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“You’re not alone,” she whispers.
She’s wrong. I am. I love and adore Seri too much to lay all my bullshit at her feet, especially when she’s got enough going on. I’ve been dealing with everything alone for years. The shame and fear kept me from speaking out against Harry, now it’s the determination and grit that’s keeping me from asking for help. I want to prove to myself that I can heal all by myself.
It may be foolish, but it’s all that keeps me going.
CHAPTER7
REAPER
Watching Esme interact with Storm has pissed me the fuck off. I’m not sure why the tiny, beautiful woman has me so affected, but seeing her smiling and touching another man pisses me off. It’s taken every single restraint I have not to kill my own brother. I can’t deal with this shit. The grin Storm has every time he’s around Esme lets me know that he knows what he’s doing.
“What’s wrong with you?” Preach asks, his brows narrowed as he holds his baby boy in his arms.
The boy is doing much better. He’s overcome the addiction that he was born with and there’s no longer any of the drugs in his system. The poor kid was fucked with that cunt of a mother of his. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to deal with her brand of bullshit. The bitch got what was coming to her. She died a painful death thanks to Preach. His boy was in hospital for a week or so, and he’s just got home. He needed to get away after Tyson’s birth. I’m fuckin’ glad that he’s back. He returned today, and I can finally see that getting away was what he needed. The guilt and pain is finally gone. Good.
I never thought I’d see my brother with a child. Hell, the life that he lived, I didn’t think he’d ever settle down. But having Tyson has changed him. He’s no longer drowning in the crap his parents pushed on him.
Finding out that bitch Pepper was pregnant scared the fucking life out of me. Especially when she wouldn’t tell anyone who the father was for months. I thought it was me. I thought I was a goner. The last thing anyone needed was to be stuck with that bitch as the mother of their child. As much as it pains me, I was beyond fucking relieved when we found out Preach was the father. I couldn’t deal with Pepper and the bullshit she put Preach through. She kept taking drugs while pregnant and didn’t give a fuck about the baby.
“Nothin’,” I snap as I look at Esme. She’s sitting with her girls, and they’re all smiling. She’s happy that Serenity’s home. She's got a soft smile on her face, but the moment she sees me, her eyes narrow and she glares at me. Christ. What the fuck?
“Best find out if Storm’s tryin’ to get in there, brother. If he is, he’s got a better chance than you do,” Preach says with a fucking chuckle.
I ignore his laughter and move toward Storm. “What’s goin’ on with you and the girl?” I demand, wondering why the hell the itty-bitty thing is full of venom.
He releases a heavy sigh. “I pissed her off. I met her a while back and was an ass to her, then I was the same again last night when we were at the museum.”
Last night was a complete fucking shit show. When Shadow’s woman was closing up, she was attacked yet again. The men tried to drag her out of the museum through the back. Thankfully, my brothers heard her scream and were able to stop it before anything nefarious happened to her. She ended up spending the night in the hospital for observation. But she’s home now and being tended to by her sister and friend. The little woman has positioned herself on Serenity’s left. She’s ensuring that anyone who means harm will come to her first.
I fucking love that. She’s protective of her girl.
I turn to Storm and grin. “You were bein’ an ass?”
He flips me off and a slow smile forms on his face. “The woman’s gorgeous, but she’s not my type. She’s got too much sass for me. I apologized for bein’ an ass. What did you do to her, Reap?” he asks me, still wearing that damn smile on his face. “She looks as though she wants to go for your balls.”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what the fuck I’m supposed to have done.”
“Yo, Esme,” he shouts, and I see the gorgeous woman turn to him. “What did Reaper do that pissed you off?”
She narrows her eyes. “What is it with you men? Neither of you can remember when you’re assholes?”
Storm laughs. “Christ, Reap, what did you do to her?”
I stare at the beautiful woman in surprise. I don’t remember her. What the fuck? Surely I’d remember her?
I’m moving toward her before I can even think straight. “Come,” I tell her as I wrap my fingers around her arm and pull her to her feet. She comes willingly even though Serenity’s glaring at me.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, as I take her outside. “What happened?”
“I don’t remember you,” I tell her as I release her. I turn to face her, and my breath catches as I get a look at her eyes. They’re a mix of blue and green, with a hue of brown. “Fuck,” I whisper. “The night at the club?” I ask, and she gives me a wry smile and a small nod. It was the night everything went to shit.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did.”
“It’s okay. I accept your apology. I truly never meant to upset you that night. I just thought you looked a little angry and lost. I should have left you alone.”
Holy fuck. What woman would come up to a man like me and sit with me because she thought I was angry and lost? Christ. I fucked up. I was a dick. I just hope she’ll forgive me. I don’t know why I want her to. I just need her to.
I shake my head. “No, you shouldn’t have.”
