“The beach.” Dani shrugs. “Should be fun, the kids love it there,” she continues.
“I don’t know,” I mutter, grabbing another beer. I glance at my phone again then shake my head at myself and sigh. Here I am acting like a fucking chick checking my phone, hoping she calls me first. Knowing Cherry, she’s waiting on me to come to her.
“Cherry will be there,” Dani sing-songs. “You can stop checking that phone and just go to her, ya know.”
My ears perk at Cherry’s name. Just hearing another person say it drives the nail of loneliness in my heart. I saw a redheaded girl sitting at the club bar the other day, and my heart stopped, thinking it was Cherry. It wasn’t her of course, and I looked like a damn fool for swinging the strange chick around by her arm like a crazy asshole.
“I don’t know how to make things right,” I answer honestly. Dani sighs heavily, flopping her purse on the counter.
“You guys just need to start over, forget everything that went wrong. She misses you, ya know. She wants to be with you. But she doesn’t think you want to be with her because of her daughter.” Dani’s eyes furrow inward with an accusing glare.
“But I do,” I flick my eyes to Dani’s and she smiles sympathetically. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I—” I lower my head and exhale a frustrated breath. “I’m miserable without them,” I confess. “When I met Piper and saw how fragile she was, all I wanted to do was protect her. She reminds me of Cherry so much, and there’s this piece of me that just wants to be their protector, their main source of security.”
“Then fucking tell her that,” Dani huffs. “You both fucked up, you both told some shitty lies. Nobody is worse than the other in this, but Cherry being my partner in crime, I’m just going to say that you are the fucking asshole in this. You need to go to her and stop with the pride bullshit.” Dani lays it out there, no beating around the bush. As much as her flippant mouth angers me, she’s fucking right.
“Thanks for the advice,” I grumble sarcastically and stand from the counter. As much as Dani’s words make sense, but why would Cherry believe anything I said after all the lies I’ve spoken? Why should she?
I saunter into my room in the back of the club and slam the door. I never thought I wanted kids, never thought I’d love someone, but now I don’t know how I could live without Cherry and Piper. The way she’s on my mind day and night, the thought that another guy is looking at what’s mine, I know without a doubt I’ve fallen for her. Me running to her and spewing a bunch of apologies, though? That ain’t Cherry’s style. Hell, that ain’t my style.
I spot Cherry’s property patch lying on the floor. Stepping forward, I grab it, the smell of her making my dick swell. Bull gave me Cherry, and I fell in love with her. She taught me how to balance my dark and light. Without her, I’ll dissolve into my own shadow. I can’t help the man I am, but for fuck’s sake, I’m not going to be the man who lets the one girl he’s ever loved slip away.
Fisting the cut, I turn to the door, taking long strides out of the room.
Cherry is mine, whether she wants to be or not. I won’t let her walk away that easily.
“Dani, wait up!” I holler.
I follow Dani and some of the guys to the beach, the whole time my heart slamming against my chest. What if she tells me she can’t right now, that she needs to focus on Piper? I shake my head. Fuck that; I won’t let her push me away with that bullshit.
I pull up to the beach and prop my bike on its kickstand.
“Good luck, brother.” Bobby smirks, patting me on the back as he walks past. Asshole.
Red hair catches my attention, and my heart sinks. There she is. Fuck, she’s beautiful. She’s wearing a two-piece mint green bikini, her red hair vibrant as ever with the sun shining through it. She still has that patch on her stomach, though, where she was shot. She and I will have matching scars now, ones that prove our devotion to one another. How many couples can say I took a bullet for my significant other?
I stomp forward, sand filling my boots, Cherry’s cut in my hand. A guy with long, blond hair and flowery trunks walks up to Cherry, and my jaw clenches. He’s fucking flirting with my girl, and that isn’t happening.
Striding up beside Cherry, I sneer at the punk.
“Sup?” He juts his chin out, but I don’t respond. I convey all I need to say in my death stare. The guy stammers, looking around awkwardly like he just realized there are a bunch of Devil’s Dust bikers around, and walks away like a fucking coward.
Cherry turns, and I swear to God the words I was going to speak lodge in my throat. Fuck, she’s breathtaking.
“Really, Lip?” she huffs. “We were just talking.” She shakes her head.