Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Funny how he thought she could get over him within nine months. She didn’t want to admit that it took as long as it had. And that was why she hadn’t returned until now.
She’d been confident she was over him. Now, that confidence was as holey as Swiss cheese.
But he didn’t need to know any of that.
“It ain’t just my family, Ky, or my club that woulda been there for you and Ledger. Even if you didn’t want me fuckin’ involved, your family’s here, too. You left Shadow Valley where you had everything and went somewhere where you had fuckin’ nothin’.”
And that was why she risked coming back. To have support from the people she loved and who loved her.
Zeke was not one of those people. He’d proven by his actions that the love had been one-sided.
“I was overwhelmed, pissed off and hurt by what you did. Hell, let’s not forget disappointed. Then, when I found out I was pregnant, I panicked. You weren’t reliable, Zeke. Not for me. Not for your family. Not for your club. You can’t deny that. Because of that, I couldn’t expect you to be reliable for Ledger. Out of everything on that list, he needed and still needs that the most.” Her eyes began to sting. She needed to get him out of her house before she broke down. If she did, he might think he had the upper-hand. “I didn’t keep him out of your life to hurt you. I did it to keep him from being hurt.”
His nostrils flared. “Same as I hurt you.”
She cursed the shake in her voice when she said, “You broke my heart. I was right there at that pig roast. You knew that and you didn’t care. You made me feel like I was nothing. That I didn’t matter.”
Chapter Thirteen
He tipped his eyes downward and scrubbed his forehead. A few seconds later, he lifted his gaze again and met hers head-on. “You always fuckin’ mattered, Ky. Always.”
Was that regret in his eyes? No, it couldn’t be.
Turning his back on her, he dropped his head and plugged a hand on his hip. “God-fuckin’-damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
When he spun back around, he moved so close that the tips of his leather boots brushed against her bare toes.
“You always fuckin’ mattered,” came out in a pained whisper.
She blinked back her tears.
Don’t fall for this, Ky, it might be an act. He could be trying to make you feel guilty for protecting your heart, your sanity, and your son.
“Then you should’ve showed me. What you showed me said otherwise.”
Damn it, her throat was closing up. She did not expect to be rehashing this tonight. She had come to peace with her initial decision to escape and now she’d been thrown back into turmoil.
By the man who caused it.
She cleared her throat so she could ask, “You want the truth, Zeke?”
“Certainly don’t wanna be fed a goddamn lie.”
“It wasn’t only what you did with Bunny. It was how you were living your life.” He’d been on a dangerous path of destruction.
That wasn’t an opinion. That was fact.
“I’m a fuckin’ biker, Ky.”
So was his father and uncles, and a lot of his relatives. Being a biker wasn’t a good excuse. Being close with Violet had shown Kyra that not all bikers were criminals or had a long rap sheet.
Vi’s father could be intimidating but Diesel had never spent a minute behind bars.
“Believe me, I was aware of that. It wasn’t hard to miss. But I also couldn’t ignore the fact that you were headed back to jail the…next…morning for the”—she held up her hand between them and ticked off her fingers—“fifth time?” She narrowed her eyes on him.
“Prison.”
She huffed out a breath. “Oh right. That’s so much better. How many times did you go back since then, Zeke? Even if I had stayed, you weren’t going to be around to help raise him, pay his expenses, or provide emotional support.”
His jaw shifted. “I’m a fuck up. Got it. Changin’ my ways. For my family. My club. And now my son.”
“If only I could believe that,” she whispered.
He cupped her face and whispered back, “Gonna prove it to you. Just gotta give me a fuckin’ chance.”
Her pulse pounded along her throat. “For Ledger, right?”
“Yeah, for Ledger. You, too.”
She shook her head, dislodging his hand. “No, not for me. The only reason you’ll be in my life is for Ledger. No other reason.”
She wished she could step away from him—to give herself some space—but he had her trapped against the counter. Oh yes, he was dangerous, but tonight, not in a criminal way.
She wouldn’t let him play with her emotions. She would not make the mistake of being with a biker ever again.
She closed her eyes in an attempt to create a wall between them.