Page 54 of Rise By Sin

“That’s me. I’m sure Colt loves telling you how he robs me blind every time we play,” Deak chuckled as he gave Ky a friendly smile.

“He is a bit of a cheat. Last time we went away together we ended up playing gin rummy and I know he was cheating,” Ky laughed.

“Are you hungry? We were just about to eat,” I offered.

“Oh, I don’t want to impose. I can come back later if this is a bad time,” he floundered as he dared a quick glance to Jack and Mason. They were obviously making him nervous and it was pissing me off. I glared at the both of them, but especially Jack. I expected this kind of bullshit from Mason. He was an overprotective cave man, but Jack knew better. This man was my brother’s fiancé and they were treating him like he was a criminal.

“No imposition. Grab a seat, mate. I’ll get another plate,” Jack said, his tone a little easier going now.

I made sure to sit Kylan between Deacon and I at the table, not wanting him caught anywhere near Mason until the asshole pulled himself together.

It’s silent as Jack fills our plates with huge servings of his lasagna. I add some salad and cover it with enough dressing to make it actually taste of something. Kylan is still nervous as he picks up his cutlery and dive into the lasagna.

“So, you and Colt are engaged?” Jack questions.

“Yeah. He proposed to me at the restaurant where we had our first date. He hired the whole place and filled it with candles and fancy boxes of chocolate,” he recounted with a dreamy smile.

“Chocolate?” I laughed, confused.

“I’m not a flower kind of guy. It’s become a running joke between us. I once Told Colt to buy me chocolate instead of flowers that will just wither and die, and he took it very literally. Every timeI came to his place he’d leave little boxes of chocolate with my name on them anywhere he’d usually have flowers brought in by his cleaner. H even got us chocolate buttonholes when we went to my sister’s wedding together a few months ago. They made a mess of our suits, but it made us happy. It’s kind of our thing now,” he chuckled, but there was so much sadness in his eyes. It made my chest physically hurt. “When he proposed he said he put chocolate everywhere he thought he should have put red roses. I still have a ton of boxes at home that he promised to help me eat. He…he n-never breaks his promises.” The last words came out shaky and whispered as a single tear slid down his cheek. Before he could get his hand to his cheek to swipe it away I was leaning over and wrapping my arms around his waist.

“No he doesn’t, and he won’t break this one either,” I tried to soothe him.

“I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this but I haven’t slept much since…well, since Ava told me.”

“I get it. I’ve been a complete crazy lady since I arrived here and found out Colt was gone. These guys can attest to that,” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“You mean so much to him, Ava. He loves you. No matter what we find, you have to hold on to that. He would have done anything for you. He was so proud of you,” Ky told me and I just felt even shittier about myself hearing those words said out loud.

“I let him down,” I admitted. “I’ve been lying to him and avoiding him for two years. I avoided his calls and stopped him visiting, then when he actually needed me for once, I couldn’t even pick up the damned phone when he called. All the times he was there for me, and the one damned time he needed help I failed him!”

“Ava, don’t. You know none of that is true and Colt would be pissed as fuck if he heard you say that bullshit,” Mason scolded.

I didn’t say anything else, instead turning my attention to moving the food on my plate around, but that didn’t mean I didn’t mean every word I had said. It didn’t stop my stomach from churning, or the little I had eaten from threatening to come back up because of the guilt I felt inside.

The guys all started to talk around me, Mason questioning Kylan like he was sat in the interrogation room at the police precinct with him. He clearly wanted to know if Kylan was with Colt for his money, but Ky soon cleared that up when he explained he owned five restaurants across the country and was currently trying to open his first in Europe too. Mason seemed to soften somewhat as the meal went on, and deacon and Jack were being perfectly civil. I had known it wouldn’t take long for them to see the good in Kylan, just as I had.

“Ava, you haven’t eaten much, love? Do you want me to make you something else?” Jack asked, pulling me from where I had been staring down at my plate for way too long, drowning in my own guilt and fear I would never see Colt again.

“I’m not hungry,” I shrugged as I looked up at him. “Sorry. It was good. I just c-can’t,” I added.

“Why don’t you go to your room and get into bed? You look exhausted. I can show Kylan the footage from Temple,” Deacon suggested. I looked up to Kylan, feeling bad that I had checked out on him when I was the one who asked him to come over.

“Is that good with you?”

“Of course it is. Deacon’s right, you look exhausted, sweet girl,” he replied as he studied me hard. “Is this what you’ve beenkeeping from Colt? Are you sick?” he asked as he studied me closer.

“Not sick. I got shot on the job, in the back, almost two years ago. My spine was damaged and I…things are difficult. I get tired easily and I’m in pain most of the time. I should have told him, but I was embarrassed. I didn’t want him to see me this way.”

“You should have told him Ava. He’s going to hate knowing what you’ve suffered alone when you didn’t need to,” Ky sighed as he took my hand in his and squeezed it.

“I know. I think we both have a lot to discuss if….I mean, when, when he comes home,” I said tiredly.

“Go and get some sleep. I’ll call you to check in tomorrow afternoon, okay?” he told me with a sad smile, and I nodded. I liked him a lot, and I’d happily accept him as my brother in law when Colt got his ass in gear and married him. And even if the worst happened – if Colt never came back to me, I’d still do all I could to be there for this good, kind man, just as I knew Colt would want me to be. At least for as long as I could hold on with the guilt I knew would come, consuming me until I knew I would ultimately give up.

CHAPTER 17

AVA

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