And until that changes, all the wanting in the world won't be enough.
But as I watch her with the children, as I see the way she fits into this chaotic, violent world I've built for myself, I know I'm not giving up.
Ethan wants a fight?He's got one.
It’s not fair; to her, to the kids.But wanting her isn’t something I’ve ever been able to stop.
The moment I let them into my world, the moment I chose not to walk away, I crossed a line I can’t uncross.
Those kids are mine now.Evangeline is mine, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
And I'll be damned if I let some entitled rich boy take them away from me.
"Ghost," I say, my voice carrying the kind of certainty that comes from making a decision you can't take back, "I need everything we can dig up on Ethan Morrison.Financial records, business dealings, personal history.Everything."
"You sure about this?"
I look at Evangeline one more time, at the way she's created safety and comfort for five broken children in the middle of a motorcycle clubhouse.The way she makes everything chaotic and dangerous and beautiful all at once.
"Yeah," I say."I'm sure."
Because some things are worth fighting for.
And some women are worth going to war over.
CHAPTERFOUR
evangeline
Ethan's penthousefeels like a mausoleum.All white marble and glass.I'm sitting on his Italian leather couch, the same one he spent twenty minutes bragging about when he first brought me here.
I didn’t come here to fight.I came to see if he’d give me a reason to stay.Maybe I needed to be sure.Maybe I wanted to hear him say he loved me without conditions.
But deep down, I think I knew.Part of me was already saying goodbye.I just wanted him to prove me wrong.
"You need to think practically about this, Evangeline."Ethan paces in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, his suit still pristine despite the confrontation at the clubhouse hours ago."Five children is an enormous responsibility.One that will completely derail our plans."
Our plans.Always our plans, never my plans or what I might want.
"They're not a responsibility," I say, my voice steadier than I feel."They're family."
"They're Marcus' family.You barely knew them before this happened."
The words hit like a slap.I hadn't seen Calla and the kids nearly enough in the past year.I’d been too busy with charity galas and wedding planning, too caught up in the life Ethan had mapped out for us.But I know my nieces and nephews.I know what they like and what they don’t.I know them but I was always too afraid to examine why spending time with my brother's family always left me feeling hollow and fake.
"That doesn't matter," I say."They need us now."
"They need stability, structure, proper education and guidance."Ethan stops pacing, turning to face me with that patronizing expression I'm starting to hate."Not to be dragged into some criminal's world where violence and illegal activities are everyday occurrences."
"Hades isn't a criminal."
The words slip out before I can stop them, and Ethan's eyes narrow dangerously.
"He's a member of a motorcycle club, Evangeline.Do you have any idea what that means?The kind of activities these people are involved in?"
"I know he loved Calla.I know he's trying to do right by her children."
"You know nothing about him."Ethan's voice rises, and for the first time since I've known him, his controlled facade cracks completely."You met him, what?A handful of times at family gatherings?You think that qualifies you to judge his character?"
