Page 53 of Truths

“Last I checked, I still lived here.”

Her nervous comment does nothing to settle the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in Rocky's head. “Hannah-”

“I went to the clubhouse to look for you, but your bike wasn't out there. Then I came home to find you here.”

“You were looking for me?”

She nods. “Yeah.”

“Not that I'm unhappy to see you, because I'm actually really relieved you’re here since it sounds like they might be looking for you, butwhyare you here?”

“I've been doing a lot of thinking. About everything,” she says. “Probably too much, if I'm being honest.”

His eyes search hers, hoping it’ll calm him. “Thinking about what?”

“Everything,” she says with a laugh. “My prison sentence. Dani. The thought of you with Dove.”

Fucking Dove was the biggest mistake he's ever made. “Hannah, I've been thinking, too. And with Dove, it was a mistake. I was really hurt when you took me off your visitor list, and then I was mad.”

“Mad enough to find someone else to get your rocks off with?”

“It probably doesn't make sense, but with her, I don't know. Getting naked with her felt more like masturbating in my mind. There were no feelings, and it was just sex. Which, I know, every guy says that, but it really was. It was just a release to make me forget for a moment or two that you weren't here with me. But she meant nothing. I swear it.”

“I know,” she says with a sigh, her eyes looking at her hands. “I just... the thought in my head makes me want to throw up.”

Well, this isn't going great. “I get it.”

“I've been so angry for so long. With you. With the club. Even with Dani.”

“Dani?”

“She fucking up and died on me. Well, we thought she did. It was easier to be angry with you and the club than it was to be angry with her.”

Women are confusing. Confusing as hell. “But she's alive.”

“That's the other thing I've been thinking about,” Hannah says. “There's a lot that's changed. In my perspective, anyway.”

“Like what?”

Leaning forward, she rests her elbows on her knees. “I killed someone to save Mac. And then I was in prison. My best friend died, and then I missed her funeral. On top of that, my man was fucking another woman. You can see how that was kind of a lot to deal with, right?”

“I can, but it doesn't really sound like a change to anything.”

“I decided I need to let everything go.”

Her words stun him, and he begins to panic. Standing up, Rocky paces in front of the coffee table. “Please, don't let me go, Hannah. I gave you space because you wanted it, but it's killing me. I never thought about how difficult the transition back home would be for you, and that's on me. I'll do whatever you need me to. But, please, baby, don't leave me. Just tell me what you need from me, and I'll do it. I'll figure out how to make whatever happen.”

She stands and takes his hands into hers, forcing him to stop his pacing and look down into her eyes. “I killed someone to save Mac, and because of the patch-over you guys wanted in order to save yourselves, we got a new lawyer. A new lawyer who got me released after just over two years. I was angry at the world, essentially, because Dani died, and I missed her funeral. But Dani's alive.”

“I'm a dumb guy, baby. I need you to spell out whatever you're trying to say for me because I don’t follow.”

“I've been talking a lot with Lex and Sutton. I need to let go of everything bad and focus on the good. I'm still working on forgiving you for the Dove thing, but I'll get there.”

“Get there?” he asks, hating that he can't stop the hope from rising in his chest. “Wait, you're not leaving me?”

Shaking her head, she smiles at him. “No, I'm not. I was actually hoping you'd tell me I can come back home.”

His arms wrap around her as he lifts her into the air. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”

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