She’s adamant she didn’t do anything wrong, that she didn’t participate in the demise of our marriage, but she did, even if she is innocent, like she claims. She didn’t talk to me, didn’t communicate with me, and my mind came up with the worst-case scenario.
We both fucked up, and I need her to see where she went wrong as well so we can finally fucking move forward and learn to forgive each other. I cannot live without her, and I know I shouldn’t have cheated, I know I shouldn’t have tried to find affection from someone else but Ash and I, we’re end game…
My phone rings, gaining my attention, and I grab it from my jeans pocket and frown.
Dirty
“Brother, everything alright?” I answer with concern.
I asked him to find out where Ashley was half an hour ago after she fucking hung up on me. Some woman was professionally calling for her, and it fucking scared me thinking maybe she was seeing a lawyer about the divorce I’m refusing and was trying to enforce it through the courts. Technically she now can because we’ve been separated long enough and knowing Ash, she’d go to someone not on our payroll, but he messaged all was good, so why in the fuck is he calling?
“Yeah, I uh, I just, fuck brother,” he sighs, and I frown as I stand straight off my bike with concern.
“Is it Cole?” I ask.
“No, no, he’s good, he’s playing some video game with Caleb after my mama picked both boys up from school, it uh, look brother, next week, I uh, I’ve given Ashley until next week to come clean with you,” he admits.
“What do you mean, Alex?” I demand lowly using his birth name as I tense up, my stomach tightening with fear.
“It means I know why she stopped sleeping with you, why she became distant and brother, she’s family, no matter what happens between you two she is family. Us brothers we’re heronlyfamily no matter what she thinks and to prove it to her, despite you wearing the patch, despite you being my best friend, I’ve given her a week to come clean with you before I bring you into church,” he confesses and I swallow hard.
Fuck…
“Just tell me one thing, brother,” I ask quietly, knowing I can’t force him to break his values where my wife is concerned, because he is right, the brothers are her only family. We just haven’t treated her right. I question, “How bad is it?”
“Bad,” is all he answers, and my whole body locks up tight as he hangs up before I can demand more, and I slowly drop my hand from my ear.
Bad, how bad is fucking bad?
Did she fuck someone else after all?
Was it the fucker she’s seeing now?
He can’t just fucking hang up after a bomb like that!
“Brother?” I hear Stone question.
I look to see him and Axel standing near me, looking worried. “Dirty knows why Ash went quiet on me,” I admit quietly, my pulse racing, my stomach tightening.
Both their eyes widen in shock, Axel running a tattooed hand through his dark hair as I admit, “I spoke to Ash about doing pick up and drop off from now on and we-we got into another argument before someone called for her using her first and last name. I demanded to know who it was but she hung up on me so I called Dirty and asked him to look into her location...”
“What did he find out?” Axel questions with concern, and I swallow hard.
“He wouldn't tell me,” I admit, causing Stone to stiffen. I state, “He’s giving her until our next therapy session next week to tell me the truth before he pulls me aside…”
“She’s family,” Stone says with a realization, and I nod because yep, she is. She doesn’t believe it, not that I blame her, but she is.
“How have things been?” Axel asks as he crosses his arms over his chest.
He was in town for Doc and Brittany’s wedding, which Doc had surprised Brit with. The Untamed are her family after she lost her memory, they became her support system. He knew them and their crazy ass old ladies had to be involved. Anyway, he saw my wife missing that day and he saw that not even the bride knew her, let alone Stone’s old lady.
Don’t get me wrong, Ash was there for Stone, for Caleb, when Rose got hurt because of Stone’s ex-wife. She wasn’t awake, so it doesn’t really count and Ash hasn’t met Brittany, a vet nurse who likes to rescue animals she thinks are being neglected.
Fucking Dirty is going to have a field day keeping her out of trouble, I tell you.
“She’s still seeing that fucker,” I admit as Anchor walks over with a wad of cash.
“It’s weird how Dirty can’t find anything on him from the name Cole gave Caleb last week,” he jumps into the conversation, and I nod.
