Page 136 of Resurfaced Passion

“Hi, Snake. Thanks for letting me crash at your house.”

“You’re welcome anytime.”

He kissed Winter again, and Paige turned away from their love. Her own belly squeezed missing Reaper. He told them he was heading up for a shower then he’d make food.

“Oh, hey, Beau. Bale called earlier, I told him I’d get you to call him back when you got home. He sounded down.”

Snake frowned and rubbed his tattooed fingers over his stubble. “I’ll go skype him. Did he say what was wrong?”

“No, but I got the impression it was boyfriend related when he avoided my question.”

“Motherfucker, I warned that little bastard not to hurt my boy. You can’t have the babies this weekend, Winter, not if I gotta grab my boys and fly to kill a little shithead.”

This made both girls laugh. Snake was fiercely protective over the brothers he’d raised. Especially the baby of the family.

Twenty-four hours ago she had that kind of love and now Paige felt adrift without Reaper.

So many secrets and misdirected truths between them, that she didn’t know if it gave them a future together at all.

Sitting on Winter’s deck in the backyard an hour later, the night-time enveloping Paige, wrapped in Reaper’s hoodie she’d worn that day, the call connected, and she was momentarily surprised he hadn’t changed his number.

“Dad?”

“I knew you’d call. He fucked up, didn’t he?” He crowed, almost delighted, and Paige sighed. Yeah, this was the father she knew. Why would she ever think he’d change and be there for his daughter?

“That’s not why I’m calling.”

She didn’t fully know why, seeing as how her family had never, ever been the nurturing kind. To get answers, maybe. To make sense of everything.

Maybe with all her amnesia she was now a glutton for punishment.

* * *

Missing Paige loosened Reaper’s sanity, one thin thread at a time.

With his back to the room, he sat at the club bar staring into his glass of scotch like it held all the fucking solutions he needed.

What the fuck would he do if this separation became permanent?

He couldn’t go back to that half-life again. He couldn’t do it.

Not after feeling her burning gaze on him every day.

Or how her hands were always touching him.

Not to mention her smile that gave him life again.

He’d festered in the dark for so long, content knowing his girl was healthy and happy and then he’d gotten greedy and wanted more and he’d taken more and now? It was all gone to shit, and he fucking hurt deep in his chest.

“Cheer up, ghost, you look like you lost your dog and found a hamster.” Preacher parked his big self on the stool next to Reaper and clapped him on the back before asking Jed to slide him a beer. It was rare to see the road captain in the club late at night, what with him being a married homebody now. Reaper didn’t have the words in him to ask him why.

He just needed Paige.

He’d always just needed Paige.

A king could lead, sure. But a queen held all the power.

He was nothing without his queen. Just a shell of his former self gasping in memories and glimpses in hopes of seeing what he once did.

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