Page 24 of Secrets

A smile spreads across her face. "Well, you don't always make it easy, but you make it worth it. And you always deserve it."

"I made shit so difficult for so long, and I don't know that I've fully understood the depths of which you loved me. Even when you wanted to fucking murder me, you loved me. You had every right to give up, walk away, and throw in the towel. No one would have blamed you, but you didn't."

"Colt-"

"I see myself in Dax in more ways than one. Not just the self-destructive shit he does, but I think I'd be just like him if I ever lost you. I have no idea what I'd do in this life without you in it."

Her hand caresses his face. "You'd live your life and be a good father like I'd want you to. But you can't do club bunnies. At least, not the ones in Griffin's Beach and Black Valley. The ones here are oddly intriguing. I want to get them together to teach a class to the others. Club Bunny 101 or something. Or maybe, we can just call itHow to not get your ass beat by an old lady. It's long, but effective."

He just chuckles. "You're amazing."

"You're not too bad yourself," she says. “Stop beating yourself up over the past. As long as you don’t repeat, it’s done. We’re moving forward.”

God, I love this woman.

Chapter Ten

Summerville

Lex

Sitting on Colt's lap, Lex looks around the room at the faces starting to become familiar. Next to them sits Bodie with a bunny she knows as Cherry trying to talk him up.

"Where are the little ones?" Venom asks, walking up to the group. "Your manny's here, so who's with them?"

Something about this man, who has now dyed his hair an almost platinum blonde, speaks to Lex. He's gruff and crass, but she has no doubt he'd bleed for the club. Die for it, even.

"Marnie and Sutton wanted to watch them tonight. Something about keeping Marnie away from the big, bad man who terrorizes her," Lex says with a smirk.

He mocks shock as he touches his hand to his chest. "Me?"

"Who else would fit that description around here?" Colt asks with a laugh.

"Everyone, man," he says. "I can't believe I'm even a blip on their radars."

She tilts her head. "Like you don't flirt with Snake's kid?"

"You think that's flirting? She's the only one in this damned place who knows how to banter. I'm bored to tears with the rest of you. Well, not so much, you, Curly Q, but the rest of them? Yeah, fucking boring."

"You see me sitting right here, right?" Colt asks, and then turns to his wife. "What do you do when I'm gone? Banter with the crazy guy? Don't we already have enough of them in our lives?"

Lex can't help but laugh. "What can I say? He reminds me of someone. Plus, he's entertaining as hell. What he doesn't know is that I can now read him like a book. And I know exactly what he wants and thinks."

"Oh, fuck off," Venom says, waving a hand in the air and walking away. He gets a little further and looks back at Lex with what she believes is a worried expression. Yep, she can read him.

"We don't, in fact, need to take in all the crazy men of the club. You know that, right?"

Turning to Colt, she smiles. "But I attract the crazies. I'm also a little crazy. But so are you, which is what makes it all so much fun."

"Yeah, I've heard enough of your crazy, by the way," Bodie says. "These two... yeah, they go at it like fucking rabbits."

Cherry giggles. "Good for them. So many people say sex dies after marriage."

"If it has, they're fucking resurrecting it," he says. "Every. Damn. Day."

Lex shrugs. "Again, you were warned. On the very first night."

He sighs. "Yeah, that's probably true."

---