Chapter 25
Dakota
On the long list of things I never thought I’d have to consider in my lifetime, joining a secret society wasn’t one of them.
Because… Ho-ly fuckin’ shit.
Not only did I agree to marry Rhylan without a second thought, but I also went so far as to sign my sister up right alongside me so I wouldn’t have to keep the rest of my life a secret from her. Ohh, is she about to be pissed with what I’ve done…
“Excuse me, you did what?! I’m what?!”
“Shh… keep it down. Rhylan’s still sleeping...”
“Rhylan’s—Girl, have you lost your fucking mind?
” A little… “You’ve gone from hating the man’s guts, threatening to burn his studio down, to spending an entire weekend fucking around and falling in love, to believing he’d abandoned you overnight, to now calling him husband…
Are y'all getting dicked or whipped because this sexual tension is fucking ridiculous.” Okay, it sounds crazy when she phrases it like that…
“I will explain everything if you just—”
“Bitch, you better. I did not just come home from crashing on Tae’s air mattress out of fear for my life to find out that I was now being hooked up with one of Rhylan’s friends, and not just fucking set up like first-date-instant-boyfriend-girlfriend-haha-shit, but marriage?
Are you okay? Because I sure as fuck ain’t after hearing all of that. ”
My sister’s reaction was appropriate for what I’d just asked of her, and I could agree that it was far more than a simple blind date request.
“I know last night was a lot, but if you just go into this with an open mind and—”
“What happened… After I ran?” Tiffany’s eyes narrowed, and I rolled my lips between my teeth, trying to find the words without giving up classified information that could have her killed. "Dakota Mary-Anne Wilde, answer me now, I swear to fucking god—”
“Rhylan showed up and stepped in.” Tiffany’s eyebrows lifted with suspicion, not buying a single word.
“That’s it? He just showed up out of nowhere like fucking Batman to save the day?
” Not exactly, or my choice of wording, maybe Dark Knight?
… Her gaze then drifted down my neck as she scrutinized me, stopping when her eyes reached the marks and bruises Jaiden had left behind.
With a forceful sigh, she sagged back in her chair, head rolling toward the ceiling before closing her eyes to process the bombshell I’d detonated.
“I saw the police… on my way to Tae’s... ”
“Yeah… I’m guessing the neighbors called them because of all the noise.
I wasn’t exactly subtle when I smashed through the back door.
” Or the fucking gunshot… I nodded to where Rhylan had covered the damage with duct tape and cardboard.
Just another thing on my to-do list for the day, aside from making things official—signing our marriage certificate as promised.
I didn’t bother to question how Rhylan had managed to achieve something in a few hours that would usually take weeks. Just another perk of being a member of the MUR, I suppose.
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing they showed up when they did… Fuck Jaiden, I hope someone castrates that asshole while he rots in prison…” Oh, he’s rotting somewhere…
Of all the things I’d disclose to Tiffany, his murder, at the hands of Rhylan, wouldn’t be one of them. All she needed to know was that Jaiden was finally out of our lives for good, and there would be no fear of his return this time around; that was good enough for me.
“Will you at least consider going through with this? I know we always promised to be open and honest with each other, and I can’t—”
“Mornin’ darlin’. Tiffany.” A sleep-mussed Rhylan entered the kitchen, stopping just behind me while giving a gentle nod to my sister as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
Tiffany’s face twisted into one of teenage disgust, and I understood how she was feeling; what she was going through.
No hard feelings; I would’ve reacted the exact same way if the roles were reversed.
“Y’all can have your secrets. I’m going back to bed, my bed, and will pray to god that when I wake up, this will be nothing more than some fucked up fever dream that my hysterical little mind cooked up, and my sister isn’t seriously considering forcing me into an arranged marriage with a cowboy stripper…
” Aggressively pushing her chair out from under the table, Tiffany left the kitchen, practically running up the stairs with a slam of her bedroom door.
“By that statement and reaction, I’m going to assume that you haven’t told her the whole truth.” Rhylan’s hands grazed up my sides before caressing my shoulders, giving them a soft massage to loosen the tension that had built from our conversation.
I sighed as his thumbs worked out the knots near the nape of my neck, relaxing in his soothing presence.
“No… not yet, at least. I won’t risk her life if she’s happy to turn a blind eye. But, if there comes a time when she needs the real answers, if they have to come out—”
“Then you need a plan B to protect her… And you?”
“What about me?” I turned to face him, dropping my forehead to his chest and finding comfort in the embrace as his arms wrapped around me again, holding me close.
“You were tossin’ and turnin’ all night, darlin’. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
Last night was one for the record books, that’s for sure.
My sister’s abusive ex—my assaulter, showing up to make good on a threat he’d promised years ago, only to be brutally executed by the man I’d fallen for, who apparently didn’t have any issue with murder.
Fuck, why did that sound so hot…
“I think there’s something not right with me.”
“Why would you say that?” Rhylan’s brows knitted as he lifted my chin with a knuckle, my attention being drawn straight to his eyes that softened the moment they locked with mine. “What’s wrong, Wildcat?”
“It’s just—Tiff made a valid point earlier, before you came downstairs… about my mental state… of everything that’s happened between us in such a short span of time.”
Did I need his validation for what I was feeling? Was I finally entering some manic episode? I mean, I did just beat the shit out of a man with a baseball bat with the intent to kill… I did intend to kill Jaiden.
“Are you saying you don’t believe that what we’re feeling for each other is real?” Yes? No? Had I become conditioned by my abuse? Terrified of believing that every man was just another wolf in sheep’s clothing? And if given the chance, he’d take advantage of me and strip away my control.
“I’ve told you before… I’m damaged—broken, Rhy. No one wants to spend their entire life with someone like me.” The unstable girl with mental issues and unresolved wounds.
It’s why remaining single was always the easier option. Why I only subjected myself to nameless one-night stands. Something I could walk away from without giving up being in control. But then he came along, and I just couldn’t help myself…
“Like any homestead, hearts can be repaired with the right amount of care and love, Dakota. You just haven’t found a man qualified enough to put in the effort... Until now.”
I stirred all night, not out of worry for how I was planning on approaching my sister with the marriage proposition. But because I couldn’t believe that Rhylan was choosing me; wanted me. To be his. Forever.
“You really want to be with me, Cowboy? To put up with all my stubborn bullshit and—”
“All your jagged edges, Wildcat. What’s yours is mine, and I’ll carry it like a badge of honor… You’re perfect just the way you are. Always have been.”
“That sounds like a cheesy line from a rom-com.” I don’t know why I ever questioned Rhylan or doubted his intentions. He wanted this, asked me to marry him, and even went so far as to move in overnight without so much as a fuss after I’d said yes... If I were perfect, then what was he?
“It is, but I have so much more to promise you than that.” His arm tightened around my back, and I melted into his words of reassurance.
I pushed aside the lingering remnants of my intrusive thoughts, the ones that made me feel undeserving of a future with Rhylan, rising on my toes, just barely brushing his lips with mine.
“Then I guess I have a test to prepare for; to prove my loyalty and commitment to my husband so he can fulfill all his promises.”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way, darlin’. I’d never miss the opportunity to stand beside my wife.”
His wife.
Yeah, I love the sound of that.