Born Free

Crying all the way back to her office, knowing this was all on her, yet that didn't stop the pain from knowing that her soon-to-be ex-husband was with another woman in their house. A house they both had picked out together. A house where she had so many dreams for the two of them. Her sobs grew louder as the months of her belittlement of her husband played out in her mind. The anger she had seen, the words he had said, and that indifferent look on his face flashed before her eyes. Beating her hands against the steering wheel, knowing she was the cause of her own heartache. The root cause of her marriage imploding, the reason her husband was in their home at that moment in bed with another woman. Wondering what was wrong with her for falling so easily for that slime's bullshit. Pondering how he could have so easily pulled the wool over her eyes. Looking over at the divorce papers that sat on the passenger seat of her car. Reaching over, plucking them off the seat, with shaky hands signing her name to them, praying that with this, Mike could start a new life even if it didn't involve her. Eve just hoped in time that she could find someone else who would overlook her past failings and give her another chance to be happy again like she was with Mike before she became a stupid slut that fell for a predator's lies. She wasn't going to fight him. They had very little to divide. She knew her marriage would be over in sixty days, and she would have to start her life all over again, alone.

Setting it aside, knowing her married life was over. Eve couldn't believe how foolish she'd been. She had always assumed she was a good, decent person. That she would never do what she had done, most of all to her husband. She only had herself to blame for falling for Stan's bullshit. Grabbing her lunch off her passenger seat, praying that one day, one day, Mike could find it in his heart to forgive her for what she had done to them. She did hope whoever he found once the divorce was over would be good to him and treat him like he deserved to be treated, not the way she had for the past few months. Sighing as she neared the front entrance of her workplace, preparing herself for the leers her coworkers levied at her, this too she had brought upon herself. Hopefully, she could learn from this and never again be taken advantage of by such a man.

******

"So..." Picking at her sandwich Jeff had made her as her legs rested along his lap as they sat on his couch.

"So?" Jeff mused, running his hand up and down her right leg, seeing that coy smile on her lips when he glanced down at how her hard buttons were poking at the fabric of her shirt as she sat in her nice clean red thong.

"How long have you had that Flathead?" Rory asked, wondering how it would feel beneath her as she rode on the back of it.

"A year, been slowly restoring it. I had planned on riding it home when the divorce was final; why?"

"Is it ready?" Rory asked curiously.

"For the ride home?" Jeff inquired, seeing her nod. "Yeah, finally got the gas tank back from the painters Saturday; that was the last piece I needed."

"Good, maybe you'd take your girl out on it, huh?" Rory mused with a sneaky smile on her lips.

"My girl, huh?"

"Mmmhmm," Rory hummed as she chewed her bite.

"I might," chuckling when Rory shoved his leg with her foot, "so, can I ask, why were you at my folk's place?"

"Oh, well," feeling her face heat under his gaze, "I've been going there about every day hoping, just hoping they heard something from you. You don't know how often I just wanted to get on my bike and take off to find you. To hold you, to feel you against me like when we were teenagers."

"Wish you had, then these past three years wouldn't have been so bad," Jeff spoke, seeing the curious look in her eyes.

"Was being married that bad?"

"Well, always felt bad for leading Eve on when I never really loved her. Sure I liked her, but it was never like what we had, and I hope we will have again," Jeff said, seeing the fire in her eyes at his words.

"Oh, you better believe it will be," Rory stated in a firm tone.

"So, how long have you had that bike of yours?"

"A few years. It's nice and all. Good ride, but it's not the same without you riding beside me like back then," Rory answered, blushing down into her plate. "So, why don't you just leave and come home with me now? Do you really need to stay here until it's over?" Watching how Jeff tilted his head back deep in thought.

"Well... no, I don't think I do, not if I give someone here the power of attorney to handle my affairs," Jeff mused after a moment of thought. "But what about my stuff?"

"We can rent one of those U-Haul pods and have them ship it to your parent's place, and then when we get there, store it in a unit or wherever until we can get a big enough place for us," Rory said excitedly, growing more confident as she grew to believe this was the right decision to make.

"I'll have to see what kind of jobs are around home, contact my folks to see if they'll let me stay..."

"Oh, no, big boy, you're staying with me," Rory stated firmly. "You think I went through these seven years just to live away from you?" she asked with a pointed look.

"I assume you have your own place?"

"Mmmhmm, live in a nice apartment complex on Crenshaw," Rory supplied.

"Really?! But weren't those things like priced sky high when we looked at places for when we got out of school?"

"Oh, it's not cheap, I agree, but they're really nice."

"And how are you affording it?"

"I'm a nurse," Rory answered, feeling her body heat in want as Jeff ran his eyes down her body.

"Oh, I bet you've given a few old men a mild heart attack knowing they have a little sexy nurse caring for them," Jeff joked.

"Shut up, you goof," Rory chided, lightly hitting his chest with her left leg. "But if you want a sexy nurse, I might be inclined to oblige."

"I think I might like that," Jeff said with a sinful grin.

"Would hope that you would," Rory stated before polishing off her sandwich. Then their heads turned as a cellphone went off from the garage. "Oh, shit!"

"What?!" Jeff arched an eyebrow as Rory nearly leapt from her spot on the couch and raced towards the garage.

"I forgot to call your mother!" Rory shouted, feeling her face heat at the chuckle that followed after. "Hey, Kadin, I know, I know, sorry, sorry." Jeff heard her apologizing as she walked back into his house. "Yes, I found him; we... umm... kind of got distracted." Rory flipped him off when she noted how Jeff was trying not to burst out in laughter at how red her face was.

"I'm sure you did." Rory groaned at the teasing tone and the chuckle that flowed over the line. "So, how's my boy? Is he okay? Has he been eating well?"

"Oh, Jeff's... mmm... definitely has been taking care of himself, that's for sure," Rory said, recounting how his hard muscles felt under her touch when she was bouncing on his pogo stick.

"When is he coming home?"

"I'm working on that as we speak?"

"Good. You tell my son; he needs to get here tomorrow!"

"I know the feeling, Kadin," Rory nodded against her phone, very pleased that she and her future in-laws got along so well. "Might be a few days before we can take off; Jeff needs to handle some things before we hit the road for home."

"Okay, I can wait, as long as I know my boy is coming home!"

"Oh, I'll make sure you're the first place we stop at when we get back into town." Holding out her phone to him, "Here, your mother wants to talk to you; while you do, I'll get some pants on, and you can take me out on that bike of yours," she said, winking at as she walked past him.

"Hey, Mom."

"Jeffery! Oh, honey, you have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice again?!"

"I know, you kind of fainted the last time," Jeff teased.

"Hush you!" Jeff felt himself smiling at the warm chuckle that got out of his mother.

"So, how's Dad doing?" Jeff asked, pulling out his kitchen chair.

"Oh, you know your Dad, nothing phases him, but I did hear him crying just a little bit after your last call. You don't know how much we missed you over these past few years."

"Missed you too, Mom. All I ever wanted to do was to go back home," Jeff admitted, his eyes falling on Rory as she walked out of his bedroom dressed. Seeing how her eyes lit up, knowing what he had meant by that. "How's Adam doing? I hope he's been keeping his nose clean."

"Oh, he has, he has," Kadin reassured him. "After that stunt seven years ago and what it cost us, Adam hasn't once done anything like that. He focused on his studies and landed a spot at a very good school. He should be getting out of it in a year or two. He's home for the summer now, I would put him on, but he went out to help your Dad to pick up something from the hardware store. You know how your father has to visit it at least once a week, just for something."

"I do remember a lot of trips there," Jeff nodded, feeling Rory's lips on his neck as she wrapped her arms around him as she leaned against him.

"You've been missed something fierce," Rory whispered into his ear.

"So, when do you think you'll be coming home?"

"Can't say depends on how quickly I can sell off items that I won't be able to take quickly. Then have to visit my attorney and give him the power to handle the sale of the house and the rest of the divorce proceedings in my absence."

"Lawyer?! Divorce?! Son, don't tell me you got married?!"

"Kind of did," Jeff admitted shyly.

"And why are you getting a divorce?!"

"She's been cheating on me for the past few months, and well, it ran its course. This was never home to me, just someplace I had to wait and hide in before I could return where I belong," Jeff spoke, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Rory.

"Oh, honey, I'm so, so sorry to hear that. I would have hoped she was a nice girl and treated you right."

"She did for a time until she listened to the wrong man, and well, you know the results."

"Oh, that's your father calling. I best take that. You better call me later, son."

"If I do, you're not going to pass out on me again, are you?" Jeff asked, teasing his mother.

"You're not going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not any time soon," Jeff answered with a smile on his lips. "Tell Dad and Adam I said hello, and I'll see you all soon."

"I will, honey; oh, he's just going to be so happy to hear about you. I'll talk to you later, Jeffery. I love you and miss you."

"Love you too, Mom." Peering over at Rory as she took her phone from his hand and slid it into her pocket.

"Come on, big boy, and take your girl for a ride," Rory said in a sultry tone as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh, I had planned on it, in more ways than one," Jeff spoke, rising from his seat.

"Only if you promise to talk me out of them later," Rory cooed as she swayed, leading him back to his garage. Rolling up the door for him as Jeff rolled his Indian Flathead out into the sun. "You have tested this bike out before, haven't you?" she asked, settling onto the back of his bike once she had shut his garage door.

"Yeah, it's safe, I assure you," Jeff stated as the electric starter turned the engine over.

"Good," Rory purred into his ear. "Let's get started on getting you home," she sighed into his neck as she held on tight to his waist.

Their first stop was at the U-Haul store, paying for two pods to be delivered to his home the next day. Seeing the heat flash in her eyes when he took the back seat and gestured her to drive.

"You better hold me real tight and press that body against me," Rory said, making sure her ass filled his view when she swung her leg over the bike once they had left the U-Haul store.

"Oh, I planned on it," Jeff uttered in a sinful tone.

"Mmm, that's how you're supposed to hold your woman," Rory hummed as she wiggled her ass into him.

Glancing over at the male driver in the car beside them as they sat at a red light on their way to Jeff's lawyer's office. Taking hold of Jeff's left hand, placing it on her left breast telling the man who she belonged to, tilting her head to the side as Jeff nibbled on her neck. Noting how the man quickly looked away when Jeff eyed him. Hearing Rory's chuckle as the man sped off once the light turned green. They might have been separated for seven years, they might have had sex with other people, yet they weren't together then, so that didn't matter to Rory. All that mattered at this point in time was she had a second chance to have Jeff back in her life and she wasn't going to waste it like she had done when she was seventeen. Nodding to him that she would wait in the lobby for him once they had gotten to his lawyer's office while he went to talk about his personal matters.

"What's with the sudden visit, Mike? We aren't scheduled to go to court for another three weeks?" asked the somewhat plump man behind the desk as Jeff took his seat before it.

"I need you to write up one of those things that will give you the power of attorney for dealing with my affairs in the city. Also, I need you to write up a form or whatever you call it signing over my parental rights to Tia and Chaz Gilmore," Jeff said, noting the man's perplexed look on his face.

"Are you planning on skipping town or something?" his lawyer asked, sitting forward in his seat.

"No, I'm going home, where I belong, so I won't be here to handle whatever Eve tries to throw up to stop the divorce."

"You got a girl waiting for you back home or something?" the man asked with a smile.

"Something like that," Jeff nodded.

"Well, give me just a few minutes to write this up for you, but it will cost you," the man said, moving his mouse and powering on his computer, with a few clicks bringing up the prefilled forms for such things. His fingers moved along the keyboard, filling out the spaces that needed to be filled, telling Jeff it would be three hundred for his fees in handling such matters. Calling in his secretary, having her run Jeff's card while his printer was going while he typed out the parental forms. He personally didn't know Jeff (or Mike as he knew him by), had a child, or was going to have one. Yet that wasn't his concern; as long as his client paid, that's all that mattered to him. Calling in the firm's notary once he completed all the forms, seeing his secretary handing Jeff's card back before he signed on the dotted line and how the notary pressed his seal into the forms and signed it, making it all legally binding. "Just have them sign it and mail it to me. Once they do, I'll take it from there," the man stated, handing Jeff the envelope that held the forms that gave up the claims to the child that has been or would be born soon. "I'll keep you up-to-date with how things are progressing. I hope you find what you're looking for back home," the man said, shaking Jeff's hand goodbye.

"Already have," Jeff uttered, seeing how Rory had heard his reply and was wearing that rather pleased smile of hers. Sliding the envelope into his back pocket as Rory got to her feet.

"Where too next?" Rory asked, slipping her hand into his as they walked out of the law office.

"Well, need to deliver this, then head to my job and tell them I won't be back. Maybe sell off my tools..."

"No, don't do that; I'm sure we can find you work back home," Rory said, taking hold of Jeff's arm. Knowing she was going to talk to her father, see if he couldn't find a place for Jeff to work. She didn't want to go back into that life. She just wanted to settle down, have Jeff's babies, and live a good life without worrying about some rival bike gang shooting up their home for something they thought she or Jeff had done. "We'll just have to get you licensed to work in the state, is all."

"So you'll be okay marrying a mechanic?" Jeff asked with a coy smirk, watching how the wind lifted her hair and a rosy color flooded her cheeks.

"I don't care what you do; you could be a garbage man for all I care; as long as I have you, that's what matters. Why? Did that bitch make a stink about it?" Rory asked, her anger rising at the woman for her mistreatment of her man when he nodded.

"Guess I'll have to get someone to deliver my tool chest to the house," Jeff mused.

The ride to Tia's house was quick; Jeff already knew she was pregnant a month ago. She just didn't want to give up the fucking she was getting from him under the disguise of putting a bun in her oven. He kind of figured Chaz knew about it but didn't say a word. Why would he? Chaz was getting laid just as much as Tia was, just not by his wife until Tia started to show. Then they would return to being a normal everyday man and wife. He doubted that was going to happen, but that wasn't his problem. Rory narrowed her eyes at the way the woman was looking at Jeff and how she was touching him. Also, how she saw the sadness in her eyes when Jeff told her he was moving in a few days as he handed her the envelope. Glaring hard at Jeff when she heard it was the form to give up his rights to the baby that was growing inside of her.

"We're going to talk about this; you better believe it?!" Rory hissed once Jeff started up his bike.

Rory's attitude hadn't lessened as she waited while Jeff when into his work to tell his boss he wouldn't be coming back and to see if his tool chest could be delivered to his house. She couldn't believe he was having a baby with that woman?! If she had known, there would be no way she would have let him give up his rights! To her thinking, that child was just as much hers as it was Jeff's! Nodding to herself that if Jeff was in the market of putting babies into women, then she better damn well have one soon, and he better not have feelings for that woman either?! She was not going to have any contenders for Jeff's affections. She's already put up with seven years of his absence. There was no way some woman was going to pull her man away from her. She might have given up the lifestyle, yet that didn't mean she let go of her biker mentality.

Rory sat on his bed, her finger tapping her left arm as she fumed as she watched Jeff packing up his belongings that he was taking with him. Hearing his washer going so he wouldn't be carting dirty clothes back home.

"Okay, you want to tell me what's wrong?" Jeff asked as he was folding his clothes before placing them in the box he had gotten from the grocery store after returning home from Tia's house.

"You want to explain why you gave up your rights to a child you didn't tell me about!" Rory asked, her voice rising.

"Because they can't have kids," Jeff said factually.

"Huh?"

"Her husband was born sterile, so when Tia, Eve's sister, found out about her cheating on me. She and Chaz, her husband, asked me if I would help them with a baby. So I thought, why not? I wasn't going to be here for much longer anyway, and the kid would never know about me. However, Eve would know their kid was a part of me since she had once talked about it. So I think it was on the second day of her ovulation that she got pregnant; since then, we've just been fucking for the most part. So that's why I gave up my rights so they wouldn't have some cloud hanging over them thinking I would come back and snatch the kid up."

"You could have told me?!"

"What would you have me say, Rory? Oh, by the way, I'm a baby daddy? Yeah, you would claw my eyes out, just like you're thinking about right now," Jeff said, knowing that was the truth.

"But you don't love her, right?" Rory asked. If he did, she was going to nip that in the bud very quickly.

"No, it was just sex, good sex, but that's all there was to it," Jeff said, taping up the box once it was full. Writing down what was in it with a black marker.