I’m thirty years old. It’s time to buckle down and start thinking about kids. Put roots in the ground and build a life withthat pretty girl. In fact, I need to get myself a realtor so we can start shopping for a great big piece of land. I’m gonna give my little cowgirl all the horses she wants.
“And do you think she’s ready for all that?”
Isn’t every woman ready to get married? She’s twenty-six. It’s not like she’s nineteen. And I know she wants to have kids. We’ve talked about it a few times. Plus, she’s in love with me, so why wait?
“If she’s not, I’ll wait. But I’ll still be putting a ring on her finger before anyone else tries.”
A thoughtful look crosses his face and then he gets sucked back into his own thoughts. We still haven’t spoken about what’s going on between him and the governor’s daughter. I’m waiting for him to fess up to the fact that he’s involved with her. He claims the governor has asked him to be her bodyguard with the election taking place, and that’s why he’s tracking the girl’s every move, but I’m not buying it. The guy is obsessed.
And so am I. I can’t wait to get back to my cowgirl. I have a big question to ask her.
“Time to roll, gentlemen,” King calls out, and we all rev our engines. It’s time to get on out of this place and back to my woman. We’re still not sure how shit’s going to play out with this new alliance between us and the Venomous Vipers, but only time will tell. Until we know whether we can trust them or not, we’ll be keeping a close eye on things. As for now, Vicious is willing to play nice in order to make his girl happy. So, we’ll see how long that lasts.
I pound hardon the door, my need for Payton on the verge of making me feral. It’s only been a day and a half, but after all those sexy pictures she sent, I need to sink inside that tight body.
“What the hell, man?” A guy opens my girl’s door, glaring me down. “Why are you trying to bust my girl’s door open?”
He must be Chassie’s boyfriend. I’d heard they were on and off. But I’d thought they were currently on the splits. Not sure how Preacher’s gonna feel about them being back together. He seems to have sparked an interest in her.
“I’m here to see Payton. She in?”
The big jock crosses his arm, suddenly blocking entry into my girl’s place. I’m about to shove him out of the way, but he’s apparently a cop, so I have to keep my hands to myself.
“What the hell do you want with my wife?”
Wife?Did he just say wife? I shake my head, thinking I must’ve heard wrong.
“Callum, who gave you the right to answer my door?”
That voice rings in my ears, synchronizing with the beat of my pounding heart.
“This man says he’s looking for you. Who the fuck is he, Payton?”
Her face pales when she steps up to his side and sees me standing here. It’s obvious she wasn’t expecting me. And I certainly wasn’t expecting there to be a man here claiming to be her husband. What the fucking hell is going on?
“Cage.” The soft whisper hits me with a knot of dread. It can’t fucking be true. Married? She’s fucking married. How the hell did I not see that coming? Probably the same way I missed the fact that my dad was sleeping with my girlfriend. They say love is blind, and I’m living proof that it’s the fucking truth.
I turn and start stalking back to my bike, hearing her little footsteps rushing to catch up to me.
“Cage, wait. Please. Just let me explain.”
I stop at my bike and turn. “Are you married to him, Payton?”
“Yes, but…”
“That’s all I need to know.”
I climb onto my ride, feeling the weight hit my gut. There’s nothing else that needs to be said. Here I was about to propose to the woman, dreaming of a fucking life with her. But she’s already taken. A fact she failed to mention over the last two months. How the hell could she not have told me that she was married?
22
Payton
“Why did you answer my door?” I shout through my sobs. I was in the bathroom for all of two minutes. Two minutes, and he managed to destroy everything.
Oh God, the look on Cage’s face. It was so full of pain. I didn’t want him to find out like this. I wanted to explain. I wanted to show up with the signed divorce papers and tell him how sorry I was for not sharing it sooner. Now, I’ve lost him. He won’t even let me explain. He just drove away.
“Who the fuck was he, Payton?”
