Invisible Strings

Chapter Seventeen

She'd just completed the twirl when the sound of little feet running through the house landed on my ears. Within seconds, Chloe and Colton came running up towards us. What shocked me was that they skirted their mother, each of them running directly into me and hugging my legs tightly as they both yelled my name. I ruffled the hair on their heads before pulling back from them, looking down into their eyes.

It was then that the realization of how much they looked like their mother –and like one another–hit me. Twins didn't always look identical but aside from the fact that Colton had short hair and Chloe had long hair like her mother, it was almost impossible to tell them apart. They both had Delaney's green eyes, the same sprinkling of freckles across their noses, the same little cupid's bow over their top lip.

"Hey you two. Yall benign good today?"

"We're always being good. Ain't we, Mama?" said Chloe, the sass in her voice making me smile. It reminded me of Braylin and how she was full of it. I knew that I was going to hate that part of her when she reached her teenage years but it was adorable as hell right now.

"Little angels." said Delaney, the pride in her kids obvious.

"Where are you and Mama going?" Asked Colton. I followed the line of his eyes, noticing he was looking out at my Harley.

"Gonna take your mama on a little ride through the country." I said. "If that's okay with you."

"It's fine," Chloe answered before Colt could. "Pop-Pop and Gigi are taking us to the movies and then to get pizza."

"And we better hurry if we want to make it to the theater before the movie starts." said Nick, making his entrance. He had his arm slung over Gwen's shoulder, giving me a picture of how the two had looked when they were teenagers.

Both kids gave Delaney hugs before doing the same to me and barrelling out the door towards Gwen's SUV. Not for the first time since having kids did I envy the amount of natural energy they had. What I wouldn't give to be able to be wide open as a kid. Man, the shit I could accomplish in a day...

"You two have fun." said Gwen as she walked past us, a smile that was a mirror image of her daughters.

"Take good care of her." Nick said to me as he gestured towards my Harley. "Not that I have to tell you that since I know you will. I just wanted to reiterate."

"I promise not to harm a single hair on her head, sir."

Nick waved a hand in the air dismissing my 'sir' before looking back at her daughter. "And Ladybug, don't rush home. Your mama and I have the kids tonight and you deserve a few hours to enjoy yourself. All I ask is that when you do come home, make it before the sun is coming up." With that as his parting words, he left Delaney and I standing on the porch as he climbed into the driver's seat of his wifes SUV. Delaney wrapped her arms around my waist as her parents gave waves and a toot of the horn as they pulled away.

I placed a kiss atop of her head and pulled her tightly against me, resting her head against my chest. "So, are you ready to feel the wind on your face?"

"I thought you would never ask." she said, looking up at me. "I have to admit though, I've never ridden a motorcycle so I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"All you have to do is hold on." I said.

Delaney's POV:

I stood beside the gleaming black Harley as Brantley placed my helmet on my head, making sure the chin strap was securely in place. I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that the racing of my heart was only because I was near Brantley. Truth was, I was both scared, excited, and nervous to ride on the back of this thing. But even as the nerves I was experiencing threatened to take over, there was a sudden feeling of easiness that outweighed it and I knew it had to do with the man that I was about to take my first ride with.

Once the helmet was secure, Brantley leaned down and placed a quick kiss on my lips before swinging his leg over the bike. I watched as he worked quickly to place his helmet on his head. When he was done, he held his hand out to me and said "swing your leg over the back." I did as she said, settling down onto the leather seat that was surprisingly cushiony.

"Slide closer to. Press your legs against my hips."

"Okay". I did as he said then, closing the tiny gap between us.

"Now, wrap your arms around my waist. But not too tightly. That's it." he said, telling me that I was doing exactly what he wanted me to do.. "And make sure that your feet on the back pegs and that and that you are careful not to touch the pipes with your legs. Don't want you getting burned."

And then the motorcycle roared to life, rumbling beneath me. Brantley let it idle for a few seconds before yelling over the sound of the engine. "Ready?"

"Yep." I yelled in return.

Within seconds, Brantley turned the bike around and was creeping out of the driveway. Even though we were practically creeping, I could already tell that I was going to love the feeling of being on this bike. That feeling was confirmed when Brantley pulled out onto the pavement and picked up speed.

There was something to be said about the feeling of freedom that came with being out on the open road with the wind on your face and in your hair. The only thing I knew to compare it to was that feeling you got when you were sitting on the back of a horse and you were racing across a pasture. But even that couldn't compare to this because well... that didn't include the smell of man, leather, and fresh air; nor did riding the horse give you the chance to have the man sitting in front to grip your thigh possessively each time he reached a straight stretch of highway.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what else we did today, this would be a date that I would never forget.