Page 17 of Loyal
“I’d rather show you.”
“I love surprises,” she admits softly.
I want to tell her that I know but keep that thought to myself. For the next twenty minutes we make idle chitchat until we get to the restaurant.
“Stay put,” I tell her as I pull up to the valet.
I get out and rush to the passenger side, waving the valet off. I help her out of the car and then pass him the keys. Once inside, the hostess takes my name and then leads us to a table in the back that’s out of view.
When I made the reservation, I thought about asking for a table out in the open so everyone could see that she’s mine,but tonight is not about that. It’s about convincing her that I’m worth the risk and that I’m serious about her.
“This place is gorgeous,” she says with awe in her voice.
“I’m glad you approve. I heard the food’s good.”
Only after we’ve looked at the menu and placed our order does the date really start.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” she quips, making me smile.
“You,” I tell her honestly.
She rolls her eyes with a smile. “How about you start, Casanova?”
“Well, how about something you asked me a long time ago, but I never answered? My name is actually Matt.”
She gasps dramatically. “You mean Loyal isn’t actually your name?”
“I know, it’s hard to believe.”
She gives me a little smile. I wonder if she remembers the day she asked for my name.
“A biker only gives his real name when he finds the one he plans to spend the rest of his life with.”
By giving her my name, I’m making a statement. I’m telling her in my own way that I see this lasting a long time.
“Where did Loyal come from?” she asks, surprising me.
“My brothers. That’s what you call the members of the club. If you ask them, I was loyal when others weren’t.”
“It sounds like there’s a story there,” she muses.
“There is, but that can wait for another time.” I wink. “It’s not polite dinner conversation.”
She laughs. “What else is there to know about you?”
“There’s really not much to know. I am local to San Antonio. Born and raised here. My father was a drug runner. Went missing in Mexico when I was a kid. Never met my mom. My abuela raised me until she passed when I was thirteen. Livedin a group home for a while but hated it, so I ran away. Was homeless for a few years. Ended up joining the Lotus when I was nineteen.” I shrug as if that weren’t hard, but I hate thinking about the way I grew up.
My abuela was a mean old woman who treated me poorly. It’s no wonder she raised a man like my father.
“Well damn, Loyal, or should I call you Matt?”
“Loyal.” I reach across the table. “At least when we are in public. You can call me Matt anytime you want in private. Especially in bed.” I wink at her.
She blushes. “We have been together for a year, and I had no idea about all of that. I feel selfish. Like I didn’t take the time to get to know you.”
“We have been trying to keep it casual. Now tell me more about you. I know about the dickhead ex, but I don’t know how you got here. I want to know everything,” I tell her.
She sighs, squeezing my hand. “Well, if you hadn’t already guessed, I had my daughter young. I was sixteen, and our parents lost their minds. Forced us to get married and all of that. I should have run away like you did. Maybe I could have saved myself some grief. When I got divorced, my parents were ashamed of me. They still won’t talk to me, but they talk to Billy all the fucking time.”
