61. Chapter 61 - Rosalyn
The road is rough, jostling me around against the console and the door as Cade follows Wade and Mason up the dirt path.
Elena’s chatter helps to lighten the mood.
“They’re gonna have a million questions for you, Ros. We can schedule dinners at my house so you can meet everyone a little at a time if you want?” She rocks with another hard bounce but her grin doesn’t waver.
Neither does my grip on Cade’s hand.
I can see a noticeable difference in his demeanor from when he got out of the truck to when he got back in.
Like a giant weight has been lifted off his broad shoulders.
“Unless you want to just come inside when we get back? I’ll be your bodyguard,” Elena laughs. “Or I’ll get Wade to help.”
I caught a glimpse of the number of people when several started pouring out of the door as we were leaving.
Several of the men climbed in with Mason but I don’t think that was all of them. I recognized Dixon and Oliver from the wedding. Sawyer from that day at the bar.
But when a man on a big dark horse soon begins to gallop past, I have no idea who he is.
“That’s Ford,” Cade mutters. “Can’t have chaos without him wanting to play.”
A shiver runs through me. Cade’s told me about him. What he went through and how he hunted down the people that killed his girlfriend.
I just hope he isn’t here to hurt my husband.
“You’ll like April, his wife.” Elena leans between the seats to watch the horse fall into stride next to Mason’s rig. “Her and Libby are a lot alike. They both say exactly what’s on their minds.”
“Why does that make me nervous?” It’s taken me weeks to get comfortable with Elena’s outspoken demeanor, even though I love it.
Her laugh fills the cab. “We’ve all been through our own shit, Ros. They hated me too when they first met me.” She sighs, patting my arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Hell, I bet they warm up to you faster than they did me. And now we’re all like family.”
“They’re my family too,” I stammer, pointing to Eli and John in the window ahead of us.
“No, baby.” Cade squeezes my fingers. “We always get a choice.”
“I agree.” Elena nods. “I mean, I love my sister. But I love my found family a lot more than my biological one.”
I never thought about it that way. Cade is the first person I’ve ever loved who I wasn’t related to. But maybe Elena is the second? She accepted me so completely, I think she cares for me even more than Ava ever did…
“Can you be my adopted sister?” I ask shyly.
Cade’s eyes flick to me and he smiles.
“Heck yea. I love that.” Elena grins.
Then her lips droop when the brake lights flash in front of us. “Looks like we’re here.”
I can see the boom of a big excavator sticking up over Wade’s vehicle.
Oh shit.
Cade swings the truck around to face away from the others. “This way you don’t accidentally see anything you don’t want.”
He leans to me, taking both of my hands to look into my eyes. “It ends today,” he growls, then gets out.
Elena props her elbows on the console. “So let me tell you about everyone else…”