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Didn't want dad forever behind bars.
“So he took the news hard.” She reached for my hand. “And I guess he just needs some time to process this. You understand, right?”
Tears threatened my view. I tried to swallow the hard lump in the back of my throat. But the damn thing wouldn’t budge. I nodded slowly, my mind racing, trying to come to terms with the news.
“When he’s ready to see us, then we’ll go…as a family, because that’s what we are, Ry. A family. We will support him, we will love him. We will do everything in our power to bring him home to us, no matter how long it takes.”
“You—you won’t give up on him?”
She brushed her hand along my jaw and stared into my eyes. “No more than I’d give up on you.”
I forced a smile. “Good.”
“Good?”
My smile grew wider. “Yeah.”
“Alright.” She dropped my hand and turned. “You’re really okay with us leaving right after, aren’t you? I mean, I hate to leave you on your own. But the wineries are apparently calling.”
My pulse throbbed. I nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be busy anyway with school.”
“And you have the boys here if you need anything.”
That burn reached higher as she drew me in for a hug. “Two weeks is too long to leave you.”
Two weeks…two weeks of them.Avoiding them. Hating them.
“No, it’s not too long. It’s your honeymoon. Besides, I won’t even notice you’re gone.”
She pulled away, smiling. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
She clapped her hands together like a damn schoolgirl. “Okay, so let’s do this. Let’s become a family.”
I grabbed the small bouquet of deep yellow roses, followed her out to the entrance of the lavish garden, and stopped by her side. The last week had been a blur. I hid at school, hanging back in the classroom while Gio still limped away, avoiding me as best as he could. Then I left school, snarling at Nick as he waited at the drop-off pointevery morning and every goddamn afternoon.
Then I came home, to lock myself in my room, furious at Tobias and the other two for treating me like I was a damn possession, something they could control…and use when and how they wanted.
I had news for them…
There’d be nousing,not by them.
Not since the park.
I licked my lips, heat rising to my cheeks as soft music began to play, and the memory returned. The hard tree against my back, Nick as he'd fucked me like a damn animal. I winced, playing it off as a smile at one of the guests, and followed mom toward Creed.
It was standing room only. The small gathering was only supposed to be close friends and family. The inside of the event center was stunning at night, with masculine gray glass windows and a black floor, but they were balanced perfectly by the white and pink wedding decorations.
The wide open doors gave a glimpse of the dark sprawling gardens. I tried to remember how many acres mom had said it was, but I couldn’t.
The music grew in tempo, pulling my focus to Creed. He stood at the end of the aisle in front of some kind of priest in a dark suit. My steps stuttered as the man of God lifted his gaze and I saw the frozen smile on his lips as he looked at me.
Jesus.I swallowed, taking in the hard jawline and cold smile. I’d never seen a priest who looked like that…ever. The white collar gripped his neck like a shackle, making my pulse stutter as I moved my gaze back to his eyes. There was something darker lurking behind his brown eyes. Something not quite…holy.I shifted my focus to the name stitched onto the jacket of his immaculate black suit.
Hale Order for the Lost.
For the lost?
