I wake with a body draped over me, it’s a small body, but the heat it produces is crazy hot. Liam is lying on my chest, the sheet still firmly over me thankfully. Rose is awake, and watching us.
“He sneaks into my bed early in the morning,” she explains, looking back to him, then to me. My ribs hurt, the pressure he puts on them makes the pain worse when I breathe.
“Tell me what happened last night,” she asks.
“Move him first.”
“No, after you tell me.”
“I met up with a friend, that friend wasn’t impressed about Savannah.” That’s putting it mildly. Grover still doesn’t know, and it will stay that way till I’m ready. Kane came to my house last night, the one Jake was at. I didn’t think Kane would be a threat, then he saw her body. He found it where I hid it, and I was a minute to slow for him. He kicked me to the ground, then kicked me in the face. Jake pulled him off, but Kane produced a gun. His jaw was clenched, his teeth bared. His eyes kept on falling on Savannah’s, then to me. I had to shoot him… had to kill him. He needed to die.
“You!” he basically spat at me. I didn't understand what he was talking about until I saw her body, it was locked away, hidden until I could rid it. He grabbed me when I wasn’t looking, his hand pulling my collar, kicking my knees out from under me. His boots started to assault me, I could feel the bruises straight away, knew it was going to leave a mark, then he was pulled off, his kicking still frantic. He swiveled in Jake’s grip, moved fast and produced a gun. It was aimed at me, his teeth were bared, he was furious, the woman he loved but never had, was dead, and he knew exactly who did it. Jake reached for his gun tucked away in his pants, he was too slow, though, because just as Kane turns, his eyes not trained on me, my gun is produced, shooting him dead between the eyes.
“Oh God,” she says, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. She stands and I notice the shirt she’s wearing. It isn’t hers, it’s a long and white-buttoned shirt. She looks sexy as fuck in it.
“Turn around,” I say. She’s just about to pick him up and gives me an odd look and turns. “Now bend over.”
Her head swivels back to me. “Not happening.” She turns and picks the kid up from my chest, and a weight is lifted, and it’s easier to breathe. I manage to stand after she leaves with Liam, the pain no worse than it was last night.
“I love your ass.” Rose’s voice comes from behind me. I turn to face her, her eyes now taking me in all.
“I think it’s unfair for one to look and not the other,” I say reaching for a button on her shirt, she shakes her head and steps back.
“Do you love me, Liam Black?”
“What’s love, Rose?”
“I’ve had this conversation with you before.” She smirks walking past me. Shutting the conversation off as she steps into the bathroom.
The kids are all at the table when I walk out, also with them is Jake. He looks at me and smirks and turns his head back to what Liam’s saying. Isabelle pulls a seat out for me to sit in and I watch this already made family talk and laugh around the table. I watch as Liam tells Jake about how he picked a bug up from outside and now it’s not moving in his container in his room. I watch as Hayden talks to Isabelle and they smile at some small talk about school.
It’s all too much, it’s like I’m an intruder. Too much of this is on my face right now. I have to extract myself. The chair almost falls backward and instantly heads all turn to me when I stand. I walk to the door and open it and stop automatically when a man stands there dressed in a police uniform. He paled, raising a hand to cover his mouth when he sees me. He looks behind me, then back to me.
“They couldn’t keep you down, could they?” I don’t like him. “Five years and you decide to come back now?” he asks with a smile.
“Robbie,” Rose says walking up behind me, my body is blocking her from getting to him. She places a soft hand on my hip, in an attempt to move me, but it doesn’t work. I stay where I am, his mouth curls up into a huge smile of happiness when he sees her. Then disappears into a sour frown when he sees her hand.
“I came by to drop the kids off on my way to work. You have that big meeting today,” he says, not looking at me. Fake.
“Oh my God, you’re a life saver. I’m late as it is.” She pushes me out of the way, then leans forward and wraps her hands around his neck hugging him tight. He looks at me the whole time he does, then closes his eyes and hugs her tightly.
Death.
“Hey man,” Jake says when Rose lets go. Friends are what they are.
I lied to her last night, I could have easily stayed at my house. I didn’t, I wanted her, I wanted to be around her. She pulls me in, without even knowing.
I went back to my house, it’s empty, quiet. I like it, but I miss her. Miss—what a foreign word for me. Miss? I don’t miss anyone, let alone want anyone. I am a father, another word that should never ever leave my mouth. I don’t do kids. Kids and me in the same sentence equal disaster. She seems to think otherwise.
How do you love someone, when you don’t know how?
How do you leave someone, when you can’t?
I should leave, she’s been through enough. Her eyes tell me so, her heart tells me so. But I’m addicted from a small taste, wildly addicted, and I want more—more of her, all of her.
I’m not even there one hour when he comes knocking on the door, I knew he would.
“You won’t tell her,” is all he says, his hand on a gun.
“I won’t?” I question him and he laughs.
“You don’t have a hold of her anymore, Black. She won’t believe you anyway.”
“She won’t?” I toy with him again. He takes a step further into my house.
“You won’t like what will happen if you do.” I smile at him, his eyes twitch. “She may love you, but she’s learned to live without you, Black.”
“Has she? Or has she just been surviving?”
“You won’t like the outcome, Black,” he says as he turns to leave.