"Yeah, which means you don't want me back, right?" I taunted. "So it sounds like it's time for you to go. Don't fucking come back, Kindle. We're done. Keep the damned ring. Sell it. Don't fucking care."
"Was it a nice one?" Ash asked.
"I'll get you a better one," I promised. "His was just a gold band with an inset diamond."
Ash reached down for my hand. "I'd take a plastic one from you."
His fingers tangled with mine, and I couldn't have stopped the smile if I wanted to. Yes, I knew this was Ash staking his claim and being a complete asshole about it, but I still liked it. My boyfriend was jealous. Hell, Luke had been no better. The way that cowboy had snapped that I was his boyfriend? He had none of the grace of Ash, but just as much passion.
"Go away, Kindle," I said again. "I'm here, I'm happy, and I'm not leaving."
"I'm not leaving without my dog!" he grumbled, turning toward the house and storming that way.
"Shit," I breathed, following behind him, but Ash pulled me to a stop. "Luke will break his face," I explained.
"First, he deserves it," Ash pointed out. "And second, I called in backup."
The door opened before Kindle got halfway there, and Violet walked out carrying the little dog. Luke followed behind her with his arms crossed, looking like he just needed one excuse to go off on my ex. Damn, but that was hot. And Violet? She had that look like she was done playing around.
"Kindle, right?" she asked as she descended the stairs, casually stroking Emilio's back. "I believe this is yours?"
The fool snatched the dog from her. "Fucking bitch," he snapped.
Violet's arm snapped out and grabbed his, stopping him in his tracks. "Look around. Take your time about it, Kindle. See the man behind me? See the one standing beside Cyan? See your ex? Now look a little closer. That fire in all of their eyes? That's rage, you idiot. It's barely contained, and it's all directed right at you. When you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us. That is what it means to be a part of this family, and I'm done fucking around."
Then she stepped a little closer, right into his face. "Andtheyaren't the ones you need to be scared of. If youeverhurt Cy again - or any of them - I will break you into pieces so small that you will never put yourself back together. I will ruin you, do you hear me? Cy is not here for your amusement. He is not some pawn in your twisted little games. You had your chance, and you lost it. Now, he's loved, and we aren't going to let him go."
"Get your hands off me," Kindle demanded.
Violet simply released her hand. "No onehurts my family. These men made me, and I will destroy anyone who comes at them - inanyway. Remember that."
Yeah, the ice in her voice was enough to send Kindle hurrying back to his car. He opened the door and put Emilio in, the dog hopping over to the passenger seat. But just before he followed, Kindle paused and looked at me.
"I loved you so much," he breathed. "I just wanted to make it right. You always said that it only counted if you were willing to come back and apologize, so here I am. I came all the way down here to make sure you knew. To make it clear that I know how bad I screwed up, and I've missed you so much."
"Go," Ash said.
Kindle held my eyes for a moment longer, the shine proving that those weren't empty words. I knew that feeling. I'd been there, but now I was here. I'd thought I loved him. I'd convinced myself of it, and he was honestly trying. Didn't I owe him something?
Then Ash's thumb swept across the back of my hand, reminding me that he hadn't let go, and I kept my mouth shut a little longer. Just long enough for Kindle to start his car and head back down the drive. I couldn't help but watch, knowing that chapter in my life was now closed.
And damn it, but it still hurt.
Chapter Thirty-One
When Kindle's car was finally gone from sight, Ash turned me toward the house and guided me forward. I let him, feeling like my mind was spinning in circles. Seeing Kindle at Southwind still didn't make sense somehow. He hated anything dirty. The man was allergic to most everything on the property, but he'd still come here? What had he been thinking?
Was I that desperate? Maybe he assumed I was that much of a pushover? Then again, I kinda was. I'd gotten back together with the man who'd not only broken my heart, but who'd also shattered it beyond recognition. Kindle knew I'd had a bad breakup. It was the reason I'd taken so long to let him move in. How many times had I said I was gun-shy? A hundred? More?
I climbed the stairs thinking about that. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was different. It wasn't just that Ash was "the one" for me. Or that he came with Violet, and she was also "the one." Taking Ash back didn't feel weak or desperate. It felt right. Kindle didn't, and yet there was a part of my mind wondering if I was asking for this somehow, or if I'd always just have the ones I loved stomp on me. Hell, even Luke had done it.
Sure, he'd had a good reason: Faith. Still, it had happened. The only one here who hadn't fucked me over was Violet. Was this just something men did? Worse, could it be somethingIwas doing? I'd tried so hard to love that man, and he'd still cheated on me. Ash had just left, but at least he'd been honest about it. Maybe too honest, but that was better somehow. Luke had done the same, calling things off as soon as he had a problem.
Which was why I could forgive them, I realized. My problem wasn't that Kindle had been lonely. It wasn't that I felt like I owned him or his body. It was that he'd lied to me, and he'd just done it again a few seconds ago. He'd told me he didn't move Jonathan in, and I knew for a fact that man had been there daily for months. Maybe I was splitting hairs, but that had been my apartment. My lease. My place that I'd run away from because I couldn't look at it the same.
But when I stepped into the living room, I realized it didn't matter. That apartment had been mine, but it hadn't truly been home. It had been more of a temporary spot to pause in life. This was home. Right here, and that was why I could always leave other places so easily. It was because, no matter what, I'd always known I had Southwind waiting.
"Cy, are you ok?" Violet asked as she headed into the kitchen.
