by Kasey Krane
“She could be a Baron spy!” I growled. “Do you hear what I’m saying, brother? She could be feeding you what you want to hear so you trust her.”
Tristian was silent. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I didn’t want him to think. I wanted him to act.
I hadn’t paid much attention to this Elsie chick the previous night. All my attention was on Davey. But it was unmistakable that she was a looker. She was just Tristian’s type, even though he always insisted he didn’t have a type. That he would fuck any tight warm pussy.
“Yeah, I’ll deal with it,” he finally replied.
“Okay. Good.”
The call ended quickly after that.
When I turned around, I found Rosalie sitting on the bench close to the sand pit where Davey played with his friends. We had been at the playground for over an hour and it didn’t seem like Davey was about to tire soon.
“Everything okay?” she asked when I joined her.
I reached for her hand and she snuggled in close beside me, then placed her head on my shoulder.
“Davey is going to have an actual family. I am going to have an actual family. I still can’t believe it,” she said, blushing.
“I fuckin’ love you,” I said, turning to kiss her.
She kissed me fiercely back. My fingers sank into her hair and her tongue lashed against mine. When we were done, she pulled away, giggling.
“I’m not sure we’re allowed to kiss like that at a playground,” she said.
“I’d like to see who would tell me to stop.”
She bit down on her lip and shook her head.
“You know what I really want to do? Call all those people at the party from four years ago, all those people who thought it was hilarious that we fucked and then you left. I want them to know exactly where we are today and what we’re doing.”
“And what I really want to do is put another baby in you,” I replied.
I saw the look of shock on her face. She wasn’t expecting it. Hell, I wasn’t expecting it either. But I wanted to grow our family. I wanted to experience being a father to Davey, and I also wanted to experience everything I had missed about his childhood and birth. And I wanted to do all that with her.
Rosalie. The girl who brought me to my knees. Over and over again.
Sneak Peak at Tristian
Elsie
Ten years ago
I sat with my legs hanging off the jetty, staring out at the calm waters of the lake in front of me. The sun was about to set and the sky was a deep purplish color I’d fallen in love with.
At first, when my parents told me we’re spending the whole summer out at this lake house, I was hesitant to go. I didn’t want to leave the city, I didn’t want to be away from my friends for that long. But once I got to the lake house and saw how pretty the sky looked in the late evening, I never wanted to leave.
I had a book in my hand which I hadn’t been reading. Still stuck on the first page of the first chapter. I just couldn’t focus on the text. There was so much on my mind. Which, as a twelve year old, usually meant crushes and boys.
It was exactly how cliched I was. Just another stereotype.
I had a crush on Jasper Conron ever since I remembered. Ever since I saw him at kindergarten. He had big blue eyes and a winning smile, but it was like he never noticed me.
Maybe it was my fault. I was too geeky and nerdy, too predictable. I was too interested in books and math. We had spent so long together, with our lives running parallel to each other’s. However, it never happened to coincide. Jasper probably didn’t even know I existed.
The older we got, the more handsome he became. He turned into the guy every girl in school and in the neighborhood had a crush on. And he knew it.
My best friend, Sonya, and I would spend hours daydreaming about marrying Jasper. What our dream wedding would look like. How many kids we’d have.
Just childish stupid stuff.
Neither of us ever expected it to come true. Neither of us expected him to notice us.
And then, just like that, out of the blue, he did.
But it wasn’t me Jasper noticed. It was Sonya.
I was shocked when he walked over to us one day at the cafeteria and asked Sonya if she would have lunch with him. She didn’t even give me a second glance as she breathlessly accepted his invitation and they trotted off together.
When I called her after school that day, because I hadn’t been able to get a hold of her after lunch, she refused to come to the phone. She didn’t speak to me at school the next day. I didn’t know what I did wrong, but it felt like I’d done something.
She was embarrassed of me.
Sonya did eventually come clean. A whole week later.
She didn’t even want to be seen talking to me, so she promised to stop by my house after school. She only stayed for fifteen minutes that day. She told me she was officially dating Jasper now. That she even planned to have sex with him, she’d make her dream come true and marry him. But, I couldn’t be a part of it.
Sonya didn’t want me to be around because Jasper was too cool for me.
I didn’t know what to be more heartbroken over—the fact my best friend now dated the boy who I thought was the love of my life. Or, the fact my best friend had now written me out of her life because I embarrassed her.
Either way, the plan of going to the lake house for the summer, couldn’t have come at a better time.
***
I sat alone on the jetty for a while before my father joined me. He settled in beside me with his legs dangling a few feet above the water too.
“It’s nice out here, right?” he said.
“How’d you notice? You’ve been working ever since we got here,” I grumbled.
According to him, the lake house belonged to a business associate of his who had kindly lent it to us for the summer. But it looked like—in exchange of the favor, they also expected my father to be available for business meetings whenever they wanted. He’d been gone for hours every day since we arrived.
He threw an arm around me now, drawing me close to him.
“I’m sorry for being busy, honey. I promise I’ll wrap things up quickly so we can spend more time together.”
I pushed his arm away and continued staring out at the sky. I preferred to be alone with my thoughts. And it seemed like my father understood. We just sat in silence there for a long while before he spoke again.
“Mom told me about what happened with Sonya.”
I turned to him with an angry jerk.
“Why can’t she keep a secret?” I snapped.
“I’ll tell you a secret, honey. The key to a good marriage is honesty and loyalty. Your mother and I tell each other everything,” he said, smiling softly.
I rolled my eyes at that. It wasn’t the moment to give me a lesson on marriage and relationships.
My father held his hands up in surrender.
“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m not going to pry. I just wanted you to know that I’m here if you want to talk, Elsie.”
The truth was; I did want to talk to him. Ever since I was a little girl, it was my father whom I felt was the one person who truly understood me. Except, in this instance, I had no words to describe to him how I felt. The betrayal, the pain, the hopelessness. I didn’t think he’d understand because he wasn’t a twelve year old girl.
My father searched my eyes and I looked away.
“No?” he asked.
“What do you want me to say? You said Mom’s told you everything already.”
“But you haven’t.”
“I have nothing to add,” I snapped.
“What Sonya has done is not fair. It’s a bad move for a friend, and someday, she’s going to regret it. One day, she’s going to grow up and look back on your friendship and realize how stupid she was for pushing you away when you were the best friend she could’ve ever asked for.”
As much as I tried to ignore my father’s words and continue brooding;
he had an effect on me. A positive effect.
My shoulders heaved and I breathed in deeply with emotion. I had to put the book down. The idea that Sonya would some day regret her actions, made me feel good about myself.
Then he put a hand over mine and smiled, looking deeper into my eyes.
“Don’t ever let anyone make you feel worthless, Elsie, because you are worth everything. Anybody with a brain in their head would know how special you are. And if they don’t then they’re not worth your time or your friendship or your love, someone else is.”
I threw myself at him and he wrapped me with his arms. I broke down for the first time since Sonya said those mean things to me. I cried on my father’s shoulder and he didn’t have to say anything more. He’d done his job.
***
Present Day
I thought about Dad as I stared out the window of the penthouse apartment in the kind of apartment building I’d never normally have access to. It had a fabulous view of the Hudson, of the rest of Manhattan. I was transfixed by the view and wrapped in thoughts of my father and everything I’d learned from him. I missed him. As confusing as those emotions felt right now.
I heard movement behind me, realizing Tristan was back in the room. He said he had to talk to his brother and he went to the other room to make the call.
In the few hours since the previous night I’d spent in Tristan Doherty’s company—the one thing I’d gotten to know about him was he was a man of few words.
Tristan was not a big talker. If he’d met my father, Dad would’ve encouraged him to come to terms with his emotions, to talk about his feelings, to open up. But my father wasn’t here, he’d never be here. And more importantly, Tristan Doherty would probably never appreciate the wisdom my father had to offer. He wasn’t that kind of guy.
I turned to look at him. He was focused on his phone, scrolling, typing, looking busy. There was no denying he was sexy. In the kind of way I’d never considered within-reach before.
Tall, muscular, dangerous, his arms covered in intricate tribal tattoos, his eyes so green and his jaws so sharp and chiseled, he actually looked like European royalty. Well, in a way, he kind of was.
“How was the phone call? What did your brother say?” I asked, making him look up at me.
It was like I was addicted to sinking into his eyes.
Tristan clenched his jaws and breathed in deeply. I sensed this wasn’t going to be good.
“He told me not to trust you,” he replied.
Want more of Tristian? You can get him here!
About Kasey Krane
Kasey Krane is a tattoo artist living in the beautiful (and hot) state of Texas. She enjoys drawing but writing has recently become a new passion for her. Especially when it's too damn hot to do anything outside. Whiskey neat is her drink of choice and she's never met a truck she doesn't like. Enjoy her bad boys, she sure does.
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More Books by Kasey Krane
Killian (The Doherty Mafia #1)
Aidan (The Doherty Mafia #2)
Colin (The Doherty Mafia #3)
Brendan (The Doherty Mafia #4)
Tristian (The Doherty Mafia #5)
Nolan (The Doherty Mafia #6)
Bolt (Iron Thunder MC #1)
Flash (Iron Thunder MC #2)
Drax (Iron Thunder MC #3)
Ghost (Iron Thunder MC #4)
Spike (Iron Thunder MC #5)
Rogue (The Black Cobras MC #1)
Cash (The Black Cobras MC #2)
Patch (The Black Cobras MC #3)
Bones (The Black Cobras MC #4)
Bishop (Dead Legion MC #1)
Judge (Dead Legion MC #2)
Knight (Dead Legion MC #3)
Luca (Sinful Shadows #1)
Eli (Sinful Shadows #2)
Ace (High Rollers MC #1)
Rook (High Rollers MC #2)
Spade (High Rollers MC #3)
About Savannah Rylan
Savannah Rylan is a romance writer that spends most of her time writing and reading with her cat, Gris. When not penning the next great American novel, (HA), you can find her on the beach with a drink in her hand or at the gym testing out some strange new position. Yoga, obviously. She lives in Southern California with her husband and Gris, the true love of her life.
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Check out her website!
More Books by Savannah Rylan
Box Sets
The Bad Disciples MC Box Set
The Road Rebels MC Box Set
Marked Skulls MC Box Set
Dead Souls MC Box Set
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Box Set
Black Hornets MC Box Set
The Lost Boys MC Box Set
Series
Link (Dragon Riders MC #1)
Bowser (Dragon Riders MC #2)
Ash (Dragon Riders MC #3)
Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC #4)
Sly (Dragon Riders MC #5)
Declan (The Callaghan Mafia #1)
Brody (The Callaghan Mafia #2)
Gael (The Callaghan Mafia #3)
Flynn (The Callaghan Mafia #4)
Cage (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #1)
Bear (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #2)
Saint (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #3)
Ryker (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #4)
Toxin (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #5)
Texas (The Lost Boys MC #1)
Stone (The Lost Boys MC #2)
Bronx (The Lost Boys MC #3)
Notch (The Lost Boys MC #4)
Jace (The Black Hornets MC #1)
Maverick (The Black Hornets MC #2)
Duke (The Black Hornets MC #3)
Colt (The Black Hornets MC #4)
Thor (The Black Hornets MC #5)
Jagger (The Black Hornets MC #6)
Knox (Dead Souls MC #1)
Grave (Dead Souls MC #2)
Brewer (Dead Souls MC #3)
Rock (Dead Souls MC #4)
Diesel (Deal Souls MC #5)
Girth (Marked Skulls MC #1)
Rodeo (Marked Skulls MC #2)
Abe (Marked Skulls MC #3)
Oz (Marked Skulls MC #4)
Dash (Marked Skulls MC #5)
Hawk (The Road Rebels MC #1)
Talon (The Road Rebels MC #2)
Snake (The Road Rebels MC #3)
Fox (The Road Rebels MC #4)
Gunner (The Bad Disciples MC #1)
Hunter (The Bad Disciples MC #2)
Tank (The Bad Disciples MC #3)
Glock (The Bad Disciples MC #4)
Marco (The Bad Disciples MC #5)