Tiny's Sweet Obsession

1: Past and Present

                                                "She is brave and strong and broken all at once."

                                                                                  Anna Funder

Tiny's POV

Some of the Phoenix Rider members and I spent the last two hours at Redemption Diner while the old ladies and others threw a baby shower for Kayla at Killer's place.

Not long after Whiskey and Kayla found out they were expecting, they got married. They chose a small backyard wedding the week before Thanksgiving so everyone could be in town and there to celebrate with them. It was a small wedding because Kayla was due in five short months. The reception was one hell of a party, and Kayla and Whiskey lasted longer than expected.

Kayla asked Lily to be part of the wedding, but she said she could only stay for the ceremony. Regardless, Lily looked stunning, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She wore a long dark blue dress that matched her light-blue eyes and brown hair perfectly. I didn't talk to her other than to say hello, and by the time I got up the nerve Lily left.

After the reception, some of us went to our bar, Ashes, and partied well into the morning. At one point, an older brunette wearing too much makeup and very little clothing sauntered over to me. She tried her best to persuade me to take her home, but failed miserably as my mind was on a tall, blue-eyed brunette who wasn't there.

As my mind wandered back to that night, a sweet, airy voice broke my train of thought, and I found Lily staring at me. "What?" I asked.

She smiled, blushing. "Do you want another soda?"

"That would be great," I beamed, winking before she walked away.

An elbow met my side the moment Lily was out of sight, and I shot Gears a look. "What was that for?!"

He laughed. "You know damn well what that was for. Seriously, you do this every time we come here, and it's only getting worse. When are you going to ask Lily out?" he questioned.

I rolled my eyes. Gears is a brother to me, more so than the others, and he knows better than anyone I have no shot with someone like Lily. She is too kind and beautiful for the life the Phoenix Riders lead. Despite bringing our fair share of troubles to her and Pop. Such as accidentally blowing up the place a few months ago when we were chasing Carter.

As a result, we rebuilt Redemption Diner within months. Now, it is twice the size as before and upgraded. Of course, Pops didn't want to accept it, but after we destroyed the previous one, it was the least we could do. Handing the keys over to him and watching Lily walk around in awe of the new place, afraid to touch everything, was better than I imagined.

Lily returned with my soda, and I thanked her before she returned to attend the other tables. We spent the next hour waiting for the girls to text us, saying the baby shower was over, but they never did, and the others were growing antsy. I, however, could happily stay here all day and told them to go ahead and I'd meet them back at the clubhouse.

I moved to the counter and sat next to the register, waiting for Lily to have a free moment to talk. She came over to cash out a customer, who tipped her generously and stared at her like a piece of meat. She didn't notice him sliding a piece of paper across the counter, but he caught my eye and paled. I grabbed the piece of paper before Lily could see it, shoving it in my pocket, nodding for the guy to get lost, and he quickly left.

Lily leaned against the counter across from me and let out a breath. Her light brown hair fell from her loose braid and into her light-blue eyes, which had dark circles under them. She's working too much. I'll have to talk to Pops about hiring another waitress or two since Kayla isn't working anymore.

"So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" she asked, smiling.

"Oh, you know, waiting for the girls to finish up with their baby shower for Kayla. But I'll probably head over to the garage before that. I have a car that needs my attention," I said, trailing off.

Lily's eyes widened, and she rummaged under the counter as I spoke and eventually pulled out a small bag and passed it to me. "I forgot the baby shower was today!" she exclaimed. "Will you give this to Kayla and apologize to her for me? Since we've been short-staffed, I couldn't get today off, but I got her something small. She probably has more than she needs but-" she trailed off, blushing.

"She will love it," I assured her, grabbing her hand. She glanced down at our hands and pulled away, blushing.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you soon, but I need to get back to work," she sighed.

Smiling, I stood. "You can count on it, and if you ever need any help, you know you just have to call," I said, winking before walking to my bike and heading back to the shop.

*****

After a few hours, I heard a bike pull up and knew it was Gears. I'm sure he was tired of the girls and all the talk of Ellie, plus Whiskey and Kayla's, which was on the way. The bike stopped, and so did another vehicle.

Rolling out from under the car, I saw Gears and Tiger walking up. "Hey," Gears said before grabbing a pair of coverups and a few tools.

Tiger stood in the garage, wandering around before settling on a stool next to the car I was working on. "Is the party over?" I asked, wiping off my hands.

"No, they're still hanging out at Killer's place," she mumbled, picking up a wrench.

"Oh," I said, giving her a weak smile. I knew Tiger wanted kids but couldn't, and it didn't help that the other Old Ladies got pregnant within months of each other. I hate seeing her upset. Especially when I can't help.

"Hand me the socket wrench," I said, nodding to one beside her.

She handed me the wrench, and I smiled. "Come on, let's see if we can fix this car in a few hours. An extra pair of hands would be nice," I stated, hoping it would take her mind off things.

Smiling, Tiger nodded, grabbed a pair of coveralls and another creeper, and we got to work. Two hours later, the car turned over beautifully, and a smile returned to Tiger's face.