Chapter 6
Sophie
Iwas thrilled when Frankie, Remington, and Delilah asked me to go with them to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.
Having been in their company only a couple of times, I was hoping it’d give me a chance to get to know them better.
I also hoped I’d be able to find a special Christmas gift for Dalton, but after going through every store in the Opry Mills Mall, I hadn’t seen a thing.
With an exasperated sigh, I turned to them and said, “I don’t have a clue what I’m going to get Dalton. ”
“He hasn’t given you any hints?” Delilah asked.
“No, not a single one, and any time I ask him about it, he gives me some nonsense about already having everything he wants.”
“I hate it when Zander does that,” Delilah complained. “I can push and push, but he never tells me anything. Last Christmas, I got him a pair of sunglasses and some new boots, but he’s never worn either. Said he didn’t need the new ones and to save them until he did.”
“Noah does that, too!” Remington groaned. “It’s so frustrating.”
“I have to think of something,” I told them. “This is our first Christmas together.”
“I wish I could help, but I’m the world’s worst. Roman is always buying these incredibly perfect gifts for the boys and me, and I end up getting him something stupid like a keychain or a razor.” Frankie shook her head. “But he never gives me the slightest hint about what he really wants.”
We entered a small coffee shop and sat down at one of the back tables. After we placed our orders, I said, “Okay, give me some ideas for this gift. Any ideas. I’m a desperate woman over here.”
“How about some new riding gloves or slippers?” Delilah suggested
“I don’t think Dalton is a slippers kind of guy, but the gloves might work.”
“You could always plan a romantic getaway,” Frankie added. “Maybe the beach or to the mountains.”
“I thought about that, but I don’t know much about his schedule with work and the club.” I shrugged. “He’s pretty quiet about stuff like that.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s just one of the drawbacks to being with someone in an MC.
I’d like to say that you’ll get used to not knowing what’s going on, but I’m not sure any of us have.
” Delilah waited for the waitress to place our coffees down on the table before she continued, “I understand the whole ‘club business is club business’ thing, but it would be nice to know if Zander is in some kind of danger.”
“I feel the same, but I’m sure they’re just trying to keep us from worrying,” Remington added. “Not that it matters ’cause I worry all the time.”
“So, you think there are times when they’re in danger?”
The girls shared a few side glances, then Frankie shrugged. “No way to know for sure, but there are definitely times when Roman seems really anxious. It might be nothing, but I get the feeling that isn’t the case.”
“There’s a lot more to this MC stuff than I realized.”
“No doubt, but I can assure you that the benefits outweigh the bad.” Delilah smiled as she said, “You’ll see.”
As I sat there looking at these three beautiful, incredibly sweet, and smart women, I couldn’t believe how wonderful they had been to me.
Without knowing anything about me, they’d welcomed me into their group and made me feel like I was part of their special little family.
Because of them, I’d already experienced some of the benefits of Dalton being a Ruthless Sinner, and I had a feeling there was more to come.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you guys inviting me to come and hang out with you today. I’ve had such a great time.”
“We’ve enjoyed it, too.” Excitement flashed through Remington’s eyes when she said, “We should plan to do something special for the holidays this year. Maybe take the guys over to the Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas lights.”
“I would love that!”
“I’ll talk to Noah and see if he can get the guys on board.”
“Sounds great.”
We continued chatting as we finished off our coffees.
I was having a great time getting to know the girls better and discovering more about the guys, but unfortunately, I had to cut the visit short.
There was a mountain of paperwork waiting for me at work, so I said my goodbyes and headed over to my office.
As soon as I arrived, I went straight to my desk and got busy sorting through different files. I hadn’t been there long when Betty, the office secretary, appeared at my door. “I hate to interrupt, but there’s someone here to see you.”
“Oh?” I quickly glanced down at my calendar. “I don’t think I have anyone scheduled for today.”
“She doesn’t have an appointment.” Betty glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if anyone was behind her before continuing, “I’ve never seen her before, but she said she’s a friend of yours ... Said her name was Sadie Davenport?”
The mere sound of her name had the wind rushing from my lungs like I’d just been hit right in the gut.
I couldn’t imagine why in the world she’d come to see me, but knowing she once meant a great deal to Dalton, I couldn’t simply turn her away.
I quickly pulled myself together, then told Betty, “You can send her in.”
“You sure?” Clearly sensing something was wrong, she pushed, “I could tell her you’re with someone.”
“No, it’s fine,” I assured her. “Send her on in.”
“All right then.”
She turned and disappeared from my doorway, only to return with Sadie at her side. I stood up and said, “Hello, Sadie.”
“Hi,” she answered in a meek voice. “I’m sorry to just barge in like this, but I was hoping we could talk for a minute.”
“Okay.” I gave Betty a nod, letting her know I was good for her to leave, then turned my attention to Sadie. “Why don’t you come in and have a seat?”
I hadn’t realized just how beautiful she was until she walked over and sat down in the chair next to my desk.
Her hair was an auburn-brown color with soft, golden highlights, and her skin was flawless.
She was wearing a long black, flowing dress that hid her pregnant belly and a pair of tall brown boots.
She clasped her hands in her lap and toyed with her engagement ring as she asked, “So, you know who I am?”
“Yes, I know who you are.”
“I’ve never really done this sort of thing, so I’m not sure where to start?”
“Why don’t you tell me why you came here today?”
“If you know who I am, then you must know why I’m here.” Her posture stiffened as she said, “I wanted to talk to you about Dalton.”
“Okay.” Letting my therapist instincts kick in, I eased back in my seat and tried to appear relaxed. “Is there anything in particular you’d like to discuss in his regard?”
“I saw you with him a few weeks ago at the mall. I watched you together and saw the way he looked at you. It was kind of surreal.” Her expression grew tense. “The man I loved, the man I still love, is in love with you.”
Dalton and I had gotten close over the past few weeks, very close, and even though the words had lingered in the back of my mind, I’d never actually said “I love you” to him—nor him to me.
I almost felt robbed hearing that Dalton loved me coming from her, but that didn’t bother me nearly as much as hearing Sadie say she was still in love with him.
I tried to keep my calm as I replied, “You’re in love with Dalton, but you’re engaged to another man and having his baby? ”
“Colton is a good man. He loves me and is over the moon about us having this baby, but I’ve never loved him the way I do Dalton.
” Tears filled her eyes as she ran her hand over her round belly.
“I’d always thought he’d be the one I’d marry, that we’d have a family and spend our lives together, but everything just fell apart. ”
“If you loved Dalton the way you say you do, then why would you get involved with Colton?”
“I was heartbroken when Dalton broke things off with me. I mean, I knew why he did it. He didn’t want me to have to wait for him. He wanted me to have a life of my own.” There was a cattiness to her tone when she added, “He loved me that much.”
“If you truly believe he loved you that much, why did you give up on him?”
“I didn’t give up. I tried to see him, but he refused to see me. I’d write him letters, but he’d send them back. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“So, you decided to move on.”
“Yes and no. I never really meant to get involved with Colton. It just kind of happened.” Tears pooled in her eyes as she explained, “I was heartbroken over losing Dalton and barely able to function. Then, Colton came along, and he was sweet to me. He took care of me and loved me. I needed that. I needed to feel loved.”
“That’s understandable, but you had to know that getting involved with Colton would mean letting go of Dalton.”
“Yes, and I tried to. I really did, and I was doing okay with it until he was released from prison. Something about knowing that Dalton was out there and within my reach made it hard to put him out of my head. Then, I saw him with you.” Sadie’s shattered tone turned angry as she snapped, “Why did you have to steal him from me? We could’ve been happy together if you hadn’t come along. ”
“It might make you feel better to have someone to blame, but I’m not the reason you and Dalton aren’t together.”
“That’s not true. You manipulated him. Turned him against me.”
“He turned you away long before I came into the picture.”
“Yes, but he would’ve come back to me if you hadn’t come along.”
I was becoming more and more frustrated with the insanity of this conversation, but I maintained my cool as I told her, “Do you really believe that? And don’t just answer that for me. Answer it for yourself.”
“I believe that Dalton is supposed to be mine. That’s what I believe.”
“I know that’s what you want, but you have to remember that you both made choices, Sadie—some good and some bad.
And now, you have to learn to deal with the consequences of those choices.
” I could see the wheels spinning in her head, so I added, “Right now, you’re focusing on what could’ve been.
It’s time to put the past behind you and move on. Dalton has.”
“But I can’t ... I won’t. I still love him, and I want the future we were supposed to have together.”
“And what about Colton? Don’t you love him?”
“I don’t know why I came here. I should’ve known you wouldn’t listen to me!” Sadie stood, and after studying me for a moment, she snarled, “Dalton is supposed to be with me!”
Without waiting for my response, she stormed out of my office and rushed down the hall.
Once she was gone, I just sat there in a daze, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
I’d really hoped that Sadie would listen to what I was saying and see that her time with Dalton was over.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I feared that she would end up making things difficult for not only herself but for Dalton, too.
While it wasn’t easy, I finally managed to pull myself together and finished up the work I needed to get done.
It was late when I got home, but to my surprise, Dalton was in the kitchen, making dinner for us.
After I took off my coat, I walked up behind him and slipped my arms around his waist, giving him a quick squeeze.
“I didn’t know you’d be cooking dinner.”
“I thought I’d surprise you.” I peered over his shoulder to check out the pot of chili simmering on the stove. “Got homemade cornbread, too.”
“Oh, wow, you went all out.”
“Just doing what I can.” He glanced back and smiled. “Did you have a good day with the girls?”
“I had a fabulous time with the girls. The office, on the other hand, was not so fabulous.”
“An aggravating day, huh.”
“It wasn’t exactly aggravating.” I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and offered one to Dalton. “I just had an unexpected visitor.”
“Who?”
“Sadie.”
“My Sadie?” he asked, sounding completely stunned.
“The one and only.” I took a sip of my beer. “She came to talk to me about you.”
“What the fuck? I’ll have her ass for that shit.”
“No, Dalton. I think it’s best to just leave it alone ... at least for now.”
“Her coming to your office like that is unacceptable.”
“Yes, it is, but she’s going through some things and needs time to accept that she isn’t getting you back.”
“I just don’t get it. I thought she was happy with Colton. Hell, they’re having a kid together.”
“You know better than anyone that letting go of the past isn’t easy. I think you should give her a little more time.”
“Okay, but if she pulls any more shit like this—”
“Then, you can handle it.” I stepped over to him and slipped my arms around his neck.
I looked up at him and my heart swelled in my chest. I loved Dalton more than I ever dreamed possible.
He made me feel complete, like I’d found a piece of myself that I didn’t even know was missing.
He was the only man I had ever met who could touch my heart and ignite every nerve in my body with desire at the same time.
“I have something I want to say to you, but I don’t want you to feel like I’m rushing things or—”
Before I could finish my thought, Dalton smiled and said, “I love you, too, babe. I guess I thought you knew that.”
“I think maybe I did, but it’s good to hear the words.” I eased up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, kissing him briefly. “I really do love you.”
“That’s good ’cause you’re stuck with me.” Then he leaned over and turned the heat off the stove.
Dalton brought his hands up to my face, then dipped his head down to press his lips to mine.
His touch was tender yet demanding as he swept his tongue across my bottom lip, teasing, urging me to open for him.
Happily, I obliged, letting him delve deeper, making me ache with anticipation of his every move.
Dalton’s hands slid to the hem of my shirt as he eased it over my head, and when he started working on my bra, it was clear that a simple kiss wouldn’t be enough for him.
As he looked down, an admiring grin spread across his face. “Mine. All mine.”
A flash of hunger blazed through his eyes as he lifted me into his arms and carried me into the bedroom where we spent the better part of the night making love.
Once our lustful needs were satisfied, we headed back to the kitchen and filled our bowls with chili, then carried them into the living room and put on a movie.
As I sat there with Dalton at my side, gazing at the Christmas lights and the fire, I’d never felt so content—so truly happy.
This was officially going to be the best Christmas yet.