Make You Believe (Bulldogs MC #1)

4: That Was So Corny!

^^ Mel's Mum ^^

"I bumped into Marion the other day in town," My mother said as we sat down for dinner. Ever since I had moved out, I'd joined my mother for dinner once a week, making sure to spend some quality time with her. Every Sunday afternoon I would come round and we'd cook together, before sitting down to eat and catching up with each other's news. Marion was one of Mum's friends and also lived in the same apartment block as me. It had been her who had helped me to get the apartment when I'd moved out.

"How is she?" I asked.

"She's fine. She had some interesting gossip for me." I tensed as I waited for her to continue. "It turns out she's had some trouble sleeping and spends a lot of time sitting by her window at night time." Oh no. I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "Apparently you came home with the Bulldogs a few nights ago."

I nodded slowly, making sure to chew my food a little bit extra to buy myself some time. My mother had grown up in this town too, so she knew all about the Bulldogs. "They come into the café a lot. They dropped me and Shelby home after a night out," I explained.

"She said you seemed to be very close to one of them," She stared at me as she spoke, watching my facial expressions carefully.

"We're just friends, mum. It's a small town, you know what it's like,"

"I know that the Bulldogs have always been here, and yet they never gave me a lift home when I was younger."

I held in a groan. "Mum, seriously, it's nothing."

She sighed and looked at me carefully. "You're old enough to know what you're doing. I just want you to be happy and safe. If you're involved with one of them," She held up her hand when I went to argue. "If you are, just be careful. And make sure he looks after you."

I was stunned. I thought she was going to warn me away from them and tell me to keep my distance. "Thanks, mum," I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "But we really are just friends."

"For now," She smirked. She cleared her throat and looked back at her plate. "Have you spoken to your father?"

"He called me last week, just to see how I was. We don't speak unless he calls me. I don't really have anything to say to him,"

She sighed and looked up at me again. "Whatever mistakes he's made, he's still your father," she said, always the peacemaker.

"Well, he should have thought of that before he walked out," I mumbled, before I carried on eating, effectively ending the conversation.

***

"Are you a library book? 'Cos I'm totally checking you out," Ash called out as I carried an order to a table near the Bulldogs'.

I placed the order in front of the customer and turned to face Ash, my hands on my hips. "Wait, are you telling me you can actually read?" I asked him, grinning when the customer I had just served whistled loudly and laughed.

It had been a couple of weeks since I had almost kissed him when I was drunk, and neither of us had mentioned it since then. We had slipped back into our usual routine of him pestering me while I was working and using cheesy chat up lines on me.

"When are you going to go on a date with me?" He asked, grabbing my hand as I walked past him again.

I sighed. "When are you going to give up?"

He grinned at me. "Never!"

"If I say yes to a date, will it get you to shut up?" I raised an eyebrow at him.