Page 111 of Roar & Lizzy: A Forever Kind of Love

Chapter 41

Coco sat with her headresting on her folded arms on the table in the clubhouse. Lizzy, unable to sit, paced in front of her, away from the Slag members. Roar had shut himself in the meeting room two hours ago, and the more time that passed, the more concerned she became.

"You're making me tired watching you." Coco propped her head on her hand. "Please, sit down."

She stopped walking. "I can't get tonight out of my head. One minute Roar was kissing me goodbye to come over here for a meeting and the next, I could've lost him. I'm not talking about being hurt—which he is—but killed. Dead."

Her chest squeezed, and she shook her head as her eyes burned with the threat of tears.

"But, you didn't lose him." Coco stood and then stopped, looking over Lizzy's shoulder. "Oh, no," she whispered.

Lizzy turned around to see what upset Coco and found Kelli approaching her. Already pushed out of her comfort zone today and feeling fragile, she squared her shoulders. She wouldn't let someone as meaningless as Kelli hurt her.

Coco held up her arm and twirled her finger in a circle. "Turn and walk away. I'm not letting you anywhere near Lizzy."

"I'm not here to hurt Lizzy or you." Kelli held up her hands and met Lizzy's gaze. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

"I don't think so," said Coco, stepping in front of Lizzy.

"It's okay," Lizzy said softly. "She can't hurt me inside the clubhouse. There are over a hundred men in the building. She can talk."

She wasn't promising that she'd listen or believe anything out of Kelli's mouth. Usually a forgiving person, the events of the day made her short on patience and empathy.

Coco reluctantly walked away and yet stayed close in case she was needed. Lizzy wasn't surprised by her friend's need to protect her. Coco had always supported her.

"What do you want?" Lizzy asked.

Kelli put her hand on her stomach. Lizzy tried to ignore the woman's condition. Being pregnant wasn't a free pass to assault someone.

"I want to apologize for hitting you." Kelli's voice trembled. "There was no excuse for what I did."

"What did I ever do to you?" She found herself upset all over again at the way Kelli had made her fearful of being around her and feeling guilty that sub-consciously, she'd done something wrong while working.

"It had nothing to do with you, except you're pretty and too nice." Kelli swiped her fingers under her eyes. "My life with Peer is crazy. We've always had a love-hate, back and forth, hot and cold kind of relationship."

"That's an excuse."

"I know." Kelli nodded. "When I saw you beside him, and you both were talking like you genuinely liked each other—"

"I do like Peer," said Lizzy, not letting her make up an excuse for hitting her.

"The day I hit you, I just remember being sick to my stomach with worry. I'd missed my period, and I was fighting with Peer. I lost it." Kelli failed to hold the tears back. "I love him so much. He's everything to me, and anything that makes him happy was a threat to my happiness. That day, it was you who put a smile on his face—something I couldn't do because I was a bitch to him."

Kelli's confession hit too close to home for her. Lizzy's throat closed with emotions. She spoke about her fears regarding Peer, and it could've been Lizzy speaking about her fears and vulnerabilities with Roar.

"I wish I was a stronger woman, like you." Kelli looked into Lizzy's eyes. "I've committed to trying to work out my relationship with Peer, for the sake of the baby, and he wants me to stop being jealous, and I'm trying."

Kelli wasn't that different than her. But, instead of other women making her feel insecure, it was a motorcycle club.

She was afraid of losing Roar to Slag completely because she wasn't able to understand and accept his lifestyle.

"I'm truly sorry I hit you and for not being nice to you when we met." Kelli inhaled deeply. "I don't expect you to forgive me or like me. I just wanted you to know the stupid reason behind what I did to you, and I regret it. I wish I'd acted better and kinder because I upset a lot of people, especially you."

Lizzy swallowed, trying to get control of her own emotions. She found herself ready to fight to keep Roar today. To hurt the person who shot him. To throw the biggest fit to get him to stop his promise to go after the man who almost took him out of her life.

Her thoughts were ugly, irrational, and backed by love.

She understood Kelli and her reasons. Forgiveness was easy to give. It was over and in their past.

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