Rule (42 page)

Things with my folks were better,
not perfect but better.  My mom and I had reached an understanding, we were
never going to have the close relationship she shared with Remy but we at least
could talk now and I had even gone along to a couple of her therapy appointments
so I had a better understanding of how she was wired.  Much to my surprise we
were far more alike than I had ever imagined.  Shaw and I made it a point to go
back home every Sunday for brunch again but now I was an active participant and
it was one of my favorite times of the week.  Unfortunately Rome was the Archer
brother being difficult now.  He still refused to talk to mom and dad and he
only thawed toward Shaw when I let it be known that if he didn’t I was going to
beat his ass when he came home in a couple months.  Things were rocky on that
front, he felt lied to and betrayed but I had faith that if I could see the
light than my brother who was already a way better man than I was would come
around eventually.

Shaw came out of the bathroom
pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail.  Cora turned from the front desk to
scowl at her.  “I can’t believe you’re leaving me for that asshole.  I’m going
to miss you so much.”

“Ahh I’m going to miss you too girl
but I’m never there and I’m sick and tired of having my stuff in two different
places.”  Shaw was moving in with me and Nash this weekend.  We had put it off
even though she was there five to six nights a week because I didn’t want to
burden Nash.  It was my best friend that finally told her over breakfast one
morning that if she agreed to do most of the cooking then she was welcome to
just move in.  We were both grateful because I liked our place, it was super
convenient for work and I really didn’t want to move or ask Nash to leave.  The
three of us got along great and Nash was gone enough nights that we never
really got on each other’s nerves.  The girls were bummed she was going and I
knew she was really going to miss Ayden and Cora, but they hung out enough and
declared every Thursday girl night that I wasn’t worried at all about her
regretting her decision.

Cora screwed up her face looking
like an angry Tinker Bell.  “I just hate the idea of moving a stranger in.  You
and Ayden were like the perfect roommates ever and after what happened to you I
don’t trust some random stranger off the street to move in.”

Shaw sat in the chair I had vacated
to clean up and I hid a grin as she sneakily ran her fingers up the inside of
my thigh.  Nash looked up from the owl he was working on and looked back and
forth between me and Rowdy.  “Isn’t Jet coming back from tour soon?”

“Yeah.  So what?”  Artifice had hit
the big time, booking a slot on Metalfest and tapped Jet’s band Enmity be on
the opening stage for them.  He had been gone for over six months and while he
was on the road the girl he had been shaking up with had hooked up with some ex
con so Jet was out on his ass but we all just figured he would crash with Rowdy
or one of the other guys in the band.

“You can rent the room out to
him.”  Nash said it like it was perfectly reasonable.  “He’s cool with Ayden
and he’s always on tour our whatever anyway.  I bet he would be a good fit.”

Shaw and I shared a raised eyebrow
look.  Jet was cool with Ayden, in fact they had developed an independent
friendship outside of the rest of us that often left us all questioning how
close the country girl and the metal boy were.  They were close but so opposite
it was hard to understand how they ever had anything to talk about, if anyone
asked me Jet moving under the same roof as the dark haired beauty was just
asking for trouble, or a really good time depending on how you looked at it.  I
cleared my throat and reached out for Shaw’s hand.

“My older brother will be back in a
few months too.  He’s gonna need a place to crash until he figures out what
he’s doing.  That might be another option you want to consider.”  Cora nodded
and turned back to whatever it was she was messing with on the computer.  “You
ready to go home?”

I loved asking her that.  I loved
that she knew I loved asking her that.  She smiled at me and gingerly reached up
to give me a quick peck.  I knew her side had to be hurting her.  Four hours of
getting drilled was a lot and she normally sat like a champ, still as stone.  I
was going to put her in a hot shower and make her feel all better.

“Yep.”

We walked out of the shop hand in
hand and headed toward the Victorian.  She liked to run her thumb back and
forth across her name on my knuckles and it never failed to make me smile.

“Do you want to put me in your
portfolio Rule?”

I wasn’t expecting that question so
I looked at her in surprise.  “Why do you ask?”

She shrugged.  “I dunno.  You put
all your really big pieces in there, I just didn’t know why you would want to
leave this one out.”

I wrapped an arm around her neck
and pulled her to me so I could kiss the top of her head.  “Because those are
work.  I put them on people and then they go out into the world where they are
hopefully appreciated and loved by other people.  Anything I do for you,
anything between us isn’t work and it’s for you and I to appreciate.  When I
work on you I do it knowing what I put on you will be with us forever.  Like I
said if you want it in there I’ll be happy to put it in, but if not then I’ll
be happy to be the one to admire all my handiwork every day.”

She stared at me in silence for a second
and then burst out laughing.  “You give the most backasswards compliments in
the world but that was lovely and you’re absolutely right.  The only person
that I really want to see it is you.”

I growled and tugged on her hair. 
“That thing covers half your butt cheek.  I better be the only one looking at
it Casper.”

Her green eyes glowed in a way that
only I could make them.  “I do love you Rule Archer.”

Every time she said it I had an
easier time telling her, “I love you back” and that’s all it was.  I didn’t
have to question, didn’t have to worry, didn’t have to fall into the tunnel of
darkness because whatever Shaw felt for me I just gave it to her back and knew
that was enough.  I didn’t have to try, I just did and every single day I did
it better than the day before.

“So what about Jet or Rome going to
live with Cora and Ayd?”

She snuggled into my side as we
approached the Victorian.

“I can’t wait to see how that plays
out.”

I snorted.  “That’s what everyone
said about us.”

“And look at the show we gave
them.”

“True enough and opposites don’t
just attract they freaking catch fire and burn the entire city down.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Whatever was on the agenda I knew
one thing.  If any of my boys were lucky enough to find a girl that made me
feel the way Shaw did I would do whatever it took to make sure they saw it
through to the end.  Love like this wasn’t to be missed even for those of us
that had never realized it was out there.  Look at me being all optimistic and
shit.

Remy would be so proud

The
End

Ayden and Jet’s story to be
continued…..

If this story had a soundtrack this is what it would be:

The Civil
Wars: Falling

Social
Distortion: Outlaw

Twisted
Sister: We’re Not Gonna Take It

Garth
Brooks: I Got Friends In Low Places

Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club: Ain’t No Easy Way

Bad
Religion: American Jesus

Gaslight
Anthem: Film Noir

Drive By
Truckers: Decoration Day

Straylight
Run: Big Shot

The Black
Angels: Better Off Alone

Lucero: I
Kissed The Bottle

The Bloody
Hollies: Raised By Wolves

Against Me!:
Borne On The FM Heart Wave

Dawes: If I
Wanted Someone

Lady
Antebellum: Need You Now

Defiance
Ohio: Anxious And Worrying

The Avett
Brothers: I Would Be Sad

Heartless
Bastards: Only For You

About Me

I live in Colorado which is lovely
and offers up all kinds of interesting people to draw inspiration from.  I love
tattoos and body modification so I love that more and more stories out there
now are featuring heroes and heroines that reflect what I see when I look
around the world.  I love to read and just love any kind of great story that
engages of any kind, of course a pretty, tatted up bad boy always makes it
better.  This year was life changing for me so I woke up one morning and
decided that I was finally going to finish one of the millions of stories I was
always fiddling around with.  I love to write and for a long time have been
pondering what I should be doing with my life.  So consider yourself a valued
part of me figuring out my new life plan.  I hope you enjoyed this story and if
you would like to contact me please feel free to email me I love feedback in
all forms but if you’re mean we might have to box:

 
[email protected]

Later JC