Claimed by the Biker Giant (Maxine and Tank) novel Chapter 259

Cloe POV

When Alan said all was good and that I wouldn’t be in trouble for accessing the information, I was so relieved; I thought I would be going to jail for stealing or something. I don’t think the jail would help my legs much. A convicted criminal might not get the same medical treatment as a free woman, would they? I don’t know and don’t want to test it out. I don’t mind admitting I was scared; it was a risk to show them what I had stored, but it felt right at the same time.

I had to giggle when Uncle Simon lifted me and then proceeded to carry me to the table. Storm’s face was priceless; it was a mixture of shock and hurt. Uncle Simon had never done this before, but I wasn’t going to say no. We have been building a good relationship, and Uncle Simon said he had a surprise for me after dinner. I was eager to see it. My mind raced at what it could be.

I took Dotty’s words to heart and loaded my plate with soft vegetables and no meat; the only flavouring of meat I had was the beef gravy, and that was more than enough for me. I ate with gusto, enjoying it more than I thought I would. The mashed potatoes were soft and fluffy, the pumpkin was well-pumpkin, not much I can say about them, and the carrots were possibly too hard to be considered soft, so I chewed them longer, hoping to turn them into mush before swallowing. It was the best meal since the accident. Yes, I had some good meals, but for some reason this simple fair appealed to me.

Storm kept staring at me, and then at my food, and then at Dotty; he was confused by my food choice. It was funny to see him sitting opposite me, but it was nice to see his face. I am not scared of him, but I was surprised at his anger, and that worried me. It caused triggers, which are too soon to lose, if ever. Later, I might explain my reaction, but not now at the dinner table.

Uncle Simon carried me to the lounge when the meal was over, leaving Storm to clean up the kitchen. He grumbled and mumbled the whole time, as he headed into the kitchen, looking back at me, as if pleading for me to come and help, but I was having too much fun stirring him up, with Uncle Simon to help out, of course, it was his idea. We were in the lounge. Storm had returned and sat close to me when I heard the sound of the chopper overhead. I was not used to hearing them so close. Uncle Simon stood up.

“Excuse me. That chopper arriving was by my request.” Uncle Simon left, leaving me talking with Penny about the next ice hockey competition, and what she was planning, even had made a new cheer for the day, or is it a night game this time? I don’t remember, but it was nice that life was still moving on, and didn’t stop because of the threats on our lives.

Uncle Simon returned, followed by?

No, it can’t be.

Yes, it is.

“Grandma?” I called out in doubt that I was seeing right. How could they be here? I must be daydreaming.

“Grandpa?” Appeared behind Grandma, his face bright and cheerful, his eyes sparkling with joy.

“Richard? Is that you?” Am I dreaming, or are they really here?

“RICHAAARD!” His face burst into tears of regret.

They are here, my goodness, they are here.

“Don’t worry, dear, we shall continue this talk tomorrow. Tank and Fixer had kindly offered us guest rooms to stay a few days, or longer; we’ll see how things go.” Grandpa gave me a kiss on the forehead, and another group hug with all of us, before Storm walked briskly out the door and up to our room. I stripped off and managed to put on my PJ’s. I was getting better at this. Storm helped me get under the covers, not quite ready to bend forward and pull them up, my tummy too tender, but I feel with all this good nourishment and meds, I am healing quicker than when I was beaten up.

I lay back, content, my mind racing at seeing my family, and they are just over an hour away, not in the direction of Dad’s place, but the other way, towards the ocean. They said they had a cottage by the sea. It never occurred to me that they were that close to me now.

The bed dipped as Storm climbed in beside me, pulling me closer to him and nuzzling my hair.

“You happy to see them?” Storm’s question broke the silence in the room.

“Very much so. It’s been at least four, possibly five years since I had seen them; they have changed yet at the same time, are the same, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah, I get it. We talked about finding them and bringing them here yesterday, but Uncle Simon was one step ahead of us. Instead of saying he was already arranging the reunion, he kept us in the dark, giving us the surprise along with you. Only mum knew, and she said. nothing to any of us. Mind you, we never talked much about all that’s going on with mum; she does her own thing, quietly in the background. Mum has a lot of power at her fingertips, but rarely uses it. I think Uncle Simon, Mum, and Grampa Savage came up with the idea to bring them here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Richard ends up working with Mum. Tandy has been looking for a new lawyer, and Richard might fit that position nicely. I believe one day, Little Simon will be a lawyer of something in that line, as he likes to investigate and watch people a lot, which would make mum and dad proud, and bring him into the family business in that capacity. We have enough people who have done the business courses. Time we had an accountant and lawyer in the mix.” I yawned again, and Storm sighed. I think he wanted to talk, but I was too far gone to think straight.

The warmth of his body, the protective strength of Storms arms, and the gently way he didn’t try to push for something more, that I could feel, he was hard against my hip, it was tempting to see if I could take him, to be my first, but I doubt my stomach would let me do much, and I wasn’t ready to try, not tonight, but it had been on my mind a lot, since he named me as his girlfriend, that’s what was expected in this type of relationship, yes? Darkness consumed me, leaving me with thoughts of what could be.