Losing You

Chapter 13

Valeria

I watched Bryant closely all night, and I have no complaints. This man followed my daughter around like a lost puppy. He looks at her like she hangs the moon and the stars, but he is a biker, which means he can be dangerous. I know better than anyone not to judge a book by its cover. My dad, the monster, looks crazy and scary, but he is the kindest man on the planet. He is like a teddy bear with his family. He always accepted us as his own, and he is a great role model. Bryant could turn out to be the same. This man could be the best man in the world, but there's still something there that I can't quite put my finger on just yet. I will just continue to keep an eye on him.

"Alright sister, let's get this all cleaned up. I am ready to go home and sleep." My twin comes over and hugs me. "I can feel your sadness. Is it because Delilah brought a guy over?" I shake my head. "No, of course not. I am glad that she is getting back out there. After what Ethan did to her, I never thought she would move on." she nods. "Do you care that he's a biker? I know you said you didn't want her to end up an old lady," I shrug. "I look at you and Lincoln, and mom and dad, and I can't keep saying all bikers are bad. Ant leaving is on him. It had nothing to do with him being a biker. I can't judge this guy for what was done to me. As long as he's a good guy, and treats my daughter right, then I'm okay with him being whoever he wants to be.

Ethan was supposed to be a good guy. He's in the military, and he turned out to be a piece of sh1t. Plus, it might also be nothing and go nowhere. Maybe they are just friends?" She hugs me again. "You hated Ethan," I chuckle. "I know. I still do. I will never like anyone that hurts my daughter. Plus, he was always a rude, arrogant piece of sh1t. Ant hated him too." I hate myself for bringing him up.

"How did his parents raise him? They are so different?" she asks. I think long and hard. "I ask myself the same thing about Franco and Ant." She hugs me again. "Is there anything you want to talk about? You know I am here for you for everything. You and Delilah are not alone." I can feel the tears, so it's time to end this conversation.

"I know sis. Thank you. You, Lincoln, mom and dad have been our rock. Delilah being surrounded by family has been the best thing for us. I will never be able to thank you all enough." We hug one last time. "You are my soulmate, and your daughter is basically mine too. There's no way you will ever have to go through life alone. Either of you. I love you both so much. We all do." I break down, because who wouldn't. Silver has her way with words, and she knows me so well. I can't hide anything from my twin.

We finish up the last table and throw all the trash in the garbage. We head inside, wash our hands, and she grabs a bag full of leftovers and treats for me to take home. I give her one last hug and head out.

Delilah

He hasn't noticed me, so I watch him for a moment. Who the h3l l is this woman? She brushes something off his face and smiles brightly at him. I feel sick. I am so embarrassed with Bryant, because I am about to go the f*ck off. I thought he was dead. I wanted to tell myself that he was, because there's no way he would just abandon us, but the proof is right in front of me, and that has me raging even more. He is going to know exactly how I feel about him.

"What do you want to do? I got your back," Bryant tells me. He has no idea how much that even means to me right now. His hand on my lower back and his words reassure me. I know we just met, but he makes me feel things I haven't felt in a long time, and his comfort and presence is exactly what I need right now.

"I'm going to give him a piece of my mind, and then we can go. I need to tell my grandpa. At least now there will be closure." He nods. "If you are sure, then let's go," I nod. I look at him, he is wearing his cut. He looks intimidating. He is tall, strong. He has my back. Bryant is a good man, and I'll make sure to properly thank him for having my back at a later time.

I take a deep breath and walk over to them. Dad moves away from where he is standing, and he grabs a wheelchair. He pushes an old woman. Who the h3ll are these women? I guess I'm about to find out. I hurry behind them. I finally catch up. I take another deep breath, and I tap him on the shoulder.

He only turns his head, but the moment our eyes connect, I feel my heart completely break. The tears fall immediately. "Dad, how could you? Who are these women?" He lets go of the wheelchair, and he turns around completely. He doesn't say anything though. He looks at me like I am a stranger, and that hurts more than anything. The other woman notices he has stopped walking, and she comes to stand next to him.

"Is this who you left your family for?" He doesn't say anything. "We thought something bad had happened to you when your disappeared. It's good to know that you just ditched us to start a new family, but don't worry, mom and I are doing just fine without you. F*ck you. I hope you rot in h3ll." I have no idea where those words come from, but I am so pissed off right now. I had to curse. I glance at the woman, who took him from us, and I walk away. At the end of the day, it's all on him, but f*ck her too.

Venom

Delilah walks away, but he screams "wait." She is too pissed and doesn't hear him or doesn't care. "What's going on here?" He looks confused. "She's clearly confusing you with someone else. Let's go, Danny," The woman pushes him, but he doesn't move. I turn to follow Delilah. Something is wrong here. I want to speak to him, but I have to make sure Delilah is alright, so I prioritize her right now. But something is definitely wrong. Her family calls him Ant, and this woman just called him Danny.

Ant

My heart is beating so fast. "Wow, what a crazy girl. She clearly has mental illness. She must be confusing you with someone else. She just ruined the night. Let's just go home," Nina is full of it, and has the audacity to get hysterical. She is yelling at her grandma and they start arguing.

What Nina doesn't know is that I have seen her before. That was the girl from the picture in her room. I decide to chase her.

I run the same way she and the man she was with went. I see him jogging after her, so I begin jogging. They are fast. "Hey, come back," I shout, but I doubt they can even hear me. "Danny," I can hear Nina. I run faster. I make a right and rush down the stairs, but they are nowhere to be seen. The man was wearing a biker's vest. I look all over the place. "F*ck," I can't believe I lost them.

I walk around, not caring that I feel a little light-headed. I finally see them again. In the parking lot, "No, no, no," I run fast, when I see he is helping her get a helmet on. From the back, I see that his cut says Outlaws M.C. "Hey," I shout. I wave my arms in the air, but they don't see me. I'm still too far away. He turns his bike on. He hops on, and she gets on behind him, and they quickly take off.

"Danny," Nina comes up behind me. "What are you doing? Why did you follow them and leave me and grandma?" Is she being serious right now? "I don't know," is all I can say. I don't know anything, but I didn't feel like she was confusing me with anyone else. I can feel a headache coming. "It's time to go," I say. She whines. "Oh, Danny, come on. You seriously didn't believe that girl? Did you? It was probably a prank. You know kids these days prank people and video them for entertainment. Then they post it online for laughs and views. Don't tell me you are going to let some crazy girl ruin our night? Let's just go home and relax. We can talk there," I don't like the tone she uses or the fact that she called her a crazy girl. Is she my daughter? Do I really have a daughter? I know I felt something when I saw her. I can't let Nina know that I have been feeling like she isn't completely honest, so I do what I have to do.

"You are right. Let's just go home," I say. "Exactly. Now let's go find grandma. I left her on the pier." We walk back quietly, but my mind feels like it got an information overload that I need to be alone to figure out.