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“Ooh, I know what that’s like,” Astrid says, earning a look from Slade.
“What? It’s true.”
“I said I was sorry,” he snaps at her.
She rolls her eyes. “And I forgave you. But your sorry didn’t magically rewrite history. Why do men think that’s a thing?” she finishes.
“Did you apologize?” Salem asks Hawk as I try to sink farther down into the chair.
“Yeah, but I think it’s going to take more than I’m sorry to earn Avery’s forgiveness.”
Salem frowns, looking between me and Hawk. “Okay, I’m clearly missing a lot here. You left them, right? That’s what they said—that you left and never came back.” I flinch, but I don’t look away from her.
“There’s more to the story. Some we didn’t know, and some stuff—” Hawk coughs to clear his throat, but then shuts up.
“I found out that Creed married me for his green card and that Hawk didn’t love me at all,” I finish for him.
Salem’s eyes are as wide as her mouth now.
Astrid glares at Hawk. “What in the actual fuck?”
“Astrid—” Jagger touches her wrist, but she shakes him off.
“No. I felt sorry for them. And you all made it sound like it was her fault,” she says, looking around the table.
“I’m so disappointed in you right now,” she tells Hawk. And now it’s my turn to be shocked. I never expected them to take my side.
“All this time, I thought she left for no reason. That was a dickish thing to do.”
Hawk defends himself. “We didn’t know she’d overheard us talking.”
“Oh, well, why didn’t you say you were talking behind her back? That would have made things so much better. I’m not surprised she left. I wouldn’t have forgiven you either. Wait… if you didn’t know she overheard you, then why did you think she left you?”
Hawk shrugs.
“What does that mean?” She looks at me. “What did you tell them? Not that you owed them a damn thing.”
“I didn’t tell them anything. I never got the chance.”
“I’m sorry, I’m really confused.”
Salem looks to Zig for help, but it’s Hawk that replies. “We didn’t go after her. We just let her go.”
“You didn’t go after her? Like at all?” Astrid looks from Hawk to Jagger and Slade. “And I thought you guys were assholes, but at least you came after me.”
“It wasn’t all their fault. I never planned on leaving. Even as mad and heartbroken as I was, I couldn’t imagine my life without them. I’d already lost everyone I ever cared about. I couldn’t do it again because I wouldn’t just be losing Creed and Hawk, I’d be losing…” my voice cracks, so I reach for my glass and take a sip.
“Your found family,” Salem whispers.
I nod, glad she understands that part at least. “Of course, I lost them anyway when I trusted the wrong person.”
“What happened?”
“Cooper happened,” I reply softly. Then, with a nod from Zig, I tell them everything I already told the guys. By the time I’m finished, Salem has tears running down her face, and Astrid looks stunned.
“I’m… I don’t even know what to say. You came to warn us?” she croaks as Zig wraps his arm around her and Oz grabs the box of tissues off the counter.
“I mean, I didn’t know it was you. I just knew it was someone at Apex. And to be fair, there is still a chance it’s not you,” I add, though it seems unlikely at this point.
