Chapter 19
Stone – Two Days Later
I grin as Kimberly wipes flour on Rose’s cheek, shocking her before she giggles, making my heart flutter, the sound fucking adorable.
It’s the first time she’s giggled in my presence since before she left for New York, when everything was perfect between us.
Since we made love, she’s barely even fucking said a word to me. She is in her head a lot, and I get it, I fucked up big time, I should have explained everything with Elsie, and that is something I have to live with. But surely she can see that I love her, that I want her.
I’m not staying at the club or my home there. I’m staying on her couch. When we have church tomorrow, I won’t be staying for drinks after. I’ll be returning to her before she gets back from work, which starts again tonight with Doc.
I meant when I told her she was my priority, now if only she would open her eyes and see it.
“I see she’s wearing her wedding rings,” William says as he passes me a beer, and I give him a nod in thanks, not taking my eyes off Rose helping her sister bake a cake for her cooking class tomorrow. Its looking more like they are trying to get each other with flour.
We’ve been here for two hours, we’ve eaten, hung out, and still she hasn’t said one word to me. Her mama looks between us like she’s trying to see something, and whatever it was she sees, makes her smile. So that has to be good, right?
“I think she’s forgotten I put them on her to be honest,” I admit.
“Nah,” William instantly denies, making me look at him with a raised brow, and he grins as he states, “I’ve caught her looking at them several times, sometimes in admiration, other times confusion, then my favorite, pure murder.”
I eye my wife and murmur, “I think I prefer the first one,” making William chuckle.
“She loves you, Stone, you know she does, she’s just…” he pauses for a second, and I look at him again before he continues, “I don’t want to say confused, maybe befuddled, I guess. She knows she loves you and she knows you love her, but she’s struggling to get past the lies.”
“I didn’t know what else to do, William.
Why do you think I didn’t meet you all this time?
I knew you’d know who I was and would feel obligated to tell Rose.
I just needed time to figure out how I would tell her myself, but I guess the truth always comes out,” I say as I look back at Rose to see her helping Kimmy scoop the right amount of cake mix into two tins.
“Just give her time. She’s not used to the whole alpha male ways of the brotherhood, and the fact you were married when you met is a big thing for her,” he says.
I open my mouth to defend myself but he puts his hand up and says, “I know, you did it out of obligation and regretted it instantly, heck, I’ve already had words with your dad for lying about your relationship with Elsie, knowing I would repeat it to my daughter and hurt her,” I cut in and admit, “You and I both.” He smiles and says, “In Rose’s head, you were legally married, she feels like she was the other woman, that Elsie is going to be heartbroken finding out about her, and whether you want to admit it or not, meeting my daughter is what pushed you to divorce the nasty woman.
Again, that is something she’s trying to figure out her feelings on. ”
Fuck, she thinks she broke up a marriage.
I look towards Rose as she giggles again, and my heart melts seeing her trying to run from her sister, who is whipping her with a towel, flour all over her head, making William chuckle at his daughters’ antics.
“What do I do, William?” I ask, a little bit of fear filling me.
I know I can’t change her feelings about my marriage to Elsie and I know that is what her biggest problem is at the moment, our marriage not even at the front of her mind.
If Elsie hadn’t existed, if I hadn’t lied about the club, she would have probably scolded me about marrying her, then demanded a proper wedding. Now she’s struggling because I lied, and I’ve lost her trust.
“You keep doing what you’re doing,” a voice from behind says, and I turn and lock eyes with Karen, eyes just like my wife’s.
Rose definitely took after her mama in the looks department.
She nods to my wife and states, “My daughter is coming around, she may not see it, but she is. As soon as you explained yourself, she understood, even if she didn’t want to, she did, so keep what you are doing, Stone.”
I nod and whisper, “Thank you.”
Karen smiles as she rounds us to go to her daughters, but pauses as she looks at me with a raised brow and states, “And I expect to be able to plan a proper wedding for my oldest daughter in the near future!”
I grin and agree, “Yes ma’am,” making her smile before she continues her way to her daughters who instantly stop what they’re doing and look at Karen sheepishly.
“A mother’s look always stops them in their tracks,” William admits, and I hum in agreement.
“Listen to my wife, son, she knows what she’s talking about,” he says before he follows his wife outside, but drags Kimmy with him while an unsuspecting Rose looks at her wedding rings again with a slight frown. I sigh and put my beer on the table before walking over to her.
She doesn’t feel me come up behind her, too much in her own head, but soon tenses when I wrap an arm around her waist while gently grabbing her left hand with mine, lifting the rings into our line of sight.
She didn’t want to come today, but when her father orders her to do something, like the good daughter, she obliges, and William messaged me to confirm I would be here knowing Rose wouldn’t have told me.
“I wanted to get you something with dark green, like your eyes, but I didn’t think you’d like it,” I murmur in her ear, my lips gently touching it, making her shiver.
“They’re beautiful,” she admits, “Guess you know me pretty well, huh?”
I hear the insinuation. She thinks I didn’t know her at all, to keep the fact that I was married from her, that I married her behind her back.
“I know you, Rose, inside and out,” I admit, “I know you hate anchovies, strawberries and people who waste hospital time. I know your sister is your world and reason for going into medicine. I know you hate how curly your hair gets after it’s been wet and how cold the winters are,” I place a gentle kiss to her ear.
I whisper, “I know you’d prefer to be in my shirt, on the couch watching trash TV instead of going out and partying.
I knew you would walk away from me that morning if I mentioned Elsie.
You would have been hesitant about the club, and that is only because of the rumors that float around.
But Elsie, you wouldn’t have given me the time of day, even if I explained everything, and the only reason you haven’t run from me now is because I tied you to me. ”
I take a deep breath, “I also know the only other reason why you haven’t run is because you love me just like I love you, with everything that I am.
I’m fighting for you, Rose. I’m fighting for us because I cannot live my life without you, because you are my everything, and I know you find that hard to believe, but I won’t give up until you do, one way or another. ”
Rose gently gives me her weight as she leans against me, and I wrap both my arms around her, holding her tight as I place my face into her neck, breathing her in.
“I don’t know how to move forward,” she admits finally, “You lied, and that is a hard pill to swallow, especially when you became my universe. God, Cage, I put my career on hold for you, for us, only to see you with a wife I had no idea about. That was like a massive slap in the face, it hurt.”
“I know, baby,” I whisper, “and I am so fucking sorry. Nothing I do will make up for it, I know this, all I can do is prove to you that everything I did was so I didn’t lose you.”
“Tell me something true then,” she whispers in return, and I smile a little.
She’s letting me prove myself.
“Every time I’ve gone away on business, it has been club business. I’m the club’s VP, and with Doc being a doctor, I go on most club runs,” I admit, and she turns her head and looks at me before we lock eyes, “Next week I’m meeting up with Axel from the Untamed Hell Fire’s MC.”
Rose furrows her brows a little before asking, “Is that the brother whose old lady is a little crazy and pranks her man?”
I hum and confirm, “She is, she’s also converted all the other old ladies, including the ones not affiliated with The Untamed.”
“Huh,” is all she says as she stares off, and instantly, true fucking fear hits me.
No, nope, not fucking happening, no way.
“No!” I instantly snap, causing her to look at me with a raised brow, and I growl, “You are not meeting up or contacting Annalise, no chance, no way.” I shake my head and admit, “I will not look good with glittery hair.”
Rose snorts, “Cage, you barely have any hair, you’ve cut it quite short in the time I’ve been gone, though, your new beard…”
“I swear, Rose, I’ve seen how much you like this beard, especially when I’m between your legs, don’t make me shave it!” I threaten, and she grins despite how red her cheeks have gone.
Fuck I love when I make her blush.
“You know, Mama, Kimmy and Donna have said I needed to make new friends,” she summarizes, and I groan, dropping my forehead to hers, knowing I won’t be able to stop her. She’s going to make friends with the mad woman, and I’m going to suffer for everything I’ve done.
Shit.
Sighing loudly, I move my arm around her waist and grab my phone while keeping my other arm firmly around her, and I bring up my text thread with Axel before I type out a message, allowing Rose to see it.
Me:
my wife wants your wife’s number.
I press send, and Rose looks at me with a soft look, and I smile, knowing I’ve done the right thing, before my phone beeps, and we check it.
Rose’s laughter echoes, and I wince.
Axel:
you, my brother, have a death wish. This is what happened when I told her to relax from the hormones for a little while.
Attached is a photo of his freshly sprayed baby pink, glittery bike.
Fuck.
I quickly message back.
Me:
fuck, just do it, I need my wife’s forgiveness.
I attach Rose’s number and press send before putting my phone back away, knowing life is about to get interesting if Annalise has anything to do with it. She is fully experienced with alpha holes messing up.
“Come on, trouble, let’s go and spend the evening with your family before I ravish you,” I murmur as I gently kiss her neck. She shivers, her laughter stopping as she tenses, clearly hating her reaction to me and most likely scolding her own body.
I smile before I pull her towards the yard, knowing full well this woman will be on my lap, curled in my arms while we sit around the bonfire.
Rose comes willingly, burrowed into my side, and I grin widely.
Yeah, we’re going to be just fine, I do have a fight on my hands, but still, we’ll be alright.