Biker Babe in Black Read online

  “What is wrong with you? Have you gone nuts?” Gloria stood to get out of the way.

  Remy threw papers out of his desk and searched in all the drawers, not worried about destroying a proposal or bid on a project. Desperation set in, and he panicked.

  “Remy, I need these papers signed today. Daddy needs them on his desk by four.”

  He picked up a pen and scribbled his signature on each page wherever the pen landed. “Now get the hell out of my house.”

  Gloria snatched the papers up, clutched them to her chest, and left.

  Remy’s fingers moved over to the Blackberry he found in the top drawer. He called the best private investigation team money could buy. I’ll find you, Margarine, and when I do, I’ll never let you go.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The pier at the waterfront in downtown Seattle bustled with people out shopping and enjoying the lively atmosphere only found in this area. Margie stopped to observe the way the fishmongers tossed a huge Chinook salmon to the clerk at the checkout counter. The customers standing in line clapped and cheered at the show.

  This city had taken Margie by surprise the first few months after her arrival. It seemed she’d left her bad karma back in Portland and landed a job on her second day of job hunting. With luck on her side, she still remained employed.

  Margie worked in the café on the ferryboat that transported people from Seattle across the sound to Bainbridge Island throughout the day. She loved the work. She got to meet people who used the ferry every day to commute to work, as well as visiting travelers who passed through on their way to new adventures.

  She figured with her ability to conquer her fear of flying, she might try to defeat her fear of drowning and applied for the job. The challenges she faced brought contentment into her life, and she looked forward to the future—something she hadn’t thought possible without Remy.

  The apples in the crate on the sidewalk in front of the farmer’s stand lured Margie into buying one. Lately, it seemed she ate constantly.

  “Margie!”

  Margie raised her hand to wave at the woman who rushed across the street.

  “I parked in a ten minute parking spot, so we’ll have to hurry.” The woman motioned her to follow.

  Margie took one more bite out of the apple, threw the core into the nearest trash, and followed Tamara Doyle to her car. Last week she’d called a real estate office to inquire about a house she saw for sale, and Tamara had offered to meet with her.

  It only took ten minutes from the pier to drive to the house Margie wanted to check out. The minute the realtor pulled her minivan into the gravel driveway, Margie knew she’d arrived at her new home.

  Her heart leapt at the sight of a white picket fence around the front yard. It didn’t matter that the grass needed mowing and the outside of the house needed a fresh coat of paint. It looked exactly like the picture Margie had seen in the real estate magazine.

  “I think you’ll really like this house. It’s a fixer-upper, but you can’t beat the price.” Tamara turned off the ignition. “The owner is willing to hold a private contract, so your down payment shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Margie stepped out of the car. She knew this house. She’d never been here in person, but she’d dreamed of this house her whole life.

  The realtor ran a constant conversation describing obvious details of the house, but Margie lost herself in thought and knew whatever the realtor said would not make a bit of difference in her decision to buy.

  Every night Margie had slept in motels, tents, and occasional house rentals, she’d dreamed of this very house—right down to the picket fence and the old Formica counters. She pressed a hand to her stomach and opened one of the three bedrooms. The colors might be different, but the floor plan she knew by heart.

  “You’re just going to love the backyard.” Tamara unlocked the sliding door off the family room and walked outside.

  Oh my god.

  The backyard was set up to resemble a place of paradise for birds, with big flowering bushes strategically positioned throughout the yard and benches placed beside a path made of sand.

  Margie’s gaze followed the path, and she caught a small picture of what lay beyond. An inlet from the Pacific Ocean teased her through the trees at the end of the yard. She reached out to balance herself, and the realtor grabbed her arm.

  “Whoa there. Are you okay?” Tamara steadied Margie.

  “I’m okay. The view of the water and the path reminded me of somewhere else.” Margie shook her head. For a moment, she’d remembered a different place.

  The path resembled the walk to the lake in Tahoe. The desperate ache of losing Remy remained a fresh wound on her soul. His image popped into her head at the oddest moments, and she missed the life they might have had together.

  “I hope it was a good memory and not a bad one.” Tamara dropped her hand and stepped a few feet back.

  Margie nodded. She’d let Tamara decide her answer for herself. She’d given up months ago on explaining herself to others.

  “How much longer do you have?”

  Margie dragged her gaze off the path in the yard and raised her eyebrows at Tamara. So caught up in memories, she didn’t understand the question.

  “When is the baby due?” Tamara touched Margie’s stomach.

  “Oh, three months.” She laughed and rubbed her growing belly. Only three months, and she needed a house now. She wanted her baby to come from the hospital to a real home.

  “How soon can we get the papers drawn up?” Margie stared down the path one more time and smiled.

  ***

  Margarine pushed the end call button on the phone and sat it down on the counter. She grinned at the information she’d received. Her dad spilled the news…her whole family was traveling to visit her, and they expected to arrive sometime tomorrow.

  How thrilling to have their company and to show off her new house. She kept them updated on her pregnancy, and her parents loved the idea of becoming grandparents. They even sent a little leather jacket with a Chromes and Wheels patch already sewn on after she’d told them about the baby.

  The one downside to the visit—her parents never let her forget that Remy was still searching for her. Afraid her dad might harm Remy if she confessed to the real reason she’d left him, Margie let her parents believe she didn’t love him anymore. She lied. She loved him, but hated herself for it too.

  She got physically sick at the thought of shared custody, and knowing Gloria would have a hand in raising her child forced her to keep her pregnancy a secret from Remington Montgomery.

  Margie promised herself once the baby came she’d tell Remy about his child. Her emotions would no longer be bouncing around from one extreme to another. She’d be stronger and able to handle it better.

  With her arms covered in paint splotches and a stripe down her ponytail where she’d backed into the wall, Margie stood and admired the work she’d accomplished. She loved the color she’d picked out for the nursery.

  She’d decorated and painted the baby’s room in the loveliest shade of blue. She’d found out a couple months ago she carried a boy and marched right out and bought paint for the baby’s future bedroom. In the privacy of her own home, she opened the can of paint and realized why she’d bought this particular color. It matched the color of Remy’s eyes.

  Margie dashed away tears with the back of her hand. It seemed lately that crying had become an everyday occurrence in her life. She ached something fierce to share her joy with Remy and imagined the love he’d give his own child.

  The next morning, Margie walked through her house one more time. She wanted everything perfect. Imagine! The only member of her family to settle down and have a house of their own. It made her proud of her accomplishments.

  The rumble from outside—welcome music to her ears—made a tapered candle fall out of the candlestick. Margie shoved the candle back down into the holder and checked to make sure she’d pushed hard enough for it to with
stand the abuse her family brought with them. She might not have much furniture or knickknacks, but she’d added a few touches of herself here and there to make it her home.

  She opened the door and enjoyed the sight of all her family members pulling up onto the driveway. She placed one hand on her belly and another on the porch railing. The baby kicked against her hand.

  Yes, little one, meet your family. You’ll get used to that noise, because your mommy plans to take you for lots of rides in the future.

  She didn’t quite reach the bottom step before her dad gathered her in his arms.

  “Look at you, getting bigger than ever.” Knuckles rubbed her belly, and to her surprise, leaned down and gave the baby a smacking kiss through her shirt.

  “Great. Tell me more how fat I’ve become. It’s nice to see you too, Dad.” She laughed and gave him a kiss.

  “You’re not fat at all. That is all baby you’re carrying, honey.” Sunflower came up the step, her arms loaded with bags, but leaned over Margie’s protruding stomach to kiss her daughter. “I’ve got enough food to feed an army.”

  “Go ahead inside, Mom. You’ll find the kitchen. I cleared two shelves off in the fridge for everything.” Margie turned and smiled at the others.

  “You better get out there and greet the rest of the family, girl. Some of them have traveled a long way just to come and see you.” Knuckles gave her one more kiss and followed his wife into the house.

  Margie lifted an eyebrow at her dad’s hasty retreat, but turned and wobbled the few extra steps to greet the others. The Chromes and Wheels gang followed strict customs to wait outside until invited to enter into another member’s area, usually a motel room or campsite. She knew they went out of their way to make it special for her new home.

  “Crowbar!” Margie gave the big guy a hug and ran her hand down his red cheeks. He stared at her stomach and she smiled. “You better get in the house before Dad starts eating all the brownies I fixed.”

  “Brownies?” Crowbar raised his head.

  She laughed, pointed her thumb over her shoulder, and stepped out of the way. No one got in the path of Crowbar and his food. The man sure packed an appetite.

  Margie hugged, she kissed, and her belly got rubbed more than a Buddha statue at the mall. Although it would be a first if good luck rubbed off of her.

  Margie smiled at all the people she greeted, and they walked past her into the house. Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She realized she hadn’t smiled much the last six months.

  Two riders remained on their bikes and waited for their turn to be invited in. Margie cocked her head at Reefer, who sat on his bike. He seemed ready to fight, and she wondered what planted those worry wrinkles on his forehead.

  “You come all this way, and you have a scowl on your face that makes me think you aren’t happy to see me?” Margie teased. She rubbed her back the last few steps.

  Margie lifted his hand off the handlebar and held it in both of hers. She didn’t remember a time in her life that Reefer looked so unhappy.

  “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  Margie let go of his hands, and Reefer got off his motorcycle. She gave him a hug, and he didn’t let go. “I’m going in your house, but there’s one more member I insist you talk with.”

  “Of course I will, Reefer.” She wanted to know more about why he acted so unhappy, but he strolled off and left her to stand there by herself.

  She looked at the other member who sat on his Harley away from the other members’ bikes, dressed in all-black leathers, even down to the gloves that gripped the handlebar. Margie angled her head and studied him harder. She ran through the members already in the house. Something didn’t add up.

  His bike didn’t sport the usual excessive chrome of the gang, and the man still wore his helmet with the face visor down. Why did he still have on his helmet with his bike engine off? Was he a new member her parents hadn’t informed her about?

  Margie’s pace toward the biker slowed, and the man removed his gloves. He reached up to take off his helmet. She clutched her stomach and stumbled backwards.

  No…

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Remy jumped off his bike, caught Margie, and helped her remain on her feet. His heart about stopped the moment he learned she carried a baby. His baby!

  Margarine’s parents finally broke down after months and months of him begging for information about their daughter. Not one word about the baby she carried, though. His head swam with questions, but for the life of him, he’d lost the ability to speak.

  Margarine’s pregnant, and she didn’t say a word to me.

  She clasped on to the front of his jacket, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her to keep her upright. The adrenaline of finally having her in his arms took his breath away.

  “You didn’t tell me.” He cleared his throat, emotions overtaking him.

  Margie pulled away and stood in front of him. Both of her hands held her stomach. “I was scared, Remy.”

  “Scared I wouldn’t want the baby? Margarine Butter, you know me better than that. I would have loved knowing I’d made a baby with you.” He squeezed his eyes shut. It pained him to think she’d run because his reaction to her pregnancy scared her.

  He opened his eyes. Tears ran down Margarine’s face, and he caught one on his finger and brought it to his lips.

  “I’ve been lost without you. I’ve hired investigator after investigator to try and find you. I had your parents followed, and every one of the detectives came up empty. Do you have any idea how much I love you and need you in my life?”

  She stepped away and glared. “What about Gloria? How is she going to take the news that you’re about to become a daddy?” Margie lifted her chin, daring him to refute her question.

  “Gloria? Why should it matter to her?” He moved forward. He hated the distance and did not understand the fierce logic behind her questions.

  Margarine backed away. “I imagine she would have something to say, since she’s your lover.” Margie planted both hands on her lower back.

  “What?” He shook his head, denying the accusation and trying to make sense of why she’d accused him of cheating.

  “Gloria was once my fiancée, but that was way before I met you. It’s only been you since the day I bumped into you at the restaurant.” Remy slid closer to Margarine. “You know this, Margarine. What happened to make you not trust me?”

  “That’s not what I saw, and not what Gloria told me the day I left you.”

  “I don’t understand. What did she say to you?”

  Margie rubbed her lower back. She needed to calm down. He hated to bring more stress to her and the baby. It wouldn’t do the little one any good if she got upset.

  “When we were in Tahoe and you didn’t come home that first night we arrived…” Margie waited for him to understand. He nodded. “I decided to call a cab to run me out to get something to eat. I saw you walking down the sidewalk with your arm around Gloria.” She ran her hand over her swollen stomach.

  “I heard her whispering something to you, and you wrapped both your arms around her and laughed. You were so caught up in the moment with Gloria. You didn’t see me standing in the yard watching.” She threw her arms in the air.

  Remy stood shocked at what she’d imagined. All these months she’d believed he’d cheated on her with Gloria. He could fix this. This whole time he’d worried he’d lost her forever, but he possessed the ability to fix it all.

  Remy threw his head back and laughed. The stress of the last six months wiped away, and he wanted to shout out to the world.

  “Babe, Gloria was staying in Tahoe working on her father’s project that I’m also involved in. She showed up drunker than a skunk when we were getting ready to leave the meeting, and I volunteered to walk her back to her condominium. A condominium three doors down from the one we stayed in. Any touching I did was in an attempt to keep her from lying on the sidewalk and going to sleep.”

  He stepped toward her,
but Margie held her ground this time.

  “Why did you stay away half the night?”

  Her chin came up. That adorable, stubborn chin.

  “She threw up as soon as I carried her through the door, and I stayed to clean it up and make sure she wasn’t going to pass out. Not because I wanted to. I couldn’t walk away from someone in that condition.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from touching Margarine.

  “What about Gloria telling me the next day that I was supposed to ask you about the affair you were having?” Margarine tried to cross her arms over her chest, but frustrated by the size of her belly, she planted them on her hips instead.

  “God, Margarine.” Remy ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve known Gloria since we were little. She lives off drama. She’s jealous of you. I would no sooner cheat on you than cut out my own heart. I swear…” He used his finger and drew an X over his heart. “I love you, and only you.”

  This was her boy scout. The man who showed her what it felt like to be loved, despite her coming from a different way of life than he was familiar with. He might have his flaws, but his steadfast convictions made her stronger, and deep down, she believed she grounded him in return.

  “Don’t lie to me.” She shook her head. “Not now. It’s too important.”

  “Never.” He stared at her intently.

  “But…” She glanced back at the house.

  In the last few months, she’d built her lifelong dream of owning a house, supporting herself with a fulltime job, and putting down the foundation of a regular life for her and the baby. She glanced back at Remy. Throughout all the advances in her life, she’d lied to herself about the thing that mattered most. She’d gone through the motions of fulfilling her childhood wishes, but she was still running from what she wanted more than a picket white fence and a permanent address.

  It was Remy who plagued her days and nights. Without him, all of these things were just material objects that couldn’t compare to the love in her heart. She loved Remy.