Rip turns off the bike. “Dude, Edge is gonna help fix my girl.” He hands Axel the joint and cracks open the beer.
They both look at me as they pass the joint back and forth.
“You need a nap.” Axel’s eyes narrow on me. The right one’s purple where I hit him and I feel like doing it again. I’m not in any sort of mood for his condescending tone.
The sound of crunching gravel announces a car rather than a bike, and that saves him. Flicking my cigarette onto the gravel, I look at Axel who raises a brow at me.
“Just let her talk, and guard your balls.” He snickers. “Maybe pat her down.” This time, he throws his head back to laugh.
“Asshole,” I mumble, hearing the screen door to the clubhouse shut.
“Dolly, I swear to God, if you want me to keep my statement changed you better stay away,” I hear Crystal screaming.
“Christ.” I take off for the front.
“Please. You’re nothing to me, bitch. I couldn’t care less what you do.”
“Shit.” With my heart in my throat, I turn the corner and run smack into Dolly.
“Jesus Christ.” I reach for her.
“Edge,” she screams, grabbing a hold of my shirt. Her vanilla candy scent invades me and all is gone. Crystal, the club, Axel, everything has disappeared as I look into her face.
“I… I need you to have th—” She swallows and holds up the crappy beat-up bubble gum machine from when we were kids.
I look down at her pretty hands. They’re shaking as she holds it up. “This. This is us.” She nods, her eyes nothing but pools of dark chocolate.
My breath comes in short bursts as I fight my reaction to grab her and love her.
She came to me.
Jesus Christ, it’s all over her face, but I stay quiet because this is something she needs to do. Fuck, we need her to do this.
“I woke up and you were gone.” A big fat tear rolls down her flawless skin. Her eyes caress my face like she’s seeing me, really seeing me. “At first, I sat there angry, my mind trying to justify everything. My behavior, your behavior. Almost in shock, you know? My head kept replaying you saying ‘This is goodbye.’ And I couldn’t…” She’s crying, not holding back the tears that she usually does her best to tamp down. They pour out of her like Mother Nature when she unleashes a storm.
“I couldn’t understand what happened.” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t accept that you were right.” She laughs as she chokes up. “You were right,” she whispers. “I am ashamed of being a biker brat. I’m ashamed of everyone thinking that we are biker brats.”
My heart races. Her gut-wrenching tears make her chest heave with her pain as she lets it all go.
“You’re the first thing I’ve always thought about from as far back as I can remember. I don’t care about Crystal anymore because I get it.” She lifts the bubble gum machine up. “I get it now, Edge. You can’t fix me.” She says all this like she’s enlightening me, and I love her so much it’s making me reach for my heart.
“But together, I can learn to accept all our good, bad, and ugly. Because the boy who gave me this is the man who’s standing here.”
I take the bubble gum machine from her. It’s more powerful than our rings; it means more.
“You, Edge. You win. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. You win me, my love, my pain… I give it all to you.”
“Thank fuck.” I grab her, and my eyes, which haven’t shed tears since I was a child, feel damp.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted. You, only you.” As I bend toward her and pull her to me, the metal from the gumball machine jabs into our chests, yet I feel nothing but her tears and love.
“I live for you, Dolly. I have loved you forever. I’ll love you until I die.” I don’t kiss her; I want to look at her… see her eyes, so peaceful and clear.
“This is us. Edge and Dolly forever.”DOLLY
One year later“Just kill me.” I heave some more into the toilet as Edge rubs my back.
“Relax, baby, it’s almost over.” His warm hand calms me and I slowly straighten up. Flushing the toilet, I try to avoid looking at the vomit as it swirls down.
“Oh my God, I’m so sick of puking.” I reach into my bag. I’ve gotten like Eve where I carry half my bathroom in my purse. Pulling out my toothbrush and toothpaste, I brush my teeth, my mind chanting, Breathe. For whatever reason, toothpaste sometimes makes me puke, along with bacon, eggs, coffee, etc.
“You’re doing great, baby.” Edge looks at his phone and texts something. We’re locked in Axel’s bathroom. Because A) it’s spotless and I needed Edge to give me a quick release. But before I even got to come, I puked. Again. Second time today. Pregnancy sucks.