but his eyes trained solely on me.

“I don’t know that I have a choice,” I admitted. “Without…” Tara. “Someone needs to watch you, and…”

“We’ll figure it out,” he said solemnly. “We always do, don’t we, Daddy?”

Yeah, we fuckin’ did.

I moved until my head was resting on a new package of toilet paper, the length of my body spread out along the tub, my feet next to the toilet. “I love you, Ty-Ty.”

Matias’ eyes took me in, and finally, he smiled. “I love you, too.”

***

Dear Rome,

I can see how your life would be complicated. What I don’t see is how you waste what you’ve been given.

In my previous letter, I was in no way saying that you led a glamorous life, I was just saying that you’ve definitely got possibilities that I’ll never have.

I have a boring job, one that doesn’t require a college education, or really require any skill at all to do.

It was never my intention to belittle your life, and I’m sorry if it came across that way.

I’m also sorry to hear about the paparazzi and your ex. Neither one sounds good.

One day I hope you find your happy.

From,

RP’s Biggest FanChapter 2A Southern goodbye is saying goodbye twenty times and exchanging four hugs as you slowly inch your way toward your car.

-Izzy’s secret thoughts

Isadora

“Hey there, Isadora Rosalynn Solis.”

I looked over at my brother and raised an eyebrow at him.

“What do you want?” I asked carefully.

Oscar grinned. “I have a last minute clean for you. It’s the football player’s house.”

I felt my heart jump into my throat.

“What?” I asked, feeling my stomach drop.

“The football player’s house. The one that you love.”

I flipped him off. “Fuck you.”

I didn’t love the football player. I loved the football player’s house. Big difference.

When our family had moved to Bear Bottom from El Paso, one of the places that had been on the listings sheet had been the house that the football player now owned. It was a mini-mansion, and while it was something that we definitely noticed and even walked through, it was also something that we could never have dreamed of affording.

But that didn’t stop me from admiring it.

“I usually clean her house on Wednesday, but she hasn’t called yet.” I paused, a scary roll of fear pouring through my gut. “Did she call?”

Oscar shook his head. “No, Rome Pierce called and gave me the address. He’s the dad, correct?”

I nodded.

“Then maybe they just moved the boy to his house?” he offered.

I doubted it. The mother of that cute little boy was a real witch. There was no way that she’d have allowed the football player to move the little boy there.

Unless she was getting something out of it…

“What time do they want me there?” I asked carefully.

Oscar checked his watch. “In twenty minutes.”

I looked up at the ceiling. “Oscar…”

“What?” he asked, sounding annoyed with my tone of voice.

“You can’t just spring a cleaning job on me in twenty minutes.” I paused. “I’m still in my running clothes for God’s sake.”

Oscar shrugged. “Since you’re already sweaty, who cares?”

He had a point, but still.

“When did the call come in?” I paused. “And why me?”

Oscar gave me that ‘are you stupid?’ look. “The call came in this morning before I was here.” Which meant fucking seven in the morning at least, and it was now ten. “And they asked for you.”

Everyone asked for me.

I didn’t know why.

When my parents had started this cleaning business years ago, they’d had multiple people on staff. They had started their first cleaning service in El Paso and all of the children were expected to help. Once we were old enough to get to the jobs on our own, we were officially ‘hired’ and forced to work with them for ‘real.’

And from that day forward, I started to get requests.