Page 60 of Ghost

Ghost

To describe our MC as an Outlaw Motorcycle Club would be an understatement. We were an outlaw club, but beyond that, we were outlaws. Being an outlaw and appearing to be otherwise wasn’t an easy task. Not expressing emotion was crucial to our way of life, and to protecting our identity. I had the ability to look into the eyes of the devil himself without showing emotion. Remaining stoic had become second nature for me.

Until I met Abby.

Positioned between the door frame and the window, I rang the doorbell. Despite the cool morning air, I wiped sweat from my brow while I waited for her to open the door.

The door swung open. Wearing running shoes, nylon shorts, and a tight-fitting tee shirt that said Nevertheless. She Persisted on the front of it, she looked adorable. She always looked adorable.

“Oh, Wow.” She leaned forward and kissed me. “You’re early. Come in.”

It had been exactly one month since we kissed that day at the pie shop. I stepped through the doorway and revealed the hand that I’d nervously been hiding behind my back. Upon seeing my surprise, she gave me a bug-eyed look.

“Oh my God. Are those.” Her blue eyes met mine. “They’re for me?”

Seeing the excitement in her eyes was reassurance that she liked the flowers as much as I hoped she would. Expressing my feelings wasn’t easy, which made conveying how much I cared for her a difficult thing to do.

I wanted to say that being with her made me feel different than I’d ever felt. That comfort washed over me completely when she was in my presence. Nothing else seemed to matter after meeting her, but I couldn’t find the words to tell her without feeling foolish.

So, a gift of flowers and a simple card was my only hope.

Beaming with pride, I handed her the vase of flowers. “They are.”

She raised them to her nose and inhaled a slow breath. “They’re beautiful.”

“One of the fellas has a nursery,” I said. “His Ol’…his wife has a green thumb. She picked them out special for me. She told me what they were, but I can’t remember what they’re called. Inside of the Mustang smells good as fuck, though.”

She looked the flowers over. “Some of them are tulips, I know that. I’m not too familiar with the rest of them, this is the first time I’ve ever had flowers.”

Seeming to be in a trance, she walked toward the kitchen and set the vase on the center of the island. She adjusted the stems, turned the arrangement in a circle, and then stepped back and gave it a long look.

“They smell so good.” She wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm and then met my gaze. “I’m sorry. This is just…I’ve always wanted this to happen.”

A tear welled at the corner of her eye. I placed my hands on either side of her face and wiped her eyes with my thumbs. “So, those are tears of happiness?”

She nodded. “They are.”

I kissed her. “I hate to see you cry, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

Kissing Abby was indescribable. The things in my life that once seemed important became irrelevant after I kissed her the first time. All that mattered following that kiss was kissing her again.

“You’re amazing.” She hugged me.

“I’m not that amazing,” I said. “It’s kind of like an anniversary, or whatever. I thought I needed to do something.”

She leaned away. Her expression changed from joyous to one of surprise. “That’s what these are for?”

“Yeah, like a celebration, or whatever.” I shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do. Thought maybe we could get dinner.”

She grinned from ear to ear. “At nine in the morning?”

I chuckled. “No. I was just excited. Hell, I couldn’t sleep last night when I got home. I came over as soon as I thought you’d be done running.”

She raised her index finger. “I’ll be right back.”

She bounded across the living room like a lion chasing a gazelle. She returned just as fast, with her hand hidden behind her back. “I got you something too I couldn’t decide whether to give it to you or not because I thought maybe I was being sappy or whatever and it’s been on my dresser since the day before yesterday and last night I was thinking I was an idiot for getting it but now I know that you and I are like peanut butter and jelly or whatever maybe peas and carrots I always thought that was a cute line from that movie.” She extended her hand. “Here.”

I laughed at her breathless explanation and then looked at what she’d handed me. A pale-yellow envelope with a bulge in the center. I grinned upon seeing it and reached into my back pocket. I pulled out the card I’d purchased and handed it to her.