Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 408(@200wpm)___ 326(@250wpm)___ 272(@300wpm)
Anthony knew he was different from Simon. He wasn’t better than Simon, he just ... didn’t stop. It was that simple. There was no chance of losing in his mind.
Sitting back, he tried not to feel anything when it came to Luke, but he couldn’t forget those scars.
There was a knock on the door, and he called for whoever it was to come in. He hoped they’d be bearing a drink. He needed coffee badly.
Tabitha was the one to open the door, and he wasn’t interested in talking to her, until she showed the two cups in her hand.
“You can leave me both cups,” he said.
“Not a chance.”
She closed the door and then looked toward the bed. “What happened?”
“Can’t tell you.”
Tabitha opened her mouth, then closed it, and nodded her head. “Right.”
“You don’t even wear the leather cut,” Anthony said, pointing to her current leather jacket with the Chaos Bleeds patch. She was not a Skull.
“I would never do anything to jeopardize the club.”
Anthony looked at her. It didn’t matter what she would or wouldn’t do. Facts were facts. Chaos Bleeds and Skulls were friends, but they were still different clubs.
“I take it you’re not going to make this easy for me.”
“I hate to break it to you, Tabitha, but you have had a whole lot of easy over the years.”
“What the fuck?” Tabitha asked.
He held his hand up. “I’m not saying it hasn’t come at a cost. I know it has, but let’s face it, the club helped to take the decision right out of your hand. You can hate the Monster Dogs all you want, but without them, you would still be stuck trying to decide where your loyalty lies.”
“You just love keeping it real, don’t you?” she asked.
“I don’t love anything ... but her.” He took a sip of his coffee, and it was a pretty decent cup.
“Daisy will make it through,” Tabitha said.
He didn’t look at her, but glanced toward the bed. He had no idea how much longer Luke was going to be out of it.
“Why are you here and not at the hospital?” Anthony asked.
“I ... I had to make things right with you.”
“No, you didn’t. The only way you’re going to make things right with me is by being there for Daisy. I don’t give a fuck what is going on in your world, Tabitha. Not anymore. You mattered when you were a Skull. Now you don’t.”
“Wow,” Tabitha said. “That is how you feel?”
“You knew it was going to happen the moment Daisy became a second thought to you.”
She sighed. “That’s not fair.”
“That’s life.”
“Damn it, Anthony. I love Daisy, okay? Do you know why I didn’t come right away?”
“Do I look like I give a fuck?”
“Because Daisy needs someone to be strong and when I heard she was in the hospital and in a coma, I broke, okay? I just ... I wasn’t even here and Daisy was in the hospital. She has always had my back. I know what she is capable of. She knew when I needed her, even when I didn’t know I needed her. Through the hospital, through the pregnancy. Where everyone kept expecting me to end it, Daisy was there. She went with me to every single appointment. It got to the stage that people thought she and I were a couple.”
He looked toward Tabitha and saw the tears in her eyes. Daisy had often told him she would be with Tabitha through everything.
“She was there for me when I gave birth.” Tabitha sniffled. “No one knows this and Daisy didn’t tell you, but after I gave birth, I was not the first person to hold Nathan. I turned away from him, and Daisy held him first. She accepted him, but I knew there was a chance he was not Simon’s. It was Daisy who helped me see that no matter what, he was part of me. She loved him first. She accepted him first. That is my guilt to bear.”
Daisy had never told him that, but then he also never asked. She’d walked into his arms after it happened and just held him and asked if one day he wanted kids. One day, he would want everything with her, for her. That was never going to change.
“I needed to get my shit together because I knew over the years, I messed up. I know when it came to Daisy, I was more focused on putting you and her together, of being with Simon, of keeping the name for the Skulls. I didn’t put my all into our friendship, and yet Daisy gave everything. She is always giving everything, and I am always lacking.”
Anthony looked toward her.
“Daisy doesn’t even realize how special she is,” Tabitha said. “And hearing she was in the hospital and then knowing she was in a coma, it hurt.”