He spun on me, giving me his back, and I knew he was fighting to control himself.
My voice came out weary. “I was your ride or die, Tony. I would have done anything for you. And you left me.” My soul was still hurting. “You left me with a broken heart, a child, and a fucking tombstone.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Not only that, but you made me believe you were my hero, that you saved me.” This was not something I would just get over. “That’s so messed up.”
When he turned to face me again, his face was drawn. “If I could go back—”
I rolled my eyes. “You’d have never done it. I know.”
But he shook his head. His tone was black. “Do it all over again.” I frowned as he went on. “To keep you safe, to keep my son safe, I would sacrifice everything. Even my own life.” My face turned passive as he dealt his parting blow. “You don’t fucking get it, do you, angel?” He looked miserable. “The few hours I spend with you are worth the thousand I spent without you.”
My heart panged at his uncharacteristically open admission.
He looked at me a long moment before he lowered his gaze and moved. I watched him walk down the hall and out the door.
Maybe I was being too hard on him.
Unfortunately, I just didn’t have it in me to care.
Nostalgia had me taking a detour on the way home. Regrettably, what was meant to be a reassuring and comforting trip ended up being traumatic in so many ways I could barely function.
I came home sobbing, and when I parked my car, I marched across the road and slammed my fist on his door.
The second he answered, he took in my red, blotchy face and his eyes widened in panic. “What happened?” He gripped my arms and spoke softly. “Where’s A.J.?”
“A.J.’s fine.” I sniffled. “He’s with Molly.” Fresh tears flowed, and I took my hand, pounding my fist onto his chest, as I ground out, “You tell them to put it back!”
He grasped my hands in his, holding them firmly as his brow furrowed. “What? Put what back? Who?”
But I wasn’t in the mood. “You know what I’m talking about.” I choked on a sob. “I want it back. Now.”
He held my hands in his, rubbing them gently. “I need you to talk to me, angel. Explain this to me.”
My wretched sob was barely audible. “The headstone.” I blinked through my tears. “You tell them to put it back. It wasn’t theirs to take.”
And as if a bulb lit up over his head, his body slumped and he sighed softly. “They finally took it.”
My voice was rough. “There’s nothing left. They dug it up. It’s gone”
The entire grave was gone, like the last six years hadn’t happened. As if my mourning was all in my mind and it wasn’t warranted. My head was a mess.
How dare they?
That gravestone meant something to me, and they couldn’t have it.
“Baby.” His brow furrowed as he continued to caress my hands. “Why are you so upset about this?”
“Because,” I started, swiping at my cheeks. “Because when you leave us again, it’s all A.J. will have left.” My body shook with the force of my soul-wracking cries. “Because it’s all I’ll have left of you.” I panted hard, snatching my hand from his and pounding it onto his chest once more. “It’s mine. I want it back!”
Twitch’s face fell, and as I took out my anger on his hard, unyielding chest, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his strong body while I fell apart. I cried hard, without shame, and as I took in an unsteady breath, I let out a shattered, “Don’t leave us. Not again.”
What I meant was, “Don’t leave me.”
He had to know I wouldn’t live through it. Not a second time.
What he said did not appease me. It wasn’t a promise. It was hardly a vow. “I swear to you I will never leave you.” He pressed his lips to my temple. “Not willingly.”
And I knew why he couldn’t give me more than that.
It was because he was Antonio “Twitch” Falco, a man who was once a king in this city. And now that word was spreading about his return, there would be some who would go so far to make sure he never stepped up to challenge the throne ever again.
It was because bullets spoke louder than words.
Chapter
TwentyTwo
Lexi
A.J. was readying himself for school when Twitch walked into the house like he owned the place. From his room, A.J. called out, “Daddy?”
His tired eyes smiled as he walked over to the coffee pot, pouring two mugs. “I’m here, bud.”
This was part of our routine lately. Twitch would drop A.J. off at school and pick him up, and he did this most days, without Molly. Molly, of course, had quite a bit to say about that to the man himself. She accused him of vying for her job, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her scathing accusation. She really was adorable. As if I’d ever turn her loose. She was more than just an employee. Molly was family.
It was so hard to give Twitch even a pinch of my trust, but I knew if we were going to make this work, eventually Twitch would have to be trusted with his son alone. And if I were being honest, after seeing how he interacted with our little monster, I didn’t think he would ever do anything to hurt him. When it came to our son, Twitch always seemed to put him first, which was a relief.
As the man in question passed me in the kitchen, he pressed his long, hard body into the back of mine and lowered his head to kiss my cheek. “Mornin’, angel.” He placed the second mug of coffee onto the counter in front of me like an offering to the shrine of a goddess.
My heart was aflutter.
Jerk.
I was also not in the mood. My lips thinned as I turned on him, and when I saw how the move had positioned us, I immediately regretted it. We were close. A little too close. Twitch held onto the counter, blocking me in, and when my eyes darted around in panic, his eyes crinkled in the corners, knowing I was caged.
My voice was quiet but irritated, and my eyes narrowed on him. “Why are you being so nice to me? You were never this nice to me. I would beg for you to be nice to me and you still wouldn’t.” I peeked out at the side of his large frame to make sure no one was coming. “So what gives?”
Was I spoiling for a fight? Yeah.
Was Twitch going to give that to me? No.
Slipping one arm around my back, he gently tugged on my braid, forcing my head up, and when he spoke, my reserve shattered. “Spent six years without you. Six years thinking about everything I should have done when I had the chance. Six years of guilt. Six years of regret. I left one way and came back another. I’m a changed man.”
When my brow furrowed, I whispered, “But you still like what you like.”
Clearly, his bedroom tastes hadn’t changed.
I stated this meaningfully and his eyes laughed. “I said I’ve changed, baby, not that I’m a fuckin’ saint.”
When my lips parted and I glanced up at his beautifully full mouth, he took a miniscule step closer, putting our bodies impossibly close, and spoke quietly, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you avoiding my mouth.”
Ah, crap. I thought I was being so discreet. I faltered on my response. “The other night, you—” I swallowed hard. “—you could have demanded a kiss, and I....” I would have. I would have given him anything.
But Twitch shook his head slowly, meaningfully. “Was never into forcing women. It doesn’t get me off. And forcing you?” His jaw tightened. “I’d rather off myself.” He lifted both hands to frame my face adoringly. “I only ever want you willing. I want you to want me so much it fucking hurts.” It already does. “I want you to think about me all the time.” I rarely think of anything but you. “I want to star in your dreams.” Every night, baby. He ran his thumb over my soft lips. “I want you to give me that mouth more than anything, because—fuck me—I haven’t thought about much else other than those smiling angel lips on mine.” He released me, stepping back. “But I want you to want it too.”
I did.
I do! Come back!