Page 12 of Worth It All

I blink back tears. He’s always known. For some reason, I wanted to protect him from that, especially after Collin disappeared. I guess that’s why I haven’t told him I’ve seen Collin. If I can talk to him, get through to him, maybe I can put an end to this war.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I never meant to…I don’t know what I meant.”

“That part of the past isn’t important. I thought it was and yes, I kept my distance because of it. But it’s not important anymore.”

“Did Collin tell you the night he disappeared? Is that how you knew?”

Rather than answer me, he says, “You chose Collin, not me. That was a hard fucking pill to swallow. Then, you had Charlie and I knew I couldn’t cross that line with you.”

I quickly wipe away the tears that roll down my cheek. “But you have crossed that line.”

“I think it’s safe to say we fucking obliterated that line.”

He approaches me, urging me back to the table, then lifting me to sit on the mahogany wood. He stands between my knees, cupping my face in his hands.

“The only regret I have is how long I kept my distance. Seven years is lot of wasted time.”

“Same,” I reply, returning his kiss.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him about Collin. Let him know we’ve spoken. But my gut tells me not to say anything yet. Just like he’s not telling me what happened the night Collin disappeared.

20

Mason

She’s holding something back. Part of herself, maybe. Or something else. I can’t put my finger on it and I also can’t call her out on it. I’m holding back too. If I ever tell her what really happened the night Collin disappeared, she’d never forgive me.

“I don’t…I don’t want to do anything that might put Charlie in danger.”

“I would never let that happen,” I vow. I’d die before I let anything happen to either of them.

She slowly nods. “I thought we were going to take things slow, though. Figure out what this is.”

“We both know what this is. We’ve always known.”

And I fought it for way too long. No, I don’t want to confuse Charlie, but I always knew if we crossed the line, there would be no going back. And I always knew it was just a matter of time before it happened. I was delusional trying to convince myself otherwise.

“Are you going to tell the club about…about me and Collin?”

“As little as possible.”

“We got a lead on the truck,” Bishop interrupts. He glances between us, putting two and two together. His jaw clenched in anger.

“We’ll finish this discussion later.”

I give Davina a soft kiss on her forehead and head out. I opt to ride with Bishop in the SUV, figuring we need to get this conversation over with. I don’t want this shit to spill over into the club. We have enough fucking problems.

“How long?” Bishop finally asks.

“Not long.”

He shakes his head. “I always knew there was something between the two of you, but you were friends. Only friends. My sister has been through a lot.”

“I’m aware.”

“She has a fucking kid to think about.”

“I love that kid.”

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