Page 22 of Broken

“Don’t you love it?” she exclaims. “I know the walls need painted. I’m thinking a gray throughout that’s just a little darker than the floors. I was going to paint the baseboards white. I think that will brighten it up in here and yet make it all feel homey.”

I said I wasn’t going to, but I can’t seem to stop myself. “Sunshine, there’s no furniture.”

“The kitchen is fully equipped. Plus, the master bedroom has a bed. For the other one, I bought the pack and play for the baby, although to be honest, I’m probably going to keep my jellybean with me. I was thinking I’d go out to the Peddler’s Mall tomorrow. It’s my day off. I can find a cheap rocking chair and a couch, maybe. Get some linens and things. That’s really all I need. I’m going to be leaving after the baby is born and I make sure he or she is healthy. I won’t be able to haul my furniture. So, there’s no point in getting a lot,” she reasons.

“Peddler’s Mall?”

“Yeah, it’s in an old furniture store. It’s like two stories of secondhand items. You can find some really nice buys there. I’ll go by the hardware store and get some paint first, though. Since I’m going to be redoing about every room, I’m going to do it all in the same color. It will save money if I buy the five-gallon jug option. But first, I need to make sure of how much money I have to work with before I go hog wild and buy other things. I want to get a really nice rug so the baby can have somewhere soft for tummy time and to learn to sit up and things. I mean, the pack and play will have a playpen, so that can work, but I want to be able to get on the floor and play with my jellybean. You can hardly do that in a playpen.”

She’s talking so fast I have to really listen to take it all in. I smile despite my misgivings. “Show me the rest of the place, Sunshine. Once we get that done, we’ll go get your car and I’ll pick us up a pizza.”

Her smile quickly turns down. “Seriously, King. Stop calling me that.”

“Why would I do that? That silly song you love and declared was the best ever talked about his woman being sunshine constantly. If a man ever gets lucky enough to claim you, you’ll give him sunshine. It’s a name that fits you.”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s a name that T calls Lyla. They already don’t like you and I being friends. They’re afraid I hold some kind of secret power to rob you of all your brain cells and make you fall into my bed or something. The last thing I need to do is have T lose his mind because you slip up and call me that sometime. He’ll hunt me down in order to give me hell, and honestly, I’d rather not see him and Lyla again.”

“I thought you said that you apologized?”

“I did.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Well, they accepted, but made it clear all would never be forgiven. Mostly, they wanted me to grow from this and learn from my mistakes. Which, I fully admit, I need to do. They didn’t need to forgive me. It was just awkward, and I did it for closure. Closure will never happen if you ever talk about me as if we’re friends. It especially won’t happen if you refer to me as Sunshine. It will be just more proof to them that they are right about me.”

“What the fuck does it matter what they think? Are you friends with me because T is my brother?”

“Please, if anything, the fact you are Dragon West’s son is a reason for me to stay far, far away from you.”

“Now,that’sbullshit.”

“Huh?”

“Gabby, they’re happy and married! They have kids. I get what went on was twisted and not good, but you apologized. Life went on. You’ve recognized your mistakesandapologized.I didn’t hear you say anywhere in there that Dom apologized to you.”

“I think if we’re giving a grade on who did the most wrong, King, that would land solely at my feet. It’s over. I just want it done—which it is. I just don’t need more reasons for them to be upset. I’d rather just cease to exist for them. That’s for the best.”

“Bullshit, and that’s never going to be sustainable.”

“Of course it is. It’s one of the reasons I’m moving to Denver.”

“Which is more bullshit. You will have a new baby. The last thing you should do is move away from people who care about you.”

For a minute, her face looks lost, and slowly she brings her gaze up to mine and I see the tears shining in her eyes. “King, no one cares about me.”

“That’s even more bullshit and damn it, Gabby, I don’t want to hear any more of that crap.”

“It’s true.”

“What the hell do you think Nicole is doing, carting all that baby crap down here?”

She stares at me. “Nicole is nice. She enjoys helping. That’s all.”

“What about that Lottie chick? Or Dani?”

“Lottie wants me to join her club that her and Aspen are creating together behind her dad’s back—mostly to piss Ryan off and say a fuck-you to the whole of Savage Brothers in general because they don’t allow women in as patched members.”

I stare at her like she’s lost her mind. I pinch the bridge of my nose and hold my head down. “The longer I live, the more I think all women are nuts.”

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