Sophie stills. “A surprise?” she asks. “What is it?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
There’s a pinch in her face. “If I recall correctly, the last surprise was a month-long blackmail pact.”
I give her a smile. “But it was worth it, wasn’t it?”
She smiles back. “Yes, it was.”
We walk through the clubhouse. My body tingles with anxiety. When we reach the back door, I turn the back light on and then slip in behind Sophie and cover her eyes with my hand. “Close your eyes.”
“Okay,” she answers.
I open the door. “There are two steps,” I remind her. She laughs as we leisurely move forward. When our feet meet the ground, I encourage her to move forward until we reach the undercover area. My heart beats faster, as I take my hands away. “Open them.”
She stops momentarily, then gasps. Her hand flies to her mouth. I watch her as she gawks at all the new gym equipment. She steps forward, touching the treadmill rail. Then she goes to the weights and walks to the cable machine. She clears her throat before she glances up at me, though her eyes are glassy. “You did this,” she says as she looks around, “for me?”
“I wanted you to have something here that you love. Don’t get me wrong, me and Rage and some of the men wanted it too, but I did it for you.”
She rushes to me. Her petite body collides with mine and she throws her arms around my neck as I encircle her waist. I lift her feet off the ground and twirl her around in my arms.
When her feet meet the ground again, she says, “Thank you… it means a lot that you thought about me.”
“I’m always thinking of you.” A couple of tears fall down her face. I wipe them from her cheeks.
“I’d better get going. You stay… I’ll call the limousine to pick me up.”
I take her hand in mine. “I’ll take you.” Every minute with her is a blessing.
She shakes her head and pulls her hand away. “I’m staying in Crown Village for a couple of days, so I’ll talk to you soon,” she says in a small voice.
Misery swirls through me. I want to rush to her, convince her to stay here, but I can’t do that this time.
I go upstairs and force myself to go straight to bed. I’m not up for celebrations. Tonight gave me an insight into why Sophie’s dad is so hellbent on keeping her safe. He doesn’t want to lose someone else, but he’s forcing me and Sophie to endure the same fate as him—losing the person we love. How can’t he see that?
I exhale loudly and roll onto my side. It’s not fucking fair! I seem to always be the one who loses people. My own parents didn’t want me. I craved a family, so I joined the military. I’ve lost brothers in war but found a group of men I’ve built solid relationships with.
This club is everything to me, and when I finally found an amazing woman to have as my ol’ lady, she’s forced to leave me. I don’t understand why I always miss out on being loved… Why can’t I have what other people have… why is it always out of reach?
TWENTY-SIX
LIBERTY
Sophie
The painon Viper’s face replays in my head like a nightmare. I can still hear his tortured voice, his pain reflecting my own. I know I can’t keep living like this. It’s my life, and I refuse to let my father have control over it anymore. The limousine pulls up outside the home I grew up in.
My chest tightens. I hated seeing the pain on Dad’s face. I appreciate his honesty, but his past shouldn’t dictate my future. I walk through the house, and when I see Dad sitting on the lounge with his laptop on his lap, I struggle to catch my breath. He glances up and studies me. Then he slowly closes his laptop and places it beside him.
I clear my throat. “Do you love me?”
His eyes widen. “You know I do.”
“Do you trust me?”
He hesitates.
“You should, because I’ve never given you a reason not to.” He opens his mouth, but I gesture for him to stop. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to please you.” My heart hammers wildly as I think back, recalling those sleepless nights as a sad, lost little girl. “I was so scared you’d leave me and my brothers, just like Mom did.”
