Page 30 of Broken

“I don’t know. Last night … I don’t even know whathappened. One moment we were having fun, and the next, the truth.”

“You never told anyone?”

“Dirty knew. He … before the shooting, I told him,and he asked if it was his.” She frowned. “As he admitted last night, when wewere together, I was a virgin, and I don’t cheat. I was only his.” She pressedher lips together. “I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I had a party toorganize and I was about to tell Gabrielle, and she wanted get moredecorations, and then the shooting. I lost the baby. Kim knew the truth. Shefigured it out with the help of the hospital bill. There was no reason to tellanyone.”

“That is what you’ve been carrying?” Myth asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“This is why you can’t forgive Dirty?”

“He didn’t want to have a child and he didn’t evenbelieve the child I was carrying was his.” She laughed. “Wow, I cannot believeI’m even talking about this. I promised I wouldn’t say anything. No one was supposedto know.”

“That is not the kind of stuff you keep locked up.You should have said something.”

“What good would it have done?” Petal asked. “Iwas barely pregnant. Gabrielle died. I lost my baby, but I was fine. Daemonwent on a rampage. My best friend went to go and kill him. It wasn’t asimportant.”

“Petal, you’re important. You know this.”

She shook her head. “I … I didn’t know what to sayto Rosalie, or to you. I just wanted to forget it.”

“I’m not hurt, Petal. This is painful. I wish Icould have been there for you. I mean, I know we’re only just friends, butyou’re a good friend.”

“Myth, you barely know me.”

“But you get me. I don’t have anyone I can justsit and chill with, without it meaning anything. The guys want to fuck women,or talk about fucking women, or talk club. The women want to be fucked. Theywant to be with me, wear my patch. You’re the only woman that just wants to bemy friend.”

“Sorry?”

He laughed. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

Petal smiled.

“I like being your friend.”

“I like it too,” Petal said. “It’s kind of unusualas I’ve never had a male friend before. It has always been me and Rosalieagainst the world, but this is nice. I like being around you. You helped meforget.”

“That’s not going to change,” Myth said.

“You know, Dirty said something to me a few monthsback, pretty much implying that no one could be my friend because there isalways an agenda.”

“I’m not here for the club, Petal. We get along.It shouldn’t work but it does.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” she said, laughing.

At the sound of her door ringing, she looked overat Myth. “Do you know who that is?”

“Not a clue. I better head back to the clubhouse.”He got to his feet and held his arms open. “Hug?”

She rolled her eyes but stepped into his arms. Itmay have only been a few months, but they had gotten close. He was her friend.They were not as tight as she and Rosalie, but it was there. She knew theirfriendship was growing, and she also knew that was all it would be, all eitherof them wanted.

There was a knock at the door, and she pulledaway.

“Someone is being pretty persistent.”

Petal laughed and she walked with him to the frontdoor. She opened it, expecting to find either Kim or Rosalie. Her mother was onthe doorstep.

“Mom,” she said.

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