Chapter 22
Eve
The smell of freshly cooked breakfast has me sliding out of bed sooner than I’d like to.
A quick look in the mirror before I go downstairs shows me that my eyes are still swollen from last night’s crying fest that let loose after Wyld met his ‘goal’ of making me scream louder than a fucking banshee.
He never explained his newfound need for personal achievements.
Walking into my dining room, I find Abel showing Wylder all of his new badges he earned while on his camping trip, the light in his eyes shining brightly as he explains each one of them.
Wyld pours way too much syrup on his waffles as he nods along, asking Abel all the right questions as my son launches into a story about his troop leader with a mouth full of bacon.
It’s all so…domestic.
I like it.
But it can’t last. It’s going to all come crashing down as soon as the three men from next door decide to grace me with their presence.
As soon as Kortez wraps his arms around me, now covered in tattoos and scarred in ways they weren’t before I lost him…
As soon as Atlas shoots me a look full of filthy promises and blood-soaked rebellion…
As soon as Roman calls me his Little Moth, like I’m something to be treasured instead of stepped on…
The domestic scene in front of me will come to a halt.
Like it or not, I have my own blood-soaked rebellion I need to consider. I have my own scars I need to get vengeance for. I have my own revenge to treasure.
Will they hate me for what I’ve done? For what I still plan to do?
I must make a noise loud enough to announce my presence because both Wylder and Abel turn around mid-conversation to look at me standing in the doorway.
“Mom! Look at all these new badges!” Abel jumps up from his chair and runs over to me, opening his hand to show me a mirage of badges in all different shapes and colors.
“That’s amazing, Bel! You’re going to have to tell me what all of those are for.”
He smiles a crooked little smile and takes my hand, pulling me over to the seat next to him at the table. “So, the big one is for completing a scout camping trip. Doing that was a lot harder than I thought. Did you know that there are almost three hundred different types of squirrels?”
I suck in a dramatic breath and turn to him as I reach for a fork, “No way!”
He nods enthusiastically before continuing. “Yes way! Not all of them are in America, though. Trooper Alex said that there’s squirrels on almost every continent.”
“Trooper Alex knows a lot about squirrels, huh?” I shoot Wylder a look to see him already smiling at me, his fork forgotten on his plate as he watches me and Abel.
My son nods again, spitting out more squirrel facts as I dive into my breakfast. I reach over and give Wyld an appreciative squeeze of his hand while Abel continues on with his squirrel conversation, his new badges laid out on the table beside him.
After a few minutes, Wyld stands and begins to clear the plates from the table. “Hey, Bel, why don’t you help me with these real quick and then you can go practice that knot tying you learned? You want to get real fast so you can win that competition.”
Abel looks around the table with a scrunched-up nose, “Do I have to do the dishes?”
I roll my eyes and shove my last bite of waffle into my mouth, “Go on, I’ll help Wylder.”
He gives me a quick hug before running over to where his bags lay by the door and rummaging through them until he finds a few pieces of rope. “Thanks, mom!”
Wylder chuckles, shaking his head as he carries the dishes into the kitchen. “Kid is enthusiastic, that’s for sure.”
I smile and follow behind him, placing my plate and Abel’s down beside the sink. We work in harmony cleaning up the kitchen and dining room like we’ve done a thousand times and again, the domestic idea of it all hits me before it effectively shatters in the same breath.
“I need to talk to them.”
Although he’s turned away from me, I see the small nod as he says, “I know.”
I walk over to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind and placing my head on his back, listening to the subtle sound of him breathing. “I’m sorry, Wyld. I dragged you into this before I even knew the truth.”
His hands land on top of mine as he takes a deep breath. “There’s no need to apologize, love. You’ve told me the story and even to me it sounded like Atlas took him.” He turns around, wrapping his arms around me now as he holds me tightly to his chest. “Do you still love them?”
His heart is beating hard in his chest, the sound echoing through my ears as I whisper a secret I’ve kept even from myself. “Yes.”
His heart continues to pound as he says, “And Roman?”
Images of the red headed man flash through my mind as I consider my emotions for him. He was supposed to be a means to an end, a ticket into the dark world I needed access to. Instead… “Not yet, but the possibility is there.”
He’s quiet for a moment before I feel his arms begin to move, going from wrapped around me to his hands holding my shoulders at a distance. His eyes search my face, and I know whatever he’s about to say next is going to change everything.
“And me?”
My tongue shoots out to wet my lips as he continues to stare, my body heating up from the attention as yet another secret comes spilling from my lips. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Wylder James.”
His head tilts to the ceiling as he lets out a groan that sends shivers up my spine. I get pulled against him, my breath rushing out only to be swallowed whole as his lips slam against mine.
Kisses with Wylder are always hot. He dominates me and I submit, it’s how our relationship goes – but this is something more.
This isn’t the endorphin releasing sex we have when we need to blow off steam. This is admittance. This is deciding not to pretend anymore.
His tongue slides against mine, one last touch of devotion before he pulls away. Our breathing is hot as it mixes between us and our eyes are filled with the love we kept hidden for so long. He doesn’t need to say it because I can see it every time he looks at me. I’ve known for years now.
“I love you, too, Evie. So fucking much it hurts sometimes.” He leans in for another kiss and nips at my bottom lip as he pulls away.
“I don’t care if you love them, too. I may get a little jealous sometimes and it’s going to take some getting used to but…
I can’t deny you their love when you’ve been aching for them for so long. ”
“Wylder, I know this is a lot to ask and – “
He puts a finger on my lips to silence me, a smile forming on his lips.
“That wasn’t me saying I’ll automatically accept them.
I’ve seen you in pain for three years and I know it went on long before I ever came into the picture.
They can’t expect to waltz in and pick up where they left off.
This goes at your pace, Evie. Not theirs. ”
“They may not even want to. When they figure out what I did they’ll probably hate me. They’ll never want to see me again.” My eyes fill with tears I refuse to let fall as I think of how they’ll react when I tell them.
Wyld shrugs, “Then don’t tell them yet. Give them time to realize the woman you are now.”
Let them know me so maybe they’ll understand my reasoning. They can’t expect me to be the same girl I was when they left. I just don’t think they’re expecting…this.
Either way, it’s a better plan than I’ve got.
“Call Thompson and call him off. Tell him I want the trial scheduled and over with sooner rather than later.”
Wylder nods as he pulls out his phone, immediately scrolling through his contacts to find Thompson’s name. “Anything else?”
My mind spins through all the loose ends I now need to tie up in neat little bows because I moved too quickly.
Fucking rookie mistake. “Get Viv to talk to her connection at the police department so they’ll release the information for Roman’s gun, that’ll help with the jury and call Markus to see when the next race is, I’m going to need the cash. ”
“What about – “
I cut him off with a wave of my hand as I turn to leave. “I’ll handle him.”