Ride Me | ✓ |

Part Seventeen

Worth
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Harley Finley

I sat deep in the garage of my childhood home. The door wide open and my hands covered in grease with only a bright lamp lighting up my workspace.

I cranked and cranked at the same rusted bolt until frustration overtook me sending the damned wrench across the bay and a loud grumble echoed from my lungs.

"Harley?" Elijah called curiously from outside, probably hearing the racket I was causing.

"Back here." I yelled back, not turning to look at him even when I felt him standing by the doorway.

"You need any help?"

"Nope. I got it."

Of course you do. Just like everything.

Elijah cleared his throat. "Chloe is having her baby shower this weekend. I was wondering if you'd be attending. She wants to know so she could have enough food, as if you alone could eat an entire bucket of spaghetti."

He tried to joke with his horrid sense of humor that seemed to never develop from his younger age.

"Who's cooking?" I hummed, hoping he'd humor me.

"Chloe is."

I held my hand up, scolding him in my own silent way. "She's six months pregnant and cooking for how many people?"

"Well, I mean, her mother was going to but she'd probably burn the sauce and still serve it." He laughed.

"Why didn't you ask me? It's literally what I do." My voice dropped, wishing I could turn to face him so he could see how hurt I felt, but I knew what he'd see across my neck and I knew how he would react.

"I didn't want to put you on the spot. I know you don't like it here but I'm sure, if you wanted to, Chloe would absolutely love that." Elijah paused, "and so would I."

"I'll sit with Chloe tonight for a menu and I'll cook. What things do you need for the babies?"

I could feel his happiness radiating like a ray of sunshine. Something I couldn't help but marvel in. I had always missed the sense of family while I was gone and having it now, I couldn't seem to let go.

"Just you-

"Don't you dare say just me being there, Eli." I laughed, even if it were fake.

"Well we're having twins so we need everything." He followed with a chuckle of his own. "Thanks, Harley."

"Yeah. No problem." I murmured and refocused my attention back to the broken down, rotted Yamaha bike in front of me.

"I'll be inside if you need me." Elijah spoke happily before leaving me alone.

I kept trying to get the exhaust bolt off, over and over again with a new wrench until my anger grew again into a ball of curses spewing from my lips.

"Wow, what a lovely vocabulary, angel." Colten hushed from behind, sending goosebumps down my spine.

I waited for my heart to stop racing, forcing my body to take deep breaths in order to gain control over myself again.