“It does to me.”
She sighed. “We’re adults. Sometimes we fall out of love. It doesn’t matter. As long as my kids are happy, I don’t care.”
I looked away, unsure how to tell her about Lani and what happened last night. This was what Tavi was good at. I should have let her do this, not that she would have given me a choice.
“I came here to talk to you about Lani.”
Mari looked relieved. “She’s not here. She had a sleepover with a friend. What did you want to talk about?”
I sighed. “She wasn’t with a friend, Mari. She was at The Pit–don’t worry, she’s safe. I made sure of it, and she asked to stay at mine last night, but I think we need to talk about it.”
Mari was surprised, her mouth opening and closing several times without speaking. “Is she okay? Why didn’t she want to come home?”
“Do you know much about her friends?”
“Not really. She has heaps, but the ones I’ve seen and met are Daisy and Penny. Why? Just tell me what the hell is going on!”
“They left her there, Marz. They left her alone with boys she never knew at The Pit. She was trying to push them off her when I found her there. Luckily, I was there last night. They aren’t her friends. Now, she was worried that Parker would lose his shit and tell her he was disappointed in her which is why she wanted to stay with me.”
Mari closed her eyes for a moment. “Where is she, Dane? She can’t hide forever.”
“She’s not hiding. She’s with Tavi. I wanted to come and talk to you first. Now, tell me why my daughter thinks her stepfather is going to be giving her a lecture and making her feel like shit by saying he’s disappointed in her.”
Sitting back, I waited for Mari to explain, pushing down the anger that I could feel mounting all over again. She had been worried about it. She hadn’t wanted to come home.
That irked me.
“Dane, Parker raised her. He’s trying to teach her right from wrong.”
My fist landed on the table, startling Mari. “Tell me what the fuck he has said to my daughter for her to be scared to come home when she fucked up. She’s a kid, Mari. She’s gonna fuck up.”
“He loves her, Dane, but it’s his way of parenting. She knows she’s safe here. It’s just the way he words things sometimes. I promise you, he would never intentionally hurt her.”
“You said you didn’t love him anymore…why do you allow it?”
“Grow up, Dane. I’m raising two teenagers with growing bodies, education expenses and all the little extras they need. There’s more to a marriage than love.”
She made the move to get up and pace. I felt for her, she was one of my best friends, someone who has always been there for me and I hadn’t seen it. She always seemed so put together.
Fuck.
That was on me. I should have noticed. I should have seen she needed me, instead of locking myself away in the clubhouse, hiding away in my own misery.
“Mari…”
I was about to tell her to come with me. We could work things out. Tavi would know what to do, but the front door opened andin marched the fucker. I stood, and just as he cast his eyes over on me, his smile dropped before he turned to Mari.
“I told you he’s not welcome here.”
Mari moved to intercept, but I pulled her back behind me, drawing my gun from my holster under my kutte, and aimed it at him and his friend behind him.
“Dane!” Mari cried out, trying to get in front of me.
“Stop, Mari. Do you know who that is behind your husband?”
“What? He’s just a friend of Parker’s, Dane. Put the gun down!”
“This is exactly why he’s not welcome, Maribelle!” Parker yelled. His voice echoed through the house. I couldn’t hate this fucker more than I did just now, but my eyes were on his friend.
