Page 64 of Has-Been
“Of course I’m willing. He’s never been to see me, but I’ll let him know my door is open. I’m guessing others saw this reaction?”
I nodded, feeling like I was breaking a confidence he hadn’t even trusted me with, by even mentioning this much.
“The others at the hospital saw him, but it started in that exam room, when the doctor was assessing him.” I didn’t want to detail anything further, and I didn’t feel like I needed to, because from the look in her eyes, she either already knew something, or she had already drawn the same conclusion as me.
“I’ll be there for him if he’ll let me, Elise, but don’t underestimate the impact all of this is having on you too. My door’s always open, okay? Club members and family get all the free help they need.”
The door to my room suddenly resounded with the pounding of fists, and we all hurried over as Alicia confirmed it was safe to open. Men flooded the room then, each going to their old lady, and for a moment, I stood there like a spare part, wondering why I was alone, and then Has stepped through the door, making a bee-line straight for me. I practically fell into his arms, and sighed with relief as he pressed me against that hard chest of his, and kissed the top of my head. I took a deep breath, his manly scent filling my senses.
“God, I missed you, babe. I’m so sorry about earlier.” He was speaking in a very low tone, but I caught every word.
One by one the others said their goodbyes and left us, and when it was just us and my brother and Cammy, he stepped away from her for a moment and came over to us. Has backed up and Seth hugged me tightly.
“You okay, sweets? Sorry we were gone so long. That was some heavy shit we just had to deal with, and it’s not over yet.”
Thirty-Nine
Beingthelastoneleft in the room with Reacher and Stitch was suddenly the scariest part of my day, and that’s taking into account a motorcycle accident, and flashbacks of my sexual abuse as a child.
What was about to happen in this room could just destroy me forever.
“Sit,” Reacher murmured, pointing at my usual chair, two away from Stitch on the opposite side. Once we were all seated, he turned to his VP.
“Go on.”
Stitch cleared his throat, resting his palms on the table almost in slow motion, almost as if he was struggling for the right words.
“I’m pissed at you, man. I’m so fucking angry, I want to punch you every time I see you. The one thing I didn’t want for my sister was this life. We were made for this, you and me, but she’s meant for more.”
I nodded, leaning on my elbows to try and take the weight off my damn body.
“I completely agree, VP.”
Reacher shook his head, and I took the hint.Shut up and listen.
Stitch clenched his jaw as he stayed silent again. I could tell every word was killing him, and the wait was killing me, but I had to wait, and be patient. This meeting could lose me everything I’ve ever wanted.
“She loves you, man. She’s made her fucking decision, and… Jesus, I’m still gonna struggle with this for a long ass time, maybe forever, but… I’m not gonna stand in your way.”
I blinked, wondering if I just fucking had some kind of waking dream or some shit.
“Wait, what?”
“Smooth,”Reacher muttered, smirking at me.
“What part of that confused you, dickhead?” Stitch’s lips twitched slightly, but he fought the smile and looked away, his jaw clenching again.
“Brother… look, I get that this feels like the ultimate betrayal to you, and I’ve never ever wanted to hurt anyone in this club, least of all you guys. You’ve given me everything. You saved me. You made me want to live again. Elise, though? She actually makes me feel alive. She actually makes me feel like I could be more too. I didn’t mean to fall in love with her, and I know she was off limits, and you have every right to kill me, but either way it’s been worth it, to know her, and love her.”
“Jesus, he’s gonna ask me to start braiding his hair in a minute,” Stitch murmured, but his face became deadly serious as he leaned on the table again.
“If you ever hurt her, if you ever make her regret this, if you ever break her heart, I’ll fucking gut you like a fish. Hear me on this, Has, because if I have to choose between the two of you, it’s always gonna be her.”
Fuck me. I prayed I could be everything she deserved, but if I failed at that, I’d deserve that fate.
“I promise you, man. All I want is to make her so fucking happy that she never regrets a second of being with me. Thank you. Thank you so fucking much for trusting me, even though I know every part of you is screaming at you to kill me instead.”
“Okay, are we done? Because this isn’t fixing our fucking club, but it was important to fix this shit between the two of you, because I need my fucking VP and his sister’s boyfriend working together to keep her, and all of our old ladies, safe. Got it?”
