Free SAVIOR: A Motorcycle Club Romance by Fiona Garland Page A

Claudia?”
     
     
    “Ben is checking up on her,” Max answered. “She’s up and moving but we’re trying to get her to eat.”
     
     
    I sat at the table. “That’s good to hear.”
     
     
    Preparing another batch, Max turned to Ed. “Do you want a handful of blueberries or a lot?”
     
     
    Ed’s answer was obvious. “Lots!”
     
     
    My lover laughed and poured two dozen blueberries into the pancake better. Then, he ruffled Ed’s hair. “You got it.”
     
     
    Ed sat down next to me. “Max do you have a family?”
     
     
    He stopped cooking momentarily. “Family?”
     
     
    “I see photos of you and someone else on the wall,” the boy said, his voice tinged with curiosity. “Is she your wife?”
     
     
    “She was,” Max answered, going back to flipping pancakes. “Maria died some time ago.”
     
     
    Ed looked horrified. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Max!”
     
     
    The man turned to flash a smile at me. “Relax, I’ve gotten through the pain.”
     
     
    “I lost my daddy,” Ed replied, staring off into the distance. “He died after someone shot him at a grocery store. He tried to stop a robber. And I almost lost mom...”
     
     
    I reached out to comfort him. “Ed, your mom is safe with us. Don’t you worry about it.”
     
     
    Ed whispered back. “Daddy was supposed to get candy for me…”
     
     
    “I lost my dad when I was a kid as well,” Max said, a look of softness on his face. He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “He even got shot, too. Don’t let the past weigh you down like an anchor. You have a long life ahead of you, Ed.”
     
     
    Ed smiled. “I won’t, Max.”
     
     
    “Max, any update about the weather?” I asked. “It looks to be clearing up.”
     
     
    “It is,” he said, sighing in relief. “It looked like it couldn’t get any worse. Then, it got better in a flash. The snow isn’t even up to our knees.”
     
     
    “So we’re in the clear?”
     
     
    “We are,” he replied, placing pancakes in plates. “The winters here tends to thaw out as quickly as it comes in. In a few days, it should be safe to drive without chaining up your tires.”
     
     
    “So… I guess I can drive in a couple of days.”
     
     
    The tension lingered in the air. Max and I had gotten so close to each other over the past few days. I was a guest who had become his lover. The cold may have kept me inside but my heart kept me from leaving.
     
     
    Yet, the life outside these walls rushed back in. I had a life before I met the man of my dreams. However, I had fallen hard for Max.
     
     
    Tapping the table in impatience, Ed groaned. “Come on guys, let’s eat!”
     
     
    “Alright, alight,” Max laughed. “Tell Ben and your mother that breakfast is ready.”
     
     
    Soon, the five of us indulged ourselves on pancakes. It felt like we were all part of an extended family. Ben scarfed down three plates of pancakes. Claudia chastised her son for his lack of table manners.
     
     
    Max looked happier than ever before. This was the type of morning he must have woken up to when Maria and Michael were still alive. It would be good for him to experience it again, even if it was for a little while.
     
     
    The following few days were just as blissful. Stubborn as a mule, Claudia offered to help me with chores to earn her keep. She and I bonded over laundry and vacuuming. She hated not being able to help people.
     
     
    Ed helped Max with little odd jobs. He made sure not to let the boy do anything dangerous. However, the kid was a bundle of energy. Max let Ed help him out with maintaining the jeep and checking up on the generator.
     
     
    Hell, he even let Ed ride around on his bike in the garage. I would drop by and see Max coaching him on the proper way to grip the handlebar. It was bittersweet to see him bond with a child who could’ve been his son.
     
     
    Soon, Ben was strong enough to leave and get back to work. He made sure to arrange transportation and