Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92519 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Petal frowned. “You’re not exactly giving him a choice, though, are you? You’re making the decision. You won’t talk to him, and trust me, I know, because we’ve been living together here for a couple of weeks now.”
After the funeral, she had packed her stuff up from Colt’s and Kim’s, and then driven back home. She hadn’t been able to go into her mother’s room yet. One day she would. She had cleaned every other part of the house. Her mother’s jacket still hung in the hallway, and at night, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d go to her mother’s door and place her hand on the wood, hoping she’d wake up. Hoping for all of this to be a dream.
There was a sudden knock on the door. Getting to her feet, Rosalie walked toward it and opened it without checking through the peephole.
Colt was on her doorstep, holding the divorce papers. “What the fuck is this?” he asked.
“Divorce papers,” she said.
“I’ve told you, time and time again, we are not getting divorced. I don’t want to divorce you, Rosalie. This is not how our story ends.”
“Then how do you want it to end?” she asked, arms folded. “When you give me divorce papers? Is that it? Will you be happy then? Neither of us wanted this, Colt. Why can’t you accept that I’m giving us both a chance to right this wrong?”
He dropped the papers to the ground and closed the distance between them. He cupped her face, tilted her head back, and stared into her eyes. “Because this is not a wrong I want to fix.” He pressed his lips to hers. “You are not something I need to fix.” He stroked her cheek. “Because, Rosalie, you are mine. You’re mine in every single way that counts. I love you, and I’m not divorcing you. You can keep pretending all you want, but you and I both know there is more to this.” He took possession of her lips. “And I will keep doing what it takes to make it right.” He picked up the divorce papers. “I’ll be sure to burn these.”
She watched him walk down the steps and then toward his bike.
“I don’t think divorce is what you need or what you want,” Petal said.
****
“There has been no sign of the Evil Fuckers MC, according to our men,” Warden said. “And what we found, Daemon went off the deep end. He killed the men responsible for the shooting at the gas station, as well as the beating Rosalie took. Afterward, he turned on his own men, including his son. The rest of the Evil Fuckers MC left, and the women that were there fled as well. The clubhouse has been closed, the crime scene already dealt with.”
“They’re going to come back,” Horror said.
“They’re vultures.” This came from Ox.
“I’m thinking of buying the land,” Warden said. “I’ve been talking to our treasurer, and taking on the clubhouse will not be a hard feat. We can all afford it, and it would create the expansion and resolve the problem of an enemy club.”
Colt listened at the church meeting, but his thoughts were on Rosalie. He had no choice but to go to Petal to get information about his wife. Rosalie wouldn’t talk to him. The divorce papers had now been sent to him three fucking times. He refused to sign them.
“All in agreement,” Warden said.
Everyone’s hands went up but Colt, like at every other meeting, stayed perfectly still.
“Colt?” Warden asked. “This is a limited-time offer.”
“Buy the club,” Colt said.
The gavel went down but the happiness within the club had died. Colt didn’t mean to bring the atmosphere of the club down.
The church meeting ended. There was not a lot of business to attend to. Colt stayed at the church table and just stared straight ahead, not seeing anything.
“We’re alone now, son, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Colt wasn’t surprised as his mom took a seat beside him.
He turned to look at his dad and then at his mother. He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Come on, Colt. We know about the papers,” Kim said. “We know you keep burning those papers, and you’re miserable.”
“She wasn’t supposed to matter,” Colt said. He clenched his hands into fists. “I hated her. At least, I thought I did. I hated her for who her father was, and I couldn’t … I didn’t … I can’t let her go.”
“You’re in love with Rosalie?” Kim asked.
He turned toward his mother then looked at his father.
Warden sighed. “There’s no shame in your feelings.”
“She’s the enemy.”
“Is she, though?” Kim asked. “She’s always been on your side. She is still accepting help from the club, or at least from me. I’ve helped her and Petal find a cook for the diner. She’s not leaving town. Rosalie is staying.”