Page 33 of Warrior

I glance at her before turning my eyes back to the road. “And like I already told you, you needed the sleep. There wasn’t anything I did that needed your help anyway.”

“I forgot about how much of a pain in the ass you are,” she mutters and turns her head to look out the window.

A smirk tugs at my lips. “Well, I remember exactly how much of one you are. Which is why I let you sleep, so this trip would be pleasant.”

She scoffs, but there’s no heat behind it. A tired or hungry Lyric was never a good combination, and with all of the things I’ll be asking of her today, I needed to cover those bases first. Parking the truck in front of the best deli in town, I watch as Lyric’s face automatically lights up. A growl comes from her stomach and she quickly presses her hand to it. I force back a laugh and open my door instead.

“Come on. How about I take you to eat before the people of this little town have to witness a hangry Lyric.”

“Hey,” she laughs, and it's the best thing I’ve heard in days. Years actually. “I am not that bad.”

This time I roll my eyes and move to hold the door open for her.

We pick a table in the back that at least offers some semblance of privacy. I looked at each person we walked by on our way in, checking for the man I’ll be hunting. A server comes over to collect our drink orders and then we’re plunged back into silence. I look up and her eyes are waiting for mine. Our years apart hang between us, cuddled up close to the hurt and questions. I need her to trust me. I want to leave here with her and help her chase a fresh start. More than anything else, I’m looking for her to be in my life again. So I decide to bite the bullet on this one. There is an uncomfortable conversation we need tohave, and I deserve to be the one who starts it. It's time I own up to my mistakes, and hope to hell I can grovel enough that she will look at me again with love in her eyes.

“I’ll do anything to help you with this, Lyric. But I also hope we can clear the air between us.”

Chapter 15

Lyric

Closure. I need to keep thinking about this as closure. I’ll take the help of the Rebels of the Undead, and I’ll follow their plan so I stay alive and get my life back. Even if that means sharing space with Colt, at his house. I’d be lying if I said that was all I wanted. Being forced into Colt’s space and having him this close again has brought up years of pent-up frustration and hurt. I’m thankful he’s here, while at the same time I want to kick him in his balls for what he did to me. I just want to know why. So if he’s ready to talk about it, I’m ready to hear it, I think.I have nothing to be sorry foris the mantra I’ve repeated many times over the years. He chose to lie and to hurt me. And as Jordan always said, there’s nothing wrong with getting angry. Maybe anger is my final stage of grief for our past relationship, and once this is over, I will fully let go.

I take him in, noticing his thick hair is still damp after his shower. He’s sitting back in his seat across from me, spread out, with one arm slung across the top of the booth, looking relaxed while I have knots in my stomach. I’ve been holding my breath since the truck drive so I don’t inhale his body washscent. It hasn’t changed over the years we’ve been apart and the memories hit me full force with every breath I take.

“Where do you want to start? I feel like I gave everyone a rundown on my life the past few years at the clubhouse.”

He spins my words around in his mind, appearing to think everything over. “I saw your picture in your house and you told us you graduated from Alabama. Did you like going to school there?”

I nod. “I did my grad school there, too. Once I got used to it and learned how to be independent there, I loved it. If this whole thing with that ass-face hadn’t ruined it, I would have stayed.”

“I’m glad you did,” he responds, his breath hitching lightly. “Over the years, one of the things I’ve always wondered is if you still went there. I felt guilty that I forced you to choose it then didn’t go with you.”

My heart hammers in my chest. I guess we’re going to just jump right into the past. “You didn’t force me to do anything, Colt. I chose to go with you, and even after we broke up, I chose to go and then eventually to stay there. And now, after everything I’ve experienced, I’m glad I made the choice to stay. I had some truly amazing years there. Not everything was terrible.”

His lips and smile falter slightly, but he nods his head slowly. “I’m glad to hear that. How’s your family?”

I shrug. “Momma and Daddy are still in the same home. Getting close to retirement but are adamant they want to keep working. Kyler is in Nashville at an accounting firm, and Posey is…well, she’s still deciding what she wants. She did medical school for a bit then thought she wanted to be a veterinarian. Now she's blogging about books she reads and has a ton of followers.”

Colt laughs, the deep kind, and his eyes meet mine. “That girl always did have a million things going on all at once, it seemed.I’m surprised about Kyler, though. I thought for sure he’d be doing something with games or design.”

“Me too. I don’t know though. He said the money was better.” I chuckle and smile thinking of my younger siblings. “Have you talked to your dad? Momma told me he’s been sober since not long after you left. Guess he’s been staying busy too.”

Colt’s eyes drop to the table and he looks uncomfortable. “He is. About two years ago was actually the first time I’d seen him in years. I told him I was in town for my buddy Tric’s funeral and he invited me to dinner with AJ. Since then, I’ve seen him off and on and around the holidays, but it's nice to at least connect with AJ. I’m not sure my dad and I will ever have a good relationship again.”

“AJ? As in your nephew?” I question, astonished. I knew how much it used to tear Colt up back in the day that he had no contact with his brother’s son.

“Yup. Guess they reconnected while I was gone and had been getting together. He wanted to meet me so he was there that night.” Colt smiles, but it’s strained.

“He’s got to be in his late teens by now?” I try to do the math, then remember it was never really my strong suit.

“Eighteen. Just graduated high school and he plays baseball at Vanderbilt. He’s studying sports medicine,” Colt says with pride in his voice for his nephew. He goes on to tell me about how much AJ looks like Alex and how their dinner was. “I’m going to try and see him more often, I think.”

“Your dad too?” I throw out and watch a myriad of emotions cross his face.

“I hadn’t talked to him before our dinner since the night he threw me out. He wrote to me over the years, but I never responded to him. I couldn’t forgive him. Not only for hitting me but how he stopped being a parent, stopped caring about me when my mom died. Now he’s sober and the man I alwayswanted him to be. It's just weird to connect the two versions of him in my head.” His eyes glaze over, revisiting his past.

“Don’t blame yourself, Colt. I’m glad he’s sober, but you’re right, that doesn’t mean you need to just jump right back in and act like the past didn’t happen. At least he’s trying, though. And now you have AJ,” I remind him gently. His head bobs in agreement.

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