Page 98 of Blade

I could see her trying to work something out in her head.

I looked at Rachel, hoping for something, though I didn’t know what. Looking back at Becca, tears streamed down her face.

“Becca, baby, please don’t hate me. I didn’t have a choice. I was fifteen. They didn’t give me a say.”

Begging her, I could feel my own tears well up in my eyes. I didn’t care that my entire club was standing there watching my downfall. The only thing that mattered to me was Becca.

“A say in what?”

I looked into her eyes, pleading with her to understand. What I saw was realization and anger. She’d put the pieces together without me having to say the words.

“Becca, please understand. I would never hurt you on purpose. If I had a choice—”

“A choice in what, Micah?” she asked.

“The accident, leaving. I didn’t get a say in any of it,” I said quietly.

“The accident was ten years ago. You’ve been living back here for five years.”

She paused.

“Oh my God, you came here, but you didn’t come for me. You knew I wasn’t here, didn’t you? Did you even look for me?”

She covered her mouth with her hands.

“You never wanted me, did you?”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong.

I wanted her to know how much I wanted her, but she narrowed her eyes at me.

“All those things I told you. All those things I shared about how I felt. Things I never told him, never told anyone.About you! You knew I was talking about you, and you said nothing.”

“Becca, please give me a chance to explain,” I implored, reaching out for her again.

“No.” She stepped back out of reach, shaking her head. “No, you lied. You left, and you came back after I was gone. Why did you come back? Why did you stay?”

I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t know why I did.

“She told me you would never come back here.”

She gasped.

“You didn’t want me. You were hiding from me, weren’t you?”

I nodded my head, knowing I would never lie to her again. Despite the pain her hating me would cause, I couldn’t lie to her again, not after last night.

She looked over at Rachel and demanded, “How long have you known?”

Rachel looked ashamed as she answered, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“I recognized him as soon as I went to the clubhouse the first time.” Cash wrapped his arms around her, supporting her. “I’m so sorry, Beck. I couldn’t tell you without him letting me. The club has—”

“The club?” Becca looked at King fury in her eyes. “You all know? You all knew who he was and what he meant to me? So, everyone has been having a grand old time at my expense?” She cried, “When will the little girl realize her whole life is right in front of her eyes, only she can’t see it? Who else knows? Does the whole town know?” She looked at me, expecting an answer.

“Not everyone in town knows. Ryder does. Apparently, I couldn’t hide myself from the people closest to me,” I said, not realizing how it sounded, until I heard her gasp.

“I guess I wasn’t as close to you as I thought, because you sure had me fooled. Grams?”

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