Page 63 of Ride or Die

“You wanna do the honors?” I hold the keys out for him.

His eyes go wide. “Me?”

I nod, biting back a smirk.

“Are you… are you sure?” He quirks a brow. “I-I don’t know how.”

“Hop on up, my guy,” I tell him, the metal door letting out a low groaning creak as I pull it open. “I’ll show you.”

Tommy’s smile wavers with nerves and uncertainty as he climbs up into the driver’s seat, settling in and looking around at everything inside like he ain’t sure what’s what.

“Slide the key in here,” I tell him, pointing to the ignition.

But before he does as I say, he reaches back and loops the seatbelt across his small body, buckling himself in, and I can’t help but chuckle. “Oop, my bad. That’s a good job, bud. Safety first, always.”

Tommy’s hand trembles a touch as he slides the key into the ignition. “Now what?”

“Okay, now you’re gonna wanna press your foot down on the brake, here.” I show him which pedal is the brake, and he has to stretch a little as he does, nodding at me once his foot is in place.

“Now, turn the key.”

Tommy turns the key and when I hear the engine try to kick over, I hold my breath.

“Keep going?” Tommy checks.

I nod, listening to the engine as it struggles to ignite. I lift my leg, sliding my foot in and giving it some gas. Not too much to flood it, but just a tap. Lo and behold, after a couple of seconds the fuckin’ thing kicks over, growling like a grumpy old woman before evening out to a nice, steady low rumble.

Tommy gasps, looking at me.

“We did it, buddy.” I grin, slowly lifting my hand and curling it into a fist, keeping far enough away so as not to frighten him. “Knuckles?”

He looks uncertain a moment, eyes flitting from me to my fist and back again, and that hurts my heart. But then, with a thick swallow, Tommy makes a small fist with his hand and ever so gently, he taps his knuckles against mine and an unexpected pride unfurls deep inside of me.

Seconds later, two excited girls appear in the open barn door, Clara holding Billie’s hand as they look in at us, backlit by the glow of the setting sun.

“It’s going?” Clara asks, her smile wide.

“We did it,” I shout over the sound of the engine, helping Tommy out of the driver’s seat. “Didn’t we, bud?”

“Yeah!” Tommy stands tall next me, his shoulders wide and chest a little puffed out full of pride.

Billie jumps up and down, clapping and cheering like our own personal pom-pom girl, and Clara looks from me to Tommy, her smile watery, eyes gleaming with a hint of tears.

I turn back to Tommy. “Wanna come with me while I take her for a quick spin?”

Tommy’s jaw falls open on a gasp. “Can I?”

I nod. “If it’s okay with your mama?”

He turns to Clara. “Please, Mom. Can I go with Cole?”

Clara’s eyes flare a moment, and I don’t miss that telltale flicker of fear and unease, but it’s gone almost as quickly as it showed, her smile returning when her eyes meet mine. “Of course you can.”

Before I can even tell him to hop in, Tommy’s back inside the cab, eagerly sliding across the bench seat and buckling himself up, bouncing up and down.

“You wanna come, Miss Billie?”

Billie glances up at her mama before shaking her head, her small hand clutching the skirt of Clara’s dress a little tighter. “No. I wanna stay with Mommy.”