Page 9 of Property Of Chrissy

My thoughts pull from Chrissy as I mull over Roxy’s question. Sure, I thought of that. But even if that had been the case, I’d figured she’d make some kind of indication that night. Show me a sign that she was upset about me finding out. But all she did was smile at me and snuggle up to the man by her side. It didn’t seem like she was struggling with her decision or being pressured into anything. It felt like she was rubbing in the truth, sending me a message. And I received it loud and clear. She wasgetting her fairy tale with her prince charming, and her time rolling around in the hay with the poor loser was over.

“Nah. She definitely gave the impression she was right where she wanted to be.”

“I don’t know, Shiv. She was young and naïve. I mean the girl was only eighteen. Maybe you should look her up and see if she’s happily married like you think. Hundred bucks says she isn’t. She never would’ve been in your bed if he’d made her that happy.”

Rox may not be wrong in her assumption. Chrissy definitely wasn’t wearing a ring tonight. But it doesn’t really matter what her outcome was. Married or not. Divorced or single. All I know is how that girl betrayed me. And how much that shit still hurts. And for that reason, I’m never diving back into the past with that girl. Our road is done, and my future is now paved in hell because of her.

CHAPTER 5

Chrissy

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The blaring alarm yanks me right from a restless sleep. My dingy little room comes into focus as I search for the obnoxious thing to turn it off. As soon as I’ve stopped the grating sound welcoming me into a swarm of emotion, I flop back down on my bed. It’s late in the afternoon, but I’m exhausted.

All night I searched for the words. Trying to come up with the right thing to say for the next time I see Sean because my attempts all those years ago obviously weren’t enough. Not that any explanation or amount of apologies could be enough for what happened, but I’d hoped he would’ve at least understood why I did it. But he never responded to any of my texts or calls, and I’d fooled myself into believing it was because he was afraid my dad would follow through on his threat if he made contact with me. Now, I know that it’s because he hates me.

He has every right to, but I still need him to know how sorry I am for bringing him into my mess. I want him to know that the pain and guilt will always stick with me. That what I regret morethan anything is how I never gave him the choice. I should’ve been honest with him from the beginning, but I was selfish. I didn’t want who my father was to factor into the equation. I didn’t want my dad to taint or take away what we had. But in the end, my dad took him away from me anyway.

It’s time for me to get up and get ready for work. I drag myself out of bed and head to my shower. Once I feel somewhat human again, I choose the sexiest outfit I own to wear tonight. In case Sean does come in again, I want to look good.

When I enter Trigger’s, I find JoeJoe and Hailey in a fit of giggles as they work to get their stations ready for opening.

“What’s so funny?” I ask, coming up to JoeJoe’s side and giving her a hug.

“We’re placing bets on the next guy to get married.” Joe gives a mischievous smile. “I think it’s going to be Shiv, but Hailey here thinks it’s going to be…”

A paper coaster comes whizzing by my head and hits Joe in the shoulder and she bursts out laughing.

“Don’t you dare!” Hailey shouts, causing Joe to laugh even harder.

“What the heck? Now you have to tell me, Joe.” I turn to the one who’s not trying to hide things from me because it’s obvious that Hailey is. But why, I have no clue.

“Joe, you should have kept your mouth shut.” Hailey comes up to me looking like she’s freaking out. “I’m sorry, Chrissy. I can’t help it. I just think my brother is going to love you. And he’s such a great guy, so I know you’ll like him. And anyway, it’s not a real bet. We were just joking around.”

Her brother? Oh my God. I completely forgot. I’m supposed to be meeting her brother tonight. But marriage? What the hell? What happened to her not expecting anything? What happened to her understanding I don’t want a relationship? I told her I don’t want to date the guy. I’m definitely not goingto be marrying him. Not just because my heart still belongs to another, but I haven’t even met her brother yet. Marriage??

“Yeah, so my money is on Shiv,” I state, shaking my head at Hailey. Hoping by the look I’m giving her she takes my not-so-subtle hint. It’s never going to happen. I’m not interested in getting married anytime soon. More like ever. Not unless…

I stop myself from going down that road further. After last night, whatever hope that was still lingering in my mind was obliterated.

“I wouldn’t be taking that bet if I were you, Chrissy.” Hailey crosses her arms and is shaking her head at me. I can tell she’s frustrated. I get that she wants her brother married and happy, but regardless of who he dates, it takes time for people to fall in love and get to that point. Then again, it only took a few days before I knew I was madly in love with Sean. I was so head over heels in love with him, I would have married him that first week if he had asked me to.

“Shiv is still messed up over his ex,” she adds, continuing with her reasoning. “There’s no way that guy is taking the plunge and heading down the aisle anytime soon. His ex-girlfriend cheated on him with some stuck-up rich guy. He found out they were engaged right when he was going to propose to her himself. Anyway, she didn’t think he was good enough, or could give her the life she wanted, and he’s still broken over it.”

Oh God. I don’t know who Shiv is but my heart aches for him. I know firsthand money does not buy you happiness, so whoever his ex is, she’s an idiot. I would have happily lived in that tiny little trailer with Sean. I would have lived under a bridge with him if I had to because money can buy you fancy cars and big houses, but it definitely cannot buy you the feeling of true love and the pure joy that comes along with it. No amount of fancy stuff would ever compare to even one kiss from the man who makes you feel like you’re the sun that lights up the world.

“Yeah, well, as far as I’ve seen,” Joe chimes in, “Shiv’s taken a liking to one sweetbutt in particular lately, and you know how that goes. After all, look how things ended up for me.”

“Sweetbutt?” I ask, never having heard the term before. It must be a club thing. Sometimes I feel like the club has their own language. They definitely have their own names and weird rules. Hailey told me about the whole club property claiming thing. And how once a Savage Knight makes a claim on a girl, the girl is off-limits to everyone else. She also told me how they’re all considered “Old Ladies” now, which seems weird to me since they’re all around my age, twenty-three.

“A sweetbutt is a club girl who hangs around for sex,” Joe explains. “Usually, it’s just about sex. But every once in a while, a girl will claim the heart of one of the brothers and they’ll get their happily-ever-after.”

The dreamy look on Joe’s face is the same one she gets whenever her husband is here. Those two love each other hard, and what they have is rare and special. Just like Axle and Riley. Hailey and Grit. Maisy and Ice. Trigger and Nicky. All of them have found the kind of love meant for the books. The kind of love I thought I’d found with Sean.

I shake the thought from my mind before I make myself sick and break down in tears.

“Wait, so you were a sweetbutt?” It finally registers what Joe just said. I can’t even imagine her being a sweetbutt. She doesn’t seem the type.

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