Renegade Reject (Renegade Sons MC)

by Emily Minton

  With those words, he lets go of me and walks toward Preach. For some reason, I follow him. I fall behind quickly, because the guys keep coming up and hugging me. I hear congratulations over and over again, and I start to get a really nasty feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  When I finally reach Preach, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me flush to his side. When he leans down and gives me a soft kiss, I don’t even fight it. I’m too freaked out to push him away.

  “What’s that?” I nod to Preach’s hand, noticing some weird certificate he’s holding.

  “Just our marriage certificate,” he says.

  “Yeah, right,” I snort.

  He shoots me his panty-dropping smile and hands me the paper. I look down and see my signature on the bottom, the signature I just signed moments ago. Then, I finally look at the rest of the paper. On the very top, in big bold letters, are the words Marriage License. With that, I feel the world around me go black.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  PREACH

  At first, I thought the plan Holt and Wayne had for Daisy and I getting married was epic. Not so much anymore. Right now, I’m thinking it may have been the biggest mistake of my life. It’s almost like I’m a ghost since she woke up from fainting. I expected anger or tears, but she’s not pissed at me. She’s not anything with me. Anything would be better than this silence. Two days, two damn days, since we got married, and not a single word has passed her lips. She’s not talking to me, her grandparents, not to anyone really.

  When I saw her go down after looking at the marriage license, I damn near went out myself. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Everyone told me that it was nothing, just something that happens to pregnant women. That’s bullshit. The fact we were married freaked her out so bad that she had to escape. Fainting was her escape.

  I hear a nearly silent laugh as Ice takes a seat next to me at the bar. “She really doesn’t seem to be all that happy about this shit, huh?”

  Everyone has kept their mouths shut about what happened, but I should have known Ice would be the one to bring it up. “Whatever. She’ll get over it.”

  She motions to my nasty ass glass of sweet tea. “I see you’re hanging in there.”

  I look toward the bottles lining the wall behind the bar and shrug. “So far, but it’s getting harder with every fuckin’ minute that passes.”

  “You’ve come this far. No reason to screw up now.”

  Shrugging again, I look at her. “I don’t think there’s any reason to stay straight. It’s not like it gained me anything.”

  “Daisy still on your ass?”

  “No, I wish she was. Now, she’s just not talking to me at all. I really thought nothing could be worse than her throwing shit, but the quiet is killing me.”

  Ice lays a hand on my arm. “She’ll come around. Just give her a little time.”

  I slowly nod, hoping she’s right, but scared as fuck that she’s wrong. “I’m giving her time.”

  “Not too much though. If you do, shit will be even harder to get passed. Time only makes it harder to forgive,” Kidd says as he slides into the seat next to Ice. “I gave Jenna time, way too much fuckin’ time. What I figured would be a few days turned into years. When I told you to give her time, I didn’t think you were going to trick her ass into marrying you. Now, you got to step the fuck up. If not, her anger’s only gonna grow. Believe me, brother, you don’t want that to happen.”

  Ice leans into his body, a snarky smile on her face that promises Kidd’s dick will be very lonely tonight. “What are you saying, babe? You think I held on to my little tiff too long?”

  She may be smiling, may even be happy as hell for the moment, but that question is a minefield. If Kidd doesn’t watch out, he’ll be in the same boat as me. Of course, he isn’t Pres for no reason. He can handle his shit. “No, baby girl. What I’m saying is I let that shit go on way too long. I should have fucked you into forgiving me years ago. Then I wouldn’t have been sleeping alone for all that time.”

  “You weren’t sleeping alone.”

  Kidd cups her chin before responding. “No, I wasn’t, but I didn’t have my baby girl beside me, so I felt like I was all alone.”

  Her body instantly melts into his as she whispers her reply, “Me too, baby. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  A long minute passes as they stare at each other. Finally, Kidd leans over and covers her mouth with his. “Take care of this shit with Daisy, and do it now. I want to take you to bed, and I don’t want your mind on anything but my dick when we get there.”

  I watch as a shudder runs through her body before she looks over to me. “I’ll handle Daisy. I can get her to talk to you, but make sure you got your game face on, because you’ll have some serious explaining to do after I’m done.”

  DAISY

  Ice, Skittles, and I are hanging out in Preach’s room. I refused to go to the common room, and they refused to leave me alone. They spent the first hour trying to talk to me about Preach, but I was having none of it. I stayed quiet, not yet ready to give up all of my anger. Since I figured out that everyone knew what was going on with the marriage, I’ve refused to talk to anyone. They’re not making it easy though.

  Ice jerks her eyes to me. “Does she honestly think the world was formed by a big fuckin’ boom, or that we came from monkeys? Ha, I’d have a better chance at believing we came from mermaids who wanted to live on land.”

  “How did mermaids get brought into this? That’s just stupid,” Skittles asks, trying not to laugh.

  “Well, it’s true, you know. I’d have a better chance of believing we came from mermaids, instead of fuckin’ monkeys. At least mermaids look like people. Monkeys look like... well, monkeys. I can’t believe you think that shit is true,” she says, shaking her head.

  “Monkeys?” I wheeze. “Mermaids?” I lose it. I can’t help it. I let out the loudest laugh ever. I tried holding it in, but I just can’t. This constant silence is making me lose it.

  “What going on?” I hear from behind me? “Who’s talking about mermaids?”

  I turn and see it’s Preach. Forgetting for a minute that I’m angry with him, angry that both he and my own family pushed a marriage on me, I tell him about Skittles and Ice’s idiotic conversation.

  He lets out a loud laugh before shaking his head. “Is this shit what you chicks talk about when you’re alone?”

  It’s not until he sits down and pulls me into his lap that I realize what I’ve done. I’ve spoken to him for the first time in two days. I’ve let him back in. I immediately start trying to get up. His arms tighten around me. “Don’t do it, Daisy. Stop running from me.”

  “Just let go me go, Garrett,” I say, still struggling to get up.

  “Nope, that’s not happening. I’m never letting you go.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not ready to talk to you yet.”

  “Too damn bad, cause I’m ready to talk to you. I’m done with you ignoring me. That fuckin’ stops now. I can’t exactly prove myself to you if you keep freezing me out.”

  “Maybe, I don’t want you to prove yourself to me. Maybe I don’t want any of this,” I mutter the words that are as far from the truth as they can be, but I just can’t admit out loud how much I want him. I know as soon as I do, he’ll turn. He always does.

  “Shut the fuck up, Daisy,” he growls in my ear. “I love you. I love you so fuckin’ much, and I’m trying to show you that. Just give me a damn chance.”

  I still, my eyes blurring with unshed tears. “Maybe right now you love me, but what about tomorrow? Who’s pussy will you be inside of then.”

  “I’ll love you today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives.”

  I shake my head and voice my thought. “No, everything will change tomorrow. It always does.”

  “Tomorrow, you and I are going on a date. It’s your choice; fancy ass restaurant, a movie, whatever the fuck you want.”

  “You don’t date. You told me so.
”

  He leans forward and runs his lips from my forehead to my chin. “Told you, babe. I’ve changed. You went on a date with that prick cop. If you want to date, it’s going to be with me.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, so shocked that he’s giving me this that I forget to deny him.

  My response seems to satisfy him. He simply smiles and stands up. “I’ll leave you with your girls, but I’ll be back soon.”

  He leans down and kisses my forehead before walking out of the room. I watch his every step, wondering if I made a mistake.

  “Girl, you need to let the shit go. He loves you. You gotta forgive him,” Skittles says as she sits down beside me.

  “Look at me and Kidd. We lost six years, six long years, because I was nursing my pain. I was an idiot, clinging on to that hurt. Please don’t be me, Daisy. Don’t waste your life with anger,” Ice says as a tear rolls down her cheek.

  Her words cut me deep. The emotion cuts me even deeper. I’ve never seen Ice be sentimental before. Normally, she’s all fun and bullshit. “I’m scared. I’m scared shitless.”

  “I know you are, babe, but you got to give this a chance. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life,” she says, sitting down on my other side.

  “You need to forgive and learn to forget, Daisy. I know what it feels like to love someone, someone I’ll probably never have. At least you have a chance to be with the man you love. He wants you forever. You have no idea what kind of a gift that is,” Skittles whispers.

  Both Ice and I look at her, eyes narrowing. I’ve never heard Skittles talk like that before. In fact, I’ve never heard her talk about a guy before. She’s a great person with a heart of gold. Any man would be lucky to have her. Before I have the chance to ask who’s the loser that doesn’t see how wonderful she is, she stands up and walks out of the room.

  “Who’s she talking about?” Ice asks.

  I shrug. “No damn clue, but whoever he is, he’s an ignorant ass if he doesn’t love her back.”

  Ice turns back to me. “Let it go, Daisy. If you don’t, all that hate and anger you’re holding on to will just keep building. The resentment will eat at you until there is nothing good left inside you. Preach has changed. He’s trying I see it. Everyone sees it. You will too if you just open your eyes,” she says before standing up and leaving the room.

  I stare down at my hands, trying to keep my tears from falling. No one understands. No one knows just how badly he hurt me. Can I really just let it all go and forgive him for everything? Lying down on the bed, I bury my face in the pillow and let the tears fall.

  PREACH

  I’m walking down the hall, my stomach tied in knots. I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous. I could really use a drink right now. A little liquid courage would be a fuckin’ Godsend at the moment. It’s been nearly three hours since I left Daisy with Ice and Skittles. I almost went to her when Ice came out of my room, but she told me to give her a little time. Well, that time is up. We’re gonna talk, or at least I’m gonna talk, and she’s finally going to listen.

  I’m near our room when I hear Mary’s voice through the barely cracked door. “Daisy girl, I heard what those girls said to you, and I think they’re right.”

  “Don’t, please don’t. I can’t bear a lecture from you too.”

  The pain in Daisy’s voice slices right through me. She sounds so alone, so scared.

  “You need to listen to them. If not, you’re gonna lose something very special.”

  Daisy’s quiet for a second before she responds. When she does, I have to strain to hear her whispered voice. “Do you remember Adam, the boy that was supposed to take me to the Spring Fling my freshman year?”

  “I’m nearly sixty years old. I have trouble remembering last week.”

  Daisy lets out a snort before she continues. “He asked me to the Spring Fling, but he decided to take Leah instead. He didn’t even tell me, just never showed up to get me.”

  “I remember now. I also remember telling you that Leah was nothing but trouble, but you didn’t listen to me.”

  How right she is. That bitch should have had a neon sign on her forehead, warning everyone of the world of shit she would bring their way.

  “You were right, but we’re not talking about Leah. We’re talking about Adam,” Daisy says.

  “What about the little prick?”

  “I was so upset when he didn’t pick me up that I ran to your house and spent the night crying on your shoulder.” She’s quiet for a long moment before she tells the rest of her story.

  “A few days later, he asked me to the movies. He said he’d made a mistake with Leah, and I was the girl he really liked. I was so excited that I went straight to your house after school to tell you. Do you remember what you said to me?”

  There’re a few seconds of silence, and I can only assume that Mary shakes her head in the negative.

  “You said that I could do what I wanted to, but if I went to the movies or anywhere else with him, that I was an idiot. You told me that when he hurt me the first time, it was his fault. But if I let him hurt me again, it would be my fault.”

  “This isn’t the same.” Mary’s response is almost instantaneous.

  “But it is. I keep going back over and over letting him hurt me. It is my fault. Can’t you see that?”

  Oh hell no. Fuck no. I push the door open and rush into the room. “None of this shit was your fault. Every damn bit of it was mine.”

  Two sets of eyes swing to me. Daisy’s is full of shock and fear, but Mary’s is full of hope. She slowly looks back to Daisy and says, “Be happy, my little flower. Blossom with that love I see in his eyes right now.” She kisses her cheek and leaves the room.

  “Talk to me,” I plead as I walk toward her.

  She looks up to me, tears streaming down her face. “You hurt me when you were with Leah, but it was something I should have gotten over by the time I came back. But when I saw you with her at Dad’s party, all that pain and anger came rushing back.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.” I know the words are not enough, but what the hell else can I say. I am sorry, a sorry motherfucker.

  She shakes her head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I hadn’t even been here for three years. If you wanted to be with Leah, it was none of my business.”

  “It was always your business, and it will always be.”

  “After that, you just kept hurting me over and over. It became a habit for you.” She folds her knees up to her rounded stomach and hugs them tightly. “Nothing hurt worse than when you made love to me then went straight to Leah.”

  Fuck, fuck... “If I could take it back, I would.”

  “But you can’t, and that’s the problem. I’ve got to figure out in my own head how to get past it. If not, Grams is right, and I’m gonna lose something very important to me.”

  My heart skips a beat when I absorb the meaning behind her words. “Am I that important to you?”

  She looks at me, shock written all over her face. “Of course. You know how much I love you.”

  “You still love me?” Yeah, I sound like a fuckin’ pussy, but I couldn’t care less. I need to make sure this woman loves me as much as I love her.

  She nods. “I never stopped. How could I? You’re my dream, at least part of it.”

  Shock ricochets through my body as I take in her words. “What the hell are you talking about? What’s the other part?”

  “I wanted a big wedding. Since I was little, I wrote all about it in my diary. I was going to have a princess dress and wear baby’s breath in my hair. All my family and friends were going to be there, and we’d have a huge party. I’d tell our kids and grandkids about it. Now, I’ll have to tell them all that I didn’t even know I was married until after it was over.”

  Shit, another fuck-up. I sit down beside her and pull her into my lap. “You’ll have your wedding, and you’ll be proud to tell our kids and grandkids about it. I swear it.”

 
; She puts her face into my chest and lets out a nearly silent sob. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Little Flower.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  PREACH

  I spend nearly an hour with Daisy, just holding her and letting her cry. I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life; my father’s abuse, prison, damn near drinking myself to death, but nothing compares to witnessing the pain I caused my woman. I swear her tears feel like acid, burning a hole straight to my heart.

  When she finally cries herself to sleep, I lay her down on the bed and go to talk to Ice. Screw waiting until tomorrow. Daisy’s getting her date tonight. Since I don’t know shit about this kind of thing, I need Ice’s help.

  As I walk into the common room, I see her and Mary sitting at the bar. I make my way straight to them. I hesitate for a second, wondering how I became such a pussy, but then I remember the sound of Daisy crying and think fuck it. “I want to take Daisy somewhere special tonight.”

  Both look at me. A big smile spreads across Ice’s face. “You two finally get your shit straight?”

  Did we? I’m not sure. “I think we’re finally heading in the right direction.”

  “About damn time,” Mary says, taking a swig of her beer.

  “So, where the hell should I take her?”

  The women talk amongst themselves for a moment before responding to me. Mary nods to Ice, and she gives me my orders. “Daisy loves Buena Comida’s in Kansas City. Take her there for dinner, and then spend the night at The Wintergate.”

  “Mexican food and a hotel? That’s it?”

  Mary shrugs. “Daisy’s a simple girl. She doesn’t need you to spend a ton of money. All she wants is to spend some time with you.”

  I know she’s right. Daisy has never asked me for anything. Even when she was younger, all she ever wanted to do was go for a ride on my bike. “Alright, you two go help her get ready, but don’t tell her what we’re doing.”