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He makes me feel safe and secure, which is something I’ve yearned for most of my life.
Growing up, my safety was uncertain.
I remember the men my mom would bring home, how slimy and disgusting they were, and how they’d stare at me.
Even remembering it now sends a chill down my spine, and gives me an icky feeling I don’t want to remember.
I take another sip of my drink and look at Rosa, “Staying here could be good for you and Razor,”
Rosa licks her lips and nods, “Yeah,”
I can tell something’s off, “What’s the matter?”
Again, I don’t know her well, so maybe her tone shifts when she’s emotionally exhausted or drained.
Rosa closes her eyes for a moment, “Staying here could cause more issues. Before I married Axel, I was engaged to someone else. A marriage my father had arranged without my knowledge. Obviously, I didn’t go through with it, and now the man I was engaged to is out to get me.”
Okay, now that’s a hard pill to swallow.
“So, you’re worried he might come here?”
Rosa licks her lips nervously, “Yeah, that’s a good way to put it. Cause problems, try to hurt me, you know, all that fun stuff.”
Inhaling deeply, I try to be supportive. “The good thing is the club always has your back, so you two won’t be alone in dealing with this. Whatever happens, or comes your way, the club will handle it.”
Rosa smiles and jabs me playfully in the side again. “Thank you, and I really hope you and my brother figure out your shit. Despite your father’s obvious objections, the two of you seem like a great match.”
Rosa’s stomach growls and she giggles, “Well, that’s my cue to get going. If I’m hungry, I’m sure Axel is too.”
“Sure thing,” I say, giving her a small smile. “It was really nice talking to you, Rosa.”
“Likewise,” she returns my smile, scoots off the workbench, and heads back in through the doorway that leads into the clubhouse.
Just as the door’s about to shut, my father emerges from the clubhouse.
His face is a mixture of surprise and uncertainty at the sight of me.
We’ve barely spoken in the last week, and to be honest I’ve been avoiding him like the plague.
The air in the garage becomes thick and tense.
“Oakleigh,” he says, pausing to gather himself. “I didn't know you were out here.”
I smile nervously, “Yeah, Rosa and I were having a chat,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady.
The truth is, things have been so strained between us since everything happened, and I don’t know how we’re going to come back from this.
My father clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “Look, I’m sorry about how everything went down, Oak. I was pissed and my anger got the best of me.”
Does he think apologizing is going to magically fix everything between us?
Licking my lips, I dish out the bitter truth. “Sorry isn’t enough, Dad,” I say quietly, my grip tightening around my lime margarita. “Not this time at least. You need to understand what you did wasn’t okay. Sure, I get you were upset about me being here. I should have told you where I was going, but I did stay in contact. I gave you updates. I?—”
He interjects, “I know you did, but?—”
I cut him off, steeling my voice. “I wasn’t finished, Dad.”
I stare at him for a moment, waiting until I’m certain he’s not going to interrupt me again. “I will admit I was wrong, too. I should have told you I was with Razor, that he and I are . . . together. It was wrong for me to keep that from you, but in my defense, I knew you’d have a problem with it and I needed to do something for me. After the shooting, something changed inside me. It sucked the life out of me and I was struggling every single day to get out of bed.”
