Page 41 of Finally Home

I can’t wait for him to meet a girl that knocks him on his ass.

I wince and clamp a hand down on his shoulder. “Apparently it wasn’t the first time either. At least, that’s what we all suspect, so, she’s definitely never going back to that bastard. It even sounds like the Sirens might drop him for breaching their morality clause. I personally don’t think that’s enough.”

Aidan snorts. “Of course, you don’t. He married your girl and then fucked around on her. You probably wouldn’t be satisfied unless a time machine or a coroner were involved.”

I tilt my head in contemplation. “You know, you’re probably right. But I also don’t really want to leave Wren alone while I rot in prison for killing the asshole, so unless you personally know somebody with a time machine, he gets to live another day alone and hopefully jobless.”

Cope’s answering grin is downright evil. “You just leave the plotting to me, yeah? I never got revenge with the she-devil, so let daddy Copeland play a bit.”

Aidan and I crack up, but I nod at him. “Do what you need to do, daddy Cope. Just don’t cause permanent bodily harm. I’m not in the mood to bail your ass out of jail.”

He smirks. “No worries. My personal brand of revenge is more psychological.”

His words make me nervous, but I know he won’t take it too far. And maybe we just won’t tell Wren right away that we set Copeland loose on her ex. I’ll mention it after my crazy teammate has a chance to fuck up Derrick’s life a bit.

CHAPTER 24

WREN

Rhodes’s parents grin like loons when I show up at their house and beg to hang out until the guys’ cute date night is over.

“Honey, you know those boys wouldn’t have minded you crashing guys’ night,” Kaci says sweetly. “They all adore you.”

I sigh happily and hug her hard. “I know, but then I wouldn’t be able to see you and Dominic, and I miss y’all. I feel like I haven’t seen you guys or my dad hardly at all since I’ve been home, and I’m having parental withdrawals.”

Dominic makes his way over and pulls me from his wife so he can bear-hug me. “We miss you too, Wren. You know you’re welcome here anytime. Especially now that—oof.” He cuts off abruptly when Kaci elbows him in the side.

His words register, and I pull back to gape at them, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “It’s been like…six hours! He already told you?”

Of course, he did.

The pieces click together and my mouth drops even further as my heart speeds up. “Wait a second…he went golfing with you and Dad this morning…”

Kaci sighs exasperatedly and smacks Dominic on the shoulder. “I swear, Dom. You don’t have the sense God gave a goose sometimes.”

He winces, rubbing a large hand over the back of his neck. “So, your dad and I may have had a come to Jesus with Rho this morning.” He holds up his hands and backs away slowly. “But it seems to have worked out, so that’s great! Now, I’m just gonna…” he stops, hooking a thumb over his shoulder before he turns and sprints down the hall to his office.

Kaci and I look at each other and erupt into laughter for several minutes, and then she sighs. “Never a dull moment with those three. Come on, sweetie. You want a sweet tea? I think we need some girl time.”

A weight lifts off my chest, and I nod gratefully, following the only woman I’ve ever considered a mother into the kitchen to spill my guts.

“So,” she sings. The way she adds an extra syllable to the word tells me she’s ready to grill me. Normally, the playful look in her eyes would make me nervous, but I’m brimming with the need to talk to somebody about this—somebody who’s not a father figure to me.

I force a deep breath and hold it for three seconds before I let it out, utilizing a calming technique my therapist taught me. I've begun to uproot all the stuff I've buried over the years in therapy, but that doesn’t alleviate the anxiety sneaking in. “Mama…” unexpected tears spring to my eyes and quickly spill over when I try to blink them away.

“Oh, my sweet girl. It’s okay.” I cry harder when she wraps her arms around me, and everything all comes flooding out. I tell her about the first time I met Rhodes. How I liked him from the start, but he wanted to be friends. How I forced my feelings down so I wouldn’t lose him or get hurt, but then I got my heart broken anyway when I saw him kiss another girl at that party. How that night was the reason I finally said yes to a date with Derrick.

Then I tell her about the wedding day–things I never even told Rhodes–like how Derrick got a mysterious text, left, and then showed back up to our honeymoon suite at two a.m. smelling like perfume. How I ignored every red flag because all I wanted was to be loved by somebody who wouldn’t leave me.

Kaci’s eyes mist over as I tell my story, but the dam finally breaks when I say that, and she starts to cry. “Wren, why didn’t you come to me? I understand not wanting to go to Archie or Rhodes, but you can always come to me.”

I inhale her sweet lilac scent and focus on my breaths, calming myself down so I don’t get sick. It doesn’t happen often anymore but crying too hard can trigger my gag reflex, and for somebody with a serious fear of throwing up, it’s a nightmare.

“I didn’t want y’all to know what I was putting up with. Daddy would have made a fuss and sat me down for one of his talks and Rho would’ve started a fight. Rhodes already hated Derrick but if he knew the things my husband was doing it would’ve landed him in jail. Plus, by that point, it just felt like it was too late. I didn’t want to end up like my mom and run out on a marriage just because things got hard.”

She lets out a sound that’s a half sigh, half groan and kisses the top of my head. “Sweetie, I didn’t even meet the woman, but I know for a fact you’re nothing like her. Your mama ran out on a great man and her infant daughter because she was overwhelmed and refused to get help. You were in a toxic, borderline-dangerous marriage and not a single person would have faulted you for leaving.”

I wipe my nose on my sleeve with a sniffle and a sad laugh escapes. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. He decided to show the league who he is so I didn’t have to. And now I’m here and my best friend is my boyfriend because apparently, he’s been in love with me for years, and I was too blind to see it.”

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