Chapter 15
Stone – Four Days Later
“Alright, so we’ll meet at the old air strip, swap vans, and we’ll take the delivery to Jose this time to shake things up a little, while you’ll take the ammo to Steal?
” Axel confirms, and I type up the plan for Doc as I agree, “Sounds good to me, and this way we can see whether or not a mole is within your club.”
“I don’t think I have one, I think it may only be the Huntsmen. A prospect who was on the last run acted shifty, kept looking side to side, and hated being away from his phone,” Axel admits, and I hum.
“Hains,” I say, “Steal mentioned he turned up at a club party a few months ago, and the women automatically liked how open he was with them. They convinced Steal to let the guy prospect. Apparently, he gave a sob story about his childhood, which sounded a lot like one of the brothers' old ladies.”
“Has he got a guy on him?” Axel asks, and I confirm, “He does, and he’s set up a trap to see if it is him, while confirming his old lady, Cassie, stays away from him.”
“Good. Right, I’ll let you get going so you can try and win your wife back. I’ll go suck up to mine too,” he says, and I snort as he finishes, “I’ll see you in two weeks.”
He hangs up, and I shake my head as I throw my phone on the table, then lean back on the uncomfortable fucking couch that I have slept on for four nights with a sigh.
I knew I wasn’t going to get a warm welcome. I knew she would try to kick me out, but fuck, I didn’t expect her heartbreak to kill me as much as it did.
After she went to her room, I waited half an hour.
I looked around her bare apartment before I went after her.
Determined to have it out with her, knowing if we waited, she’d close herself off from me.
The shock of me being here would be gone.
I went in her room a found her asleep on her floor curled up in a ball with tear stains on her cheeks.
She didn’t stir when I picked her up bridal style and placed her on the bed. Didn’t even bat an eyelid when I changed her into the t-shirt I was wearing. Despite it being my only other clothes here with me before she curled back up into a ball, gripping my shirt, which fuck, it did something to me.
I groan as I lean forward, running a hand through my short hair, before wiping the beard I’ve got going on at the moment.
Four days and Rose has said fuck all to me, not one word, fuck, she won’t even look at me, but I know she’ll crack, she has to.
I pull the collar of the shirt away from my neck with frustration, the material a little tight.
I had a bunch of clothes delivered, knowing I couldn’t leave her apartment, not without the worry of her locking me out. Now I’m stuck with fitted fucking t-shirts because of course, I ordered the wrong ones.
I eye my wedding ring, the one I most likely shouldn’t have held up with pride until I told her we were married, groaning again, and dropping my head as I mutter, “I’m such an idiot.”
“No complaints here,” a sweet voice replies, and I look up as a tired-looking Rose shuts the front door, and I can’t help but smile.
She’s in sweats, her dark red hair is in a messy bun, and fuck me does my heart skip a beat at how beautiful she is. My wife, my everything.
“How was work, red?” I ask, and she sighs, dropping her head, and I try not to smirk, knowing it will piss her off.
I ask the same thing every day, and every day she ignores me, and this has to be the first time she’s made a reaction.
I can see my phone lighting up, an incoming call coming through, but I ignore it and keep close attention to Rose, knowing she’s about to crack.
“Don’t you need to get that?” she confirms without looking at me, hoping for a distraction because she knows it’s time to talk.
I deny, “Nah, it’s just my dad wanting to know where I am.”
Rose finally looks at me in confusion before she shakes her head and goes into the kitchen, and I sigh.
I really fucking hoped that had piqued her interest in speaking to me.
Dad calls several times a day, along with Mama and Selena, demanding to know where I am. Doc’s ‘it’s club business’, not good enough for them when, for Dad, it should have been. The fucker disappeared for weeks on end, sometimes when we were at war with the Cartel, before we became allies.
The last message Dad sent explained that James wanted a family meal to discuss when Elsie and I were going to look into surrogacy, you know, because she apparently can’t have kids and I told him to go fuck himself.
He told William shit about Elsie and me knowing it would get back to Rose. He was hoping to wreck my marriage.
“If you don’t talk to me, Rose, I’m going to the hospital and I’m killing that fucker,” I threaten, all other options just not working and I’m fed up with the silent treatment, but I frown when she pauses for a second, mid getting a bottle of water from the fridge, like she’s thinking about it. What the fuck?
I raise a brow when we lock eyes, and she winces before she stands straight and admits, “I found Mark screwing the waitress in the bathroom after I paid for our meal because he had apparently forgotten his wallet, and then he tried to kiss me.”
Red-hot lava fills me, and I declare, “He’s a dead man,” but Rose shakes her head as she walks over and sits on the chair next to the couch, something she hasn’t done in the time I’ve been here.
Normally, she’ll go to her room, trying to ignore the fact that I’m here, that I’m not willing to leave until we talk.
Rose chews her bottom lip as she picks at the label on the water before she looks at me and confirms, “We talk and then you leave, right?”
I nod and confirm, “Just after I kill the fucker for trying to kiss you.”
She rolls her pretty green eyes and reminds me, “You’re married, Cage, remember, you have a wife.”
I nod and admit, “I do have a wife, yes, I’m not denying that, just like I didn’t deny getting married in high school, I just didn’t knock anyone up like you believe.”
Rose frowns with confusion, my words not making sense, and I huff.
“I was eighteen,” I begin, looking at her intently, “Elsie was the school slut, and I was a teenage boy.” Rose scrunches her nose up in the cute way I have fucking missed.
I smile before continuing, “She became clingy after a few weeks, and I realized I had to cool it off with her, so I stopped going to her for sex and instead went through the cheerleaders.”
“That is gross, Cage,” Rose gags, and I chuckle and remind her, “I was eighteen, Rose,” and she huffs, “I always knew not to go near you MC boys in school.”
I chuckle. Turns out my wife was in the same school as me, or that is what Donna said two weeks ago when she cornered me at the hospital. I was visiting Doc about club business, and after having a go at me, she let that little information slip.
Donna eyed us despite her age, while Rose refused to even have a boyfriend.
I shake my head. “Anyway, I was in the hall when Ace mentioned Elsie was spreading rumors about being pregnant with my child. I had no proof to say I wasn’t the dad.
Elsie saw how Trigger gave his girl, whom he loved wholeheartedly, a ring when they fell pregnant with Cole,” I say, and she asks, “Are they still together? Trigger and his wife?”
I wince and admit, “I had found out yesterday Trigger’s wife left him, he was having an affair.
He brought his mistress to live on club property and disguised her as a clubwhore after believing Ashley was cheating.
She had stopped sleeping with him a year and a half ago, the only time she would let him touch her was if they’d been arguing.
We’re not sure how she found out, but she packed their son up and moved out of the club and sent him divorce papers. ”
“The MC way, huh?” she scoffs, and I flinch because no, it isn’t, and it’s time for her to see it.
“It isn’t the MC way, Rose, and Trigger has gone insane, destroying the clubhouse demanding to know who told her,” I reply and she snorts and states, “Maybe he shouldn’t have cheated then, Cage.
Maybe, just maybe, he should have sat his wife down and demanded what was wrong with her.
Demanded why she didn’t want him touching her instead of going out and getting a mistress because clearly, he thought he missed out. ”
Damn, she’s more with it about relationships than most brothers. She saw right through Trigger’s fucked up mind.
Rose scoffs, “Let me guess, she put her life on hold for him and the club?” I wince but nod, “And I’m guessing her whole world revolved around him?”
“It did,” I admit, “and now Trigger’s has to live with what he’s done and the fact he may never get her back, but cheating isn’t the MC way, Rose. I only married Elsie because she made such a big deal at school about the kid being mine, holding up a positive pregnancy test.”
She tilts her head and asks, “So, where is the kid now?”
“Doesn’t exist, she lied, red,” I admit shocking her, “She falsified a pregnancy test and ultrasound photos for a few months before claiming she miscarried,” I scoff, “She claimed the miscarriage was so bad, she couldn’t get pregnant again.
That it left her infertile. Dirty looked into it, she was never pregnant and she actually got her tubes tied and to this day she still tries to lie about it despite knowing we know the truth. She’s delusional.”
Rose slowly licks her bottom lip and I state, “For years she’s tried to cling onto me, onto my cut, my patch, for years she’s ingrained herself into my sisters life.
Poisoning her mind to the point she convinced her to climb in Ace’s bed naked even knowing he doesn’t want her, and never did,” Rose’s eyes widen in shock.
I lean forward and continue, “My sister has had a crush on Ace for years, even tried to cozy up to his mama just to try and get him. All while Elsie spoke in her ear, pushing it.”
I keep eye contact as she asks, “Then why stay with her? If she’s causing all this mess, if you don’t love her, why are you still married to her?”
“I tried to file for divorce several times over the years only to have my own father push it back,” I admit, again shocking her, “I originally thought it was because he and Elsie’s dad are friends.
They grew up together but now, I’m beginning to believe something more is going on.
I think James is threatening my dad if I divorce his daughter, just like he threatened me years ago after I showed him proof his daughter lied about being pregnant and just wanted my cut. ”
I sigh before I finish, “I hear your course isn’t as long as the hospital thought it was going to be.
Instead of the year, it's only four months, and you’ve already completed three, then you're returning to Louisiana to continue the rest of the course. I plan to pursue you when you get home, Rose. I’m going to leave tonight once everything is out, to let you digest what has been said, but as soon as you’re back, all cards are off the table. ”
Rose shakes her head and yet again reminds me, “You are married, Cage, you have a wife. Even if you don’t love her, even if she did try to trap you, me and you we’re done.”
I smirk and admit, “I know I’m married, Rose. I know I have a wife, and I know I wear my wedding ring with pride and joy because my wife, she’s my everything, my whole fucking world. I can’t and will not live without her, fuck, I even tatted her name across my heart.”
Rose looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, like I’ve gone crazy while pain shines in her beautiful eyes.
I lean forward some more and I let her in on a little secret finally admitting, “One week after we met, I finally went against my father and had a judge who is a family friend file my divorce from Elsie who has no idea. The divorce went through quicker than normal, and then, two days later, I had you, my beautiful girl, sign something for me,” her eyes widen, realization coming to her, “I had your sister also sign the same piece of paper before I then took that piece of paper to my judge friend and he filed it.”
Rose gasps, “You did not have me sign a marriage license?!”
I slowly lick my bottom lip and I finish, “One week after knowing you, I knew you were the one. I knew you were mine and I was yours so I made sure I could never lose you,” I smirk, “You, Rose, are the love of my life and you are my wife, have been for nearly nine months and it’s time for you to know you are not Rose Anders but Rose Garcia. ”