Page 239 of Savage Brothers MC: Tennessee Chapter

He doesn’t listen.Instead, he lays his forehead against mine.

“I was dealing with the fact that I had this woman in my bed, in my life, a woman who was even better than the old dreams I had… I was dealing with the fact that even though I had you, I could never give you my child.That I had killed my dream, that I had given up too fucking soon.”

“God, please stop,” I whisper brokenly, tears falling from my eyes, even though I try to stop them.

“And you tell me that I was wrong, that you are giving me everything.You were giving me my dreams, Rory, when I had just come to terms with the fact that I killed any chance of the life I wanted.When I was just coming to terms that I should just be grateful that Ryan was going to know your love.I had convinced myself that it was enough and you… blew it all to hell.”

“I didn’t lie.I’ve never lied to you!I loved you!”I scream the words at him and they feel like they’re torn from my soul.“I loved you,” I cry, the words so broken they sound tortured.Broken, because that’s what I am now…broken.

“And Iloveyou, Rory.God, I’m a fucking asshole, but I love you and that love terrified me.”

“Are you done now?”I ask, taking gulping breaths in between sobs.I need to run away.I just need to run the fuck away.

“No, baby.When it comes to you, I’ll never be done.I’ll always keep trying, I don’t have a choice.Without you, nothing else matters, Rory.”

“Fine.I understand.I know why you treated me the way you did.I know why you rejected me.You’re forgiven.You can move on with a clear conscious,” I tell him.

“You don’t get it, Gorgeous.”

“Don’t get what?”I ask, suddenly so tired that I just want to close my eyes and sleep for a hundred years.

“You’re not a fence I’m trying to mend, Rory.You’re the reason I’m still breathing.You’re everything, Gorgeous.Every.Fucking.Thing.”

Chapter39

Diesel

I never meantto bring the conversation to this point, but I’m not sorry I did.I need her to understand.More importantly, I need her to let me back in.

“It’s not all about you, Noah,” she whispers.“I get what you want, I do, but it’s not all about you,” she says again.“I’m not the same.I’llneverbe the same.”

“I get that, Gorgeous.I get it more than you willeverknow.

“What happens if I can’t beheragain?”

“Sweetheart, youareher.”

“But, I’m not.Not really, Noah.I’m not the same and…”

“And what, Rory.Tell me.”

“What if all I will ever be is… what I am now?”she whispers, and she sounds so broken, so scared that it hurts me.

I did this to her.I didn’t do all of it, but I did my fair share of damage.

“I loved you then, Rory.I love you more now.”

“Noah—”

“We all change, Rory.No one stays the same.I’ve changed, and in my case, that’s a good thing.I don’t know what our future holds, but I can tell you one thing and it’s a promise.”

“What?”she whispers, tears silently streaming down her face still.I can’t stand the sight of them, because I know I’m the one that helped put that pain inside of her.

“If you let me in—if you let me just get my foot in the door, I swear that I will work my ass into the ground so that you never have a reason to regret it.”

“Noah.”

“I swear to Christ, Rory.I’ll never give you a reason to regret it,” I vow again.

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