“We all do what we have to do, Abel,” I remarked, and his head twitched. “I mean, my mom isn’t the greatest mom in the history of momkind, but she’s my mom. And to be healthy, I don’t see her much. I know she doesn’t like this. She isn’t the greatest mom and it isn’t good that she wants me around mostly to bitch about Dad and make me feel like I’m nuts. But in her way, she also loves me, likes my company, so she feels our break. It isn’t healthy to be with her so I struggle with that being the wrong choice, but I feel in my heart it’s the only one.”

“It isn’t the wrong choice,” he told me.

I grinned. “It isn’t to you because you kinda like me, and all that’s in your head is looking after me. But it is because she’s my mom. The only one I’ll ever have. She might not take me as I come without giving me shit about who I am, but that doesn’t make it right that I don’t take her as she comes. Two wrongs, no right.”

“Seein’ with your mom, you’re too sweet for your own good,” he muttered.

I decided to let it go. Dad felt the same. He didn’t think I should hold any guilt for cutting Mom out of my life (for the most part).

Dad was wrong too.

I didn’t discuss it with him either.

“My point is, you shouldn’t worry about what you did,” I advised. “I could tell you didn’t want to give that to me, but that only means you’re a good person and you know it’s what you had to do, not what you wanted to do or got off on doing. So don’t worry about it.”

It was then he declared, “That shit ends when all this other shit ends and I got you to look after too.”

I gave him another grin and snuggled closer, whispering, “I kinda like bein’ hooked up with an outlaw.”

He let his eyes drift away, muttering, “Says the biker’s daughter.”

I gave him a squeeze and got his gaze back, happy to see it was smiling.

That done, I kept at it, thinking I might as well get it all out in one fell swoop.

“Taking us out of the heavy and into more heavy, you gotta know we’re covered, birth control-wise, since I’m on the Pill. You take me ungloved, you’ve never done anything but, so I’m assuming since you can’t get sick or catch disease, you can’t give anything to me. But the time was ripe about two weeks ago for me to make certain of that, so obviously, now, I need to make certain of it.”