22
Veronica
My mom has been home for a week now, and my dad is coming home in a couple of days if all goes well. My ribs are still a little sore, but the headache has been gone for days and I’m finally starting to feel like myself again. Not just the me I was before the abduction. The me I was before my sister was taken.
I didn’t even realize just how weighed down I’ve been by all the guilt and all the frustration of not getting justice for Ariel from the men that hurt her. I hardly remembered not feeling guilty and frustrated all the time. Just as before, I hardly remembered feeling happy and content.
The men that hurt Ariel got justice now.
And I feel like I don’t have a care in the world.
It’s the Chance Effect. That’s what I’ve been calling it. He is a master of just living in the moment, making the best of every situation and living life large. And what’s even better, it’s contagious.
Meanwhile, Chance is still trying to prove to me he’s more than just a ruthless killer biker. The things I accused him of in the beginning cut deep and no amount of kissing and holding him—or telling him I was an idiot and way out of line, for that matter-is helping.
Or maybe it’s because I’ve yet to meet his family and his MC brothers and he’s taking that the wrong way. I do want to get to know them all. They clearly mean a lot to him.
But I’ve been avoiding it, because I’ve made such an ass of myself when Chance and I first met, and I’m afraid I’ll say or do the wrong thing and make them all hate me.
That's not all my fault, it’s Chance’s too. He can’t keep a secret to save his life and always says more or less exactly what he’s thinking. And one of those things was telling me that pretty much everyone in his life knows how hard I went after him when he came to work at the foundation.
I’ll have to face the music with them soon too. But for now, I just want to have the Chance Effect to myself for a little while longer.
I told him how much I admire his mom and her work last night, and now we’re having brunch, at one of the outdoor cafes in the Pleasantville town center. It’s Saturday morning and all the tables are taken. We’ve long since finished all the food and I’m on my second cappuccino. Chance has been fidgeting for the last half hour, making no secret that he wants to get going. We’re heading to the beach after we leave here. To spend the night together. Finally.
His mom and I have been talking for almost two hours straight now. I didn’t even know I had so many questions for her, but they just kept coming. She’s not only a well of information on the underbelly of the sex trafficking operations in the US and abroad, but also gave me tons of advice on being a better documentarian.
I’ve yet to meet his dad, but I’m pretty sure Chance gets his fearlessness and strong sense of justice from his mom.
“It’s really great that you two are getting along so well, but we really should get going now,” he says suddenly. “You can chat about all this some more when we get back.”
His mom gives him a very soft look as she pats his forearm. “I’m sorry. You know how I get when I start talking about work.”
He rolls his eyes. “Do I ever.”
She looks at me, still smiling softly. “Don’t let him fool you. He loves hearing about my work.”
He scoffs. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say I love it.”
“He does,” she tells me. “That’s why you two are so perfect for each other.”
Chance blushes softly and, going by the sudden heat in my face, I probably blushed worse.
“Mom, come on, stop it now.”
She laughs at that and pats him on the arm again. “Did he tell you why we named him Chance?”
“Not this story.” This time Chance leaps to his feet and I’m sure he’s going to try and get me to stand up too, so I preventing it, by saying, “Oh, I want to hear this,” while grinning at both of them.
“I don’t,” he says with a sigh. “I’m going to take a leak and then we’re leaving. So talk fast.”
She leans in closer once he walks away, the upturned edges of her lips all that’s left of her wide smile.
“You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger,” she tells me. “Not sure if that’s a good thing or not. In the beginning, when I first met Chance’s father, I wasn’t sure how I’d fit into the MC life. I loved him, but I didn’t know if that was enough. We were from such different worlds.”
“I feel kind of the same way,” I admit before fully deciding to. Clearly she knows how hard I’ve been on Chance in the beginning, and I’m glad she’s only just now bringing it up, because it means she’s clearly not holding it against me.
She nods. “It wasn’t until I got pregnant that I decided to take the chance, fully and completely, for better or worse. And I’ve never looked back, let alone regretted it. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you will either.”