Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
ROWAN
T he sun beat down on my leathers uncharacteristically warm that morning as I trudged across my lawn to Sadie’s house. How I let Bear and Scout talk me into bringing Sadie on board was beyond me.
What the hell could go wrong, right? Except fucking everything. A goddamned disaster was waiting to detonate, and we all knew who would be picking up my remains from the wreckage after the explosion.
I wiped my palms over my dark jeans. Each step felt heavier the closer I got to the house.
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d stepped foot inside the place.
Well . . . except for the first night I’d climbed through Sadie’s window, half cut and about ready to burn the fucking town down over that goddamn bruise.
Now, we had to play happy families. I might as well have strapped a target to my back for Chief Cooper. Hell, one on my chest, too. I was lined up squarely in everyone’s sights with no way to dodge. But running never was my style—that was more Sadie’s .
The porch steps creaked under my weight as I made my way to the front door, the old wood worn down from years of carrying everyone’s secrets.
The whir of a vacuum droned over everything, slipping past the wide-open timber door, where the only thing separating me and Sadie was the flimsy screen. As if that would have stopped anything more than flies from getting in.
I ran a finger over the dust-covered cladding, revealing the off-white colour beneath it. Paint chipped off in streaks, and the entire house sagged like it needed a good rest. Couldn’t blame it for that.
I gave the screen door handle a quick test, and it popped open with barely a touch. Jesus Christ. Sadie was practically asking for trouble. And I hated how that made my chest tighten.
Speaking of Sadie, I found her dancing around in the living room, completely absorbed in her own little world. Headphones so big they practically swallowed her head, stopped her from hearing me as she belted out the chorus of a song I didn’t recognise with everything she had.
Her voice was still about as tuneful as nails on a chalkboard. And I’d be damned if it wasn’t the best thing I’d heard in a long while.
The corners of my mouth twitched, then transformed into the first real smile I’d allowed in years. It stretched across my face, tugging at muscles I’d long since forgotten existed. There wasn’t much worth smiling about in this place.
Besides, I couldn’t help that the sight of Sadie lit me up and chipped away at the thick layer of stone I’d built around my heart. It didn’t matter that she was also the reason it had been put there in the first place.
She shoved the vacuum over the floor like it was an enemy she had to conquer. Back and forth, rolling her hips, completely unguarded and unaware she had an audience.
Her damn denim shorts clung to her exactly how I remembered them to. She moved like no-one had ever broken her, her legs tanned and bare, just like the beginning of that summer before everything had blown up. As if the universe wasn’t out there waiting to swallow her whole.
As she twirled around the room, carefree and oblivious, all I could think about was the feel of her lips on mine, of her body pressed up against my back as I drove her home after claiming her as mine.
I braced a shoulder against the doorframe, making myself comfortable as I took her in. My smirk still lingered, and I wanted to absorb some more of her light before she realised I was standing there.
Goddamn, she was fucking gorgeous, and I was a little more than excited to pretend to play house with her for however long it took.
In her last off-key, belted out tune, she swung around to face the door, her dark hair whipping around her face. Her eyes locked onto mine immediately.
A scream ripped through her, a hand flying to her chest. “Jesus Christ, Rowan.” She yanked her headphones from her head. “You scared the hell out of me.”
I lifted a shoulder, my smirk growing just a little wider. “I was just enjoying the show, Firefly.”
Her expression tightened, eyes narrowing like she was taking aim. “What do you want? I’m busy.” Her tone had the perfect mix of irritation and suspicion.
“I can see that,” I said, stepping fully inside the living room, the screen door creaking shut behind me. The inside looked the same—frayed at the edges, like Sadie herself. Still standing, but only just. “Maybe next time you’ll learn to lock your doors. You never know who could be watching you.”
I was poking the bear, but I couldn’t help it. It was our twisted way of falling back into the rhythm we’d always had, like old times.
With a roll of her eyes, she shut the vacuum off with a click and crossed her arms over her chest like she could shield herself from me.
“Well,” she snapped, foot tapping against the worn carpet—a ticking clock counting down until she decided she was done with me. “Say what you came to say, then go.”
I dropped into the two-seater against one wall, spreading my arms over the back cushions like I owned the place. “I need you,” I said, drawing the words out slowly.
Sadie blinked, her eyebrows shooting up her forehead.
She was always trying to act like she didn’t care, but her sudden stillness was all the proof I needed, to know I was already getting under her skin.
Maybe I’d never really left. I didn’t doubt she remembered the way things had been between us all those years ago.
We’d both danced around the inevitable—us together.
Now we had enough baggage to fill a fucking dump site, and that linked us tighter than either of us wanted to admit.
“You . . .” Sadie paused, her breath catching in her throat, “. . . need me.” Her cheeks flushed pink, a hint of vulnerability cracking through her tough exterior.
For a moment, she was the Sadie I used to know, the one who would’ve done anything for Logan—possibly for me—before everything turned to shit.
I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip before nodding once. How the hell was I supposed to act like what I was about to tell her wasn’t killing me inside.
“We’re going to find out what your mother was investigating.”
“Wait.” She rubbed her forehead, confusion written all over her face. “You’ve been pushing me away since I showed you Logan’s note. Now you suddenly want my help?” The surprise in her voice stung more than I let on, a reminder of how much of a dick I’d been to her since she’d arrived back home.
Not that I didn’t want to be around her. It was that it was painful to look at her and not remember my brother, or the fact she took off. And let’s not forget about the kiss from the previous night. For years, I’d wanted to make Sadie mine, and now she was. She just didn’t have a say in it.
I had to shove down the thought that this time around wouldn’t end any differently. It was possible after all this, Sadie would remain where she was supposed to be.
With me.
I sighed as I leaned forward and pressed my elbows into my thighs.
“Thank Bear and Scout. They’re the ones who talked me into this terrible idea.
So, this is me asking for your help.” The words almost burned coming out, not because I didn’t want her help, but because of what asking for it meant.
“And besides, we need to keep up the pretence that you’re mine.
Doesn’t work if we don’t spend any time together. ”
She stood there, flushed and confused, still not entirely sold on this new version of me that was asking instead of telling.
Her scepticism could’ve filled the room on its own.
I knew this plan was a long shot, but I also knew it was the only shot we had left, and maybe she would see that, too. It was what I was banking on.
Finally, she huffed out a small laugh. “Rowan Knight, asking for my help.” With the back of her hand, she swiped the sheen of sweat from her forehead. “Well, I never thought I’d see the day.”
There was no mistaking the hint of satisfaction in her tone, in her expression. She could lap it up all she wanted. She still didn’t have the upper hand.
“Funny.” I clenched my jaw. It was one thing asking for her help, another thing being reminded how much I needed it. “Now, how about we grab those boxes. Bear and Scout will be over in an hour.”
For a moment, Sadie remained frozen, eyes narrowed on me like she was trying to see inside my head to work out whether or not I was being genuine. I wouldn’t have been there if I wasn’t.
“Fine,” she said, whipping out her phone from her back pocket. “But I’m asking Jasmine to come, too.”
I groaned and scrubbed a hand down my face, the weight of this inevitable shit-show already crushing me. There was no arguing with her. I was too damn tired. Besides, she already knew I wouldn’t say no.
Sadie glanced up from the phone screen, eyebrow raised. “You begged for my help, remember? This is what that looks like.” Her eyes caught the light seeping in through the window, gleaming like she’d just won something.
Wouldn’t say I’d begged. But it didn’t matter. Some things never changed. Sadie was still the master of finding a way to push my buttons.
I lifted a shoulder, a half-shrug that was supposed to convey my indifference. “Fine, but just so you know, Scout has had a hard-on for Jasmine since the day he stepped foot inside the clubhouse. You best believe it’s going to get awkward.”
Sadie’s eyes widened, as did her grin, flashing me those perfect teeth I’d always dreamt would one day leave a mark on my skin.
“Oh, my god.” Christ, she was already too eager to stick her nose in where it didn’t belong.
“Does Jasmine know? He’s adorable.” She typed away on her phone like she couldn’t wait to spill the beans, that smug little smirk lingering on her full lips.
I scoffed. “Adorable?” Probably not the word I would have used for Scout. Although, I wasn’t a woman.