Page 3 of Redemption

He sighs and looks at the counter. This isn’t about pride. This is about Lex being selfish and not understanding his priorities. That he owes Casey and the club.

“She made this decision. Not me.”

“You pushed her to it!” Karmen cries. “Pushing her away and forcing her to be alone with those babies day in and day out takes away from the marriage. She doesn’t feel like a woman anymore. She’s Mom, and that’s it. You’re supposed to be there to remind her she’s a wife. A woman. Someone desired.”

His hand slams on the counter. “I didn’t fuck her enough? That’s what you’re saying? God, Mom, you realize how fucked up that is, right?”

“Colt-”

“Is that why you walked out on Dad? Because he wasn’t fucking you like he should?”

Her hand hits the counter as she leans over in his face. “Partially, yeah! He stopped being part of this marriage long before I did. I tried to get his attention. I did everything I could think of, but the club took all his attention and focus, and I needed some, too. I wanted to be more than just a mother. I wanted to feel like a fucking woman!”

Shaking his head, he stands. “Lex and you are not the same!”

“No, we’re not. I went to desperate measures trying to get your father’s attention. She has more self-respect. On top of that, she has too much respect for you to do what I did. I found someone who gave me the things I was seeking, and I tried to hurt your father. Make him feel the pain he caused me. She could’ve done the same. Hell, she could have had a full-fledged affair, and you wouldn’t know because you never came home! She didn’t do that to you, and you should be thankful.”

“What is it you think I should do, then? Huh? What’s your magical advice to make this better?”

Walking over to him, she taps his face gently. “I honestly don’t know if you can do anything to fix this. I think that girl has been pushed to the brink, and if it weren’t for those babies, she’d be all the way to Arizona by now. Your kids are the only saving grace of having any type of contact with your wife, Colt.”

“Mom-”

“You fucked up. Plain and simple. Until you can push aside your pride and understand that, there’s nothing anyone can say or do to help you. Even then, there’s a good chance you’ll never get Lex to believe you. Actions speak louder than words. You didn’t believe she’d really leave when she told you she couldn’t keep living this way. You didn’t believe her. But you believe her now, don’t you?”

Chapter 2

Griffin’s Beach

Colt

Colt sits on his bike down the street from Karmen’s, waiting. He’d made plans to have the kids this weekend, and he cracks his neck when he sees Lex’s black Mustang pull into the driveway. It’s been two weeks since he found his wife and kids gone, and the time hasn’t eased his anger. If anything, it’s only intensified it.

He watches Alexis Nichols step out of the classic car he spent way too much money on after she sold it when she ran away years before, and she reaches into the backseat to let their kids out. Yes, the irony of the situation isn’t lost on him.

Once she enters the house with the kids, he walks his bike the rest of the way to park on the street. The last thing he wants is his motorcycle tipping her off that he’s here. If she wants to be sneaky and disappear when he’s gone, he’ll be just as sneaky and show up when she doesn’t expect him to. He walks over to lean against her car and wait.

She steps out onto the porch and freezes when her puffy eyes land on him. “I don’t know why I’m surprised,” she says and stops at the bottom of the steps.

“We need to talk, Lex.”

“Everything I had to say was in the letter for you.”

“No, this isn’t how this is gonna go,” he says and pushes himself off the car to walk towards her. He takes in her unruly hair pulled into a mop on the top of her head and clothes that look to be two sizes too big on her. Where the hell did she buy them, and why hasn’t she returned them yet? “This is not how this ends.”

Her eyes avoid his, and he feels conflicted at the tears she furiously blinks away. He wants to both comfort and strangle her at the same time.

“I can’t do this right now, Colt.”

The tears bring him back to three weeks ago when she begged him to stay, and it fills him with anger when he knows he should feel guilt. Maybe he’s the broken one.

No shit, Sherlock.Noah’s voice sounds in his head. Goddamn his dead brother.

“I don’t give a shit what you think you can or can’t do. This isn’t how this marriage works.”

“This marriage stopped working months ago!” she shouts and pushes him backwards. “This conversation won’t fix a damn thing. The time for a conversation to fix anything was anytime within the last year, up until the night the lovely care package from your girlfriend arrived.”

They both turn towards the street when the sounds of two motorcycles echoes in the air. TK Nichols and Nash “VP” Dalton pull up outside the house. Great, just what they need. Both of their fathers watching this play out.

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