Page 82 of Broken

“Simple, we’re going to rebuild. The guys havealready told me they’re going to help. We’ve got the fire department finishingtheir final checks and doing all their investigative shit, and then we’ll moveon.”

“Why are they investigating?” Rosalie asked.

“Checking for the insurance, but the bonus is,they set fire on the wrong night. We were at Petal’s, and the guys were eitherat the clubhouse or the hospital. We’ve got security footage for both, also thefact I was staying with you. We’ve got this, I promise.”

“What do you think would have happened if we’dgone home?” she asked.

“Don’t. I don’t even want to think about thepossibility of what might have happened. We didn’t. We’re safe and we’re goingto make this work. We can build a house together, and you can have what youwant.”

Rosalie laughed. “Then all I want is for you torebuild what we lost. I thought your house was perfect.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, I did.” She went onto her tiptoes andkissed her husband. Their home had been perfect, and she knew it was going tobe so again.

Chapter Eighteen

Petal stepped intoDirty’sroom and glanced around. There was no mess. All the clothes he had gotten herto pack were neatly folded in the chest of drawers or hung up in the closet.Sharing a room with him was a little surreal to her. She had thought about itso many times when they were together, and now it seemed so crazy to be sharinga room with him. She couldn’t help but think about what Tanya said.

Dirty had told her he loved her.

This was not a decision for anyone else but her tomake, and it was a scary one. She knew he was nothing like Daemon and shedidn’t feel afraid of him in that way. He’d never hurt her like that, but hehad hurt her.

She didn’t want to keep thinking about the past,but her memories of Gabrielle were surfacing. That woman had been afraid of herown shadow due to Daemon. She hadn’t truly been there for her daughter. Rosaliehad to do everything. She had to fight and make sacrifices for her mother. Ifit hadn’t been for Gabrielle, she and Rosalie would have been out of townwithout a backward look. They wouldn’t be in this position now. Rosaliewouldn’t have had to suffer at Colt’s hands, and Petal wouldn’t have been with Dirty.

Moving toward the bed, she sat down, and that waswhen she realized she wouldn’t change what they had gone through for anyone.They had made it work. Rosalie was pregnant with her first child, happilymarried. Against all odds, Colt and Rosalie had found one another. As forherself, she had found Dirty. She had experienced pain and life and love, andsex. So much more than she thought was possible.

The bedroom door opened and Dirty stepped into theroom.

“Are you okay?” Dirty asked. “I saw you makingyour way upstairs, and I wanted to check on you.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thinking about a whole bunch ofstuff.” She ran her hands down her thighs.

He closed the door behind him and moved closer tothe bed, taking a seat beside her. She didn’t move. Didn’t even say a word. Shejust sat there, waiting.

This wasn’t a bad feeling. She loved him beingclose.

She looked up and smiled at him. “Did you knowlittle by little, Tanya is cleaning your home?” she asked.

He laughed. “I did notice the bathroom downstairsis clean.”

“She can’t stand any mess, apparently.”

“Petal, I know what you’re doing.” He reached forher hand and took it in his own. He linked their fingers together and kissedher knuckles.

She felt tears spring to her eyes.

“I get it. I know what I did to you.”

“Stop,” Petal said. “I wasn’t thinking about us. Iwas thinking about Gabrielle, and I was thinking about Rosalie, and justeverything that has happened.” She leaned against his shoulder. “I don’t wantto keep thinking about what happened to us.”

He tightened his grip on her hand, and she sighed.It felt good. He was her strength.

“Something bad is happening, isn’t it?” Petalasked.

Dirty was silent and she opened her eyes andturned to look at him. “We don’t know.”

She shook her head. “Don’t lie to me. That guy,Fritz, was not faking it, and Colt’s house … that wasn’t a fake either.Something bad is happening. Tell me.”

---