Page 83 of Duke

“I can’t do that. I burned them. I’m sorry.”

“I’m so pissed at you right now. Don’t touch me.” I slap his hands off, moving away from him.

“She thought—she thought my father could’ve been your father. I went insane. I went into a rage. Drank myself into the dark for days. Will kept me from tearing the whole world down while I waited for the DNA test to come back. Then she wrote all kinds of sick shit about how she caught your dad screwing my aunt. My mom was working, and Dee had come over to babysit me. Not that I needed a sitter. I was a damn teenager. Your Ma came to my house looking for my dad but found Pops instead, balls deep in Dee.

There was a huge fight. The place got trashed. Funny thing is… I remember that day—when I got home from school they were all drunk and getting high.”

“Jesus. I knew Pops was a hell-raiser, but it’s hard for me to picture him like that. H-how did you get a DNA test?”

“Meat. He grabbed some hairs from the brush you leave on your dresser.”

“Son of a bitch,” I mutter thinking back to all the times I’ve come home and he’s been in the house.

“That’s why I pushed you away and ignored all your calls. I couldn’t handle it. Handle knowing, I was in love and hurting for my possible half-sister. I wanted you too much.”

“What would have happened if it were true?”

“Nothing, I swore you’d never find out, but you’d never see me again. I was going put oceans between us. I would’ve needed the space to let go.”

“That wouldn’t be your choice to make.”

“Too bad, don’t you get it? I’d run through the fires of hell for you. You’ve been hurt too much this past year. I wasn’t going add one more thing to the pile of bullshit heaped on you.”

I wring my hands. He’s right. If he were my brother, it would have been the last straw. It would’ve broken me. “Is there anything else?” I ask tiredly. “I love you, but we haven’t had a smooth ride.”

“There’s nothing else, just us, forever.” He answers tenderly, taking my hand and getting down on one knee.

“Don’t.” I press a finger to his lips, “Not yet. I still need more time. I’ve worked so hard. I want to graduate. I’m almost there.”

“Christ cherry. I know you have commitments, so do I. I just wanted to make a vow to you from the bottom of my wrecked heart that this is forever.”

“Forever,” I answer bending down to kiss him fiercely. Duke Masters is mine now. And I’ll fight for him just as hard as he’s fighting for me. Forever.

“How much longer do we have before you need to get back.”

“I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about that.” I answer staring into the fire.

“It’s been handled. The house scrubbed clean.”

“Yes. But you can’t clean away the ugly. I see it every time my eyes shut.”

“I’m here now. I’ll help you get through this baby.

“This is why I wanted to run from the club life. What happened? Did you bury him out in the woods?”

“No. I told you I’m running shit differently. We called the authorities, but left the part about you and me being there out of it. Pops stabbed him with the piece from the broken coffee cup.”

“They bought that?”

“The chief used to ride as a brother. But everything is being processed legit. No more secrets are hiding in the shadows for you. I swear it.”

I let him drape the blanket around me and draw me back in his arms. I stare into the flames, lost in thought until sleep takes me away, but he’s there just like he promised. I smile, snuggling deeper against him knowing he’s right. We will be together forever, and I’ll never be alone because asleep or awake he holds me close, keeping me safe.

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