The Biker's Fate Chapter 501

He wrapped an arm around me, and I fell against him, wanting nothing more than to curl up and hide somewhere alone with him.

"Hey there, Melly Belly."

I gasped at the familiar voice, raising my head to see Beau 'Bam Bam' Nelson walking toward me, his wife, Lucy, right next to him, and his band behind him.

I promptly burst into tears as I rose to my feet and fell into his arms. He caught me, wrapping me into a tight hug as I sobbed into his chest. One of the things I was the most proud of in my journey of self-discovery was the fact that I'd worked really hard to make amends with the people I'd hurt. No one made me do it. No life coach gave me 'homework' in an effort to help me grow. I'd just pulled my head out of my ass one day and realized I could no longer continue to treat people like they were disposable.

Including myself.

And Bam was one of those people. Maybe one of the most important. I'd loved him. Deeply. But I'd treated him like shit and although I may not have been the one who'd leaked our sex tape, or even known there'd been a sex tape to begin with (that was all my mother's doing, god rest her evil soul), I still had not treated him with the respect he'd deserved.

So, when I'd gotten up the courage to fly out to Seattle a few years ago, I'd been both surprised and humbled that he'd agreed to meet with me. We'd talked for four hours. All hatchets had been buried and our friendship had been set back on solid ground, something that we'd never had any issues with. We'd always been really fantastic buddies. He always understood the music and the pressure of touring, so I could talk to him on a level which meant we had a shorthand that made communication seamless for me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, hiccupping out the words. "Did you know Puddin'?"

"Never got the chance to meet him. I'm here for you, sweetheart," he said. "We're all here for you."

I glanced over at Lucy who smiled gently. No sign of jealousy. Just all sweetness and love that was her. Bam had hit the motherlode with her.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey, yourself." She pulled me in for a hug, then the rest of Bam's band, Roses for Anna, did the same.

I turned and held my hand out to Train who was now standing with hands crossed over his beefy chest watching me carefully. "This is Train."

He raised an eyebrow, so I grabbed his arm and gave it a little tug.

Bam held his hand out. "Nice to meet you, man."

Train gave him a chin lift and shook his hand. "You, too."

I slid my arm around his waist and held tight. "Are you sticking around for a bit?"

"Yeah," Bam said. "We can stay for as long as you need."

"Thanks, buddy. I really appreciate it."

"On that note, can I borrow you for a sec?" Jimmy asked.

"Of course," I said, releasing my death hold on Train and letting Jimmy pull me off toward the back of the room.

He gave me another hug, then looped his arm with mine. "I know it's a shit show right now and I know you're probably getting pressure from the label to get back on the road, right?"

"Obviously. But it's more about the crew. If we don't keep going, they don't get paid."

"The label's not paying them some kind of bereavement pay?"

"Two shows," I said. "I'm covering the rest."

"Fuck, Mel, that's a chunk of change."

"I want everyone to have the time to grieve, Jimmy. No one should feel like they need to perform when all they want to do is curl up into a ball and cry, you know?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I get it."

"I can't believe you guys dropped everything to come." I smiled up at him, my tears threatening to spill again. "You know how much I love you, right?"

"Feeling's mutual, honey. Which brings me to why we're alone. I talked to the band, and they've given me their blessing. If you need me, I'm yours for the rest of the tour, or a little longer. We don't go back out on the road until we head to Australia and New Zealand in November."

Jimmy had filled in on occasion for me when Puddin' had been out of town or the time his appendix had burst, so he knew my songs backwards and forwards.

"Oh my god, seriously?"

"Not the best timing, and there's no pressure," he continued. "Just throwing it out there if you need me."

I threw my arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "Thank you. You have no idea how much pressure that takes off of me."

"I've got my bass ready for whenever."

I smiled up at him. "Okay, Jimmy. Thanks."

He led me back to the rest of the group and I wrapped myself around Train again.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

I nodded, giving him a squeeze, and we spent a little time catching up while Train sat stoically beside me saying nothing.

About an hour into our reunion, Train leaned over and whispered, "We should get you back to the hotel, baby."

"I'm okay."

"You're exhausted," he argued.

"Yeah, well, Puddin's dead, so I think I can handle staying awake for a little while longer," I snapped.

He said nothing, but his body locked beside me as he sat back in his chair.

"I'm actually wiped," Lucy said. "Do you mind if we call it a night?"

"Oh, of course not," I said, pushing away from the table. "Sorry, you've had a long day."

"We all have," Lucy said, hugging me. "We'll find some time to catch up tomorrow."

"That sounds great," I said.

Bam hugged me and then the group left me and Train alone, heading out to their awaiting cars.

"We're going back to the hotel now," Train said.

"I'm okay," I argued.

He slid his arm around my waist, leaning down and whispering, "I swear to Christ, woman, if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here, I will. Do not test me."

"Oh, really? You think you have the power to manhandle Melody fucking Morgan, America's sweetheart, in front of all these people?" I hissed.

"You really wanna find out?"

"When did you turn into an asshole?"

"The second my woman decided she wanted to self-harm." He gave me a squeeze. "Now, grab your shit and get your ass in the car."

I snarled up at him, snagging my purse off the table and stomping toward the exit, not caring if he followed or not. Of course, I pasted on my best Melody Morgan smile as I said goodbye to mourners on our way out, making sure everyone knew I was available if anyone needed anything.

Train ushered me out to the SUV driven by Chip who drove us back to our hotel.