Stryker

18 - We belong to each other

Coral

“Hi, Mom.”

It’s been a while since we spoke. It was wrong of me not to answer her calls before now, but I’ve been so busy looking for a job and trying to ignore the fact my ex-boss “died” and my relationship with Stryker that my parents seemed to have been put on the back burner. I hate that I did that.

“So, you do live, then.” It wasn’t a question, but her haughty tone tells me she’s less than impressed with me right now. “Is it customary now to ignore your mother?”

“No. I’m sorry, I’ve just been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time for myself.”

“Yes. So I heard.” I swallow hard. Crap. Shepard must have called my parents to let them know what’s going on in my life. The way he always promised to. “A biker, Coral? A damn biker!”

“Calm down, Mom!”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, young lady. Get your stuff packed; Dad’s coming to get you. You’re coming home where I can keep an eye on you.”

“I’m already coming back today, Mom. You don’t need to send Dad to fetch me. I’m not a child.”

“Yes, you are. You’re my child, and you’ll do as I damn well say!”

Here we go again.

My mother has been way too protective of me since all of what happened when I was a child. I know she means well, just as every good loving mother does, but this is my life, and I won’t have her dictating to me where I live and whom I love. I’m twenty-one years old. She has no right to order me home.

“I’m not returning to California for anything other than Cindy’s graduation. Once it’s over, I’m coming back here to be with Stryker.”

“Over my dead body! What the hell kind of name is Stryker anyway?! Don’t test me, Coral Jane Harmon!”

“I’m not a child! This is my life, Mother. I’m almost twenty-two years of age. You can’t make life decisions like this for me. I know my own heart. I love him!”

“Love him? You don’t even know him!”

It’s sad, but I knew deep down that she’d react like this. I just hoped I’d be able to tell her about Stryker face-to-face. At least she’s not in my face right now. She wouldn’t hit me, but she’d shake me, hoping to shake the love I have for him out of me.

“I know him plenty, Mom. We’ve been seeing each other since a couple of weeks after I got here.”

“Oh, my God,” She’s always this dramatic and has been most of my life. It’s never really been all that easy to deal with. She’s worse with me than she is with Cindy. “He’s a dirty biker, Coral! After everything you went through at the hands of people like him.”

“Mother, Stryker is a wonderful man. You can’t tarnish him with the same brush as one monster. You still talk to Shepard, and he’s a biker. You don’t seem to have a problem with him. Should I not date a white man because the man who hurt me was white?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’m not, I’m asking a genuine question. Just because Stryker is a biker,” Totally did not mean for that to rhyme. “It doesn’t make him like the man who hurt me, Mom. He’s a good man. He’s sweet and strong, and he takes care of me. I’ve never felt like this before. I love him so much, and he loves me.”

“I can’t even believe Shepard is okay with this.”

She didn’t listen to a damn word I just said. It’s been the same ever since I had my baby, my mother talks over me, down to me, she expects too much from me. Hell, whenever I try to protest about anything at all, she’s all up in my face and telling me why she won’t allow it.

Coming back here had been a struggle; she didn’t want me to come and told me all sorts of bad things would happen to me. I put my foot down and told her it was just a short visit. I wanted to visit my old friends. The brief visit part was a lie, and I hated lying to her, but I couldn’t allow her to keep ruling my life. What happened to me wasn’t my fault, I was a child, dammit!

“I’m bringing Stryker to Cindy’s graduation...”

“Like hell you are! Don’t you dare bring that man anywhere near Cindy, she doesn’t need to be subjected to those kinds of people. I have worked my ass off to make sure she’s safe. You bring that man into our lives, and she never will be!”

“You can’t stop me bringing Stryker. We won’t stay with you, don’t worry, but I want him with me. I hope you can give him a chance. Just be polite, the way you always taught Cindy and me to be. We’ll leave right after Cindy’s party, and you won’t have to see us again if that’s what you want.”

My mother sighs heavily down the line. “You do what you want, Coral, I clearly can’t stop you. But don’t come crying to me when it all goes wrong, and you end up hurt.” I open my mouth to speak, but she’s already ended the call.

She’s left me in a pool of frustrated tears, and all I want is to scream it all out of me. I understand why she’s so upset with me, but this is my life! I know she’s scared, but there’s nothing to be scared of, she needs to let go a little and let me live my life how I want to.

Besides, I’ve already asked Stryker to come with me. I want him to go with me. It’s all arranged. I knew she wouldn’t want him staying in her house, that’s why I booked us a hotel for two nights while we’re in California.

We leave in a couple of hours. I’m just waiting for him to pick me up. Well, Tank is driving us to the airport. Taking Stryker’s bike won’t do us any good. He won’t want to leave it at the airport until we return.

I check that I’ve got everything before grabbing my bag and making my way outside. They will be here any moment. I’m going to be dreading this four-hour flight because I know what will be waiting for me tomorrow, hell, from my parents.

Tank pulls up, and Stryker jumps out of the car. He kisses me swiftly and takes my bag, dropping it in the trunk while I climb into the backseat. I thought Stryker would ride up front with Tank, but he jumps into the back beside me.

“Everything okay?” He asks while reaching for my hand and lacing our fingers together. I can only nod my head. I don’t have the heart to tell him what my mother said in front of Tank.

He doesn’t question me anymore; he just chats away with Tank while I keep my eyes on the world outside. My mother has made me feel awful, and I don’t want Stryker to be in the middle of an argument my mother and I might have on this trip.

This trip is about my sister and watching her graduate school with honors. I always knew she would. Cindy is so smart and beautiful, and I wouldn’t miss this for the world. No matter what my mother might say.

“Have a good trip. Come back safe.” I hug Tank, one of the best friends I’ve ever had tightly. He smiles against my head and kisses me gently. He’s like a big brother to me, and I love him a lot.

“Thanks, man.” Stryker and Tank shake hands before Stryker takes mine, both our bags on his shoulder, and leads us through the airport.

We’re checked in and boarded before I even know it. When we take off, I’m clutching Stryker’s hand tightly in mine. I hate flying, but at least this time I have someone with me to take my mind off it. When I flew to Tennessee, I was alone. I hated it.

“You can stop scrunching your eyes in fear now. We’re airborne.” Stryker chuckles.

I open my eyes and smile at him; he’s so handsome, so perfect, and so mine. Nothing anyone says will make me leave this beautiful man; he’s so messed up inside, just as messed up as me. The only difference is that he still hasn’t told me what he hides inside himself.

I hope he can put his trust in me the way I did him one day. Nothing he ever told me would change a damn thing about the way I feel for him. Nothing.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“My pleasure, beautiful.” He leans over and kisses me tenderly. If he was the monster my mother has him down for, there’s no way he’d kiss me like that. He’s never rough with me unless I ask it of him. She has no right to say such things about him.

No right at all!

“Mark, I need to tell you something.”

“What is it, darlin’?”

“Can I get either of you a drink?” I hadn’t seen the flight attendant coming through the aisle with her trolly of drinks. Stryker orders water, and I ask for a Diet Coke. No matter how good it is for me, I’m not a fan of water.

Once she’s gone, I turn my attention back to Stryker. “My mother called before you collected me.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Shepard called her and told her about us. She was less than pleased.”

“I figured.” He never misses a trick. He’s too smart for his own good sometimes.

“She’s not going to be very welcoming, Mark. She doesn’t want us to be together. She wants me to move back to California.”

“You’re leaving me?” The fear in his eyes hurts my heart and soul. I see how much he really does love me. It doesn’t matter how quickly we fell in love, the fact is, we did. Nothing and no one can take away what we have.

“Not in this lifetime or the next,” I tell him with a kiss on his soft lips, making him smile and sigh in relief. “My mom is afraid after what happened to me. She wasn’t expecting me to fall for a biker. But like I told her, this is my life, and I will love whom I want to love. Nothing she ever had to say would turn me away from you, Mark. You are everything to me. I just want you to be prepared for her attitude and the things she might say to make you leave me.”

His arm comes around my shoulder, pulling me to him. I let my head fall to his shoulder, and he kisses me. “It doesn’t matter how she feels or what she says, Coral, I love you. Ain’t nobody can take that away from us.”

“I love you, too.”

He smiles against my head and kisses me again. “Everything will be all right, baby. Try not to worry.”

I’ll try, but it won’t be easy not to, especially when I know she’ll be hell-bent on ruining what we have. She’ll do whatever it takes to pull us apart.

However, I have faith that we’re stronger than that. I love this man more than life itself.

We’re strong.

We belong to each other.

No one can come between us.

I hope.