The Biker's Fate Chapter 253

"Okay, anyone want into your panties?"

I choked on a cough. "What?"

"Men, Sunshine. Anyone who asked you out and didn't take 'no' for an answer?"

"Alison seems to think a client of ours, Jeremy Marville, wants to date me, but he's a nice man who went through a nasty divorce. We had one lunch and he sent me flowers. I highly doubt he'd do anything like this."

"Gonna check that out," he said.

"Go easy, okay?"

He nodded. "How did you start the business? It just doesn't seem like you."

"It's not, really. I had a business degree from Oxford." I sighed. "It was a drunken night out with Niall. I said we should design funny condoms and call them Spiffy Stiffies, then he said we could make stencils for women and call them Posh Pussies."

"You're shittin' me."

"He quit his job, ran with my idea, and here I am today." I shook my head. "It was started as a joke, believe it or not, and there's no one more surprised than me that it went anywhere. I ran the business, he ran the think tank and it worked. Weird, right?"

He chuckled. "It's different."

"I don't know anyone who'd want to hurt me and Poppy, Hatch. Honestly. I'm pretty low-key." I bit my lip. "I don't advertise what I do for a living. I wanted to sell it after Niall died, but honestly, the job kept me distracted."

"Okay, Sunshine. We'll keep diggin'."

"Mummy," Poppy cried, and rushed into the room. "You're awake."

"I had a good night's sleep." I smiled at Hatch over my daughter's shoulder as she gently hugged me.

Alison greeted me and Hatch as Poppy released me and smiled up at him. "Thanks for looking out for Mum."

"You're welcome," he said. "I'm gonna take off."

"Can you stay?" Poppy asked.

"I can't, baby girl. Gotta get back to the shop."

"Hatch has to work, Poppet."

She sighed. "Okay."

He smiled. "As soon as your mom's out of here, we'll all go somewhere, yeah? Dinner or something."

Her face lit up. "Really?"

Hatch nodded. "Sure."

"Okay."

"I'll see you later, Maisie," he said, and without even a glance back, he left the room.

I spent the next few hours hanging with Poppy while Alison headed off to run errands and grab some things for me from home.

After Poppy and I enjoyed dinner together, Ali picked her back up, and I was able to take a shower. The nurse even helped me wash my hair and by the time I climbed back into bed I felt like a whole new person.

I flipped on the television and settled in for a quiet evening. I didn't typically watch TV, so this was a bit alien for me, but I found myself transfixed by a dating show. The women lived in bungalows and men were flown in on a helicopter for the women to choose… a bit like a lobster in a tank awaiting the pot of boiling water.

Hatch walked in mid-way through the program and leaned down to kiss my cheek. "Hey, Sunshine."

"Hi." I smiled up at him.

"What are you watching?"

"Some dating show. It's like a modern-day Timber."

His eyebrows dropped. "I'm sorry?"

"You know, that dating app? You swipe left or right?"

Hatch cocked his head. "You mean, Tinder?"

"Is it?" I giggled. "I always thought it was Timber."

"Nope. Tinder." He grinned and pulled the chair close to the bed.

I turned my head toward him. "So you've used it, then."

"Hell no. I don't date and I don't need an app to hook up."

I smiled. "No, I don't suppose you would."

"How are you feelin', baby?"

"I managed a shower, so I feel really good."

He chuckled. "Nice."

"They told me I'm being released in the morning."

"Yeah?" Hatch frowned.

"You don't want me to be released in the morning?" I asked.

"How secure is your place?" he asked.

"I live in a building with a doorman and security. You have to have a code to park." I sat up a little. "Are you worried?"

"Yeah, Maisie, I'm worried," he said. "Don't know who tried to kill you, so don't know where they got to you."

I sighed. "Poppy's scared as well."

Hatch leaned forward. "What kinda scared?"

"Scared, scared. She's having a hard time leaving me alone. I get that any kid would feel that way after an accident, but I think her fear goes deeper. Poppy has an amazing sense of people and situations. She's my litmus test. If she doesn't like you, you're probably a pretty awful person." I smiled at Hatch. "She adores you."

His eyes softened as he linked his fingers with mine. "She's cool. I like her too."

I held his hand a little tighter. "I'm not this person, Hatch," I whispered. "I'm not the person who has someone trying to kill them. It doesn't make sense."

"I know. We're gonna figure it out." He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed my palm. "In the meantime, you okay with me drivin' you home tomorrow?"

"Ali's bringing Poppy by early. She said she'd come back and pick me up, but I bet she'd like the break. If you're okay with taking us both, then yes, that would be appreciated."

"Yeah, I'm good." He raised an eyebrow. "You okay with me bein' in your space, though?"

"You mean because we only met five minutes ago and now I'm taking you back to my place?"

He chuckled. "Yeah."

I hit my pain pump and relaxed into my pillows. "Since nothing we've done has followed any sort of a normal timeline rule, I'm good. I trust you, which could be my downfall, because I don't really know you, but I feel like I do. Does that make sense?"

"Complete sense."

"Really?" I cocked my head. "Because I feel like I'm high."

He dropped his head back and laughed. "Damn, baby, you're funny."

"I'm not really. It's the drugs." I smiled. "Are you going to show me all your skeletons now that I seem to be showing mine?"

"Don't think you wanna go there, Sunshine."

"I would very much like to go there." When he tried to pull his hand away, I held tighter. "What happened with your ex-wife, for example?"

He sighed. "Long story short, she told me she couldn't get pregnant."

"So you divorced her?"

He frowned. "Sunshine, she told me she couldn't get pregnant, but what she actually did was have two abortions."

"What?" I gasped.

"We were married for five years. She started steppin' out on me, but she came back cryin' sayin' she loved me, so I took her back. But when I got a call that she'd been rushed to emergency, I arrived to find out she was there with excessive bleeding due to an abortion. It was apparently her second."

"Oh, Hatch, I'm sorry."

"Kicked her ass to the curb and never looked back."

"I don't blame you." I shook my head. "What a bitch."

"I think that's generous."

"Yes, I think you're right." I yawned. "I promise I won't ever have an abortion. I mean, I don't plan on getting pregnant again, but even if I did, I'd never have an abortion."

I don't know if he responded because I fell asleep almost before I got my words out.